Every boater that we know has a project list, ranging from scraps of paper to formal computer files. Our list always starts in our heads and after we get totally frustrated going in mental circles, we finally grab a piece of paper and write things down. The result is that we have lots of lists that rarely end up in the same place! This year, we started working on it while still at home with intentions of being better organized: things to do while on the hard, things to do while on the water at the dock, things to do whenever. Some things were simple, some required sub categories, some required professional help. We were organized and ready to hit the road running...we thought.
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| Our Projects Lists |
Arriving at the boat we were greeted by our first unanticipated and not-on-the-list "crisis". The stove was not working. No stove, no coffee. No coffee, no work. The Project List was rendered temporariily irrelevant. Turned out the solenoid for the propane was dead. Ten minutes to diagnose the problem, and two days of calls and driving all over to find the right sized replacement and install it. Ready for that cup of coffee...we thought. Nope. Our coffee pot is a percolator with a little glass top and just when needed the most, it broke while making that first pot. Slivers of glass in our coffee? No thanks. After a day of calls, visits to a variety of stores, and strange looks from sales clerks who did not know what I was talking about I accepted that Mister Coffee and Keuric rule!! Two days later we had two replacement glass tops thanks to Amazon. Things were looking up.
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| Retro Percolator Tops |
At the end of our sailing season in April, 2019, we knew that we had some electrical "gremlins" which had manifested themselves in the windlass, the freezer, the refrigerator, the SSB and the autopilot. Our priority was to identify and elimate them. With so many things at play it seemed prudent to hire an electrician. So we did...
Turned out that the the windlass motor was dead. Since it is the piece of equipment that we use to lower and raise the anchor it seemed prudent to get it fixed. Unfortunately it was probably original to the boat, ie 30 years old, was no longer being made and was not worth rebuilding. Off to West Marine to order a new one. More on that later...
In the meantime, Jim replaced the faucet in the galley. The old one was so low that I could barely rinse dishes under it. The new one is high, arching and is a vast improvement.
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| Working on Plumbing Under the Sink |
About six feet of the rub rail on our dinghy had come loose over the summer. It was a quick fix for which the time consuming part was finding the right kind of two part epoxy specifically for a hypalon dinghy. Given the various bags of different types of glue we have onboard, it would seem like we should have had some, but as often happens, we didn't and had to go out and buy something else!! Holding it in place for 24 hours took some ingenuity.
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| The Rubrail Repair - a tight rope around the whole dinghy |
These projects are just the tip of the project iceberg, but once in a while we have to take a break. On one of our afternoon walks along the dock, we were greeted by "Oliver" (aka "Albert" or "Edgar") He has grown since last year, but seems perfectly content to snuggle into the weeds between the dock and the shore. Although he appears benign it is alarming how his eyes follow you as you walk along. I would not choose to interact with him, but he is our reminder that we are back at the boatyard
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| Beware! |
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| And there is Oliver! |
