It’s been a very productive two days in the boatyard. We arrived at the yard around 8:30am on Monday and got straight to work pulling off our sun shade. As the cover was coming down, a frog came flying off, landing a few feet away from me. The poor guy seemed a little shocked but eventually jumped away. It was a super foggy morning which made the deck of the boat very wet and slippery.
The next job we tackled (once the cover was off) was washing the deck and the cockpit. The boat was dirty (as usual) but cleaned up nicely. By the time we were done all the exterior washing, the sun was out and the temperature started to rise. We quickly discovered one of the negative aspects of our storage location – it’s right next door to a company that does welding and other work and they run a fairly large generator all day long!! It’s so noisy that we have to yell to be heard.
The top priority pre-launch job is putting in a new thru hull that we are hoping will solve our water intake issues. Our engine is water cooled and we’ve been having problems with it overheating. This new thru hull should help with this issue. Mark began preparing the area for the new thru hull and in short time had drilled the hole.
For the most part, the interior of the boat was in good shape – a bit of mold in the usual places. I started the day in the aft cabin. Lots of washing with vinegar and pinesol. By the end of the day, we had made good progress on the thru hull and the cleaning.
Today (Tuesday, Oct. 31) we arrived around the same time and Mark started working on the thru hull. I finished cleaning the cockpit and put up the enclosure. Unfortunately Mark discovered we had the wrong caulking so a road trip into Jacksonville was in order. We found the caulking plus a few other items at a marine store and headed back to the boat.
It was another hot day but by the end, we had finished the most urgent part of the thru hull job. Mark had also repaired 2 weeping bolts near the bow and had removed the large zinc plate (replacement is waiting to be installed). I finished the aft cabin cleaning and got it all set-up so we can sleep there on Friday. I also cleaned about 90% of the main cabin so we can now sit on nice cushions!!
We ended the day celebrating Halloween with our fellow cruisers. Julia (Alizarin) and Jackie (on Soaring Eagles) organized a little get together in the lounge. There was food, decorations and great conversation. A very nice way to end a long working day.
Crimson Kathryn and her crew 