Sunday 27 April 2008

Back on the water


It's that time again. The outboard is on, the tiller back where it should be and we are waiting for the crane. Time to get back on the water.

Here they slip the boat from a trailer with hydraulic arms that cradle her on the move, but let her free once she's in. But first the crane to lift her onto the trailer bed.
The guys here are expert, lifting her out from between the neighbours like picking a parcel from a shelf, and launching is just as smooth.
Clean plugs and the outboard is thrummimg into life, and free of the mast she heads eagerly out from the quay for the cruise round to the berth.
Friday's sunny potter is repeated twice on Saturday for a date with the mast crane. With utmost care the shiny new Windex goes on, and we winch the mast into place - and just for once the job is done with the Windex still in one piece. Miracles will never cease.
So, there she is... Boom on, sails clad and all ready to go!

?? How is it that some people think it OK to tie up on the quay by the crane and then go off to start preparing the mast. Guys... YOU ARE IN THE WAY!

Wednesday 23 April 2008

Finishing Touches

The weekend saw us back at the marina taking advantage of the sunny weather to finish all that needs to be done before sjösättning. That meant painting the waterline, making repairs to the caulking on the deck edge, prepping & mounting the outboard, scrubbing out the cockpit, oiling the teak facias and generally making things shipshape.

It doesn't empty the joblist... the tiller is at home getting a lick of varnish, the sprayhood needs time with a needle & thread, there's a window that needs sealing, charge the battery and a final polish to last the season. Plenty still that can be done!
But on Friday she goes back in the water... and looking her best we hope!

Monday 14 April 2008

Namesake


After talking about it for seven years it has finally happened.... we have put the name on the the boat. ..and it looks great if I do say so myself!

Also after seven years I've fixed the seacock on the port side cockpit scupper... so now we are properly seaworthy :-) That was a job that used a tip from the IF discussion forum: We plugged the scupper and then it sat for a week and a half with cooking oil in to penetrate and lubricate. It still took a while to get that critical first small movement, and a while longer to free up the last couple of millimetres to et proper closure. But now it's done. No more wet feet when we have guests onboard!

Sunday 6 April 2008

True blue?

That nice blue hull looks really nice when it's given a rub down and a lick of polish.. but somehow it never lasts the season loooking that way. It quickly matts off and looks patchy and streaky... The gelcoat has had too many summers in the sun.
But maybe this year it will be different?

We spent the weekend with sander and polisher, cutting back with wet and dry and going over again with rubbing paste to bring up the shine - a compromise between wanting to get rid of the oxidation and not wanting to cut back too deep... Time consuming but hopefully worth it - the bit that's finished looks really good.