The good news is the boat is great, despite both the dock and boat being covered with bird CRAP, we survived. Managed to pull the mainsail out of the cabin the first night and uncover the pullman berth so we could actually SLEEP there! The bed is just as comfortable as we recall -- it's always worth spending the time & effort to wash the bedding just before we leave so when we return, it's fresh and welcoming!
We are so glad to be back. The first 48 hours were a dream ... but of course, it would be foolish to think that would last. The first morning, we got the mainsail up on the boom so we could wash all the birdcrap off the boat -- no use to start any projects until we're not tracking birdcrap into the boat with every step. The last project the first day was to get the canvas back in place, so we have our "family room" in the cockpit again... again, no problem, everything, every screw, every fitting went just like clockwork.
We are so glad to be back. The first 48 hours were a dream ... but of course, it would be foolish to think that would last. The first morning, we got the mainsail up on the boom so we could wash all the birdcrap off the boat -- no use to start any projects until we're not tracking birdcrap into the boat with every step. The last project the first day was to get the canvas back in place, so we have our "family room" in the cockpit again... again, no problem, everything, every screw, every fitting went just like clockwork.
The second 24 hours were more challenging. In order to move the boat over to Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage for hauling, new bottom paint and lots of other out of the water maintenance projects, including hopefully fixing our depth-less depthsounder transducer (ironically enough, when we turned it on at the dock, the dethsounder worked perfectly -- I think it's taunting us, knowing that when we're approaching the 200 yards before the lock getting up to Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage to haul where the water gets skinny and we'll really NEED the depth sounder it'll laugh at us and start flashing crazy numbers like 102.3 feet when we know it's less than 6 feet and we draw 5 1/2! Aaarrrggg!!!
But before we can move the boat, we need the diesel engine to purr. When we left the boat, we fresh water flushed the diesel and it hasn't been started in six months. David changes the impeller - an important maintenance step that always produces new swear words, but this year it was only an hour and a half of new swear words, a new WInterlude record -- we're getting better at this! Then, after opening the seacock, and heating up the glo-plugs, the diesel rumbled to life almost immediately! WHEW! A HUGE hurdle overcome! Then the oil change, oil filter and fuel filter changes only contributed a bit more black oil and diesel fuel to our bilge mess. Another big step in the right direction!
But before we can move the boat, we need the diesel engine to purr. When we left the boat, we fresh water flushed the diesel and it hasn't been started in six months. David changes the impeller - an important maintenance step that always produces new swear words, but this year it was only an hour and a half of new swear words, a new WInterlude record -- we're getting better at this! Then, after opening the seacock, and heating up the glo-plugs, the diesel rumbled to life almost immediately! WHEW! A HUGE hurdle overcome! Then the oil change, oil filter and fuel filter changes only contributed a bit more black oil and diesel fuel to our bilge mess. Another big step in the right direction!
One of the major projects when we haul out is to figure out what's up with our old obsolete, no longer manufactured Autohelm Tridata Depth Sounder system. To replace the system is over $1,600, NOT in this year's budget since we have to haul and redo bottom paint - never inexpensive especially when I want white and it's $200 a gallon -- we need at least 4 gallons. And since we have fabulous long lasting Panama paint (which has tin in it) on the bottom now, we have to add a coat of Pettit Tie Coat Primer to insure the tin doesn't interfere with the new Pettit ViVid paint. Luckily, after meeting with the Raymarine folks at the Annapolis Boat Show, I called tech support who referred me to the people who actually supply the depth sounder transducers and we should be able to simply replace the existing transducer with a newer version - a direct swap and only $125! A BIG difference from $1,600 ... that was good news! And we needed good news after the Icom bad news......
Other that all this, after 48 hours, all is well! We're hoping to leave the dock Sunday to sail up Charlotte Harbor and anchor outside the lock that will allow us in to the channel to sail an hour & a half to the boatyard on Monday morning at the "butt-crack" of dawn as our friend Doug formerly of sv Kristiana, currently trekking in Nepal, would say. :) You all KNOW how much I LOVE the butt-crack of dawn! But 1.7 high tide when the mean low water shows 4.5 feet and we draw 5.5 feet .... get the picture!
Other that all this, after 48 hours, all is well! We're hoping to leave the dock Sunday to sail up Charlotte Harbor and anchor outside the lock that will allow us in to the channel to sail an hour & a half to the boatyard on Monday morning at the "butt-crack" of dawn as our friend Doug formerly of sv Kristiana, currently trekking in Nepal, would say. :) You all KNOW how much I LOVE the butt-crack of dawn! But 1.7 high tide when the mean low water shows 4.5 feet and we draw 5.5 feet .... get the picture!
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