First Evaluation

Good News! Things are not as bad as I might have imagined. Our BIG paint job below still looks great. Topsides paint is dirty but not coming off. Whew! Cetol on the topsides wood. . . forget it. GONE. That's it for that project. From now on all our topside teak is going natural. I'm a busy writer you know and I can't spend all my time directing Sue on where to scrape and paint!

Bad News - There is still a LOT of work to do!



I used my brief visit today to just get a sense of what I need in tools and materials and to prioritize the coming projects. I had asked the yard to plug in the boat but that didn't happen so without power it was hard to inspect engine room and, ok, I'm afraid to go in there. But, engine and engine room clean up is number one starting tomorrow after I get power. I'm not sure what an engine that's been standing for 18 months needs but I'll make sure it has oil, hook up the hoses that I took off and see if she'll start! Why not? Let's cut to the chase. I then need to remove the cover on the impellar. It's been stuck for awhile and I need to see what's going on in there. Here's the rest but this list will mutate

2. Buy tools. Oh my god. My tool drawers are just piles of interestingly shaped chunks of rust. I guess these were hand tools in the mesolithic era. christ. I should have put all the tools in bags with oil sprayed in. Well, it is fun buying new tools and, honestly, some of these tools have been with me from the 50's. Really!

3. Rip out the old windlass. I couldn't get the bolts off of this thing before we left so I doubt I'll get them now. I think I'll just cut around the whole thing (it's down in the locker for the anchor chain etc. I needed to open up that space anyway to get at the chain itself to prevent the castling problem. Time to not be fine tuned with this and just get a saw, cut around it and rip it out of there. Then I can make a lid and make nice with the hole.

4. Batteries - When I get power we'll see if they charge up ok. I'll check the water in them first. They were dead today (~10.2 volts). If they come back I'll have to decide if I can mix them with a pair of new, similar batteries. I know this is frowned upon but so is buying 4 new batteries. I want to upgrade from 2 to 4 because...

5. Install autohelm. This would be higher up the list but I know all the parts are not in yet. Looking at 1-4 I may have to hire out this job to be completed before we return June 6.

6. Dinghy and outboard - Dinghy has a leak that I CANNOT find so I may give this project to the sail maker who does dinghy repair. The outboard has been sitting outside (the cover I taped on is gone with the wind) for 18 months. But it's a good Tohatsu and I expect it to start.

Finally (for today) it's good to know that our boat wasn't completely abandoned. Looks like a sparrow made a nest in the boom. I saw her fly out while I was walking around the deck. Maybe a friend for Mismo!