In the water

I worked hard to try to get everything done before bringing her to the marina, but somehow I ran out of time. I brought her to the marina on May 14th. On the way home, I realized that I did not put the bilge pump on auto and that I did not remove the piece of string that held my Windex in place during the trip to the marina. Would they marina worker catch it and take off the string, or will I have to climb the mast to take it off. I decided to take a run back on Saturday morning to correct my mistakes. I ran down and took the string off the Windex and turned the bildge pump to automatic. I left her sitting on the trailer near the top of the ramp.

On Sunday, May 23rd, Blue and I took a drive down to try to get everything organized for the coming season. I checked the tides and found that the high tides were 4 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon. This made me delay our trip for a little while, trying to stall so the tide would be coming in when we got there. We loaded up the dinghy on the roof, and I had already loaded up most of the supplies in the back of the truck. When we arrived we went first to look to see where the boat was moored. It was in the same spot as the previous year which makes things a lot easier. However, at the bottom of the ramp was about 14' of mud until you got to the water. We decided to unload the dinghy and take a ride to investigate the area while the tide came in.

We rode around the area for about an hour and a half and returned to the ramp. The water was to the bottom of the ramp, but still impossible to load and board the dinghy from the ramp. We loaded her up and I took the rope to the front of the dinghy and puller her along the bulkhead until she was floating. We climbed down the ladder on the bulkhead and hopped on board.

It was a quick trip out to the boat and it didn't take long to get things unloaded. After we got the dinghy unloaded, we the rigging, installed the main sail boom, and raised the motor to prevent barnacles from building up. It was very choppy and the weather was on verge of rain. We checked and found the battery was dead, so I took the battery from the dinghy and placed it on the boat so the bilge pump could run. The other battery that was removed was stone dead. Why? I found a wire lying in water and it must have shorted out the battery or at least drained all the power out. I will have to bring my volt/amp meter on the next trip to confirm the problem.

So much for this trip. I have to regroup my thoughts and plans for next weekend. I fill you in later.

The week before the mooring

I must say this weekend was a tough one. It was the weekend to get the boat ready and the last weekend before our daughter gets married. We finished all of the painting on the boat. I tried to put some wax on her, but it didn't come out as expected. It is blochy and I am not sure if I should run some polishing compound over it and start again or to just let it go as the clock is ticking. We started loading her with her summer needs and will be working feverishly this week trying to finish the BBQ mount. My first mate, Gary, stopped by yesterday and helped get the mask on top of the cabin so all that is needed is to tie it down and go.

I still need to get the new 2011 registration stickers on and get the batteries all charged up. I will place them on the charger this evening. A cleaning of the top of the boat is next and I will be able to wax that when she is in the water. I removed the curtains for now as they were hanging off the glued up tracks and the windows are really dark tinted, so I may not need curtains. It will make it a lot brighter in the cabin, plus being able to see out will help those who have weak tummies and go below for comfort. We are not taking anything on board that we did not use last year. This is a great rule and minimizes clutter each year. It seems that when you discontinue one thing on your list, two replace it! So, so much for the helping rule.

The trailer had the new tires placed on this weekend and seeing tires that are not dry rotted certainly makes me feel a lot safer towing her to her summer home.

Hopefully the next entry will be from the water.

Leaps and Bounds

This weekend we had great weather which allowed me to get many things taken care of. We have alreaady started loading Lil Provo with her seasonal supplies, life jackets, weather gear, electronics, etc. We also made headway on the painting. We have completed 80% of the bottom painting, the waterline strip, and repaired the black strip that runs down each side, and compounded out some nasty marks made by the dinghy along the side. This week we will continue to work on her after our normal workday and a stop at the local tavern to unwind from work and set my game plan day by day. I need to purchase a new VHF antenna and a new windex. It seems like I go through one of these per year. If it doesn't get broken lowering or raising the mast, some steals it, or I lose it on the way home by the antenna unscrewing. While in the basement I found two packages of the windex remnants from the past two buys.

We also gave some attention to the dinghy. We have begun the job of painting her. We are going to make her white on the inside and outside. There is nothing worse than coming back after a day of sailing and finding you can't sit on the seats because they are so hot. We also used some ipe' wood and added about 1-1/2" to the transome. Someplace along the life of this dinghy something happened and the transom got lower than the sides. Every time we would have three people in the dinghy, I was paranoid that water would come over the back. Moreso, when you stop the motor and see that wave coming back to the boat. So I added about 1-1/2" and then fiberglassed it in for a nice strong top edge.

I need to get the mast ready to go and move to the top of Lil Provo. When the time is right, I just drive her down to Keyport and have her placed into the water. If all goes well, maybe I'll have her in the water for mid May sailing. The fishing should just be coming alive.

One of my friends loaned me his cast net and I have been practicing, but still need lots of practice. There are many videos and instruction available on line, but you really have to learn yourself. The tips are great, except each person does it a little different. It is what works for you. So that is what I need to find, what works good for Jim.

This will cover this weeks review. Possibly I'll be back with more.