GETTING READY

Mother's Day weekend is here and Lil Provo is still sitting on the Hard.  The inside has been cleaned out and really just needs a cleaning which has been partially done, but getting in and out leaves dirty footprints on the cockpit and cabin sole.  So this will wait till she is on the water where I can clean her good without the worry of tracking in more dirt. She needs the bottom paint finished and then she will be ready to go to her summer home sitting on the water and bringing with her our million dollar view.

The fish are here and I need to become part of the fishing fleet. This is the prime season with bunker flowing into the bay and stripers, blues, and fluke feeding.  The cast net is ready and so am I.  Last year the bunker were so thick you could walk on the water.  I learned a lot about catching them last year and could catch them for bait.  However, they stink and make a mess in the boat.  The peanut bunker are great to keep in a live well and as long as you circulate the water they will last a long time.

Last year our movie camera could not take being around salt water any longer and bit the dust. I am hoping I can find a replacement at the flea market. It was great taking video on the water and the regular digital cameras just seem to give me the same results.  I have found the IPAD to me a valuable tool on the water, it just bothers me taking such an expensive piece of equipment on board and subjecting it to the salt water elements.

The weather is rainy this morning and maybe we will not be able to finish the bottom.  Sand paper doesn't work well when it gets wet.  If that is the case I will check out the wiring on the trailer and see about a new cover for the gas tank locker.  If it is raining it might be a good time to use comet on all the teak trim.  It brings the color back and gives it a new look.

The water line of the boat gets heavy brown stains every year and I have tried everything to get these stains off, but have not found that magic solution that you can spray on and rinse off taking the stains with it.  This year we tried ZEP and ended up with bleached shorts and shirt, but the stains remained.   I then used a scrubby with the ZEP and after letting it sit for a while it did remove some of it.  So far Comet bathroom spray has worked the best.  I was thinking about the Mr Clean Eraser pads they advertise.  Simple Green works when the boat is in the water and has been kept wet.  It is just such a hassle while on the water.  The ZEP works excellent on the inside removing any mildew and leaves a nice clean finish when wiped off.  This is where I can really recommend the product. It cleaned whatever I sprayed it on inside the cabin.

I need to bore a hole in the mast to run the anchor light wires and VHF wire through. Every year the wires seem to get pinched from running under the bottom of the mast.  You get sick of replacing wires every year so I am hoping this will be a fix that will last for years.  Plus if you turn on the anchor light and the wire has been pinched it pops the breaker letting you know of a problem.  if you are on a trip and need that light your may be out of luck in repairing it while on anchor.  what i've done before is to grab a LED flash light and haul it up on the halyard for the night.  It usually lasts the entire night.  Two 12 volt wires and a RG58 cable should not require too large of a hole.

A quick wax job on the hull and Lil Provo will be ready.