November 2009

It has been a busy 10 days but we are splashing later today. Murray and I worked for 2 days, cleaning up the mildew and vacuuming up ants. Dead ants were all through almost every article of clothing aboard and that gave me seven garbage bags full of laundry. Then we had a new mattress cover and bottom sheet to modify to fit onto the vee berth. It was made easier as this time I had purchased king sized which fit so much better ( at least at the head of the bed, the foot is a whole other story ). But, when that job was done, we removed two thru-hulls and installed the two new transducers for speed and depth. Then the wires had to be run, through limber holes in cross members in the bilge for that purpose. These were already filled with other wires , so it was a challenge.

But, once the inside jobs were accomplished, we worked outside. Two more days were spent trying to remove the worn cutlass bearing. But, with some help and Murray’s ingenuity, it was removed. The new one went in easily and the cleaned prop re-installed. Then bottom paint and wax was applied and we were ready to launch. Due to the pier closure here, we will be docking at Reynolds Yacht Center for approx a week to finish the interior work, bend on the sails and stock the boat.

Then we shall be underway once more. The work of getting there and the hell of living on the hard will begin to fade from our memory, allowing us to face it once again next year.

Hugs,
Heather & Murray

Well, we got to St Augustine by 6 pm last night ( after a long detour in Tennessee due to a rock slide taking out I-40, between Knoxville and Asheville, NC ) and stayed in the International Golf Village. Today, we got an early start and arrived at the marina just after 8 am. Once we said our hellos and arranged for a ladder, we climbed aboard.

What a mess!! All of the teak belowdecks was covered with mildew, the cans that had been stored carefully in a plastic tub had rusted due to dripping water from a leaking hatch above it and there were thousands of dead ants covering everything! While Murray readied the boat for the move to the workyard, I started wiping down all surfaces with a diluted vinegar mixture. After the last two years of little to no mildew, I was not prepared to see such a mess especially as we wipe everything down before we leave in the spring.

Once they moved the boat, Mur and I washed the majority of the summer’s grit off of the decks and then tackled the dead ants. All the cushions had been stored in the vee berth where the ants seemed to be the most numerous. The cushions had to be vacuumed and then the bedding carefully removed, shaken and the bed re-made. Murray got the inverter re-connected and the power on to the boat. The frig didn’t start cooling but we will tackle that problem tomorrow. The rusty cans have been sorted and the worst ones tossed in the trash.

We sure have a long work list for the next few days! Besides the planned installation of depth and speed transducers, removal and replacement of the cutlass bearing, usual washing and waxing of the hull and bottom painting, I also have to modify a pair of sheets and mattress cover, finish washing all surfaces belowdecks for mould/mildew, un-pack car/ suitcases etc etc. It makes me tired just thinking about it. But the sun shone today and we wore shorts. Also, the wireless works here on the boat and we have a cell phone as well to order parts etc.

Hugs from
Heather & Murray