Well, we're coming into the last month of my four-month winter period stay on the hard at the Yacht Haven, Cowes. I'm squeaky clean inside with all surfaces washed, disinfected and steam cleaned. The hob and fridge likewise have been given a thorough going over and disinfected too. All the external stainless steel has been removed, cleaned and returned ready to go back prior to me going back in the water or just. The steering wheels have had the suede soaked in softner like the crew also does to the sheets which kill any algal growth and a simple brush removes the green staining after all, what are baths for? The teak deck has had a light power-wash also to remove the mildew prior to the deck Gel coat getting a wash and polish. My teak deck tends to stay reasonable mildew free, as trips out with resulting seawater over the deck leaves behind an environment that doesn't suit the freshwater loving algae.
My remaining line tidy back at Dagmar House is under-going necessary preparation for it to be sprayed in Gel coat, so hopefully, that will be back on board in the early part of the new season if not before I leave the marina. Skip needs to be hoisted up my mast to undertake a few jobs, the feeding of the new halyard for the J3; the replacement of the deck lights and the removal of the radar dome. The plastic C clips holding the deck lights in their cases have gone brittle, snapped and washed away. More plastic in the sea! At least the new ones are in stainless steel.
The radar dome is to come down as it no longer talks to the new navigational equipment skip had fitted at the end of the season. No point having excess weight high up, besides the AIS is very trustworthy, although not all boats have one fitted, these are generally small craft, who in the fog may be questioning as to why they're out there!
That now leaves a month in which the skipper will wash and polish my hull ready for the oncoming season. He's got a colour chart and is thinking about respraying the two blue stripes just above the waterline as a next year's task or even summer of this year as the ambient temperature is required for the compound to go off.
The new top-down furler for the code 0 should be back from the sailmaker soon so lots of things to look forward to in the new season.
That leaves only my mainsail as the original sail left on board, will that be replaced anytime soon?
The new Webasto heater skip fitted is working well, providing lots of warmth throughout my interior. They popped over to Ireland for a few days with the intention to meet up with his brother and left the Weasto programmer to come on every weekday morning from 0500 till 0800 on eco mode and at 19C. 102 litres of diesel in my tank before he left and 102 when he returned, whilst he set the timer he hadn't set it off!! Skip will be pleased that he'll no longer have to get up to make tea in the cold, timed settings can have the saloon warmer in plenty of time. It also means that the deck windows that were badly replaced, could also be done. Warm air outside, toasty air in. The replacement windows were badly fitted because holes were drilled in them to hold them in place, whilst the Sika-flex set. These holes are the source of cracks, which like car windscreens, extend when in rough conditions and I'm being pushed or slammed about by the elements (or crew)
Most if not all my original pulleys have been replaced. The old large non-bearing 2000kg ones have been swapped for smaller bearing type (70mm) that run a lot smoother.
Even my anchor chain has had the wire brush treatment and checked for weaknesses. So a successful winter break, well break for me!
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