Its hot in South Carolina. This year its unusually hot; at least where I live in it. Where the boat is, well that’s hot and humid. I am fairly sure you can pluck a crab straight from the harbor cooked and seasoned. Even so, or maybe because of the heat, I wish I had the boat back in the water. It has crossed a milestone of sorts, however. All the work I intended to have done, by professionals, is complete or underway. Ross Marine has finished their pieces and is just waiting on Charleston Yachting to complete their work on new standing rigging.
Of course that is not without issue. With the new mast step and chain plates the old rigging can’t be used as a template. Each shroud must be made long and finished when the mast has been stepped. Each wire will get a Hayne Hi-mod fitting. While horizontal they are replacing the sheaves that don’t turn well any more and putting on a Schaefer 3100 roller reefing kit. The old Hood seafurl still turns, but the foil is in really bad shape.
I anticipate that I will get the boat back by Christmas (See, I learned not to be so optimistic with my estimates). The yard says 2 weeks, although they would have it done this week, if Charleston Yachting was ready.
So what’s next. Everything that has been done, plus a few extra items, I had done in order to make the boat stay afloat and safe to sail. This is far from finished however. Aside from the things just waiting around the corner for me, I have a to do list half a mile long.
- Move the shower sump box to under the galley sink and wire it up
- Relocate the water accumulator so I have better access to the deep bilge sump
- Replace all house water lines with Pex
- New batteries in and wired up
- Solar panels on the arch with new Victron MPPT controller (though maybe midnight solar)
- mount secondary bilge pump
- Change an above waterline through hull
- Change all sanitation hoses
- Change all engine hoses
Then I can relax. At least enough to enjoy sailing and gunkholing a bit. “WAIT!!” Shit, I forgot the new anchor chain. The list doesn’t end. And that is really the trick, isn’t it? There is always something to fix and it will not be perfect. I hear the lubbers now, “That’s why I don’t own a boat!” But do you own a car or a house or a body? These things must be maintained too. Or maybe you don’t, if you chose not to have a life like the one I want.
But, I can use the boat while I get the rest of her back in shape. I can take her outside the harbor and let her romp like she was meant to do. Put her shoulder down into the swell and take waves over the bow. “SHIT!” I need to rebed the stanchions and put new seals in the hatches… I need to fix the hawse pipe for the anchor rode. Never mind. You use things, you maintain them: bodies, houses or ships.