Presail refit: Week 2

Another week of steady progress. The weather continues to be pleasant but there has been a definite cooling trend this week. Days are still hot but nights are getting chilly. One welcome side effect has been the reduction of mosquitoes so we aren’t complaining. We have been monitoring the weather in Victoria and it seems that it has been cloudy and 7-10C since we left. We just got word over the weekend that it is in the -20’s in Ottawa. I definitely prefer this climate!
The engine work is completed. The engine was flashed up on Tuesday and it ran like a top. All that remains is the replacement of the engine mounts and re-alignment of the engine and shaft and that will be done once we get back afloat.
We have made a date for the splash. The next tide that will ensure we get safely away is on the 12th at 0700. We have also made reservations at the Singlar Marina for a few days where we will re-rig the lines and sails and give the boat a thorough cleaning.
Our other accomplishments this week have been varied. We have taken several bits taken down to the work bench to be sanded and re-varnished (Cetol). We have painted more of the lower cupboard interiors and have begun to revamp the under-sink cupboard. The main problem there is the spaghetti of plumbing tubing that needs re-routing and some modifications to reflect the changes we have made to our water supply choices. Fran wants to eliminate the salt water supply to the sink and replace it with a foot pump operated fresh water supply as an alternative to the pressure system. The long lead from the inlet to the tap has always produced a stench when pumping up salt water and it will be better used for a salt water deck wash supply. All of the thru hulls have been serviced. We have made good use of local hardware suppliers for our odds and ends. There are several in our immediate vicinity but Technocrates has been our favourite. It is a small storefront but he carries an incredible amount of bits. Hernandez is the cruiser’s favourite for metal work. If there is anything you need someone on the morning net will have a source.
There are 3 people working on boats in the yard who are also refrigeration techs. Ted (tailgate wok chef from last weekend) is one of these. We had him diagnose the problem with our refrigerator unit. It took a while but he finally identified a bad circuit board which he. What a relief! We can now remove a fridge from our next year’s shopping list. Ted carries many parts with him and does quite a bit of work for local cruisers while carrying out repairs to his 1929 Albin sloop. After seeing the amount of work he has left to do on his boat it was easy to understand why he needs a job on the side. We have also asked him to assemble a freezer for us. We will locate it in the original cooler box.
All that is left to do is to touch up the anti-fouling where it has thinned out over the summer and install the windlass.