Waiting on a weather window

Our original departure was to be the 15th of April, but decided it would not be best to arrive home in time for 8 more inches of snow.  So now we are sitting her waiting for a weather window.  We have done this many times on the boat, but can't say the same for the car.  The next front that brings more snow to Minnesota will also be bringing rain, tornadoes and strong winds thru the area we need to drive to get home, so we wait.

In the meantime we have gotten a few more unexpected projects completed.  A couple of weeks ago we started to smell mold in the chain locker.  First everything had to be cleared out of the storage locker in front of the chain locker, turning into a great opportunity to get rid of more crap.  Then the 400 ft of chain had to be hoisted out of the locker, handed down over the rail onto the dock and then carried off the dock to a couple of pallets so the chain could get scrubbed and repainted.

After cleaning the chain and storage lockers with a mix of vinegar, water and dish soap - Rick decided to repaint the chain locker. Yes, that is white paint on his elbow (projects do not come without their mess). 

  

OK, what's with Rustoleum paint on the chain? It's the last or bitter end of the chain and will seldom, if ever, get to see the light of day. And with most of the galvanizing worn off the paint might keep the rust at bay. We had 400 feet, but the last 80 feet were badly rusted, so Rick removed it.

The remainder of the chain had only surface rust, so after flushing it with phosphoric acid Rick is applying Rustoleum's Cold Galvanizing Compound. Which he admits won't last that long, but buy at least some added life to the chain. (Note: We apply this spray paint to the prop at every haul out and, except for wearing off at the blade tips, it stays on and keeps the barnacles off. Can't beat the $6.00 per can to keep the prop clean!)

Applying paint markings which we have found wears off after a few uses so there are also vinyl inserts in the links we picked up in Trinidad. They can be hard to see as the chain plays out so Rick also wrapped some colored duck tape and stitched on colored webbing. (Sorry we didn't get a picture of him sewing webbing onto the chain links as it brought some interesting comments from the dock.) We'll see how all these different markings work.

"Restored" chain in port locker side and rope/chain in starboard.

Varnishing has stopped due to the daily dose of tree pollen.

 So it is back to the teak bench seat repair.

  Here's the prep for the backer board. Applying a slightly thickened epoxy mix and then setting a treated plywood board.

The larger hatch after backer board primed and filler applied.

Finish coat of Interlux Perfection, a two part polyurethane paint.

Lots of tools available to remove the old caulk, a Fine oscilating tool, or similar, works great. But, still one of the best is a flat file and slotted screw driver bent to "pull" and scrape the side of the channel.

After sanding the top, aah the fun of taping off in prep for the black "stuff", polysulfide caulk.

Apply a little, spread a little before it skims over. Then remove the tape a just the right time. 

The finish products. Ok, the sides now need some sanding.

Future project!

The vent hatch open (a hinge stop hardware yet to be applied)

Things to do when you have too much time on your hands.  We have storage space under our queen island berth.  Needless to say after 12 years of  cruising we have accumulated a few spare things and out of sight is out of mind... 

Spare microwave, scuba gear, a SuperMax anchor, a window air conditioner (used in Trinidad when Broulee was on the hard) fans, cockpit window screens (two sets) and several other spare parts. 

The Captain has decided to bring the anchor back to Minnesota to modify it.  He has never been happy with it's performance. Rick says too much of the weight is at the shank, not enough at the blade/toe,  causing it to lay on its side and not always burying itself. It was sent to the hidey-hole quite sometime ago, during the Caribbean trip, where it just dragged along the hard sand bottoms. We replaced it with a Bruce anchor. The microwave I'm not ready to give up yet, but the air conditioner has found a new home.

 A young couple that we have "happy houred" with several times, will be spending the summer at AYB refurbishing their boat - they are without AC.  Couldn't think of a better home for it.  

The Boat Parade continues. Another purtty boat.

Spring time in Great Bridge brings out, among other things, the thistles. Some big ones! (Oh, did we say there are lots of water snakes that like the warmer, sunny weather?)
Ok seriously DEB DID NOT POST THIS PICTURE.  JONI DO NOT LOOK!!

Guess they like to hang around together in the trees. Maybe the water's still too cold for them.