The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, not necessarily in that order.

 

Things are going quite well.  The butcher shop sells bacon wrapped filet mignon 2 for $6!  WOW!  So we popped one on the grill, split it.  Save the other one for another night, it is on ice so it is ok. Good deal, good meal.

 

If you follow our meanderings, you know our prop has been an issue on and off since we were at dock back in July 2005.  In the last year we have had to maintenance it twice.  This go-round I have dis-assembled and re-assembled four times and still stymied.  The blades do not turn smoothly and do not feather without some definite effort.  I went through one entire tube of grease, a roll of paper towels, a dozen or so latex gloves, and lots of music in an effort to make it right.

Well, we solved the problem.  We  put on the spare fixed prop. 

It took John and Aleta from California to New Zealand where they put on the Hydralign feathering prop.  It was inspected there and put into storage (translate into 'the most inaccessible place on this boat' - aft berth under the mattress - this is when we need that contortionist midget...)  So the prop is on and ready to test.

 

 

The headstay will not work, we have to put up a new one.  Thankfully 40+' of 3/8 diameter wire rigging line is in storage.  We will put the stay-loc fitting on tomorrow, on both ends, actually, and prepare it for installation the day we splash)  The inner stay is in place and our mast is keel stepped (for family and friends: both masts are connected to the keel for support instead of mounted on the deck and supported by a compression post(s) inside the boat.) so we're not worried about stability.  Also we're not going to be doing any sailing with the headstay down, so no worries.  We can splash before this is done.

 

We're still waiting on the roller furling unit.  I hope Profurl is as good as everyone says because they sure are slow in their shipping.  We don't need this before we go in the water, I'm just being impatient.

 

Today we put on the final coat of bottom paint and removed the tape - clean as a whistle.  Beautiful, straight, perfect waterline.    It was cold in the morning so we spent a little time straightening up the cabin - we look almost livable.  Heather jokes that she doesn't think we'll ever be seaworthy again... we've so many tools and such out.  Without the fridge, head, shower, etc... we're living like refugees.  We make a lot of jokes and get a lot of laughs out of it, so it's okay.  Lots of sympathizers here in the yard as well. 

 

The bad news...we had a small area of paint peel.  Nothing big though, I can patch/repair it.

 

Tomorrow is engine oil change, maintenance engine, refrigeration, and transmission zinc anodes.  Clean out the cockpit some.  Attach some other misc. rigging such as the dinghy. 

 

Haulout 2006 is almost done.  Thursday or Saturday we will splash!!!  Friday is a superstitious no-no - Google nautical superstition Friday - you'll be amazed.  But very, very soon "normal" life will resume!  We will spend an entire day (maybe two or three)  onboard, no neighbors, nothing but us.  I can $work with little distraction, Heather can get back to reading again, I don't think either of us has touched a book since we got here - and I know she really misses it, so do I.

 

All in all, things have gone quite well.  We will come in about $150 over budget if all things remain the same... but as someone told me today:

If you ever want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans.

 

We're going to go for a stroll.  So I will proof this yet another time.