Projects

I wonder where the day goes. When my dad retired he commented that he is so busy now he wonders how he ever had time for a job!

Besides the everyday tasks of “living” on a simple boat where everything is done in some old fashioned (ie “Slow” ) way, It seems there is a never ending list (and growing every day..) of projects to do on the boat. The boat was in good repair when I bought it but there are upgrades and improvements that I want to do to make it more comfortable, convenient, safe, or easy to sail.

I previously mentioned painting the bottom and most recently the top decks. These were big multi day jobs. There are many “little” jobs that seem little until I get into them and realize it will be more involved than I thought. Everything take 3 times longer than I thought, and no matter how well I try to plan, I never have the right stuff on board to complete it.

For example, Today I have been working on installing a foot pump for the galley sink. This will be much more easy to use than the hand pump there now. This should have been easy but I decided I had to cut some little cover plate thingys out of stainless steel, grind them smooth, drill holes in just the right spots, and paint them. I needed 4 inch screws to mount the pump but after a trip to 2 stores I learned they don’t come that long in that size so I had to get threaded rod and make my own long screws! I am just about to cut into the existing tubing and hook it all up. Wish me luck!

Last night I put a patch on a tiny hole on my main sail. (little holes quickly become BIG holes so I patch them as soon as I see them.)

Last night the boat was rocking too much for comfort on the waves in the bay so I got up at midnight and invented a “rocker stopper” made out of a bucket and a 10 pound dumb bell hanging out to the side of the boat from the boom .

Projects on the list right now:

Hang the window curtains I sewed up last month (Velcro…)

Put up a hinged rod to hang a door curtain for the bathroom

Cut down the plank I sleep on by 1 inch so it will fit the space better

Cover said plank with upholstery fabric so it will not abrade the seat cushions it rests against

Move the radio antenna to make room for the new solar panel

Run wire for new solar panel

Figure out why my solar panel is not working today.

Install gasket material on the cockpit locker so it wont ever leaked

Etc etc etc