I’ve been negligent in my duties – again. Nothing reported since the end of September. Lots to report though, so here goes...

Since the last entry the boat has spent most/all of its time laid up at the yard. She went in to have the ding in the gelcoat repaired. It took a while to bring the offender to book and sort the insurance stuff.

Whilst she was in there, I thought I might as well a quote to fit/fix some bits. Mainly stuff I had bought on eBay – all of the ‘this is going to be useful one day’ category.

Things like:
- a Furuno radar dome (bought after a Channel X-ing in VERY dense fog)
- a wired Furuno windex to replace the very temperamental TackTick wireless unit
- the Monitor windvane autopilot (eBay again – picked it up for an unbelievable low price)
- an AIS transponder
- solar panels (another eBay bargain)
- rewire the bow navlights
- rewire the bilge pump and fit a bilge monitor

After some negotiating the yard submitted a very competitive quote, so I told them to get on with it. With some creative accounting and by postponing the replacement of my old banger for another year we could just about afford it.
And they did get on with it: on time, on spec and (nearly on budget). Things looked good.

Then... disaster struck. Just when the yard was getting the boat ready to be launched one of the foremen noticed a crack on the rudder. And he could hear water sloshing around inside the rudder. Emergency meeting. Quick drive up to Ipswich – bit dazed and confused as I had just completed a week of night shifts.

Call me Mr Unadventurous, but I don’t want to a potential rudder failure hanging over my head. Looked at the crack, listened to the water sloshing around inside and decided there and then to have the rudder dropped and inspected.
The bad news: water had been seeping in along the rudder stock. This had caused the wooden beam inside the rudder to swell/expand. This in turn caused the crack, which let in even more water...
The good news: the rudder stock, the frame and all the welds inside the rudder are still intact. Apart from the wooden beam inside it, the rudder itself was in pretty good shape. Solidly build too – yard commented on the thickness of the GRP. Much thicker than even the hull of modern boats.

I am left feeling a bit frustrated/angry with the delay and the added expense, but on the other hand I am relieved that the problem was detected now rather than somewhere in the middle of the ocean.

Launch date is now 22 November. Work is keeping me busy for the next 7 days, but I plan to make another trip up next Friday to make sure that everything and everyone is still ‘on track’. Whilst I was having a clear-out today, I came across another forgotten eBay purchase: a rope cutter. So, I might as well fit that whilst the boat is out of the water.

For the most part, the weather has been crap since the boat was laid up, but I am now starting to miss the old girl. I have a sailing itch and it needs scratching.

Also sorted our mooring for the Summer. For the past few years (since we got Steps) we’ve been on a pontoon berth; and whilst it’s convenient it’s also ‘not cheap’. Economies and sacrifices have to be made. Swinging mooring as from April. The dog will have to get used to the dinghy ride.

Other stuff to sort by then:
- Service the life raft and life jackets (all well overdue)
- Fit a stainless cradle for the life raft and dan-buoy
- Service the outboard (going to be interesting – it’s not been used for a number of years)
- Re-commission the dinghy (sort out some sort of fenders and fit hooks so she can be hoisted on board)

Whilst life has not exactly been a bed of roses these last few weeks, I am quite pleased with the progress we have made. Up till now, all the work we have had done was of the ‘make good’ variety (30 year old boat and all that). But with the addition of the windvane, solar panels, radar,... the ‘new’ Guapa is starting to take shape. We’re not quite there yet, but finish line is now in sight.

Hope to be able to report to you all – soon – that we’re back in the water and out sailing.