So here is part of this week's list . . .

1 - Reassemble the new engine -
Our port engine had been through a couple of rebuilds, and it had finally reached a point where a new engine would be better. We were extremely fortunate to find an "almost exact" Perkins match to the old Perkins. The "new" one is a couple of years newer with only about 150 hours on it. It was used to run a large fan for stoking fires on a farm, therefore probably never saw an ounce of salt water! This past summer, Wil & I managed to switch out the engines. This week, Wil has been working on reassembling & securing the new one. Of course, there are many little quirks that have happened along the way. For one example, when he went to mount the fuel pump, the fuel line was going to end up running across the top of the heat exchanger. After 6 hours of thinking about it, making trips to the store for possible parts, and much trial & error, the solution only took 5 minutes . . . according to a suggestion from another mechanic . . . just undo & rotate the top of the pump. Ding, ding, ding!!

2 - Repair broken water line in starboard forward shower -
Last winter was the first winter we've had a boat out of the water during the coldest months. Later, we discovered that we didn't properly winterize our water system. We'd put heaters in the hulls and heat wrapped certain areas of the water system, but we never put in antifreeze. So this spring, when we flipped the switch for the water pump, water started spraying out from the shower installation at the wall. We shut the whole system down & didn't approach the topic again until it was time to start staying on the boat this fall.
When we arrived last week, Wil came prepared to repair the broken water line. He did the repair, went to the engine room to reattach the water line to the water pump, and told me to flip the switch. From the main salon I could hear water dumping into our forward lazarette!! Round one didn't work!! Wil returned forward, fixed the problem, and again I flipped the switch. All looked & sounded well in the starboard hull. I went to the port hull. The forward shower wouldn't turn off. The forward head sink had low water pressure. As I went on deck to report to Wil, I noticed water spewing into the port engine room. The base of the water pump was cracked & leaking.
Since we had such a long list of items to accomplish for the week, we decided to be done with water repairs. They will be saved for another day.

3 - Drop the port rudder for repairs -
Both rudders were a bit on the loose side, due to the wear of their bushings. We also discovered water inside the rudders. Last spring, Wil dropped the starboard rudder (digging a 4 foot hole in the ground to do so!), and put in new bushings. He also drilled holes in the rudders to let the water drain out. Then, he re-glassed the starboard rudder, and together, we reinserted it. This week, he dug the 2nd hole and dropped the port rudder & re-glassed it. Tomorrow we hope to reinsert this rudder.

4 - Decide on issues at the top of the mast -
The tricolor needs new bulbs & wire connections. We need our new wind & wind speed indicators installed. We need our wifi antenna put up. We need to fix our steaming light and our deck light. We need to install 2 mast steps near the top . . . our bosun's chair doesn't quite get us as high as we need to go. And we need to identify wires that are there that don't need to be.

5 - I installed a new toilet seat in the forward port head.

6 - Wil fixed a leaky hatch seal.

7 - Removed 3 (oops! Forgot the 4th one!) dynaplates (for grounding), and plan to put them back on with new bronze bolts & wooden backing plates.

That's all I have time for today. This weekend I will try to post about other work done. For now, it's off to bed with the heaters running & 44 degree temps outside. Brrrrrr!!!