03/10/2010, Holy Loch
Another stunningly bright day, with a hard overnight frost but not a cloud in the sky. The mistake was to start work early, without that second cup of coffee. After lashing the ladder and unreeling the electricity cable around and under other boats to reach the supply, I plugged in a heater to take the chill off the cabin. On deck I started on re-wiring the sailing lights. Back inside for a missing drill bit there seemed a lot of dust motes dancing in the beams of sunlight shining through the portholes? Yipe! The heater was melting the insulation on an inspection light, it having been dropped (knocked?) to the floor in front of it! With the smoke cleared and my wrist slapped, the rest of the day went well. (but why oh why did I get my sinister son to fit the junction boxes in remote corners?)
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03/03/2010, Out of the Shed
In the dark days before Christmas 2009 we entered the shed. We did this gladly, almost as a spiritual experience! There was a list of work needed, seemingly endlass, but now it is done. So, yesterday we said goodby to the other mad-old-men in the shed and Holly is at last outside in the sun. Well, her mast is still shedbound but not for long. Today we pressure washed the dust of many months sanding (not all mine!) and I can see what needs a fesh coat of paint and what is ok for a small non-yachty boat. Next week we get to put the new mainsail up!
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02/18/2010, Holy Loch
Even with ear defenders the sound of multiple sanders is maddening! Of course when I sand Holly the sound is pure music. Next week we get released early, for good behavour, from the dark confines of the Shed. The decks are still in a mess but all the wiring is done, the mast, gaff and boom are painted. The new mainsail came yesterday. It is a work of ultimate sailmakers art and Holly will be showing her stern to all and sundry in the coming season!
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02/09/2010, Holy Loch
Holly is still trapped in a shed with me and several other 'Mad Old Men'. Since the New Year it has been getting very 'clubby' in here, lots of mutual help and advice, with a tendency to bitch when the management forgets to shut the big doors and we freeze! I mended the two big splits in the boom, painted and varnished the thing to within an inch of its life. I pulled out all the seacocks and replaced with better kit and removed the Heads. We now have a porta-potti like my second boat back in '73. The port deck still reproaches me. Somewhere there must be rubber paint that will fill the holes and stop me having to grind off ALL the paint?
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You should write a TV sit-com about it.
