Well, it's winter here in Minnesota and the boat has been tucked about for a little over 3 months now. I am missing my boat....sigh....

In the winter months, we try to keep the sailing mentality alive despite the snow and cold. Any opportunity to talk about sailing, visit and shop at West Marine, plan projects to be completed during the season, complete projects over the winter and attend educational classes that will help further our knowledge.

We just returned from attending Mack Boring's Diesel Maintanence class for boat owners in the Chicago area and boy, did we learn alot. Prior to attending class we had this mysterious hunk of metal, gears and belts living below our companionway steps. (Well, perhaps Mark knows alot more that I do, however to me it was a mysterious hunk of metal). After attending class (which was awesome thanks to our great instructor - Jordan, thanks Jordan!), we have successfully completed the following:

Changed the alternator
Changed the starter
Changed engine oil/filter
Changed coolant
Changed raw water impeller/pump
Took apart the heat exchanger and replaced
Pulled the fuel injectors, inspected and replaced
Removed the valve cover and adjusted the valve set
Replaced the v belt and adjusted
This and a whole more....

Now this all seems a little less mysterious...

We also met some really great people who were also attending the class with us. Lots of different boats, motors, stories and experiences. It's a small, small world when one of the guys in class shared a sailtime boat with our friends John and Kate Dowell.