We're in the home stretch!! Today(Wednesday) started out just like every day for the last few weeks. Up before dawn and out working on the boat as the Sun came up. It was sprinkling just as I left the boat for the internet room and much better when I returned 40 minutes later. I need to get the weather info for the morning net so it takes a few minutes plus checking emails.

We spent a while straightening up on deck as well as inside before Tracy took off for Price Smart for one last mega shopping trip. It's not like we are going off the grid in Grenada but they carry things we can't get there. David the upholsterer that is making the dodger and bimini came by and made more adjustments and took off for his shop. He knows we will be lifted and prepared for launch tomorrow so he is working lots of over time to make sure they are both done right. It's not so much the dodger and bimini, it that they connect to side and stern panels to enclose the entire cockpit and every thing that's new must match up with everything that's old. As he came and went, I took care of other tasks--returned a big can of bottom paint we won't need. We already have four coats on Zephyr and don't need any more. I checked in with the office about getting the final statement and went to the local store to pick up 16 2 liter bottles of Pepsi. When we were in Grenada, while the price for Coke was reasonable, Pepsi was almost three times the price so I wanted to stock up here. Got to lug all 16 jugs back to the boat. Next I was on to reattaching the "rub straits". These are long(about 2 feet or more)pieces of metal that are screwed to the cap rail on deck to stop chafe from the fender lines when we are in a marina. They all had to come off when we were doing the varnishing. All the time I was doing this, it was slowly sprinkling and while it wasn't bad, I was slowly getting soaked.

On to attach the new hatches where the old ones were. Four in total all needed hinges positioned and screws and bolts attached once holes had been drilled. I got the anchor locker hatches in first but once we get to Grenada, they will need some attention. When Lobster cleaned out the rotted wood core, he replaced it with AirX foam but only in some places. Some sections appear to be just empty space and that is where some of the screws go in. I'm going to have to inject some epoxy inside the cavity of the hatches. So far they are fine but in the long run, the hinges will pull out. Not good. By the time I was done with the first two hatches, Tracy was back with a huge load of food. She even had a list from another cruiser that's already in Grenada of things she wants brought back when we come. We are now quite well stocked. She even came back with a cooked chicken for lunch. As far as I can remember, the last time I had a cooked piece of chicken in front of me was at Thanksgiving 20 months ago. Sure tasted good once we reheated it in the microwave. With lunch done, it was back on deck to do the stern hatches. Tracy we busy below putting food away. Bringing in this much food can fill your lockers to overflowing fast and things can get lost quickly. I was running short on the screws I needed to put the hinges on so Tracy was searching everywhere for compatible screws below deck. In the end, she found just enough to get the job done. By this time, it was 1600 and we took a short break with David coming and going asking for input and making adjustments in his shop.

By 1700, we were back outside putting a layer of wax on the starboard side hull. We'd already applied rubbing compound and now we needed to finish. As the Sun set, the wax got progressively harder and harder to remove as it's made for "high temperature" application and removal. With about ten feet short of finishing it, we bagged it for the night. It was time for a shower. David showed up again just as we were leaving to make more adjustments. He promised he will have it done before we get listed tomorrow and I believe him.

Tomorrow, it finish the waxing and clean up everything we can and give the poor deck a thorough washing. With all the coming and going we've tracked a good bit of dirt on deck and it needs to be cleaned badly. We are also waiting for Jason the woodworker to show up and finish the installation of the ceiling panel. Since he's already been paid, I'm not holding out much hope of him showing up. Tomorrow we will see. I'm just glad that while we had some rain today, it was just gentle sprinkles, at least after 0600.