Now the work starts! With very little time before our scheduled launch, we were watching for any hint of weather that would be warm enough for us to get some hull work done. We did a lot of buffing and polishing last year and as a result, one good polishing followed by a good wax job had us gleaming. We checked all the through hulls and gave ourselves 3 coats of Pettit bottom paint. We opted for a non-ablative as we are both divers and have the ability to scrub the hull as required. We figured a non-ablative paint would hold up better to the scrubbing and get us a little more life. We'd like to go two years before a haul-out down south. Our transmission was returned to us 12 hours before launch and the rush was on to get it installed and checked out. The installation was going well when we realized that 2 bolts had been stripped and our new coolant hoses would not fit. As a result, the next day at launch we had to be towed over to our dock. After sourcing some reducer fittings and some new stainless steel bolts, the transmission was installed and tested. We are happy to report everything went very well and we are as good as new; At least the engine compartment was. The next job was to chlorinate our holding tanks before emptying again before we use them. We filled them up and then turned on our fresh water pumps to circulate the water through the lines. This turned into a 4 hour job as 3 of our lines cracked over the winter and had to be replaced. During a repair in the head, the sink drain broke (ok I broke it) and had to be repaired. It looked like it had been damaged previously though so I ordered 2 new ones to take with us. One a positive note, I found the toilet paper holder that I had been looking for since we bought the boat.
So, we are in the water and it feels great. We had an issue with our mast head steaming light last year so I purchased a replacement. Now it's time to get the mast ready, right? So down we go and realize the wiring for the new light is completely wrong for our system. So we take the old one apart and see if I can source a replacement bulb. Upon inspection, we discovered the bulb looked good. We tested the light with a portable 12V source and everything worked fine. It must have been a little bit of corrosion. Good news for a change.
Now the weather is still not great, so I needed something to do on rainy days. That meant completing our new cockpit cushions. They aren't perfect but they look good and are extremely comfortable. I used 3 inch foam for added comfort. We figured we will be spending quite a bit of time in the cockpit once we reach warmer climates. We also installed a BBQ extension so that it wasn't in the way if you wanted to use the rail seat.
Judy has been busy too. We threw out all of our movie and cd cases and filled up a couple of 100 disc carriers. We have purchased a 19 inch 12V LED television for the occasional movie night. Had a gift card for Best Buy and had to buy something. Judy has also gone around the house and placed price tags on everything that we still have to get rid of when we have our yard sale the first week of June. She has also gone through all of HER clothes and packed a bag to be left here with friends and picked out what is to go with us. She also gave two big bags of clothes to a good friend of hers. I still have to do this but I'm waiting one more week. You see, next Friday is my last day of work...EVER! I retire from the workforce completely and will dedicate the next 60 days to getting the boat ready. I will have 2 weeks to get everything done in the cabin as we move on board the weekend of the 15th.
This weekend we will step the mast and put the sails on and "hopefully" get out for our first sail of the year before the work starts. Then the lists continue.
We have also been lucky on a different level. We found out that another boat from our club, At Last, will be heading down to the Bahamas and will meet up with us in Annapolis MD at the boat show. We were also fortunate to meet former members of our club who will be sailing out of Ontario. Greig and Caroline from Lequesteau are great people to talk to and we look forward to spending some time with them as we all transit south. And finally, we met Yvonne on one of our forums. She is from Ontario as well and has her boat in Nova Scotia already and will also meet us in Annapolis or maybe earlier. It's a small world when you start doing your research and discover others who are on similar schedules. And last but certainly not least, we look forward to seeing our friends Dave and Alex on Banyan "somewhere south of somewhere." We can't wait to get started.