Living Contentedly

My new forrard hatch curing by the fire. Very Jester ;)

Yesterday's sailing has me full of good energy. I wascup at 5 kicking to go but it was still dark.  This am I washed CLANCY down & hosed her off by the dam. I think that long run back from Can Berra in Sooty the Subaru had her all coated in soot. Amazing I know. Well she scrubbed up a treat.  The last metre & a half of mainsail hoist is very tight. A quick investigation revealed a) a too small diameter block & b) a possible squashed track where it settles on its U shaped cradle. A plastic protecting sheath has moved, or been lost, & perhaps a heavier than necessary landing has squashed some track. Easy fix, I just need to unlash the sails so I can check it properly & get a repair done.  On ILONA the gunnel got a touch up from cats walking on damp paint. I think the bin/outboard slot is complete. So she's ever closer to being done. Phew. Then dog CUDDY & I went for a 90 min jog. With rain ahead, today got quite warm & humid. I was disappointed t...

It was nice to see several pods of dolphins welcoming Clancy to Port Stephens. good omen start line. It got canned  afternoon colours  never gets old

After sanding the plug or the old compass hole in the main bulkhead, I anticipated the next step; adding a skim of bog. Just then the opposite side of the bulkhead caught my eye. I'd removed the VHD radio from the main bulkhead to port, its finish was a little underdone do I hit it with the orbital sander.  Just then it occurred to me, this boat was literally built to be a lake boat. Thats why the radio was made accessible to the cockpit. No sailor with offshore experience would seriously consider putting a radio there; if the salt spray or regular dowsings  with water didn't flood or corrode the set, a green wave would knock its teeth out.  Putting the compass on the opposite side was a little off. Yes it could be seen by the helmsman, but it stopped the locker lid from fully opening. I wanted to use that locker for my sea anchor stowage as well as grab bag  & safety gear. Full access is needed. 

I just wanted to get out to watch the sunrise. Mix it up. Burn & stretch a little.  cow! horse cows

Oh what a relief it is to see all the little jobs & hull painting jobs come to a close.  I'm happy because aheos looking super good, better than when I bought her. It makes me proud & happy to realise that my ( if I'm honest) tainted attitude to sailing was due to really poor eyesight. I had clear thoughts, before eye surgery, that sailing on low light conditions in skinny water could easily get me into trouble. But i think also, my inability to carry out fine detailed work, was limiting what I could do on the boat. I was literally a passenger on my own boat.  The other reason im happy with the results of my hard work, is that she can go into the marketplace with her bow held high. Oughtred, & her builder, would be proud.