To the Boat Yard

Bob Carroll is due at 8.30 AM and together we'll ferry the boat to the boat yard for a haul out at 9.30 AM.  The big item on the agenda is the installation of the Dynaplate RF grounding shoe, to be bolted below the waterline at the stern of the boat.  There will also be the routine anitfouling, which I hope will see me through to Australia.  I've told the the boat yard that the boat must be back in the water no later than Saturday, six days away.  During this time I will have limited access to the internet, though I have a plan of visiting my slip at the end of each working day with my Acer netbook and internet cable, and use the internet while sitting on the plastic steps of the boat next door.

I've spent the last 3 days preparing the boat by giving it a major cleanup inside and out.  The cleanup got down to rinsing every item of cutlery and wiping every jar and box in the galley cupboards. 

Chain in Crates, Anchor at Right

The chain locker required a lot of attention because of the huge amount of sawdust that would likely turn to sludge and block the drain holes at the first sign of moisture.  I emptied it, removed the upper level, then swept, hosed down, and hand wiped the interior.  I detached the 12 meters of chain from the 80 meters of rope that normally resides on the upper level and stored it in a plastic crate on the forecastle sole.  That operation worked as planned.  I was able to feed the chain straight into the crate through the forward hatch with little trouble.  This 12 meters of chain represents about 55 lb that has been moved from the end of the boat's long and narrow bow closer to the center of buoyancy.  On a calm day when I am far out at sea I will move the 37 meters chain representing the primary rode to a second crate stacked on top of the first one.  This will represent another 170 lbs removed from the bow. 

The photo shows the crate with the 12 meters of chain.  To the right you'll see the hanging closet where I plan to stow the 45 lb plow anchor that I will be removing off the roller.  At present the lower section of that closet is filled with shoes, boots, and a portable vise.  I'll move the shoes to the forecastle and place the anchor in that compartment.  This will have the anchor closer to the center of the boat, below the waterline, and best of all, wedged in where it cannot shift when the boat rolls.  I'm hoping that these measures along with my newly sealed chain locker will do wonders for the performance of the boat,  particularly in heavy weather.

To make room for the crate I moved the heavy rope bag holding 100 meters of thick nylon rope of the para anchor into the cabin, on the port side of the mast.  This will nicely balance out the anchor on the starboard side.