SHIP'S LOG:
It was a rather crappy day to work on ABISHAG, gray and rainy and cold . . . . and that was inside the boat. I dropped 1/2 a marine unit to pick up 1.) a smoke alarm; 2.) a CO detector; 3.) 3 yards of HyperVent Condensation Preventer and a bunch of screws and some hose.
The Smoke Alarm and the CO Detector are the last two items required by the insurance policy. Almost 6 months after the fact, I am now "legal" in the insurance sense. The Smoke Alarm went into the ceiling in the passageway from the galley into the aft cabin. That was an easy setup. The CO Detector was a little bit more of a logistical problem. According to the installation literature, you could not put it: 1.) too close to a hatch companionway; too close to any heating element; 3.) to close to a stove or hot water heater; 4.) too close to the head compartment; 5.) or too close to the engine compartment. On a 39 foot by 12 foot boat, it doesn't leave you a lot of options for a location. It ended up in the aft cabin which is probably a very good thing anyhow. When I hit the test button after installing it, it produced an alarm tone that would wake the dead. So it now appears I am safe from burning to death and suffocating to death, both of which are very good things. It certainly makes the insurance company happy.
The HyperVent Condensation Preventer is a 3/4" mesh that you place under the cushions on the boat. This allows air to move under the cushions and prevents the pooling of condensation building up under the cushions. I am not sure if the stuff actually works but the theory sounds pretty good. In the aft cabin especially, where it is often the "warmest" because the stern points South, it is always wet under the cushions. If the stuff works there, it will work anywhere. The stuff comes on a roll 40" wide and as long as you want. Trying to battle the stuff into submission and get it into place so you can cut it to fit was a bit of a bear. It is not what you call extremely flexible and the mesh itself is sort of sharp. I received lots of little nicks all over my hands and, because it is made of some type of spun polymer, it is a beast to cut. The only thing that really cut the stuff, and not all the well, was a pair of kitchen shears. The aft compartment and the forepeak cushions are all done and I still have some stuff left over. I am not sure that I will do the cushions in the saloon. Right now, I am constantly removing them to get to the lockers underneath and it would be one more headache if I used the stuff there right now. Perhaps after I am underway, I'll install it but not right now.
I took the radar unit to Dockside Electronics to have them look at the unit. The image resolution on the unit is very faint and hard to see and some of the controls don't seem to work. We used it on the way up from Annapolis and it worked enough so that we could use it but it is far from dependable and easy to use. The shop owner didn't laugh out loud when he saw the unit and asked what I wanted him to do, so hopefully it is fixable. If not, it means the expenditure of more Marine Units.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It was good to get a few more items taken care o0f on ABISHAG. Each little thing that gets done creates a feeling that soon, soon I will be sailing. Even though it was raining and cold and sitting for awhile in the cockpit before leaving for the day made me feel warmed. I can see palm trees and feel warm breeze and see azure water. Coming out of that reverie is no fun but as the days count down, the dream come closer to reality.
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