HOW TO STUFF A BOAT!

SHIP'S LOG:

It took longer than I expected, to rid myself of all the "stuff" I no longer needed, or which could not go on the boat. The next step in this fun process is hauling what remains down to ABISHAG and finding a proper place for each item. Heavy stuff low in the boat, lighter stuff higher up - all to keep the boat in trim. Of course, such a wise plan doesn't always work itself out as one envisions it in real life. Like all things in boating, it will be a compromise and I have a funny feeling that some of the items will be "deep-sixed" somewhere along the line.

Tools got stored today. Wrenches, files, screwdrivers and the like. I have got them all stored in a set of plastic shelves. It works pretty well and the only problem is that its location, right next to the cabin ladder makes transiting to the galley and the stern a bit difficult unless you are rail thin. Suffice it to say that I am not but it seems to be the perfect location. I imagine though that it will get moved as this ready access to this tool chest was necessitated by the need to get the boat ready. Once we are up and sailing, I would suspect that it will not longer be such a priority. Experience will dictate if a move is necessary or not.

I have started sealing things. Linens, towels, clothes and the like are going into "Space Saver" Bags. These are great. Fill 'em up, attach a vacuum hose, suck out the air and they are reduced to about 1/3 of their former size. They are sealed and can be store in even the wettest bilge location! I am also using Rubber Maid tubs with lips for all the little things that formerly got stored in resalable plastic bags. Hard and sharp items just ripped through the bags with all the rocking of the boat, scattering stuff everywhere, and since Murphy's Law (Any dropped item will always end up in the most inaccessible place and/or a place where it can do the most damage) really applies in boating, a new system of storage was needed. These tubs seem to work just fine though I am sure that they have their own little idiosyncrasies that will have to be dealt with some day.

I had to clean and paint the rudder to the Wind Steering System For some reason, I never took care of this little item while the boat was out of the water. Now doing it "at sea" was going to be a bit of a task. First of all, the rudder, despite being made of a rubber/plastic compound of some type, doesn't float, so before disconnecting it I had to rig a pulley system and line to secure it to the boat, while being able to maneuver it onto the boat for cleaning. Not cleaning the rudder while it was still in the water was probably not a really smart move. It had a serious coating of marine crustaceans and it probably would have been easier(and cleaner) to scrape them off while the whole thing was still in the water. Still, the task was not that bad on deck though I had to stop every few minutes to get a bucket of water to wash it, and the boat deck, clear of the detritus. Once the scraping and clean was done, I rubbed it down with mineral spirits and then hung it off davit to dry. It didn't take long in the sun and then on with a coat of bottom paint. . . . . . . and I didn't even get much on myself or the boat. Most of it actually ended up where I intended to be, which was amazing considering how much the boat was rolling. I let it dry for about an hour and then returned it to its proper place.

It's proper place was at the end of a stainless steel pipe hanging off the transom. The pipe was to slide into a hole in the top of the rudder and then a stainless steel pin was slid through the rudder and through the pipe, securing the rudder to the pipe. Visions of loosing the rudder and/or the securing pin led to lines running everywhere, securing both to the boat more securely than the boat was secured to the mooring ball. Hopefully I won't have to do this project again . . at least not while the boat is in the water! The bright, clean bottom paint also made it abundantly clear that it is time again to clean ABISHAG's bottom. O Joy!

MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:

While working on the boat, I had a visitor . . . a mortgage broker who is working out a refi for my condo. This will pay off the credit card bill I've run up getting ABISHAG ready. I really felt uncomfortable doing it but it had to be done. If it wasn't done, there would be no way i could really head south. . . . .and I am heading south. Strangely, it also felt good because it means, if it all goes through, that I will be financially free enough to head south . . .and I am heading south!!!!!