Saturday, July 24, 2010

More Of The Same . . . . RAIN! ! ! !

SHIP'S LOG:

Well, the mystery continues . . . from whence comes the leaks?

When I left for a doctor's appointment Friday morning, there was only a 30% chance of rain. That is the usual figure given in the marine weather reports by the forecasters basically to cover their asses. I didn't bother to set up the awnings, I simply closed the hatches. And of course, before I got half way to the doctor's, it started to rain. Not spectacularly hard as Wednesday night, just steadily, hour after hour.

I hit the PMB for the mail, the Dollar Store for paper towels and cleaners and such, bought some libations and hit West Marine for some screws I need for a project. By the time I got back to the boat in the late afternoon, the rain had stopped but had done its damage. The leaks were back! With all of the hatches closed but the dodger and awnings not in place, there was a leak around the salon hatch and the cockpit cabin hatch. From whence it comes I have no idea. Knowing that it would rain again, the percentage was still 30%, I put up the dodger and the awnings and voila!, no leaks!

I also took the time to create a panel to cover the gap between the awnings on each side of the boat. If there ever was such a panel it is long gone. All it took was some Velcro and two sections of the old Mizzen sail cover. And it even got tested right away as the 30% became 100% before the project was actually complete. It rained on and off through the night and with the boat pretty much closed up, it was a sauna! When the rain stopped, I opened the hatch in the rear sleeping cabin and when I started getting rained on, I closed up and the sauna started again.

Today day is to be a three "H" day - hazy, hot and humid and I have several small project to do to get the boat ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow is the annual Governor's Regatta. I am not racing, I am merely a Mark Boat, one of the things the racers go around. AH, but we get to the end of the race party first!!!!!!

MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:

The project list keeps getting whittled down and re-filled but it is nice to see ABISHAG becoming more and more livable, more and more a home. The greatest struggle is to always put things in the ir places when you have finished using them. It is amazing how things can get lost on a boat. Right now, I am looking for my awl punch. I have no idea where it is but I absolutely knoiw that it ain't where it should be! Well, it's one less place I have to look!