Well, It Starts Tomorrow! ! !

SHIP'S LOG:

Yes, tomorrow is the day. Friend Fred & I will be on ABISHAG for an operation. Actually two operations to be accurate. We will endeavor to remove the auto pilot which has ceased to function properly except to be very good at piloting ABISHAG in a circle. I can't think of many( if any) instances when such a "speciality" would be of much if any use and, since it is a real drag on the steering system, making it a chore at times to helm the boat, out it comes.

The second operation will be to remove the entire refrigeration system - compressor, condenser, raw water connection, pump, cooling unit in the ice box and assorted hoses. Friend Fred harbors a secret desire for the refrigeration system so it will go to him. Being an engineer it is possible that with his wizardry he will be able to get it up and running in his own craft but in that I went up and down the ICW with ice alone, I don't count it as much of a loss.

The removal of both units will save electricity and weight, both good things, and it will also mean that I am saving about $2,000. I won't replace either, not unless I win the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes so money not spend is money saved. . . . . not that I have the money to spend! It will also give me a new and better location for the water maker. Right now it is using up to much need space in the galley

I went up to ABISHAG last week and winter hasn't been kind. It is not the cold and ice and snow ( we didn't have any really) but the moderate temperatures and the dampness. In a closed up boat that means mold. Combating the mold is just the first of a host of clean up and maintenance issues that will have to be dealt with, just part of the fun of getting ABISHAG ready for the season. Unfortunately, the list is growing exponentially and as with all boating projects, the completion of one always leads to the discovery of at least three more that need immediate attention. Ah, it is never ending.

One good thing about the mild winter, there should be not much flooding of the Connecticut River which means that on the spring jaunt to New London, there will be a lot less "flotsam and jetsam" to deal with on the way to the Sound. I haven't even really begun to make a start at getting ready to begin the work and already I am trying to decide whether to make the dash to New London and TYC in one day or cruise in a relaxed manner and take two days. Oh, how I love such conundrums!