Friday, May 11, 2012

Taking Stuff Out! ! ! !

SHIP'S LOG:

Yesterday was a stellar day . . . even with the rain which we weren't suppose to have.  First of all, the boat was dry. No leaks! And if it didn't leak after all that rain, it won't! Even peeling away the masking tape didn't produce any returning leaks so all is good there. And then a strange thing happened . .  . I started to clean up ABISHAG!

Sounds strange, I know, but when you are working on a boat, you have all sorts of stuff scattered everywhere. Tools on table, cleaners and lubricants sealers on every flat surface. Cleaning cloths and scrubbies and sponged in the strangest places. But now, the tools could be put away, accessed when needed from the tool box. Sealers and lubs were oput into their respective lockers. Painting tools and paints hauled down from the boat to the car. Indeed, everything not essential to the running and on-the-water maintenance of ABISHAG was transported to the car. 

Lockers were also cleaned out. Items that I need or anticipated I needed, from diesel treatment(several different kinds in partially used containers) to empty plastic gallon jugs got the heave-ho! Back-ups and redundant spares were emptied from lockers, their places taken by items that would be regularly used in the daily running of the boat.

And the boat was cleaned. Vacuumed(inside and out) and washed down and polished (where needed) and lockers were emptied and carefully and thoughtfully arranged so stuff could be found.  All that remains to be done before launching is a weld-job on a stanchion( the yard has to do that), remove two wires and and seal the remaining ends of those unused and un-removed, polish the hull and return to the boat those items such as charts, books and clothes. It is an almost overwhelming feeling to know that ABISHAG is "good to go" for another season.  Now I have to book a "launch date!"