Latest Update - Only a month late!

SHIP'S LOG:

     Well, let's see what has been going on. At this writing, I am about less than a week before I get my hands on a "new" set of  wheels. it is not quite the P.O.S 1989 Ford Tempo, it is a whole decade+1 younger, a 2000 Subaru Outback. Unfortunately, loosing the P.O.S. put me weeks behind in getting ABISHAG ready for the water, but with Fred's loaner, I have been able to get up and do    a lot of work.

Together with Fred, we were able to rip-out and replace the hatch in forward head. It took three days to dig out all the deck wood rot, fill the holes with micro-balloons and epoxy, sand it and make the fit tight, lay down the butyl rubber mastic and fix it back in place.

That was followed by  removing the port in the stern cabin and do the same thing to it that was done in the head. That should eliminate all the leaks in both places.

That was followed by sanding and varnishing the teak toe rail. It sounds a simple task but it does require a certain amount of gymnastic maneuvering for the sanding and even more for the varnishing. The most important thing in varnishing is that there be no drips. You want it to be as smooth as glass. It takes a minimum of three coats to approach that level of sheen, but the "OO's" and "AH's" supposedly makes it worth all the work. Somehow, I doubt it, but after even just two coats, I have to admit that it looks might fine.

That was followed by painting the gashes, scrapes and dings that pit the hull. The bad thing about ABISHAG's dark "FLAG BLUE" paint is that it shows up every mar and imperfection. True, some of them would show up on any color of hull, but the dark blue really makes them stand out. Since I have a little enforced time, I will take a stab at painting the really egregious dings and scrapes, wash and compound and polish the hull. It won't make her go any faster but she will look nice.

That was followed by the varnishing that needed doing inside. Doing repair work over the years lead to scrapes and scratches, along with screw holes that have been filled, all of which needed to be sanded and varnished. Varnishing inside is inherently dangerous as there is not a lot of room and one has to be very, very careful not to place any body part on any newly varnished surface. Maybe it is the fumes from the varnish but one's short term memory goes right out he window and one often backs away from a newly varnished spot right into another newly varnished spot. The toughest items are the teak deck plates that are carefully placed to allow access to the bilge while at the same time making it utterly impossible to get from here to there without stepping on wet varnish.

AH! THE JOYS OF BOAT OWNERSHIP!!!!!!!!