Pensacola FL Sailing Blog – sailingnightwatch

Yesterday after the rigger looked at the chain plate, he and his crew lowered the main roller furling and laid it on Saw horses in order to replace the stay and install StayLoc connectors on each end. Today they are to replace the whisker stays and an end on the mizzen spreader.

My main man says that since we are not replacing the chain plate, he can finish up a day early. This can not be. This is unheard of in all the annuals of marine work. You never finish early. One could save money in yard fees. Oh hallelujah!!!! They started sanding hard on the bottom.

I am so overjoyed, I commit to renewing the polyurethane in the saloon. The main finish is a satin polyurethane with the trim in a bright polyurethane. I want to put a new coat on the satin. The trim still has a lot of luster and can be done another year. This is a major job with all sanding to be done in 1 day and applying the new coat the next morning with reinstallation that afternoon. Then we will be ready to splash the next morning. There are 8 drawers 7 sliding panels and 7 cabinet doors to be removed and refinished. I did it. Yes indeed I did it. Two long hard days, but it really looks better and well worth the work.

While reassembling the saloon, my main man started install of the Grounding plates. I helped from the inside tightening the bolts. As with everything on this boat, the hull turned out to be a lot thicker than anyone would have imagined. To get washers and all to fit flat, there was some grinding to give a level surface to get the proper seal. After he bolted everything tight, I installed the copper grounding strap. All the work went well and the SSB functions very fine.

Took the boat over Sunday after moving off the boat and will be doing some house sitting for the week. I was at the yard 15 minutes before the yard office opened to pay my lift and power washing fees. I was the first lift of the day. Things are starting good. Because the chain plate has to be fabricated at a machine shop, we started on it. While I was taking the screws out of the bronze rub strake on the rub rail, my main yard man was scraping away on what appears to be the crack. After cleaning it up, it turns out to be a polished previous weld, and not a crack…, we think. My main man starts sanding on the hull and says a welder is to pass through in the afternoon. I busy myself by sanding the prop and replacing the zinc.

The welder shows up and is also an x business competitor. He is good and I rust him fully. He says there was definitely a weld there and it had been ground smooth and polished. I felt that there may have been a crack there before, He could not tell if the original crack had holes drilled in the end of the crack that would have stopped it from growing. He did not thing that what we were looking at was really a crack. Instead it could have been the edge of the flux from puddeling since the weld was not ground down to surface level of the bar stock that makes the chain plate. He suggest I confer with the main rigger in town.

Guess who drives up at that time and the rigger and the welder inspect and confer and since this is on the forward side of an intermediary, that we take good pictures and observe it. Sounded good to me. One big project out of the way.

I went below and removed my recalled valve from the galley sink and exchanged it for a new one.

Day one in the can. Lets hope the rest of the week is this good.

This should be an easy one…. Many of my trips should have been that way, but I have survived these things with the individual who does my work. Death of mother, hip replacement, and a divorce. He just had another operation, I hope he is well enough to work. You got to have faith. Why do I put up with this. He is the best there is in this part of the Gulf. The work he did on the hull after the hurricane is unbelievable. I have gotten many comments on how good she looks. I would recommend him to anyone.

The work includes a bottom job, installation of new chain plate, install SSB grounding plates, and overseeing me fix a scrape I picked up about a month ago.

I have to replace a recalled valve, fix the scrape, assist in the installation of the grounding plates, then shifting the ground from the engine to the plates. Lube all valves and Help remove and install new chain plate and replace 3 broken port lights. I have not even ordered the glass for them. Sand and put a fresh coat of polyurethane in main saloon. These last two are things that have to be done, just not next week. We shall see.

Sorry about the absents, had a little family emergency, unless you were the one under the knife. Had to go help babysit. All is well and I will be back in form starting tomorrow.