Winter Boat Prep

Winter Boat Prep was tough this year.  The winter was amazingly beautiful....but with Tons of snow. Here in the North East of the USA we had a cycle of storms that kept dumping inches of snow. Not a problem if your a skier or snow shoe kinda person, but for a family trying to prepare for the trip of a lifetime...it was a hindrance.

But I can say proudly that today April 7th, 2015 around 8am the beautiful s/v Nemetona touched water for the first time since last fall.

This feat took the will power of one determined man withstanding bitter cold temps armed only with a tiny space heater.  With the boat completely emptied out of cushions and luxury items....David amazingly and faithfully went to the boat whenever possible to get through our massive Boat prep check list.

(Mind you this Boat prep checklist was just to get her in the water...we still have about 2 other boat checklists hanging on our wall!)

This winter David did the following

• Remove Water heater (which meant cutting out part of the bed frame to make this possible) 
• Paint bilge area 
• Drill a new through hole, (fill, patch, sand, seal and paint) 

• Back fill a through hole (fill, Patch, sand, seal and paint) 
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• Replace about 3 through holes (sand, seal and paint) 

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• Prep area for fuel filtration system 
• Prep areas for water maker system 
• Reattach hoses 
• Reattach wet exhaust system 
• Sand bottom of the boat 
• First coat of anti foul painted on 

There are so many other things I am unaware of...and hope to get a full list from David at some point.

Then in the last week and a half together we have been (in the somewhat warmer though damper weather)

• Grinding down spots on the bottom of the boat 

    

         

• Wiping bottom clean with 216

• Second coat of anti foul painted on
• Third coat of anti foul around waterline and keel and rudder

       

•  Wash off and dry topsides
• Compound and polish sides

    

Wax Off




• Wax on and Wax off sides 

•  Washed and Waxed the green waterline

• Waxed the spot we could not reach from the scaffolding and some really dirty spots in the cockpit/companion way and transom.  (It was also a test to see if the large buffer could be used in these areas when she is in the water, without spattering polish everywhere.....confirmed.  Yeah)

Again I am sure David has done an enormous amount of work other than what is listed here...but just thought I would document at least some of the hard/complicated work that has been done to the boat since January.  I hope to someday to get a listing of all the upgrades and changes we have done to her.

Still smiling.....

Until then...just know we are getting excited about moving onto the boat in a few months.  The house has found renters, homeschooling has been approved by the town and med kit is ready.

As my friend John says, just keep picking at the mountain.  Each and every moment find something to do that reduces the size of the mountain and in time it will be 'moved'.
In our case it will be 'sailing'.

Bump in the road

So this winter was harsh....not just from the "Can't make progress on the boat prep when it's this cold" or "thank god my parents left me their Snow Blower when they moved to FL" aspect, but evidence from the pictures posted here show that the roads were hit hard too.

SO to add to our already fun and monotonous Car stories since October.....

We have hit another bump in the road.

Literally!

A Pot hole....not that huge, but very deep.  

Hidden by slush on a dark Wed. night heading to Cub Scouts.

BAM, Shudder, pull and a "what in the world was that...were we just in another accident??"

Did all I could to grab my composure when we pull into the parking lot of scouts and see a tow truck there hooking up a small red car.  No doubt they too hit the said pot hole.

So I went on to calm my son and explained we will know after scouts if any major damage if we see a bubble form on the outside of the tire.  

Promptly after the meeting, before getting in the car he checks the tire....no bubble that he could see.  PHEW

Next morning - after more snow....I am shoveling near the passenger tire and what do I see......

The bubble.

The Bubble

Ugh, Exhale, Breathe in. Clear head. Think clearly.

Need to wait for David to return from business trip, drive to Town Fair Tire, Replace.  Ca-ching. Done. Simple.

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it!