No Sailing - The Little One Has Arrived

 

I don't typically put family events on this blog, but this one warrants an exception.  There was no sailing this weekend.  It was supposed to be a relatively nice weekend (and it turned out to be beautiful), but as the week wore on, I realized that Levi here was going to steal the show - arriving late Friday night - and I had to take Saturday to make a beeline to NJ.  It was great to see that everyone was healthy and excited if more than a little exhausted.  

I took Sunday to get groceries and get some chores finished.  I can go sailing next weekend.

Moving Aboard for the Start of the Season

 

Most important to note is the fact that Seas The Day remains up for sale.  (Here's the link if it is still for sale.)  We just reduced the price to hopefully bring about Mr. & Mrs. Buyer, but in the meantime, well, let's make some lemonade.

With that in mind, I packed up just enough to get the season started.  Last year, I removed 4 dock carts worth of stuff, leaving only that equipment we wanted to pass onto new owners.  This spring, I moved 2 dock carts worth of items (basic bedding, galley items, etc.) back aboard.

That left a big mess in the salon, and a large list of boat-chores to get through.

While it was a beautiful day, it was not to be a sailing day... too many items to check off before we start sailing.

It was finally calm enough to replace the fraying dock line.

Each time we wintered in the water, we ended up with some water in the space under the forward v-berth.  This is not a leak... it is fresh water (not salt water... not necessarily "fresh" though).  Our best guess is it comes from condensation against the cold walls of the hull and it can't flow to the bilge due to the bow thruster tunnel (at the lower left above).  Dealing with this means wrestling the mattress to the salon and using the small wet vac to pick it up, then washing everything down with a mild bleach solution to kill the mold  ring that forms.

Eventually, everything is clean and dry and mold free.  Somehow I was able to replace the piston that raises the bead for reading.

Next, I swabbed the deck, evicting a spider-squatter in the process.

By then, everything was ready for a first night on-board.

Sunday morning was spent updating the boat's firmware and navigation data and then making sure everything was spic 'n span ready to show.

Later Sunday night (while writing this blog), I received this photo of a nice and clean Seas The Day at sunset from Captain Joe of Sol Searcher.

Checking in During Winter Storage

 Not much to say here.  

Throughout the winter, I stopped by Rock Hall to check in on Seas The Day on most weeks.  These visits are basically a quick trip down and a brief check on-board to be sure everything is OK.  It usually was.  

Here are a few of the photos.

Checking to ensure the switches are still set the same way, the battery charger is on and the bilge is OK.

On the one weekend where there was snow, I opted not to go aboard... just checked the dock lines and used a current sensor to ensure the battery charger was still on.

I noticed that the winter storms were beginning to take their toll on the dock line, but she was double-tied, so I just made a note to get a new one ready.

Still holding... but blowing too strongly to attempt a replacement this visit.

Also noted some pitting on the plate supporting this cleat.

Finally on the last visit of the off-season, I noticed the canvas was reinstalled by the yard.  Tomorrow is April 15!  That is tax day, but also the official start of the season (and when water gets turned back on).