Playing Rugby Again

Galley Hatch Base Removed, Refurbishing The Mounting Area

Rugby, to the uninitiated, is the game where sometimes you throw the ball backwards, to move forwards.

Which is what it feels like on Crystal Blues this month.

Fortunately, after our seven week break back in Melbourne, the weather here in Trinidad is now a little cooler and less humid.

Our job list has a very bad habit of growing, not shrinking, whilst we are on the hard stand. After sailing over 11,000 nm in the 2 years since the last haul out, the job list is quite extensive.

Jobs completed:

Hull under water is sanded and ready for antifouling.
Cockpit table is re varnished.

Neil Grinding Out The Damaged Paint Sections

Repaired and repainted the mast surfaces around the spinnaker pole track.
New clears, zippers and bolt rope in the windscreen that connects the dodger to the bimini.
Both outboard motors serviced.
New Tru-Design changover valves installed for the black water holding tank.
New toilet seat installed.
New shower mixer tap installed.
Paint repairs in the mid bilge and the aft fuel locker.
End for end the anchor chain.
Installed new line jammer for the topping lift, on the mast.

All Ready For Sand Blasting

Jobs in progress:

Repairing and rebedding our six Goiot deck hatch frames
Repairing the paint system above the waterline
New custom stainless steel life line stanchions
Varnishing the companion way surrounds
Repair and repaint spinnaker pole and boat hook
Pop rivet spinnaker track back on mast
New custom alloy bracket for the boom vang
Repair to Genoa along the bolt rope, restitch the sunbrella sacrificial cloth
Clean and polish the boat

These are just the major projects - there are of course many others. In the process of finding why the stainless striker plate for the anchor was weeping, the job grew ... once the plate was removed and poor adhesion was noted, we decided to eliminate it all together and extend the anchor roller assembly instead. This will involve stainless steel welding, which will of course blow some paint off in the bow area - hmm, are we ever going to launch?

There are quite a few more jobs that haven't even been started yet.  Just in case you are wondering, Ley is in the midst of all this, sand blasting, mixing paint, painting, as well as keeping up with house keeping. Its going to be a busy few weeks more until we are on our way north.

Click the link below to see activity from the last couple of weeks in pictures.

Sand blasting completed to a nice dull grey finish.  Neil applying the first of 6 coats of epoxy primer.

Waiting for the primer to dry before we remove the protective vinyl.

Mixing up the filler with West System Epoxy and Phenolic micro balloons.

First layer of filler troweled on by Raul, our painter.

Fairing the filler.

Neil and Phil removing the stainless anchor strike plate on the bow.