Winter Work 2011-2012

In preparation for embarking upon a year-long adventure, there's plenty of "stuff" to be done! We had the boat hauled out of the water for winter storage and work at DeRouville's Boat Shop in Bayville, NJ. This is only about 15 minutes or so from our house so we can easily get over there whenever necessary.

Among the list of "to-do"s . . .
  - Recover existing cushions, design & make back cushions for bow and bridge seating areas (Marvins)
- Replace 3 burner electric stove top with propane stove top and oven (DeRouville's)
- Replace windlass (note for non-boaters - this is the winch on the bow of the boat that will mechanically deploy or hoist the anchor so you don't need to do it by hand) (DeRouville's)
- Relocate the inverter (remember the breakdown? see boat log entries for June 29 - July 1 as a reminder!) (DeRouville's)
        (note: relocating the inverter under the bed required also moving the A/C power unit so the two could comfortably co-exist)
- Replace Radar system
- Install trim-tabs (note for non-boaters - these help to keep the boat level from front to back, which increases handling and efficiency) (DeRouvilles)
- Design, create and install safety netting (Marvins)
- Install new A/C unit for bridge
- Renew gelcoat on the deck across the entire bow (Kevin Torpey)
- Replace wall paper in the salon and master stateroom (Marvins)
- Carpet the bridge (Marvins)

Progress as of March 28, 2011:
- Cushions: Finished, just have to add last minute snaps and/or velcro as appropriate.
- Stove: Old one long since removed. New one ordered 5 weeks ago, DeRouville's going to check on it.
- Windlass: Old one's out, new "Good" one is in. Just needs a breaker installed.
- Inverter: Is now installed under the bed in the master stateroom. Just waiting for the carpenter to properly box it in (will be done when he comes to do the work for the new stove/oven).
- Radar: Dropped off the transducer for installation (must be installed with boat out of the water, as this is a "thru-hull" item). Have received the SIMRAD display and the sounder, hope the new 4G broadband radar itself will be delivered by next Friday. (Got a FANTASTIC deal - if you ever buy from West Marine, DO YOUR HOMEWORK! They price match - I saved about $1500 by researching prices on the internet!!!)
- Trimtabs: Spoke w/ Bill DeRouville this morning - he's going to start looking into this area.
- Safety Netting: The major work is done, and the main lifelines have been installed (just need a little tweaking on the tension). Hope to complete the 2 gates and short sections by the steps within the next week (weather dependent).
- A/C: Still need to order the unit.
- Gelcoat: Kevin received the "OK" from DeRouville's to do the work on their Boat Yard premises. Waiting to hear further details from Kevin.
- Wallpaper: Wallpaper has been purchased - have to wait to clean up the boat before it can be installed.
- Carpet: Carpet is waiting in the attic. We'll wait 'till the boat is in the water and power-washed (it's absolutely FILTHY right now!!) before this installation.

May 3, 2012 - Well here we are, a full month after my last update. Not much progress, as dear Mother Nature is being really mean, but we've got some stuff moving:
- Stove - received by DeRouville's, not installed yet.
- Windlass - completed
- Radar - all parts received, transducer is installed.
- Safety netting - completed
- A/C - received
   - Gelcoat: We've got the boat all sanded and waiting for the gelcoat work - as soon as the weather cooperates (praying this will be done in the next few days!)

On a fun note, I put together my boat's herb garden today. It's got a temporary home hanging on the side of our house - can't wait to install it on-board! Hey - a little over the top, but come on! I'm gonna be living on a boat for a year! How can I survive without fresh herbs????? Check out my picture in my picture log! For you green thumbs (or the "just curious"): besides the herbs in the song (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme), I've got mint, 2 kinds of oregano, basil, cilantro, marjoram, 2 petunias (for a splash of color), and 2 aloe plants (just 'cause it's me, and I end up using aloe a lot!). A special thanks goes out to my friend Laurel (love ya!!), who suggested this terrific planting idea when I couldn't figure out how to manage it on a boat!

July 12, 2012

OK - I've been a little lax in updating this area of my log, but that's because we've been working our butts off getting everything done! We got the boat in the water for Memorial Day and thankfully managed to go thru the "Blessing of the Fleet" boat parade at the yacht club. I just couldn't imaging leaving on a year's journey without getting our boat blessed! Had to bring it back to the marina the day after, though, so they could continue work. Ran way behind schedule, but future events made that the least of our worries. Matt ended up with an oral problem that required surgery - but things had to heal before that could happen. In the end, that ran us 6 weeks behind where we wanted to be. But that's ok - we ended up getting all the work done and then some. All of the work discussed earlier in this log is completed, plus we now have "back up cameras". From the helm, it is not possible to see the stern (back) of the boat. When backing in to a boat slip - this is rather troublesome! Takes one person watching the stern like a hawk while the Captain is in reverse, and telling him/her what to do. The cameras substitute for a rear view mirror - very cool! We've got the boat fully stocked/provisioned/loaded by the 1st of July, and just had to wait for clearance from the surgeon to leave. Had to replant most of my garden, 'cause it got totally sunburned hanging on the side of my house. Totally sucked! Amazing - most of my new plants were purchased at FoodTown because the local nursery was out of herb plants! Moved onto the boat full time on July 9th, giving us time to figure out what we were missing from home. Received surgeon's clearance on the 10th - waited to attend a meeting at the club on the 11th in the morning, then to say "good-bye!" to all our yacht club friends that evening (Wednesday nites are summer-long sailing races accompanied by cool bar-b-q's, so everybody's there). Thank you, Pat, for the "Bon Voyage" cake! Had a blast that night, and got to hug and kiss everybody good-bye!