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This morning between rain showers and
downpours I added the plastic transom trim piece sent
to me by discussion group member Russ Hauser. This piece of trim
was missing before I ever saw the boat, when it was still named "Take
Five." Amazingly the
screws were still in the transom where it was to be fastened,
and the trim's holes lined up perfectly. I just removed the screws
then fastened on the trim; it took about ten minutes. Another nice
little finishing touch for appearance. (May 2, 2008)
[Transom
without trim] |
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It looks like typical New England spring has arrived, aka,
"monsoon season." How much has it rained for the past few days?
A pair of mallard ducks has taken up residence in our yard, claimed its
own little pond in front of Chip Ahoy! (May 4, 2008)
[Closeup
of new monsoon guests] |
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It looks like time to replace the spreader boots.
The small line and block on the starboard side spreader is Chip Ahoy's
flag/radar reflector halyard. (May 6, 2008)
[Port
side spreader boot] |
 |
Yesterday I began a good cleaning of
the boat, both the hull and topside. Last season
I never got to it, after breaking my shoulder in mid-May and being sidelined until
late July. Chip Ahoy needed a good scrubbing to get rid of two
year's accumulation of dirt and nearly embedded mildew, which I completed
this afternoon. Tomorrow I'll begin experimenting with the
Poli Glow
polishing process instead of using wax. (May 6. 2008)
Go to:
Applying a Poli Glow Finish |
 |
After giving up on the Poli Glow treatment for the hull,
I polished and waxed instead. The
results were quite
satisfying, a marked improvement. (May 11, 2008)
See:
The Poli Glow Treatment, and Back
to Polish and Wax project |
 |
I also unbagged and finally spread out the new
Ullman mainsail for
closer inspection. Everything's there and looks fine. The
battens fit their pockets perfectly. It looks ready to go. |
 |
The new Taylor spreader boots arrived this week.
I removed the old ones (see above) and replaced them this morning.
While I had them off, I bent over the heads of the cotter pins beneath
so they won't wear
through the new ones. (May 18,
2008)
Closeup of new spreader boot |
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Today I also completed the
polishing and waxing job.
Almost two weeks of tedious grunt labor made for a big improvement.
Chip Ahoy is looking quite presentable for the start of another season. |
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This morning I completed the
Forward Hatch Screen Project.
It came out very well. (May 24, 2008) |
 |
To my surprise, I discovered earlier this week that
Memorial Day Weekend was coming up, sooner than the traditional last
weekend in May! (We stepped the mast on Vaughn McGrath's "French
Curves" yesterday across town in Marblehead Harbor.) Once again, Chip
Ahoy won't be in the water for the 3-day "start of summer" holiday weekend.
Instead, I'm
finishing up the details and still getting ready. I still expect
to launch before the end of May, sometime next week.
This morning, after attaching the screen, I started on the little cabin
carpeting job. |
 |
For years I've used a piece of scrap carpet
tossed inside
the companionway to catch most of the wet and/or dirty first footsteps,
but it was intended to be temporary -- five years ago. It was in
pretty sorry shape, having become more of a nuisance it was time for it
to go. I bought a rubber-backed runner carpet then
cut it to fit the cabin sole. |
 |
Its rubber backing makes it non-slip; its indoor/outdoor
attribute should make it durable. The choice of color was limited:
This or nothing. Good enough for function. Forward of the
carpet is where I stow the Igloo cooler during my cruises, a perfect
fit. |
 |
The leftover remnant makes a good carpet at least while
I'm working on the boat, tracking dirt and mud aboard when climbing up
and down the ladder from my dirt lot. If I can find space to stow
it, I may keep it aboard as a dockside "welcome mat" for the same
purpose. |
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NEXT |
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It's never-ending ... but Sailing Season '08 has arrived! |
