Spring projects

Alex reinstalling winches on Aleria's main mast

This year, we hauled Aleria out in the NW corner of Ireland in a town called Killybegs. Mooney Boats is our home for the winter and Alex has been very busy. Alex is servicing thru hulls and is finding serous issues. Alex is servicing all the winches to make it easier for me to winch. But with him doing all this work, the inside is all torn up and the outside needs to be dry so he can re-bed through hulls in rebuilt fibreglass.

Gee, that means I haven't been able to paint inside, clean the teak decks with the oxalic acid I bought, or strip the varnish on the teak coamings and trim, yet again. I know. I buy into the need for serious safety issues to be dealt with, but that means that once again the cosmetic stuff has been put off and I can't live with that any more. I can't live aboard a boat that embarrasses me.

I'm prepared to restore the teak decks.  Have equipment in hand. I have been put off, until this week. Okay, so like a madwoman, I scrubbed all 57 feet of length and 11.5 feet of width in teak decks that were majorly greenified in one day. In Ireland the green stuff just grows everywhere. And it's thick. I got about half of it to let go of the teak and there are spots that are nice but it will take at least two more go arounds and scrubbing on my knees with copper scouring pads. At least I have finally found a combination that works. And getting the oxalic acid in bulk from the chemist was a great idea. I've used three quarts of liquid in the first go around.  I am careful in diluting but I am having some trouble keeping it in suspension, the oxalic acid keeps precipitating out. So I shake a lot. But the next few days after the marathon session had me creaking and shrieking at every move.

I need to find a stubborn leak and plug it before I can paint the galley. I saw a great suggestion about sealing the cabin and then using soap along the joints and forcing air through the boat to make it bubble where any leaks are. But that would take miles of stuff and lots of soap. Need plan B but am out of ideas.

Meanwhile we have to paint the bottom. First we have to sand it, which will happen next week. We can't get our favourite bottom paint here ... Petit Trinidad SR ... which has been excellent. So Alex bought powdered copper and is going to mix it into standard bottom paints available here. Let's hope it works. I do love living in a place where you have to punt all the time. It releases lots of creativity and does away with complacency altogether.

The list goes on. I hope we can make it before the summer is over.

Oh, and my Grandnephew was born today in the USA. A visit is hugely in order. Break time.