November 25 - December 10 -- Six Work Days But Only Twelve Hours

 And what got done?

The prop and shaft: First I cleaned them thoroughly -- the tiny bits of old paint scraped off; I felt like my dental hygienist, working intensely in scraping small areas, not small compared to my teeth but certainly small compared to the hull of the boat. Then sanding with 80 grit to give the brassy prop and stainless steel shaft "tooth" for the paint to stick. A thorough wash with Acetone to get off all dust and oils is next and the problem, unsolved after all these years, is that the grease with which I packed the interior, the moving parts of the prop, emits greasy traces which need to be removed as best I can do so. Finally three coats of paint: first the green primer and then two coats of white paint. This picture shows the culprits after the brassy surface was primed but before the white anti-barnacle paint. One spring job done in the fall. I will paint the strut with regular (blue) bottom paint though it is brass, because it does not move.

I've also sanded about half of the port side of the companionway where the cherry wood veneer looked drab grey after 20 years of sun bleaching and occasional salt spray. I also vacuumed up the dust and other particulates in the boat that will work their way into the bilge if left unattended. and obtained the cherry colored stain that needs to be applied after all the sanding is done but before the top coats of polyuurethane. And I sanded down the brass light switch cover which likewise needs new poly before reattachment.

I learned of a way to get the last half inch of water out of the bottom of the bilge from the Saga Owner's forum and the cheap hand pump is en route to my home. The normal bilge bumps get most of the water but cannot reach down far enough to get that last half inch. Some of the guys suggested much more technically advanced electrical solutions but the volume of water to be sucked out is so little that a Roger-powered pump will suit my needs.

The only other thing I have done was to remove about 100 yards of old lines of various diameters and lengths from the bottom of the lazarette for processing. I did most of the processing at home on two of the days. I threw a few away and cut bad pieces out of others making more lines of lesser lengths. I whipped all the ends, laundered the lines in the big washing machine, untied the resulting not quite Gordian knot that the washing machine and drier had tumbled them into and coiled each.

While they are off the boat I will complete the cleaning of the lazarette into which they will be stored. But I'm trying to come up with a system of hooks from which I can hang them so they are each reasonably accessible but without denying me access to the lazarette.

Not a lot of progress but it gets me out of the house.