March 22 -- April 3 -- Seven More Work Days

Seven work days ( 32.5 hours total) before our departure to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI on April 4. I'm hoping to have something more interesting to report than work days in the next post.
After installing the new custom made brackets for the new Rocna anchor, I saw that the lowest of the three rollers was hanging there uselessly and realized that I had run the chain wrong. It does not go over the second roller but under it, between it and the third roller. The first roller is off screen at the top left and the second and third are held in place by the bolts near the ends of the flat metal piece slanting toward the lower left in the photo. Here is wrong.

Next is right.

A few of the days were quite short because all I could do was apply one coat of primer or paint on the prop and shaft. Here the green primer coat still shows through after only one of three coats.

One of the days was spent at home -- six hours -- doing paperwork for the boat including creating a shopping list. Another was mostly a shopping day, a drive with Harlemites Dave and Gene to eastern CT for Defenders' annual warehouse sale -- at least ten percent off its already discounted prices. That discount kept the total to under one grand, before tax. Sixty percent of this was for four gallons of paint for the bottom, two of barrier coat and two of bottom paint.

A recent post showed ILENE, next to Fernando, with most of the old ratty boot stripes sanded off. Here she is, masked, with her boot stripes primed,

and the Awl-gripped finished stripes,

thanks to Fernando's help.  All I have to do now is scuff up the grey primer and blue all grip below the lower clean stripe, not remove it all, to be ready to paint the bottom.

But that awaits when we get back from the VIs: four coats of grey barrier coat to keep seawater from seeping into the fiberglass and then three of blue bottom paint which is designed to keep barnacles and marine vegetation from growing on the bottom. Then the repaired outdoor FM radio speakers will be back from Bose

 

and need to be reinstalled behind their covers, the freeboard compounded and waxed, sails bent on, water system flushed and filled. Lene will help me clean the interior and ILENE will be ready to launch. With luck and cooperation from the weather, by the end of April!