Rainy Day

Looks like rain all day today, with accompanying high humidity. It's not hot and I'm high and dry under the cover, but I'll still need to get out in it to walk Zoe and get water. I've been listening to it rain non-stop for about an hour without a break, but might have to bite the bullet if it doesn't stop in the next hour or so -- Zoe can't wait forever.

Although my decks won't get (too) wet today, I will have to climb up and down a slippery aluminum ladder to get on and off the boat. I switched to a smaller ladder a few weeks ago, and almost immediately slipped on one of the rungs. The original one was a single section of a 16' extension ladder, but it extended too high over the deck and made it difficult to zip up the cover and climb on and off the boat, so I found a smaller one that looked almost brand new -- there are always tons of ladders around a boat yard.

The new one is shorter and the diameter of the rungs is smaller too. I slipped on one the first rungs of the lower section on the very next day and banged up my knee a little bit. It left a nice bruise, but other than that wasn't a big deal. I thought about switching back to the old one, but figured I just needed to be more careful. The new one is much safer getting on and off the deck, especially when carrying Zoe, and I haven't slipped on it again, so I think it'll be okay.

However, I did slip on the companionway ladder, or lack of ladder, yesterday and banged up my left thigh pretty good. I've got a bruise about he size of my hand on the outside just above the knee. I'd been using the wet vac to clean out the bilge again -- it's still a little grimy -- and had removed the steps that sit on top of the hatch in the cabin sole, so I could remove it. Aurora has an engine cover that extends into the cabin about 18," sorta like the engine cover you see in a van. It's about 30" high, and has a little 2-step teak ladder attached to the forward side. Under the ladder is a 10" x 16" hatch giving access to the lower fresh water tank and the bilge. The bilge is just aft of the tank and directly under the engine and goes almost all the way down to the bottom of the keel and back to the rudder post.

I caught myself as I slipped, so it wasn't too bad, and could have slipped even if the ladder had been there. You need to be prepared all the time on a boat, so slipping is something you just have to get used to. At least is wasn't as bad as the slip Chickchester took during his sea trails on Gypsy Moth. He banged his leg up so bad that he wasn't able to walk properly for almost a year. He was about 65 at the time -- I'm only 50.

I did have a pretty bad fall right after I got the boat and moved on board in Marion in 2007. It was early and the decks were slick with dew, and I went right over the side. I rolled and was able to grab the toe rail on the way down, so I didn't really go all the way over, but unfortunately, I bumped my left knee hard on a jack stand. I limped on it for at least a couple of weeks before the swelling went down, but nothing was broken.

That's why I want to make sure my decks are nice and rough before I put her in the water. I don't plan to slip on them again. Not sure when I'll start painting, but I hope to finish sanding in a few days. I cleared the decks yesterday, so there's nothing in the way now. All I need to do is sand the whole thing down and fill the rest of the small nicks.

Zoe watch:

The rain seems to have stopped, so I'm about to take her for a quick walk. I'll probably leave her under the bow today, but will bring her on board if it starts to thunder. She's sleeping on the sole up in the v-berth. It's nice and snug up there and she seems to like that. For her, a boat is sorta like being in a cave. She loves it.

Boat watch:

The old faucet in the galley is pretty corroded and leaks badly, so I've had to turn off the fresh water pump until I can fix/replace it. I think I'll replace it, but will need to do a bit a research first. The leak got the locker I just painted wet and made the newly painted surfaces stick together. I dried it out and will try to put a final coat on it as soon as I can.

I also need to hook up the bilge pumps, but may wait till I can find a new one for the cabin and I'm ready to reinstall the one in the cockpit. That way, I can do them all at once. The old cabin pump was completely worn out and leaked, but I haven't found a suitable replacement yet. It's a would be nice at this point, so if I don't find one right away, I'll just do the others and let it wait till I get to Houston.