Slick Decks

The weather finally turned cold and we had a heavy coat of frost on the decks yesterday. It didn't burn off until after 1000, and I haven't had a chance to paint on the non-skid yet, so we had a bit of a problem when we went out for our walk first thing in the morning. I have a teak grate in the sole of the cockpit, so I had good footing there, but the bench that goes all the way around was slick and slippery, and that's where Zoe normally jumps and walks.

It was so slick that I attached Zoe's tether right away, and just held it in my hand as I gingerly stepped over the coaming onto the side deck next to the dock. I had the lifelines up, so I figured I could just lean against them as I made my way to the shrouds where I'd climb over the them and onto the dock. However, Zoe was in a hurry and tried to hop over the coaming and jump directly onto the dock.

She would have made it too, except that I had her tethered and hadn't let out much slack. She ended up with her front paws firmly on the dock, one rear paw on the toerail, and the other deperately trying to get a hold on the dock. She's not very big and the space between the boat and the dock at that point was over a foot, so with the tether holding her back, she didn't have a chance.

I tried to give her more slack, but since she'd gone under the lifeline, it took me a few seconds to turn, see what she was doing, and pass the tether under to try to help her. That's when she lost her grip on the dock and headed for the water. Luckily, I had her securely tethered, so I picked her up and pulled her back on board before she could make a splash.

I don't think she hurt herself, but she's slipped a few other times and seems to be walking a little more slowly than usual, so I'm betting she'll be sore for the next few days. She hasn't gotten used to the slick decks yet, but hopefully I'll get better at keeping her in safer situations in the future. I need to make sure she's settled and not prepared to jump before I turn my back on her. (and get the non-skid on as soon as possible)

I also finished putting the netting around the boat yesterday, which should help keep her on board and discourage her from trying to jump off. I laced it to the lifeline at the top and to a taunt line at the bottom attached to the stanchion bases. It needs a bit of adjusting, but should be good enough to keep both of us, and our gear, on board.

Sail watch:

I bought a tap and die kit yesterday, and will use it today to tap holes in the mast for a clutch for the jib halyard, and whatever blocks I need to route the main halyard. I also need to mount the deck organizer on the coach roof and a gang clutch to feed the coach roof winch. Once that's all done, or mostly done, I can bend the sails. I'd like to get them up before it starts raining later today. I still need to fix the mounting bracket for the radar, but figure I can still get the sail on, just not actually put it all the way up and sail.

Engine watch:

I took off the bad exhaust hose going from the mixer elbow to the vetus waterlock and discovered why they added the bogus PVC elbow in the first place. The male end coming off the mixer is 2", while the male end coming off the waterlock is 1 3/4". The PVC elbow was a custom kludge to reduce it and make the connection, which is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a boat. And to make matters worse, it never worked anyway. The large end was only 1 7/8", so that leaked, and the other end was held onto the muffler with seizing wire. No wonder he added a leaky deck vent next to the cockpit -- the engine compartment was probably full of carbon monoxide all the time.

I'll fix it correctly, but neither of the places I've checked so far have the right combination of pipe fittings to do the job. I'll try to get down to Home Depot this afternoon once it starts to rain, but will check with Gill first. He might be able to get me what I need, and he normally has it the next day.

Although I want to avoid replacing the entire exhaust system if I can help it, I might end up having to anyway. I'm going to call Bill this morning and see what he thinks. He's a diesel mechanic and does all the engine work for Coneys. I'm running out of time, but loosing the engine isn't an option, and from what I've read, the muffler is undersized for my engine and might cause engine damage due to excess back pressure (of course that hasn't been a problem since it didn't seal anyway).