Nasty Weather

It's going to be a nasty day today, with high winds and heavy rain, but luckily I haven't found any leaks in the cabin area. There are still a few in the cockpit, but since I haven't really done much back there, I'm not worried about them right now -- they aren't bad enough to risk a chance of sinking, at least not as long as I'm on board.

Even though I probably won't get too much done today, I did get a lot done yesterday before the rain started. I got the clutch mounted on the mast and the deck organizer mounted on the coach roof. I also researched the exhaust issue and took the bus down to Home Depot to buy parts.

Although I did buy a reducer and a couple of nipples, I don't think I'll use them (however, I will keep them on board as a backup). I did more research last night and have decided to buy a fiberglass reducer. The problem with the stuff I got from Home depot is that the OD is slightly smaller than the hose, e.g., 1 7/8" instead of 2", and 1 5/8" instead of 1 3/4".

I also took the opportunity to buy more alcohol and kerosene while I was there. It's much cheaper there than it is at West Marine or Coneys. The alcohol came in gallon cans, but I saved a few plastic ones from this summer and will transfer them over -- I don't want anything that might rust on the boat, especially fuel.

Today watch:

I'm going to try to do a few things in the cabin today including stowing gear; I have parts, tools, paint, and solvents stacked all over. I've also got a list to port that I need to take care of by redistributing the weight. The bow is also a bit low, but that will change a lot once I bend on the sails, so I'm not going to worry about that too much. Part of will be taken care of once I'm able to stow all my spare gear in the cockpit lockers, but I can't do that until I've finished the exhaust system.

The only other thing I might do today is laundry. There's a laundry right across the street, so I hope I can get over there this afternoon. It also goes hand in hand with the cabin cleanup.

Departure watch:

My departure date depends on both the weather and boat readiness. The weather should start clearing up tomorrow and should be nice, but cold, for several days. As for boat readiness, I'm down to only a few things, many of which I hope to get done today or tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be able to take her out for a shakedown on Friday and leave this weekend or early next week.

Zoe watch:

She's doing fine. I've only seen her limp on right rear paw once since I removed her broken toenail, and the fall she took the other day doesn't seem to have had any lasting effect either. We're still dockside, so she gets a few walks ashore everyday. I still don't know how she'll handle going on deck once we leave, but she's smart and relatively young, so I hope she'll be able to adapt quickly.