Wood, Rope & Not a lot of Water

Not much happening boat-wise this weekend. I was going to stay on her this afternoon while she laid on the mud, but the wife and daughter are spending the week in Selsey and need a lift. The bad news is they needed a lift before enough water comes back to allow me to row ashore. So it was a quick visit and see what I can take away and do on shore.

So the wiring that I was going to do is put back until next time. However I did get some teak oil  ready for cleaning up the handrails and the wood round the companionway.

This is what the companionway woodwork looks like at the moment:

Pretty weathered and grey. That needs to change, as its lost its weatherproofing and is starting to split.

So, I removed the screws and pulled the 3 pieces of wood from the front and took them home for sanding and oiling. The other bits have to stay in situ as they include the slots for the washboards. They'll have to be sanded manually. Hmm, after the time it took to sand these bits with a sander, I think I'm going to have to pay a visit to the gym and buff up a bit. lol.

Here are the three stages, from grey to sanded to oiled:

All three pieces are done now and just need further applications of oil.

I've also got a lot of rope I purchased last week at the boat jumble for half the normal price. 10mm Braid on Braid for the mainsail Halyard and the Topping lift. The rope on there is a bit green and stiff at the moment so I'd prefer to replace it with fresh rope just to be on the safe side. I can re-use the old rope for non-essential lines, so it'll still save some money. I  just don't want the sails; the "engine" of the boat giving out just when you need it.

I've got to learn how to splice braided rope. I've done 3-strand before as I've put eyes in anchor chains, but I've never done braided before. This evening will consist of me watching youtube videos then.

Finally, the one thing I really like about my boat is the fact it sails in not a lot of water. I'd say today I was on it and there was less than 2 feet of water and it was still floating.

Here's the boat and you can clearly see the bottom. You can also see how I've got chain all the way from my weight to the samson post. I did get a swivel yesterday but didn't have time to fit it today. Note the chain is way heavier than my anchor chain, but then again I'll be moored to it for a lot longer,

Sailing in 2ft of water isn't bad. Its comforting to know because I don't have a depth sounder (yet). The transducer is there, I just need a display head. I did look out for one at the boat jumble, but none had the right type of connection.

I would guess from the transducers and the connections that it was a NASA Clipper Duet that used to be connected. How do I know? Jim has exactly the same one on his boat and the connections are the same.

Anyway, I feel today wasn't a total loss and I got something done at least.