Wind and rain...go away

On the way to the Drascombe dinner at Chichester at the weekend I dropped in at the boat to collect some bits so I could start some of the projects I listed in my last entry.
So the batteries are home as well as the bowsprit , the rudder, tiller and I have the measurements for the Mast lifter arrangement.
I even have the wood to make it from as well as some of the bits - hinges and eye bolts courtesy of J Clarke Marine and eBay.

The only thing I don't have at the moment is the right weather - cold, wet, very blustery. So frustrating when you want to get on with things.

The batteries seem to be way past their best, so time for replacement but with my expanded solar project the new batteries should stay in tip top condition

The great bit of news is that I am cutting my work hours by half. Having retired once already and been persuaded to go back I have decided that enough is almost enough and time is more important, so , with both boys through Uni, I can take more time to devote to things I enjoy and this season looks to be going to be absolutely fabulous. The trip to the Morbihan and the Drascombe Golden Jubilee will be high points no doubt but I am sure there will be many other memorable adventures along the way.

Plans pre season 2017

The days are getting longer...possibly warmer, but thoughts are definitely turning towards preparation for the new season.

There's lots that needs to be done, and lots I want to do.....some of which amount to the same thing...others....well

There are several priorities :-

1. I need to have the trailer serviced, certainly for the trip to Morbihan in May but also for the journey to Cornwall in April.

2. The batteries need to be checked - 6 years old now and perhaps time to replace them.

3, The bowsprit and rudder need to come home for a good sand down and refurb after 6 seasons

Perhaps less important but nonetheless on the plan are :-

4. Upgrade the solar charging management unit to run to both batteries - a bit of a elementary mistake and I should have bought the right unit at the time but easily rectified.

5. Build a mast lifter. Having looked at examples on the Shrimper forum and looking at this seasons plans raising and lowering the mast will feature quite a bit - so I will put together a blog entry about the construction as well as, of course, the successful use of it.

In addition to this there are several grp nicks in the topsides that need attention and over the winter I brought back the step are from the boat and filled a couple of voids and nicks that had appeared, so the practice, in the warmth of the kitchen, will stand me in good stead.

The trip to Cornwall is grp refurb on a grander scale. Crabbers are going to refurb the hull, to a condition that apparently "I won't recognise". After several season and some deep scratches she needs it so I look forward to the finished result - before and after pictures, of course.

In addition I have bought a small drone, particularly for the Golden Jubilee Celebration, but I hope to be able to produce some good footage of the adventures we get up to. We'll see how it goes......