Late Summer in Baltimore - 2017

Sep 14 thru Sep 21

--Blogpost written by Bob

Now that we're finally through with the recent 3-1/2 weeks in the boatyard, we're anxious to get some last minute projects done and begin our planning and provisioning for the Exumas.  We expect to leave in mid-October--about one month from now!

Dusk in Baltimore Harbor in mid-September

We have six projects remaining that will probably get completed:

     (1) make new acrylic companionway door
     (2) change engine oil & filter

     (3) fasten FORTRESS anchor near bow

     (4) make shoe rack for under dining table

     (5) RAINMAKER: test it & buy spare filters

     (6) refinish teak toe rail

  
There are two more projects that will be done if time allows--we decided to postpone these until next summer:

     (7) check all fresh water hoses; repair & replace as necessary

     (8) put double clamps on all fresh water hose connections

New Companionway Door

Our old clear acrylic companionway door was probably 20+ years old and it was severely crazed by the sun.

The crazing of of old companionway door is quite
severe from 20+ years of sun exposure.

We purchased a 24" x 24" x 1/2" thick piece of clear acrylic in a gray tinted color (that is slightly darker than our existing windows) from Maritime Plastics in Annapolis.  I traced the old companionway door on the paper covering of the new acrylic material and cut the acrylic sheet with my circular saw.  After routing a 45-degree bevel on the edges and sanding the edges smooth, I heated the edges with a propane torch to make them glossy.

The new companionway door is so clear that I had to
include some of the frame in this photo to tell
that the acrylic was in place.

This was a slick 3-hour project that made an enormous difference in appearance.  The total cost was about $150.

Change Oil & Oil Filter

There is no doubt about the need to complete this project before we leave.  I completed the oil change on Wednesday morning (at 400 engine hours) and purchased oil for the next changeout, which will probably be needed in Beaufort, NC.

Fasten FORTRESS Anchor

This summer, we sold our old Bruce anchor and bought a FORTRESS FX-23 lightweight anchor to serve as our secondary anchor.  This saved a lot of weight on the bow of the boat.  We didn't really figure out a way to store it and it has been sitting aft of our helm seat.

We came up with this temporary solution--tying it down on the
cabin top between the two hatches but it likely to 
snag a jib sheet in this position.  

As a permanent solution, we ordered a stanchion mount and FX-23 mud palm adaptor kit from WINDLINE so that we can mount the FORTRESS anchor vertically on the bow pulpit.  

This is a stanchion mount for mounting the FORTRESS anchor
on a vertical stanchion near the bow.  It is available
from www.windline.com.

After trying several different positions, I mounted the FORTRESS
anchor horizontally on the bow pulpit.  In this position,
it can't snag a sail or line while underway.

This solution cost about $75 while keeping the secondary anchor out of the way but still readily available when needed.

Conclusion

We still have a few more projects to complete before we can start provisioning for going south this season.  Stay tuned...


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