Anchors Away!!! (But Not Really)(Well Soon Though)

     Time certainly flies and and for this young guy spending time away from Mischief is like what i could only imagine sending your first child off to college. The days are ticking down until the law school here will give me the much needed reprieve to return home and plead forgiveness. Fortunately, and thanks to my good friend Neil who is lucky enough to be pointing his bow north, I've been made aware of some very valuable advice. I was advised that a lonely boat can become as vindictive as a scorned lover and the only way to get back into your vessel's good graces is to give her a generous gift. What better gift to give than something that also benefits you? I'm sure this is what my father thought the year he decided it would be a good idea to get my mother a washing machine for Christmas. Guys, don't do this. While we did indeed need a new washing machine, my two sisters and I thought we were going to need a new father for a few hours, but I've digressed.

     Mischief doesn't know it yet, but she's got a brand new shiny anchor windlass coming her way (my back feels better already). I've been keeping my eyes open for a good deal and stumbled upon a fisherman selling a brand new Lewmar V700, still in the box, for a good deal with 100' of anchor rode. Still quite the investment but I suspect it will be well worth the money in the long run. The nice thing about the V700 is its low profile since it is a vertical windlass. What was most surprising was its size. It's a small guy!

I've found that in law school you must read at every chance,
even when daydreaming about your new windlass!

     This now restructures my entire anchor setup. The V700 requires 1/4 inch chain which looks light, but when considering the high test stuff has the same strength as 5/16. So not too worried there (if I should be, please let me know why). The smaller chain also has the added benefit of less weight which means I can accommodate more of it. While I really would like a Rocna or Manson anchor being a student again has severely stumped my budget so I will be cruising Craigslist for a not so new and shiny anchor. From what I'm seeing It'll end up being a CQR or maybe a Bruce of which either have proven their merit over time.

     One week away from spring break and I can't wait! More pictures and updates forthcoming.

2013 and Underway (figuratively speaking)!

While the holiday break for this law student may not have been as restful as he (me) would've hoped, it certainly was rejuvenating! Boat maintenance and upgrades may drive some owners crazy, for me it has provided a much needed environment of tranquility and needed therapy. The process of conceptualizing, planning and carrying out your work in an orchestrated sensible way used to be somewhat challenging for me. Fortunately, one of the side-effects of law school (aside from a heaping dose of stress) is an enhanced critical thinking ability that helps make once complicated tasks more understandable. I don't think my mother was impressed by my comment that law school has so far improved my carpentry skills. Plan B? Hah! This sailor still has a lot to learn! Now on to the boat!

Since a boat is a very limited space and to maintain perspective, it's best for me to approach each project one at a time and try to finish each one as close to paint ready as possible before moving on. Since the Mischief is located at the family boatyard (i.e. our farm) 3 hours from my school in St. Petersburg, projects have subnames that consist of "Christmas Break," "Spring Break," "Summer Break," etc. 

"Christmas Break 2012" consisted started off with building a work platform and stairs from an old set of scaffolding and surplus fencing materials we had on the farm... My "head, shoulders, knees and toes" are very grateful to be rid of lugging tools and equipment up and down the ladder.

Next was lengthening the companionway entry. This was done to remove some wet rot that had developed in the area under the step and to make egress more user friendly for this old bag o'bones.

The wet rot above reared its ugly head during some freezes on the Potomac when it began oozing the dreaded brown water!

Be gone wet rot and hello circa 1960's wiring (not in use no worries!)

 After opening up the companionway (well during since it was the holiday and I had to wait for my epoxy provider to open up) I moved on to shortening the engine box. Since repowering 2 years before, my engine compartment had enough room to to park a scooter (so it seemed anyways). I was able to move the box 8 inches aft which provided a ton of room in the galley and main cabin area... seems like a new boat already.

This made another project which was having to add cabin sole to cover some of the bilge where the engine box used to live and make another access hatch to be able to easily service the bilge pumps. 

The rough fit

Lookin' good!
I could pull in the sides, but that is a lot of re-engineering in the surrounding areas, plus I like the quick accessibility.

Ready for paint!

Much sanding, cutting, fitting, sanding, adjusting, epoxying later, voila! Success! 

And only 1 casualty! The Rotozip rotozapped my thumb!

And to keep her fresh and to keep the deck from weathering any more before I can repaint...

1 40'x15' 18oz vinyl coated polyurethane tarp later and hopefully the elements will be held at bay!

A turkey leg is almost as good a reward as seeing progress made!