Lights, Liferaft Leaks and Luggage

The Photos are views from Sapphire at her mooring near Church Point. Jason from Mainsail Marine is putting in long hours to get everything done, and Ive been trying not to get in his way. Actually hes been teaching me all sorts of useful shipwright stuff, so the boat is a shambles at present. In the evenings I clear away the tools and the dust to find my galley and then my bunk. But I said to him today, a glorious day for sailing, this beats working for a living.

I remember reading in a journal some time ago, an article in which seaasoned yachtsmen were asked for their single best piece of advice for cruising sailors. All had excellent tips to give, summarised in a paragraph, complicated opinions about the type of something or other and depending on the conditions and not forgetting whatever else and so forth. Only one stuck in my mind though, and it seemed so sensible and was so succinct : the wise old sea dog said "Keep the water out" And that was it. And that has been one of the jobs we've been tackling this week on Sapphire. The heavy rain which kept me trapped on the boat for 36 hours provided a perfect opportunity for me to see where all the leaks were - mainly around the mast but also from the chainplates and possibly from under the track for the headsail sheets, and around the hatches - all small leaks but can make life damp and miserable as well as corrode and rot.

The other jobs include fitting the liferaft, replacing the cockpit drains, replacing as many bulbs as possible with LED's - its amazing how little power they consune compared to ordinary bulbs- getting the engine service ( oil change and change of diesel and oil filters), replacing the Impeller in the water pump, fitting a couple of extra harness attachments in the cockpit, getting the fridge to work, fixing the Toughbook docking bay to the Nav Station bulkhead, fitting some rails to shelving to stop stuff from falling out.... I could stay here and find jobs for ever but in a few days , probably early next week weather permitting I'll be sailing up to Newcastle.