Big Decision and more progress....

Yes, I know it has been quite a while since I have posted, but I have been working slowly on the boat.  It has been tough, since my shoulder has not healed completely yet.  Here is what I have been up to.

Rigging

Thanks to Jim of Port Rigging for helping me get all of my rigging set up and ready to go.  I finally have running rigging (halyards) for the boat, so now I can actually put the sails up.  I've even replaced the spinnaker halyard and pulley from the original equipment (49 years old).  The shivs have been replaced also, as well as the pins they rotate on, as the previous ones were corroded into place, and some of them had to be removed by a chisel.  

Cleaning and Prep

I spent yesterday scrubbing the boat down, as the outside was growing algae or something from being under trees for who knows how long.  Just giving the old girl a scrub makes her look like a new boat.  Unfortunately because it was raining, I do not have any pictures of the newly scrubbed boat.  Jenny helped me out with getting the old name off the boat and starting to scrape the paint to get the new name on the boat.  Also, the old outboard mount came off the transom, as I decided to use the outboard well built into the boat for my small Sailpower motor.  

AirHead Progress

Since I picked up the Airhead, I have not had time to complete the plumbing for the air circulation system.  I also did not know where or how I was going to plumb it.  It ended up having to be routed through the forward bulkhead and up through the V-berth.  The electrics are not hooked up, but then again, none of the wiring is hooked up currently through the entire boat.  

Rope Work

Since my boat lacked mooring lines, I had to make them.  I found a really great deal on a spool of 1/2" three strand nylon rope, so decided to make a full set of lines.  Jenny spent some time helping/learning how to whip ropes while I spliced loops into one end of them.  I made two bow lines, two stern lines, and four spring lines, and that has barely made a dent in the 600' spool of rope.  Also, most of the lines went into the boat, into to cockpit lazarrettes.  

The Big Decision

I have been pushing very very hard to get the boat into the water this year.  I have run my summer away working weekends on the boat instead of enjoying the beautiful weather.  While I really want to go sailing this year, it looks like its not going to happen.  While it is a disappointment to realize that I am not going to make my goal, it is also a relief to know that I now have months to do all of the things that I need to do.  That means I have time to wire the electrical system, rebuild the port bunk, rewire the navigation lights on the mast, install a depth sounder, install a speed gauge, and in general just have time to do things right, rather than just get them done.