Haul Out Days 8 - 10

Hi everyone,
Three busy days on board...

• Removed the old gas tubes and associated fittings
• Cut off long bolt ends which were snag and injury hazards in the main cockpit locker
• Cleaned, sanded and masked the lazarette and main cockpit locker ready for repainting
• Applied nearly one full undercoat in the lazarette

They say painting is all about preparation.  It took two days of hard work to clean and sand the two lockers.  They lockers are huge - perhaps 2 cubic metres each - with very complex shapes.  I now understand why they haven't been repainted since 1986!  I emerged from today's painting session with less paint on me than the locker, so that's a success.  Someone could earn a PhD optimising the painting order for maximum quality, minimum time, minimum contortion and the avoidance of head-butting wet paint!

I'm using water-based domestic paints for the lockers.  This will save quite a lot of money and as they're intended for use in bathrooms they should be fine in our nice dry lockers.  They dry quickly and washing out brushes (not to mention hair) in water is so much easier.

Yesterday SailForce fitted the new knuckles to the gooseneck and boom vang, and refitted the boom to the mast.  The new knuckles look very good and the boom can no longer rattle around as it previously could (and did).  Hopefully the new parts will last another 20 years.

Tomorrow we plan to complete undercoating the lazarette and will hopefully get well into undercoating the main cockpit locker.  This locker may better suit a roller (vice brush) which should speed up the process.