ChainChainChain ...

Yes, it's a line from the song "Chain of Fools".  But we're not.  We really needed to find out how much chain was on Abake and mark it.  Using the anchor last year during the SSCA GAM, we found that the chain in the locker was WAY too short.  After researching options for marking it we found that zip ties and parachute cord seemed to be the best options.  So we opted for the parachute cord (different colors for each 100' of chain, marked every 25'.)  We found that 50' (of 3/8" chain) was in the anchor locker, a 100' section was in the bilge, and another 300' section was in the bilge.  Guess which one went forward into the anchor locker.  Yup!  And here's the pile of it, along with our "oh sh**" mark (at the end).

Pile of 300' of chain

"Oh Sh**" mark

The heads have been rebuilt, the hose replaced, and the "Y" valve that was installed in the aft head after the vacuum break (remember it was just a rising stem valve?) turned out to be a little aged, and it leaked.  So we ordered another one and replaced it.  The head now works just as it should.

New "Y" valve for aft head

We also started on getting the dinghy ready for the davits.  We replaced the 2:1 pulley set with a 6:1 set.  This is a huge savings on muscle (and can be operated by one person), and the new set includes a cam to easily lock the line in position.  We spliced the line onto the blocks and it is ready for the dinghy.  We pulled our dinghy off of the rack at the marina and found that it has been used by the neighborhood strays as a litterbox.  Pee-yew!  With permission, we moved it to a top rack (not the one we rented) and hopefully it will not provide a private bathroom for the cats any more.  (We came home and had to leave shoes in the garage and then had "cat scans" done by Zander.  He felt we had been cheating on him.)  We measured for stainless steel bridle cables (for the aft) and will test them before ordering the forward bridle.

New dinghy block

Floor of dinghy

Aft bridle

And, we had another 3-day break in the weather (rain), so the port side/aft portion of the decking was taken up, refurbished, and replaced.  With heat indices between 105 and 109, it made for a miserable job, but with a tarp cover, it made it more bearable.  This time Mike tried caulking the outside boards first, so he had a place to stand when caulking the inside boards.  It worked much better and his back was thankful.

Caulking the inside boards

Before caulk

Getting "Sidetracked"

So the hoses for the watermaker arrived -- just in the midst of many other projects that had been started.  For instance, we spent a couple of days and an overnight (in 90+ degree heat) at the marina for July 4.  The cat was with us and we found we had to keep an eye on him or he would go forward.  At anchor this is not a problem.  But at the marina, this is where he can make his escape.  He's not an outdoor cat and didn't fare well the one time he did get out/lost in our neighborhood.  He would not fare well with all the marina cats so we try to keep him on board.  He seems satisfied here, or here, or here:

zzz

...

Shhh

To remedy this, Mike designed and built our "CCS" or cat containment system.  He built two screens for the hatches and built a teak frame with screen for the companionway.  It works beautifully.  The little stinker now sits on the aft bunk and stares up at the screen trying to figure out if he can jump up, wrap his paws and grab/hang on to the hatch frame, and pull himself up and out of the cabin (as he has done before).  He's almost 11 years old and he's not lost a step.

Companionway screen for CCS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hatch screen for CCS

Because we want to go cruising for a few days or so at the end of July (yes, we set a small goal), we needed to have a good working head.  Abake has robust marine heads (toilets) that are made of bronze and porcelain.  They are built to last a lifetime if maintained properly (and spare parts are available).  Because we haven't used them in 3 years, it meant that (first) we would need to disassemble and re-build the aft head.  Luckily we had a rebuild kit and it could be done in a day or two.  Ha!  That's what any normal person would think!  Now Mike is another story.  He didn't like the diversion valve in the engine room as it is in an awkward location.  Additionally it is not a true diverter valve, but a common rising stem hand valve.  So he has a "Y" diverter valve he wants to install after the vacuum break, whereas now the valve is before the vacuum break.  It would have been a task -- now it has become a project.  But, it will be much better-- using the proper hardware will make for a much cleaner installation.

You can see here that the joker valve had hardened and would really only allow liquids to pass.  This is between the pipe off of the actual bowl and the hose carrying away the waste.  It prevents backflow.

Stiff joker valve

Rebuilt head (minus bowl)

Head disassembled for cleaning

And, we relaxed on July 4 and watched fireworks all around from our marina.  We didn't really do any work that day and enjoyed the laid back day.  Then July 5th we were hanging out in the cockpit and keeping an eye on the cat and staring at the decking.  The next thing we knew we were digging out plugs, cutting caulk, unscrewing screws, and prying up decking.  Sigh.  Yes, a section by the port scupper has now been refurbished.  It required that some new teak slats be cut, and as usual, Mike did a wonderful job.  You can see it here.  (Ignore the smeared caulk -- it was really hot that day and it got messy.  It will be sanded off.)

Rebuilding some teak deck slats

 

Decking (minus fuel and water fill holes)

 

 

And, just for grins, we're showing you the reason we had to buy a new wire brush.  That's what we use to clean the old glue and caulk from the fiberglass decking before re-gluing the refurbished decking back to the fiberglass deck.  I think we could call this "being frugal".

New and old wire brushes