Despite all our work last fall, there were still new things that came up this spring. Some were small, like going up the backstay and re-doing the bracket for the man overboard pole. Others were a bit more significant, such as reattaching the transmission cable (so glad Trip had suggested firing up the engine just to test things out in the slip!). Then there was the frozen pull on the dinghy outboard (glad Trip likes to row). We’re ignoring the problems with the slow toilet till we run out of other things to solve and will then delve into that mess.
And we’re already thinking ahead to later this season. Med-style mooring involves backing into a slip. There are usually no finger pontoons (the little docks that run the partial length of the boat). We can’t back in due to the amount of hardware hanging off our stern: Low slung davits for the dinghy, and the wind vane block any means of us getting off or on the boat from the stern, so that leaves the bow. Our bowsprit rides pretty high (shoulder height I would say), so it’s not a matter of simply climbing up. Friends who have already sailed the Nordic countries with a boat that has similar issues showed us their folding stainless steel ladder – they can even climb aboard with their dog! For now we’ve created something by hanging a temporary boarding ladder off the bowsprit with the help of a step stool on the dock. It’s been pointed out that once we get into the Med we’ll see more chandleries equipped with these boarding tools to make our lives easier, and by the end of the season we’ll have it figured out.
Recent Comments