Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
After a nap, did the five-minute walk to the boatyard and climbed aboard Geja, still up on dry land as she’d been since last August. Boats often have their own special smell, and Geja is no exception when first opened up. Doesn’t take long with open hatches, though, for the dry breeze to freshen things up. Had a productive and enjoyable half-day getting Geja ready for the summer.
(Sunday, July 6) Another good day of knocking things off of the prep list. Replaced yet another of the original ports in the salon with a new one from Mark Plastics. These new tempered-glass versions should remain leak-free and scratchproof for years to come. I often describe the days before a summer cruise as “boatyard hell,” but I’m actually enjoying it. Nice to use one’s hands to actually fix things, not just punch keys or swipe a touchscreen.
(Monday, July 7) Jetlag is wearing off fast – didn’t get into the boatyard until 9:30am today. Took care of an engine wiring issue and make great headway on changes to the bilge pump setup. Stuck around as usual until sundown, happily knocking out mini-project after mini-project.
(Tuesday, July 8) Splashed the boat into the sea today, enabling the “only in the water” prep items. Got the dinghy launched and inflated, filled the water tanks… all that stuff you can’t really do until you’re floating. My first crew, Mari and Lissa, arrive tomorrow afternoon. I’ll have to set aside some planned boat improvements and start focusing on whatever’s necessary to set sail on Thursday. I worked as usual tonight past sunset, getting back “home” to the hostel to catch the end of Germany’s 7-1 thrashing of Brazil in the World Cup.