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Summer: A Welcome End to Boat Chores |
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Written by Peter A. Robson
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 We’re trusting that by the time this issue rolls off the presses, our storm-tossed winter and unsettled spring will be but distant memories. Summer will have arrived in all its glory, and we’ll all be out there enjoying our yachts and the richest coastal waters in the world.
I meant to go sailing on my Catalina 27 Nesika regularly over the winter, but it seemed one thing after another kept me tied to the dock. And because I only work in Vancouver three days per week, and that’s where the boat is moored, I can only work on her from about 21:00 to midnight, two nights per week.
I spent most of winter and spring maintaining and preparing for the cruising season. As Nesika was new to me last year, I’m still going over systems, upgrading and taking things apart—and once in a while, even managing to put them back together.
To complicate matters, the lack of faith in my aging 15-horsepower Mercury outboard—which was having intermittent starting problems—inspired me to take a bold new step. Instead of taking it to the shop as usual, I decided to learn how to do all the maintenance and repairs myself. That way, if (and when) something goes wrong at sea, I’ll at least be able to identify and (hopefully) fix the problem. My dockside studying is going slowly; however, I’ve managed to identify and replace the faulty starter motor without too much grief (or dropping anything overboard). Just last week, I even managed to find the proper shop manual online, and I’m eagerly awaiting its arrival.
Earlier in the season, I’d had to surgically remove the boom cover because one of the zipper teeth was missing and I couldn’t get the cover off. I took the mainsail off at the same time, as it needed its annual inspection. There went another month or two while I waited for the lawn to dry so I could lay it out and then fit the boom cover with snaps.
With the mainsail and boom cover back aboard, it was time to see how the furling genoa was doing. I’d taken it off last year, but left it on this year for that hope of winter sailing. Bad move! Dirt and mildew had taken hold. After some research, I laid it out on tarps and gave it a good scrub before letting it soak in a mild solution of bleach and lime juice. Using bleach was a bit of a concern—some say don’t use it, some say sparingly—but it did the trick. I’ve learned my lesson, and from now on, I’m stowing the genoa below decks after every use. I also took home the slightly mildewed genoa sheets, which I washed in the machine on “gentle”—and in mesh bags—with mild soap. They came out so clean and soft (air dried) that now I want to bring all the lines home for the same treatment.
Reading Peter Heiberg’s article in our March issue inspired me to tackle the winches, which were getting gummed up and needed rebuilding before I could trust them at sea. Not surprisingly, neither of the two companies that manufacture the winches is still in business, so I’ve had to be especially careful not to lose any irreplaceable bits and pieces. I’m still working on them, one winch per week. So far, that’s been my winter and spring.
There’s not too much else to do, but I’m sure itching for the last week in August when all that work will pay off in my annual cruise—a week or so of great sailing, peaceful anchorages and feasting on crab, prawns and other delights.
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