Boat maintenance

So, we're hunkered down at Herrington Harbour North for awhile so that we can tackle our Maintenance List in David's black book.  (All iPhonography in this post.)

The chart plotter we purchased in October was misbehaving.  It's been sent to the manufacturer for repair under warranty.

This pole with peeling paint has driven me crazy since we moved aboard.  It supports the radar dome on our stern.  The gimbal that holds the radar dome was no longer doing its job (keeps the radar parallel to the water when the boat heels at an angle).  The gimbal was sent back to the manufacturer for repair, so David stripped the paint on the stainless support pole.

Aric at Chesapeake Marine Engineering polished the stainless to a fine gleam.  YAY!  No more peeling paint!  I purposely tried not to show it in photos for the last nine months.....that's how much it bothered me.

While the gimbal is being repaired, I polished the cover of the radar dome.  After sitting in the sun for years and years, it had turned a dull, powdery white (I didn't get a "before" shot).

This shows the restored shine :)

Four steps: cleaner, rubbing compound, polish, stainless polish.

On Thursday morning, I got up before sunrise (a rare occasion!), took the metro and a bus to Dulles, and flew to Cincinnati.

Farewell to a hazy day in the metro DC area.

Quick flight to Cincy.

Alex picked me up and we headed into town.

We toasted Jodi's birthday at one of my favorite places, Taft Ale House.

While the Volvo was having an oil change the next morning, we had breakfast at the Sleepy Bee.  As an alternative to breakfast potatoes, they offer roasted root vegetables.  *love*

Lots of bee-themed art on the walls.  I loved this mixed media honeycomb of felted wool/oil on canvas.

I left Cincinnati and aimed for the Chesapeake Bay with a quick stop in Lancaster, Ohio, for Borocol, a teak cleaner/fungicide for our decks.

Cincinnati, OH > WV > MD > DC > Tracy's Landing (565 miles) -- now we have wheels while we're here (through the Annapolis Boat Show in October).

Stopped and waiting in West Virginia.

Got home in time to see the blue moon rising :)

Virginia Dare is 13 years old; sometimes things break that aren't on our To Do list.  This knob fell off in my hand (we had spares to replace it) and the air conditioner decided to malfunction.....not good when the temps were in the 90s!  However, in less than 24 hours (and with two trips to the hardware store), David repaired the AC and we were back to cool comfort down below.

When frustrations run high, remember to Keep Calm and Carry On (thanks to Diana for sending these pencils a long time ago....they are still in action!)

Trying fun new drink recipes also diverts frustrations :)

We had lots of leftover grilled pork tenderloin, so David made fried rice......

....and pork dumplings!

Half dirty, half clean.
Since I am the non-mechanical crew member, I volunteer for all sorts of cleaning tasks.  Today was the dinghy, inside and out.  It had been sitting in the water for two weeks and this is what grew in that short period of time.  While I was doing the final hose-down before relaunching, a water moccasin swam(!!!) by.  OMG!  Since I was pretty much soaking wet, I didn't get a photo.

David dismantled, cleaned, lubricated, and reassembled the two main winches in the cockpit this afternoon.

Lots of pieces and parts.

Put back together and all shined up!

While he was doing that, I bleached and polished the 13 year old white formica.  I'm sure we're the only ones who can tell the difference, but that's what counts!

Couldn't find Rejuvenate countertop polish locally, so I went with The Original Gel-Gloss.

So, we haven't been sailing since Duncan visited but we've accomplished a lot.  I think we'll have to take a day off and play on the bay the next time the wind picks up :)