11-14 Oct, Herrington Harbour North, days 1-3: Back at Cloudy Bay who awaits us with a very long list of maintenance tasks. And start of the season with a visit to the Annapolis Boat Show.
We had a lovely vacation back to Europe enjoying the summer at home. Four months flew past so quickly and we are now back to Cloudy Bay who missed us as much as we missed her… maybe?! Except from dusty decks, we found her in a very good condition (thank you Ray, for keeping an eye on her).
The various “bird pooh preventers” (plastic bin bags on top of the mast and garden wire over the spreaders) kept the birds away, hence very few purple bombs landed on the decks. And inside, the dehumidifier did its job and everything was bone dry, which was a relief not having to fight mildew again.
What we found not working: the galley sink faucet which is leaking like a sieve, and the master head toilet solenoid valve. Hence two more jobs added to Glen’s already very long list of maintenance tasks.
The first couple of days after our return we spent at the Annapolis Boat Show which was as interesting as ever. And as tempting as ever! We used the wallet lots more times than we originally planned for, but then that’s boating life isn’t it?!
Planned purchases: Sailrite sewing machine and all the bits and pieces to use it with, Hydro-shield for the outboard engine.
Unsuccessful purchases: onboard security system, main sheet.
Unplanned purchase: new RIB! Looking at dinghies was a dangerous path to walk on, and we ended up making the down payment for a 340 Highfield. Our current Avon 310 is still in somewhat good condition, but probably it won’t last us across the rest of the world. A 310 Highfield looked perfect and is 20kg lighter than our Avon, but wouldn’t fit our davits. Hence we ended up-sizing to a 340 which in theory perfectly matches the davits width. We are yet to physically measure it on Wednesday.
So two busy days at the boat show and two busy evenings unpacking and tidying up inside the boat.
Today was the first full day onboard and as we couldn’t bare looking at the black decks (or even walk on them), Glen attacked them with the water hose and boat wash. After several good hours (and a bloody workout!) we have a clean boat, and most importantly we can use the cockpit and it is now safe to open the windows and get some fresh air through.
Our friend Ray paid us a shot visit, for the welcome back hugs and to drop some of our deliveries. He has a truck-full of boxes for us, mostly the Hallberg-Rassy parts, but no space for those on the boat yet.
Another visit was from Advanced Branding Solutions, the company which we chose for vinyl-wrap the blue stripes alongside the hull and around the cockpit. The Ceramic Pro coating we did last November looked nice to begin with, but on the blue gelcoat it didn’t last long. And these stripes are now as faded and chalked as they have ever been.
So time for new approach: vinyl cover, on which the shine and the color should last for five years. After a bit of debating we chose the “deep blue” color, and now looking forward to have it installed towards the end of the week.
Mid-afternoon we are finally ready to have a break and head to a nearby commercial center (35 minutes drive) with a very short shopping list: kitchen sink faucet, mop head to wash the hull, and WiFi dongle. At Home Depot there are plenty of faucets to chose from, but no single-hole faucet like we need. Hence we will have to place an order with Hallberg-Rassy Parts for the Mora Swedish faucet we currently have onboard. We do manage to buy a mop though!
As for the dongle, none in sight at neither Best Buy nor at AT&T. Looks like it will have to be another Amazon job.
A Giant hypermarket stares us in the face and we give in to temptation, aiming for fresh fruits. Once inside, the displays are so inviting and we exit with a lot more than that. Fingers crossed our food will last in the fridge for a couple of days.
Speaking of fridges… we have none of them switched on yet, since we are on hard and the coolers won’t work. What we do have is a large block of ice in the box fridge, which helps keep the temperature at roughly 9degC, just enough to keep some milk and vegetables. So looking forward to go back in the water with full running fridges!
As of our current on-hard jobs list, may be 10-14 days till we can launch.