With the boat afloat there were a number of jobs that were done over winter.
A declutter
Having had the boat for some time it was time to start going through her to see what was actually needed, what was nice to have and what needed to go. I was surprised at the stuff that was onboard and I had never used so slowly they were removed from the boat and either used, binned or set aside for the boat jumble.
The Windlass
I knew the windlass had seized, power was getting to it as I could hear the motor attempt to turn but it was not turning the gypsy. One bitterly cold Sunday afternoon saw me spend the best part of two hours unbolting the casing that holds the windlass in order that I can take it somewhere warm to work on stripping down and freeing up the mechanism.
Polishing and waxing the deck
Not all the deck, just the smooth bits and the cockpit. The deck had been neglected for some time and was in desperate need of some tender loving care. Several hours spent cleaning each section with a barrage of cleaning chemicals followed by a good rince saw me applying two coats of polish and about five of wax. The aim is to give the deck some ultraviolet protection and is a job that will need to be done repeatedly over the summer.
Varnishing the Saloon
I was quite sure that the internal woodwork had not been touched so set about the task of giving the saloon a freshen up with some varnish and am quite pleased with the results.
A few jobs yet to do
Replace the through deck glands at the base of the mast, slight ingress of rain and this needs to be fixed.
Repair the danbuoy.