I took the cover off today. It’s nice to see the great outdoors.
I was also relieved that my new anchor fits well on the roller. I was confident until I got it. It’s a beast.
Countdown is on. I’m off the dock in less than three weeks, and am poking away at my lists. All good.
I got my first Covid vaccine today. Toronto’s infection rate is at an all time high, but everyone in my bubble has now been vaccinated. Kathleen got hers a couple of weeks ago.
I’m not in any rush when I leave here. Will noodle down to Collins Bay near Kingston and hang there for a few days to finish up a few things and update some gear. There is a very good chandlery there, with an anchorage and dock. After that it’s up the Rideau Canal after it opens May 21.
The new dinghy is most satisfactory. I cleaned out the carburetor on my old outboard – it hadn’t been running well since I sank the dinghy in 2019. Now it’s running like a top. I’m impressed with the boat based on solo operation. Easy to plane and stable at speed. Much better than my old Avon 310. The extra length helps a lot I suspect. Bigger tubes too, so it feels like a much bigger boat.
I had been planning to build a floor in the anchor locker, but to my surprise found one there when I removed the chain. The previous owner told me that the locker drained into the bilge. There were holes drilled in the floor.
It turned out that it drained into a section of the bow contained by a watertight bulkhead, and I found a compartment full of water. There was a hole for cabling that allowed it to drain with a couple of feet of water in it. Looked like it had been there forever, with marine plywood delaminated. I’ve pumped it out and run a heater in there to dry things out. Not concerned. The boat is massively built, and the folks doing the conversion used 1″ marine ply everywhere. Originally it had a watertight collision bulkhead and lifting point in the bow, but that was all removed to create the berth.
I’ve confirmed that the floor is a few inches above the waterline so I’ll plug the holes in the floor and drill a drain through the hull.
Since I’m not building anything there I’m back to using the eye for the anchor snubber. Will post pics when it’s set up.
Boating Adventures 