Yet More Small Jobs

With yet another weekend upon us it is time to start planning another weekend of even more small jobs and spring cleaning. It will soon come to an end I am sure.

This weekend will start with the fitting of the new stainless steel grab handle on the dashboard. An extra we realised would come in handy (no pun intended there) on our last trip out to sea when the water got a little choppy. The other half was doing the driving, so, with one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on the throttle lever was able to steady himself against the boats movement. I, as navigator, had little to hold onto. The addition of a grab handle on the dashboard, just above the chart plotter, will enable me to have a much more comfortable ride in choppy seas. Finding a suitable handle was proving difficult as we wanted it to look as though it was a factory fitted item. We stumbled across the “right” handle at the boat jumble last weekend for the princely sum of £10.

Next up is the fixing of the two new short stainless steel flag staffs for the top of the radar arch. We have acquired a selection of flags over the last couple of years but have been limited to flying the red ensign from the rear flag staff. Now, we will be able to fly our Sealine Forum burgee as well as the Lincoln flag from high up on the arch.

As we refilled the diesel tank earlier this month we have decided that it is about time for our annual fuel treatment. Not a subject we are normally too fussed about but for the sake of £15 we treat the fuel tank once a year to discourage bug growth and water accumulation. The additive also cleans the injectors and fuel lines so helps keep Naughty-Cal running reliably. The bottle treats 500 litres of diesel, our tank holds 225 litres, so we will add about half of the bottle and save the rest for the next time we refill the tank.

And finally for this weekend is some more spring cleaning. This weekend I will tackle the midships bedroom and the bathroom. First up, in the bedroom, will be stripping back the bedding and removing the mattress to clean the areas beneath the bed. Then the mattress will be thoroughly vacuumed before having a good dose of Fabreeze to freshen it up a little. Later in the year when the weather is warmer the mattress will be taken home for washing and drying. After the area below the mattress is cleaned the whole bedroom will be freshened up with a good wipe down with EVM. The walls in the bedroom are lined with a mixture of vinyl and GRP so are really easy to keep fresh and clean.

Next up is the bathroom. This small room is fully lined with GRP so is quite easy to wash down and keep clean. This weekend we will give the area a thorough polish and wax to ensure it stays easy to clean and stays smelling fresh. The secret to easy cleaning of the GRP is EVM environmentally safe cleaner. Followed with a good polish with Autoglym Super Resin Polish and a good coat of a good quality Carnauba Wax the bathroom should be easy to clean all year long. A little hard work now saves a lot of time later in the year when we want to be using the boat not cleaning it.

And when all of these small jobs are completed there may be time for a quick trip out if the weather allows and some time to kick back and relax with a few beers. If the weather holds out it may also be the weekend for giving Naughty-Cal’s exterior a good clean. She comes out of the water next month for a good polish but it is still nice to keep her looking clean in the mean time.