Wet and Windy

With a wet and windy weekend forecast, we had set out a number of odd jobs to sort out on Naughty-Cal. There have been a few minor issues that have cropped up over the season, so with no cruising in sight for the weekend this is a chance to catch up.

First up the shower room. This has been an ongoing issue this year, firstly with a water leak and now with a suspected plumbing blockage making the leak much worse. Luckily we modified the area beneath the shower tray earlier in the year so any excess water finding its way in there ends up in the bilges, not the galley floor as before. This time it was the sump filter that was blocked. We have never looked at this before and judging by the sludge we found in there neither did the previous owners. With a quick rinse out the filter was refitted and the shower outlet was functioning as good as new. A cheap, well free, fix for once.

Next up another watery problem. The engine bay bilge pump float switch has been playing up on and off for most of this year. Finally we decided, after another near miss with bilge water, to get around to testing the switch to find out if it is a wiring or switch fault. This time it was the switch that needs replacing so a new one is on order. Now we need to wait for it to be delivered. This job will have to wait for another wet weekend to be completed. I am sure there are plenty more of these to come.

Another job that keeps slipping down the list is polishing the GRP in the cockpit. This area of the boat gets a lot of use, so needs pretty much constant cleaning. It rarely gets the full polish and wax treatment though. This wet, windy weekend proved the ideal time to sit back and polish and wax away with a beer to hand. The area looks much fresher and shinier for our efforts and we won’t be leaving it as long before the next once over. With the GRP polished the vinyl seating looked quite grubby so we attacked that with some EVM and a soft scrubbing brush to make them dazzling white again. They look so clean now it is a shame to sit on them.

Finally the interior of the boat was treated to a spruce up. We had the wet vac to hand to suck out the bilge water, again, so whilst it was here we decided to wash the last of the upholstery. Earlier in the year the removable cushions were washed at home so now was the chance to wash the fixed upholstery as well. It is amazing the difference a quick wash has made. The interior smells much fresher and looks much cleaner, you don’t realise how grubby things start to look. Next we polished and waxed the interior GRP linings. Again these don’t get done very often; it was maybe eighteen months since they were last done so they look such a bright white now in comparison. Finally the vinyl wall coverings were treated to a good scrub and a spray of vinyl protector to keep them supple and fresh. The whole transformation has been well worth the hours of effort we have put in this weekend. The interior is much fresher, brighter and cleaner. Hopefully she won’t need such a thorough scrub inside again until spring time, when we will start to get ready for another season of serious cruising.

With this little lot completed it was time to relax. It certainly hasn’t been BBQ weather so with some heart warming curry bubbling away on the stove we sat back, beer in hand, listening to the rain splattering on the canopies, tucked up warm, dry and cosy in the cockpit. It has been a productive weekend and the first in many months that we have not left the marina. Whilst it has been nice to catch up on some odd jobs, I do hope that we get some nice autumn weekends to enjoy some relaxed late season cruising.