Good Mood #1/22

Went up to Deganwy yesterday to crack on with some more pre-season jobs on Good Mood. When I arrived I emptied all the ‘boaty’ things I’ve been storing in the boot of the car into the quayside trolley. Then I added all the tools that I’d brought up for the day’s fun and games:

The boat, when I’d wheeled the trolley down to the pontoon, was looking pretty fine in the sharp North Wales sunshine:

Still, there was no time to hang around. I’d set an ambitious list of jobs for myself and I wanted an early finish, so I cracked on. Lunchtime sneaked up on me; I sat in the cockpit and basked in the sun for a while, and then tucked in. The good lady wife her indoors does an excellent pack-up:

After lunch I started work on the above-decks jobs, one in particular I’ve been trying to get around to for months; the anchor and chain inspection. The condition of the chain was pretty good, and didn’t need any remediation. Unfortunately the anchor has seen better days but a bit of TLC would soon get it looking like new. But then I checked the weight with a knowledgeable group on FB and without exception they said the anchor was underpowered and wouldn’t hold the boat in a blow or a heavy swell. I might tidy it up, paint it white and use it as a garden ornament, but its days as a working anchor are over.

The full list of jobs I’d gone up with looks like this today:

• Powerwash and scrub the decks
• Lay out, measure and mark up the anchor chain (32m chain, 55m rope. Red marker on 10m chain left)
• Check anchor size/weight (25Lb CQR; should be 20Kg Rocna)
• Run up the engine for the first time this year! (not sure the exhaust was popping correctly though)
• Check and drain the bilges
• Check the state of the freshwater leak
• Check the water pump/taps
• Check the water heater
• Check the Nav lights
• Pull out and inspect the liferaft
• Reattach the teak mounting block (I had dismantled this, taken it home, sanded and re-oiled it)
• Fit new stern/boarding ladder ‘feet’ (I’d found replacement ‘feet’ in the local hardware shop)
• Organise the Nav table/maps (the Nav table had become a dumping ground for anything ‘useful’)
• Check cockpit cleats (fixed)

After the anchor and chain jobs I’d run out of time. I packed everything away and came home. Yes, I was a little disappointed not to get everything on the list done. But it was an ambitious list to begin with. I’ll have to spend another non-sailing day aboard. I’m pretty sure I could finish everything off next time: