I have been really bad about writing any posts recently, which is weird because without working I am supposed to have all of this time on my hands. That is not the case at all, it seems like we are working harder these past 2 months than ever, and I am crawling into bed by 8 pm. I will play catch up with posts, especially the end results of all of the transformations of the refit.
Scout getting ready to be lowered into the water for the first time in a year
Scout went into the water on September 5th, a year after being pulled for her refit. Both Brian and I had our fingers crossed as we were being lowered into the water that all would go well. What possibly could go wrong? Will she float, will she sink, will the engine start, will the propeller move the boat forward? The great news was there were only 2 minor issues when we were lowered in by the giant lift, throttle cable was connected backwards, found out the hard way that when you thought we were going forward, it was actually reverse. Again, a very easy fix. There was also a fair amount of water leaking from the stuffing box, another easy fix if you consider Brian laying on his stomach over the engine with his 2 arms extended above his head with 2 wrenches, blindly tightening the stuffing box. By the way the stuffing box is where the rudder shaft leaves the hull, and the packing material and nut is what is keeping a whole bunch of water coming into the boat.
Brian motoring her down the harbor
The great news is that the new propeller and rudder allowed Scout to motor at 6 knots, faster than ever before. Again, great news for all of the worrying and planning Brian did over the past year.
We did go out for our first shake down sail with friends, good winds to test Scout in, roughly 15 knots. The sail was amazing and very emotional for me. It has been a year since Scout was under sail and she did great. Her new sail configuration worked like a charm. The best part was doing this was sharing it with long time friends.
The new mainsail feeling the wind for the first time
Brian and I have been scrambling to get all of the last minute projects done, provision the boat, and we are making the final plans to leave at the beginning of next week. So we are watching the weather and hoping the hurricane gods stay asleep for the next month!
Pickles enjoying the sun on deck
The next post will be about the making of our boom gallows (crutch), it was a process I will never forget!
Happy sailing.
Tara
Leave a Reply