Murphy’s law is currently being applied to most of the preparations for getting j j into the water. Having spent the entire Easter holiday lovingly sanding, polishing, varnishing and oiling various parts of j j between heavy rain squalls barrelling in over Arran and high winds, we had to resort to putting her under cover in the marina shed. Previously we were a source of entertainment for the rail passengers heading to and from Arran as we were next to the Ardrossan Harbour Station.
As a result more has been achieved in the last week than in the previous 4. We have had the mast and rigging checked ( thanks to Fraser Sturgeon from Rig it) together with the radio aerial added to a backstay which was handed over in Dobbies carpark late one friday evening ( its just a backstay honest Officer!) as he and Martha headed to Oban.
Being under cover removed the uncertainty of weather (or so we thought) and allowed us to complete epoxying and copperbotting.
The labourers arrived on Saturday morning amidst howling gales, lashing rain and generally cool conditions. It was lovely to be together as a family and both the kids said that the day would probably be one of their lasting memories of times spent with us because it reminded them of holidays past! (what an affliction we must have been for them)
The highlight of the day was John’s war dance when the boat shed leaked so badly that the rain came in, gathered on the deck and travelled down to the scupper straight onto the wet copperbot.
Expletives never heard to be uttered by him before were a revelation to his children.
Having postponed the launch 3 times (how patient are the staff at Clyde Marina), we live in hope that this weekend will see her back in the water. Complete with 8 coats (14litres) of copper bot and 2 new holes for skin fittings in the hull, (compliments of Boatcraft). One for the watermaker and the other for a keel cooler which we are told may help keep the fridge working in the Caribbean. Ronnie Haggarty, refrigeration engineer extraordinaire has given us the benefit of his first hand knowledge of how to keep the beers cool under such hot climes.