Expletives galore and got a date

Last weekend with a lot of help from Chris and under his guidance I finally managed to construct this plug from which I hope Mike the foundry man will be able to cast a bronze fitting for connecting the rudder shaft to the new tiller (shortly to be made by Paul of 'Oflandandsea' on eBay:

The two halves will be used to create impressions in sand into which the molten bronze will be poured. Somehow they will be able to produce one solid bronze version of the above but only after I have done some more more work.

It took me almost the entire weekend to produce the above - hence the reference to expletives of which there were plenty - and (wrongly as it turned out) a solid inner plug for the hole. As Mike pointed out he needs a hollow version of that not a solid one. I haven't yet got my head around how he will use the eventual three pieces to cast the final object and have to visit him again for tuition on further modifications to be made to the above too before he can use it. I hope that doesn't take up another precious weekend.

I've now booked a slot with the marina to lift AS back in on 2nd June. With a couple of days off work, less (as it were) a Saturday that I'm required at home to celebrate my Grand daughters (twins) birthday, that means I have about 8 days to:

• Install the new rudder shoe (that Mike will make soon I hope)
• Re-fit the prop plus related anodes
• Fill the old anode holes in the hull (removing this completely because it looks like it may have contributed to the corruption and poor performance of the Verometal anti-fouling.
• Fit new transducers for Log and Echo-sounder (which will require removing the flexible water tank somehow)
• Final tightening of the new chain plates
• Re-antifoul with the replacement Verometal
• Clean and wax/polish the hull
• Service the sea cocks
• Replace Galley hull skin fitting but note below

The other jobs I'm probably going to pass on are:

• Stern gland stuffing box - I'll give it another go if I have the time but I haven't been able to shift the bloody thing, but I have pumped grease all the way through until it comes out the stern tube without coming out of the gland stuffing box, so I'm concluding that will keep the water ingress down to acceptable levels
• Lightening conductor only needs the water tank out rather than the boat on dry land
• Not going to fit a clever fridge so only need to replace galley skin fitting with like for like (that will then mean all skin fittings have been replaced).

Also, while it's not an out-of the-water job, the fact that I've clearly not got any sailing in yet (and will have very little sailing time this summer anyway due to work and domestic commitments) it looks like I will postpone the fitting of the 2 x 100 W solar panels that have been sitting at home for 15 months already) until next year!

An extra in-water job to add to the previous list is to ensure that the electrical circuits are not aggravating the electrolysis reactions which seem to have buggered up the previous Verometal anti fouling. I hope to draft Mick in for that and a number of other electrical jobs.