Thursday 1st November 2012
Had an excellent sleep until 10am! Then a shower and relaxed breakfast with fresh coffee while I got started on jobs for today - quite a list of small-but-important jobs to do. Ran the engine (out of gear) to get oil circulating - gave warm water for shower! Need to do that regularly over the next few months.
Call from LaDonna -liferaft due in SF on Friday - Sal will bring to her and they'll come out in boat to bring to 'Nereida' in afternoon. In meantime, need to get old liferaft cradle off pushpit - two top bolts were relatively easy but the two hex head bolts through the deck not so - have to access nuts below deck - but one end needs to be held while the other end is turned to undo - difficult by myself!
Staysail sheets - bitter end of bowline cable-tied in place to prevent coming undone when not under tension - as happened on way. Tidied up lines in cockpit.
Radar support (excellent Scanstrut, self-levelling) - bolts/nuts tightened - has often been vibrating recently, so hopefully this tightening of supports will cure that.
Gooseneck - connection of boom to mast - used pliers to turn clevis pin's split pin ends back on themselves - could come loose otherwise and if lost, boom could come away from mast... was very close to happening once - don't want that ever to happen again.
Did some laundry while in calm waters - hung out in bright sun and wind... Dried out jackets and some bedding which was damp at foot - don't know why.
Climbed mast to first spreader to tie one more line between step and shroud - halyard can otherwise get caught around step - and did so recently!
Still several more jobs to do tomorrow, as well as fixing the liferaft and cradle in place. Thought I had a problem with one of the Spectra watermaker pumps not working, but when I tried it again tonight it was fine - an easy job to cross off the list!
Auto bilge pump has been coming on far too regularly - thought maybe due to condensation with moist air and cold hull - but when investigated tonight, there was a mix of diesel in with water - about half and half - way too much diesel - no leak from engine or heater tank so must be either from a jerry can in cockpit locker or possibly feed pipe from main tank... Must check tomorrow in daylight.
Took some photos of SF city across the Bay and also of Sausalito on shore nearby.
Handsome small grebes often seen swimming in water close by, the occasional seal and brown pelicans seen flying over a few times.
Sunny day today, mostly calm, but some wind for a few hours during middle of the day. Low-lying fog over SF city and a large portion of SF Bay came and went - but none here, although some close by up on hillside leading to Golden Gate Bridge.
Was nice to see some youngsters out in dinghies this evening with two safety boats - junior sail training evening at Sausalito Y.C.?
Ham and eggs with fresh tomatoes tonight... to Mexican music on the radio... Makes me feel like singing & dancing!!
