Boat Work and Bugs

March 17, 2019

We are safely ensconced in incredible Legacy Harbour Marina in Fort Myers, and all seems well with the engine — but I want to go more than the 8 miles it took to get here before stating that definitely.

This has been a really lazy trip.  I brought my sewing machine, all kinds of paint, power tools and the whole nine yards.  But the mold invasion really destroyed my energy.  When Molly got here, we washed all the curtains, all the berth cushions, and she did another detox with Lysol on the whole thing.

But then we went on vacation to Miami, to Vero, to Amelia Island, to Saint Augustine and just had a great time — except for the bugs.  Everybody on the dock had been attacked by no-see-ums, but after some initial bites, I was really careful with netting on the big hatch, closing doors, etc.  But when Molly came with her fair, Irish skin, they were relentless and she was bitten all over.

I just couldn’t figure out what was wrong — until I saw bugs flying through the screens!  So I took them all out and over to a place called Central Window in Vero, showed them my bites and told them to replace every screen with the best they had.  IN ONE DAY, they had it done.  Regular screens are 16 X 16 little squares per inch.  No See Um screens are 20 X 30!  Yes, airflow is restricted, but not by much.  I would say they stopped 90% of the problem.  You just get bitten when you are careless at twilight or dawn (dawn is not a big problem for me).

I did do some little jobs, as shown below, but the work list for spring is really getting big, Ramon.

Pad so I can mount the dinghy motor to the boat securely

Crude Velcro patch over the solar vent to keep bugs out at night.

Trim for the solar vent.

This is where the dinghy engine will ride when we’re moving.

Boathook holder.

New incredible Yeti ice chest/step to replace the fake Walmart Yeti.  Great Christmas present from John!

Had little cushions made for the cockpit boxes. Very comfortable and it’snice to get outside once in a while.

Added a magnetic compass. I have four ways to access digital charts onboard, but sometimes you just have to llok at the compass and say, “Is that right?”