Working Hard

Look, Ma, no sails!

We spent our last couple of weeks in Mexico doing basic maintenance and cleaning up after our long haul up the coast of Mexico. I say we, but let me be honest. Vlad did a lot of the work because I am either not allowed to touch certain projects due to their toxic nature or I get totally pooped out after half an hour of working in the sun. Generally, on our boat in Mexico once 2:00 p.m. rolled around, I had to sit down with every fan in the boat pointed at me or retreat into the marina's air-conditioned lounge. Pregnancy has turned me into a major slacker!

Despite my new found lack of energy, we did get quite a bit completed, though obviously we still have some stuff on the list.

Vlad cleaned the engine, both with fresh water and degreaser. After a year on the water, our Yanmar needed a bath and especially after the water pump gasped its last breath and sprayed salt water all over the engine compartment. Oh, the joys of boating.

He, also, pickled the water maker and cleaned our dinghy and ground tackle, drained the outboard and generator and stowed both and put in a spare bilge pump. We washed all the sail covers, lines and sheet bags and cleaned the decks, cockpit and cockpit lockers. I was mainly on cleaning and organizing duty after Vlad's single handing madness up the coast, which left the boat in one piece but the inside, well, not so much.

Not to mention that we also readied the boat for hurricane season, which including stripping off all the sails, deflating and securing the dinghy, doubling up on our lines, adding extra chafe gear and clearing the deck of EVERYTHING to reduce windage as much as possible.

And if anything this pace has continued since arriving in the U.S. Vlad is still working his butt off, and true to my slacker form I still have to take a nap after lunch. I try to comfort Vlad with the thought that in two months we will be back in Mexico with money in our pockets and a couple of months of light boat work before the baby is born.

When we get back, we still have a few items on our agenda, including building a baby space - both shelving and a bed - repairing our sail covers and sheet bags, which are looking a little rough from a year of tropical sun and re-marking our anchor chain. But after the past few months, those tasks look like small potatoes. And even, gasp!, a little fun.