Alright, today was a good day, Richard and I got a lot done. We started the day off with a tour of the New Port West Marines. After 2 goes we got 3/4 of the stuff we needed for the day. Once we got to the marina, after a 20 minute conversation with the unofficial harbor master English John, we got right to work on board.
While Richard ran a new fore guy i installed some new cockpit pouches. See when we are course racing in Hawaii, all of our cockpit lines kinda just get thrown in to the cabin, but since we will be in the open ocean, and living down below, we kinda need to be able to close the hatch quickly and well i just need it to be a little more organized. So now all the lines can be neatly coiled and place in the pouches, out of the way and foul free. Its a good thing.
Then Richard webbed the lifelines, with bungee, from the first stanchion on the foredeck to the bow pulpit. I did the same, only on the deck and added little plastic hooks, in order to fix a sail to the deck if we had to. It looks much better and works much better now.
At some point Victor, the guy from Captain Glass, yep that's his name, not Vinnie, came by to sand and gel coat the ding spots he and his son started to fix on Friday. I am just so impressed with what a good job he has done. Other then the color you cant even tell there was a problem. He is not finished yet. I'm sure the finished product will be better then new. He should do the whole boat.
During this time Thore the refrigeration man came down to the boat to recharge the freon. Now when i think of a man with a name like Thore, i think 6'5" like 300 lb. big guy with an accent. And that is just what he was, but no accent. I thought i was going to have to remove the stairs so he could get in to work on the ice box. I learned a lot from Thore. He informed me that Addictions refrigeration system was a Nor Cold, or something to that effect, and that they don't have freon recharging ports. The idea is that once you run out of freon you replace the whole unit. I think that is really funny!! I could not get over it. I was then informed that the units last about ten years, so i guess it makes a little more sense. But still, come on. Thore went on to say that if i remove the wood facade encasing the unit he could do a little tapping and welding and recharge the system no problem. Surprisingly enough it was effortless to remove the wood paneling. Thore squeezed in, worked his magic, and was out of there in about an hour. He let me know that there is a small leak somewhere, but not any where he could find, and that was a good thing to him for some reason, i guess that meant it was really small. He told me that in about 2 years it will need a recharge, but by that time we should just buy a new unit. I must tell you, that 2 extra years, its money in the bank, i really feel like i got one over on those Nor Cold people. Side Note: I have been under the impression that Freon had been phased out. I should have asked Thore. Oh well.
After a quick lunch Richard and i reinstalled the engine kill plunger. It had been taken out back in Hawaii in order for some work to be done down below, in the quarter bunk. I guess the parts were missed place or some crap, so this whole time we have been manually killing the motor from down below on the engine, its not a big deal, just more work then it needs to be. Now its all better.
My mom spent the day getting the dry stores and things of that nature. She came by latter in the day to drop off that stuff and our sat. phone.
On our way home to Chateau Relaxeau we stopped at Big 5 sporting goods to look for some 5 gallon water jugs. Mom and I have been to literally every Lows, Home Depot.,West Marine, Walmart, Kmart, Boat US, and Sports Authority between Fashion Island and Pine Ave. as far inland as Signal Hill with no luck. So it was a really kicker to find them at the Big 5 walking distance from the boat. One more thing checked off the list!
To wrap it up, I have to tell you all about the unreal dinner Aunt Peggy had ready for us to devour when we got home. She mad a pork tender loin seasoned with fresh rosemary, steamed broccoli, corn, rice, and a fresh green salad. The pork was melt in your mouth. I don't know how i am going to acclimate to MRE's after all this amazing food.
Lastly, I just got off the phone with Julie Downes, Addiction's finish party planer. Julie, Ben Merritt, and the Waikiki Yacht Club are pulling out all the stops for this party, as Ben says its going to be LARGE! I cant wait. Also if anyone happens to meet Julie and she is clapping wildly, its OK, she really is just high fiveing herself for doing such an amazing job.
LA