(There’s a WordPress glitch on paragraph spacing on this post. To see all the material, you’ll have to scroll beyond the typical amount. I’ll try to correct the issue if I can.)
After a week of business in Hickory, we returned on Monday to our Gemini catamaran Yacht A Fun in Oriental, NC. Monday afternoon was pretty much just getting organized again.
Tuesday we removed the cover from our queen mattress. I made the mistake of washing the cloth and vinyl cover on a day for which no sun was forecast for multiple days. Yes it got clean. Did it dry in the breeze- no. Did it sour? Yes
Lesson learned- never wash something major which has no sun to dry. I’ll wash the cover again on Friday and trust the box fan to aid the partly cloudy days coming up.
Wednesday, our two horizontal propane tanks came in. I couldn’t resist making a dedicated trip to Bayboro to have them filled. Standard propane tanks don’t fit properly on our Gemini 105M. The propane locker was designed for horizontal tanks. The former owner had laid standard tanks on their sides- risking raw fuel (vs gas) to flood the stove and Dometic refrigerator.
The best deal we found for the tanks was at Adventure RV.
best deal on Manchester propane tanks
We managed to re-stitch a seam on our sail cover. Let’s hear it for Sailrite sewing machines- and Diann’s talent.
re-stitching the sail cover for Yacht A Fun
Late Wednesday morning Mom and her friend Jack came for a visit and toured the boat. That evening we rendezvoused at M&M’s Restaurant for dinner. Great food, good portions- and it was Wednesday so Killian’s beer was $1.50.
Today has been one of those boater maintenance days that just don’t have good rhythm. Diann sanded our port side Lexan windows and compounded the surface. The windows definitely are more clear, but not as clear as she wanted.
I made four, yes four, visits to Village Hardware. My project was the removal of the oil drain plug on the boat’s drive leg. After my first visit to the store to purchase a ¼” hex wrench with six inch handle, I discovered that the hex sides, to the plug, were damaged beyond use. My best guess is that there was too much Loctite on the plug and way too much torque exerted when last the oil was changed.
Tight, too tight, oil drain plug
So, back to the store to purchase an “easy out” and the specific type drills referred to in the owner’s manual. But the first easyout wasn’t large enough for the task. As of this writing, I can say the plug is still in the aluminum leg. I’ll write more about the process once I have a conclusion to the effort.
The grilled pork tenderloin dinner was, however, very good.