It was a beautiful day today and a great time for a cruise but not for us. After Storm Sandy and then a snow storm earlier this week we were just as glad to see the boat tucked away in the shed. It's always somewhat sad to climb up a ladder and step aboard knowing that this is where we'll be for the next six months.
Last weekend, we unloaded a couple of hundred pounds of freight and now the inside of the boat is prepared to morph into Bill's winter workshop where we'll work through the list of things we want to accomplish.
The first thing we did today was to collect all of the dock lines - there were 14 of them holding the boat in place during Sandy - and put them out to dry in the nice warm afternoon sun. We also cleaned the last of the snow off the cabin top.
The engines and water system were winterized last weekend but we still had to do the air conditioner. We assembled a few fittings, a length of 3/4-hose and a funnel and after a few false starts got the AC to suck up some antifreeze. Always nice seeing it squirt out of the thru-hull. Then we sat down in the nice warm cabin and started a list of things we'll need. This is the first of about 20 lists that we'll make between now and April.
We couldn't resist taking a walk around the boatyard. There are still boats coming up the river for winter storage and many of them seem like old friends. The dock was full, but it always is at this time of year.
The boat at the right is a 1936 Elco Cruisette. We've had a boat in this yard for the last 26 years and the owner of that Elco was restoring it even back then. We remember helping the owner of the gray boat (fourth from right) squeeze a Ford Lehman diesel engine out through his cabin door. That was probably ten years ago. Walking through this place certainly does bring back memories.
Standing at the ready to remove the mast from a sailboat is "The Crane." It's powered by diesel fuel, hydraulic fluid and Bud Lite. It has been used to remove more marine engines than anyone can remember. It was used to remove and reinstall one of the engines on our old Chris~Craft. Despite the Bud Lite, it can place an entire engine to within a fraction of an inch of where you want it.
This time of year, there is lots of frame building going on and some of them are really masterpieces. Of course, there is also lots of boat chatter.
Sometimes, the engineering is truly amazing. The owner of this boat, "Chumchucker," built this winter garage a number of years ago. Storm Sandy took the top off but he'll have it back up in a week or two. For you boat nuts out there, this a 34-ft. Hatteras.The length should give you a clue to its age. It is actively fished every summer and kept in great shape.
Chumchucker's next door neighbor didn't fair any better but he'll put a new roof on, too. Incidentally, these "buildings" are framed with electrical conduit and some of them have been here for many years.
On our walk we came across what we think is a mid-1970s Silverton. It's been abandoned now and will soon be broken up. We're sad to see any boat be destroyed.
That's it for now. Time to rake the leaves and refine our "to do" list.
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