Engine Access

Whenever I check the transmission oil, I have to remove the companionway steps and lay on top of the engine. Taking the steps out is a minor nuisance and laying on top of a warm engine is a little unsettling. Dave, from Lightspeed, suggested checking the oil from the opposite side by going through the lazarette and laying on top of the battery cover. However, he noted that I should cut the screws down on the cover so that I could lay on top of it without having them jab me. While I was rerouting the battery cable, I took the opportunity to cut one of the screws down with a hacksaw. It was a great idea. I will finish cutting the rest of them off soon.

Stereo Cable Wired to Starter Battery

I noticed a while ago that the stereo battery was wired to the starter battery. I knew if I didn't remove the cable and the stereo was left on, it would drain the starter battery. I rewired the cable to the house battery today.
(The yellow cable is the stereo cable and the other two are for battery monitor and echo charge).

Stereo Cable connected to Starter Battery

Stereo Cable now connected to the House Battery.

Mother's Day

We spotted this new family on Mother's Day. This may be the hen that visited us before. :)

Winch Reassembly Part 2

With our missing part in place, we finished the assembly of the winch. Notice the motion of the boat, and the testing at the end with winch handle and jib sheets.

Winch Reassembly Part 1

We started putting one of the primary winches together, but realized we had forgotten a part, so we had to take it apart and start over.

Winch Maintenance

This weekend we took some time to clean and lube our Lewmar winches. It was a bit intimidating because it was our first time. We read that it can be a bit tricky reassembling the winch, but in the end it wasn't too bad - actually kind of fun. We managed to complete four of them, 2 44s and 2 50s. We will complete the two 30s on the mast next. Bring it on!

This one definitely needs some cleaning.

Cleaned and ready to be reassembled.