OUT WITH THE OLD

I am still amazed that ten years after I converted to Electric Propulsion I still find items from BIANKA's diesel days around. The latest items were some MDR Diesel Water Zorb and a bottle of Valvtech Bio Guard. A reminder of just two of the ancillary items I use to carry on the boat to keep the old diesel engine running and are no longer needed once I converted BIANKA to electric propulsion.

What to do with these and other items I no longer have a need for on board BIANKA. I don't like to see anything end up in a landfill. The answer for me it is to donate them to a local nonprofit sailing organization. Their boat still has a diesel engine and can use these fuel tank additives. I previously donated an old Honda 650 generator to them and recently found the manual for it. I also donated a lightly used Brownies Third Lung Dive Hose Kit and a Add A Diver Kit . I only used the Hose Kit  a few times to clean the bottom of the boat. Because it required having a scuba tank on board that was heavy, took up space and needed to be refilled it was not as useful as I thought it would be. These items were on the boat and then sitting around the house for a decade or more. So with the coming of a new year it got me motivated  to finally get them out of the way. The end of the year is a good time for "out with the old and in with the new" type of thinking.

A PRE CHRISTMAS VISIT TO THE BOATYARD

The cold chilly days are not very enticing to get me to head down to visit BIANKA. But, if the forecast calls for a sunny day and the temperature in the 50 degree Fahrenheit range I'm willing to make the journey. So that's what I did yesterday. I had no major plans just to check on the boat and especially the bilge and throw a quick charge on the battery banks. Still there is always something to do while waiting for the battery charger to top things off. When I had the yard unstep the mast in October I just threw the rigging lines into the cabin:

Since they are blocking access to the tool cabinet I tied them up neatly and stowed them out of the way in the forward cabin.

 I also found out that Hand Vacuum's battery I use for quick clean ups had run down a bit. So I charged it up too.

I also removed the last remaining food items from the Engel refrigerator and shut it down for the winter. Just a can of Seltzer and some V8 Juice.  

Risky to leave such items on board over the winter since the liquids can freeze and the can burst. I also took the time to tape up the locker cockpit hatches so there is little chance of rain or snow making it's way through the cracks.

 Finally a quick check of the bilge showed no appreciable water. So that was good. Even with just a quick visit I felt I had got a few things done until the next warm day comes along and a visit to the boatyard seems like a good idea.

MORE GIFTS FOR SAILORS

Here is another gift suggestion for any boater who has a dingy or rowboat. An ATTWOOD PORTABLE PUMP. I use one and it beats using a hand pump to empty a dingy after a rain or in my case one that had a hard to find slow leak. Could also be used to drain water tanks and coolers. Any boater would be pleased to have this handy pump around to help drain things quickly and effortlessly.