TROPICAL STORM: Lesson Learned

 Somewhat of a tactical error on my part by not Putting a 4th security strap on the sale cover as tropical storm ISAIAS hit the area. It won't happen again.

HURRY UP AND WAIT

Just made a call to the marina thanks to be COVID 19 virus they are shut down and 
not launching boats. Governor Cuomo just yesterday announced that businesses will stay shut
until at least May 15th and it could be extended after that. Looks like BIANKA might get splashed
in early June in the most optimistic scenario. Meantime I’ll be working on a new sail cover for the boat
while sheltering at home.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

Bianka has only one sail but it is 540 square feet. it's rather large and unwieldy.  When I took
it off the boat last fall I just bundled it together and put it in the garage thinking that I would fold
it when I got the time on the lawn.   Well, the days came and went and I never did fold it last fall.
So when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and people including me were pretty much
quarantined at home.  It seemed like a good time to lay the sail out on the lawn and get it done.

I thought it was going to be more difficult doing it alone but, it was pretty easy.

Now I just have to wait until the boat is launched to get it where it belongs. On the mast.

WINTER MAINTENANCE WITH WD-40

It's a nice windless sunny winter's day about 45 degrees Fahrenheit which makes it an
excellent day to head down to the Boatyard and check on BIANKA. No wind makes for
a pleasant day to do a boat check even if it is still winter.
But, even before I climb into the cockpit I needed to do some maintenance at ground level.Toward the end of last season the combination lock I used on the dinghy dock fell into the water for about a week. I rinsed it and initially sprayed WD-40 into it at that time and it continued to work. Over the winter the remaining salt inside had started to ooze out of the lock and was starting to corrode it and make it difficult turn to the right combination

So I reached for the WD-40 and sprayed the lock.

 With some help from an old toothbrush I managed to remove the salt cake residue from the lock. Soon it was almost as good as new and the lock mechanism worked smoothly..

Since I had the can of WD-40 out it was also time to  lubricant the folding joints of the ladder I
use to climb  aboard BIANKA over the winter.

A few sprays of WD-40 on a warm winters day may seem like simple maintenance but, makes for a big improvement in metal items exposed to  the environment over the winter.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020

Went down to the boatyard for a  boat check and to charge up the batteries. The New Year begins with no snow but BIANKA seems to be nestled in behind snowbanks of shrink wrap anyhow.