A Few Surprises

Actually Sunday, 28th October

Yet another weekend dedicated to stripping varnish. I'm gradually inching my way round the interior and the end is in sight, after another two days work most of the high level wood is bare, just the forepeak and the undersides of the berths to complete.  I've now used up the best part of 8 litres of Nitromors, good job we're nearly finished as the cost is getting more painful than the aching arms!


Although most of the horrors have been flushed out there are still surprises that emerge. I couldn't understand why the forward bulkhead was so damp after removing the lining to see how to install an anchor winch. It's thick ply but seemed to be waterlogged; it has to be more than condensation. This is the bulkhead that separates the anchor well from the rest of the forepeak and, I suppose, provides some protection in the event of collision. A quick trip up on deck to peer into the anchor locker shows that the floor of the locker is only about half way down the bulkhead with what was originally a sealed void beneath it. Clearly there's been leakage before as a square hole has been cut into the top surface to provide access that's imperfectly sealed with a rectangle of clear plastic. Underneath there's a couple of buckets of black water, just sitting there, it's only the reflection on the surface glinting through the largely opaque plastic that betrays it's presence. Once that's cleared out there's a chance that the bulkhead will dry out; we'll have to be careful this doesn't happen again.

She's now located in the stripping berth right in the corner of the yard firmly supported on timbers, ready for the gel coat to be removed. With the mast and the engine removed it looks less like a yacht and more like a hull that's being built; it's one of the last steps of the disassembly of the Contessa to enable the restoration to be undertaken in a really thorough manner. The mast needs to have new fittings at the top, a removable stay and the standing rigging replaced before it can be put back; there's no rush to get this done. 

With the engine out it's easy to access the ancillaries that need replacing, especially the fuel filter that is inadequate and leaky. The water filter is basic in the extreme so replacing this with one above the water line that can be cleaned out is a priority. I don't think many people disagree that if you give a marine diesel clean fuel, clean water and plenty of air it will keep going on for ever. The pipework for the anti-syphon loop is now clear to see and it's a right botch up, another candidate for replacement!  Naturally the wiring needs tidying up as well. Now that the engine compartment is so accessible it's going to be quite straight forward to give it a really good clean out, coat of bilge paint and new insulation, but that's for another weekend