With Chip Ahoy uncovered last week, I spotted the slightly bent roller-furler extrusion, remembered it needed to be straightened from connecting with a tree branch after Hurricane Irene last fall. With the thick nylon zip-ties, applied by the boatyard at haul-out, strapping the foil stongly against the mast, I hammered in some wedge-shaped cedar shingles between until it looked pretty straight again.  (Mar. 24, 2012)

Today I started on the forward deck projects. Since I'm going to replace the hatch's weatherstripping, I decided to remove the hatch entirely and eliminate a minor annoyance with a coat of paint or two on the hatch's interior bottom.  (Apr. 7, 2012)

— FURTHER DETAILS —

The other forward deck project is to remove the old and non-functional Nicro 24-hour day/night solar vent and replace it with a new one. Removing the old deck pipe trim ring was necessary as the "new and improved" Day/Night-Plus Vent mounts differently. It will no longer be easily removable, and naturally, it has a different holes pattern. Today I filled the six old screw holes in the deck with epoxy, sanded and epoxied the pipe hole's edges while I had access.  (Apr. 7, 2012)

Today I got the base plate and its rubber gasket bedded and sealed with silicone, then loosely screwed it into the deck until the sealer sets up. I temporarily covered the pipe with the vent, in case of rain. Tomorrow I'll tighten down the base plate into the bedding compound, remount and permanently screw down the vent, and be done.  (Apr. 9, 2012)

The new solar vent installed. Now I'll get back to the forward hatch resealing job. I've been real lucky so far — days, even weeks with no rain and comfortable spring temperatures early. Beyond a record warm winter with negligible snowfall, apparently we might even dodge monsoon season this year!  (Apr. 10, 2012)

I reinstalled the forward hatch today, with its new seal. One more small project completed.  (Apr. 19, 2012)

After problems turning and loosening the turnbuckles at the end of last season, I removed them all, wired-brushed their threads clean, then greased each. I had real difficulty trying to even  budge one without bending or breaking it. I resorted to using high heat from my handy little multi-purpose Weller Portasol P2KC butane soldering tool with its flaming blue heat tip to break the threads free from the turnbuckle.

The starboard-side aft-lower shroud has a broken wire strand at its top crimp, so I'm replacing it.  (Apr. 21, 2012)