Despite having heaters on through the days we have been up against it trying to encourage paint and varnish to dry. With a six week spell of sub zero conditions, it takes a long time for things to kick. For safety reasons we can’t have the big heater running over night which means only about 8-10 hours of each day have we been above freezing. Finally though the sun is shining, jackets are coming off and the mounds of snow are decreasing in size. About time as with 5 weeks to go until launch we could really do with some drying time.
After a lot of discussions we now have a plan for the rig weight loss program and the deck recaulking job is complete. Allowing us to look forward to starting the paint jobs and on deck varnishing. Peyton our intern has finished her month with us and provided some great help for Nick. Shea is usually to be found buried under spools of new wire and at one point yesterday managed to get himself pretty well stuck under the cockpit floor. The boat is a very small space for three of us to be working in.
Nick has begun work on refurbishing the wood block inventory which is rather extensive but he is doing a good job of staying on track with everything despite last minute requests from myself and Shea. New sails are ordered, safety kit is all serviced, medical cover has been updated, team build event is shaping up nicely and I am sue Dorade is looking forward to being back in the water now that the Newport ice bergs are beginning to melt away.
Hannah