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| Mark takes to the old peeling varnish on the hatches with the hot gun while I do some upholstery repairs |
We are still in the marina in Cartagena and another month has just slipped on by. There is little to report on, the days are getting longer and warmer, but the clear calm days of winter have ended and we have been having unsettled spring weather since the beginning of March. There has been some rain, whether it be a short shower or a heavy downpour it deposits liquid mud all over the boat each time, It seems such a waste of water to hose the boat down after it rains, but if we don't then we are covered in a mud pack!! The day when we receive clean rain will be one to celebrate.
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| Next up was the stairs, the hot gun sure is the way to go |
The "To do list" is actually shrinking - day after day we have been tackling a myriad of jobs, many small ones but a few biggies too. Skipper has been wearing many hats and honed his electrical and plumbing skills even more. We decided it was time to take back some of the woodwork down below where the varnish was looking a little tired. Our inventory of power tools is growing by the week it seems. Armed with our new heat gun and mouse sander we turned the inside of the boat into a dust storm in no time at all. Much easier when you have the right tools. The good thing about doing cosmetic jobs is that it is instant gratification, and with each coat of varnish it all just looked better and better.
Our mini refurbishment has included spending plenty of time and money updating our bathrooms (or in nautical speak "heads" - how on earth did bathrooms on boats ever get called heads??) So we are now the proud owners of a complete new toilet with electric pump, chrome shower attachment, chrome taps and lots of sparkly shiny accessories in our aft bathroom .
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| The old toilet refuses to go, so out came the angle grinder to help it on its way |
Then in the forward "guest" bathroom there is a new electric toilet pump, shower, tap and accessories too - gosh it is all looking very flash after our rather 80's look. Sourcing, ordering, waiting for, removing the old and installing the new has provided many many hours of entertainment. Of course NOTHING is quite the same size, they don't fit in the same holes, won't connect to the existing piping, nothing is straight forward, and it is all in such a tight little space, but Mark has persevered - day after day - and besides not being able to source a couple of fittings we still want, it's all done and looks just great, yippee!!!
