Shakedown
We did a shakedown weekend on the boat, with the first night on the mooring, the second on an island about a four-hour sail away. We had a new pump for the fresh water system, which blew out the (original, thirty year-old) hot water heater (and thus we had no hot water), new jib sheets, and a new dodger (which now matches the new sail covers). I could also list the things we didn't have, but won't. We survived without them (or got them from the condo after the night on the mooring).
Notable events: Water. Inside. Tasting salty. Not Good. The sail to this island is against the prevailing winds, and thus involves ziz-zagging with several tight tacks. Each tack had its place where water pooled, so I spent a good bit of the sail there cleaning out water in the cabin (including a good gallon under the galley sink, which made it's presence known when we came about and water started spilling out from under the silverware drawer, and the lip is a good three inches from the floor of the cabin). So there's JB, at the end of the day, having become one with bilge water.
And no hot water.
Yes, I should be expressing more worry about my boat, but I was cranky about no warm shower on top of crap, what's the problem? stress. There are two through-hulls, and none showed any sign of leakage. The best we can figure is that when the hot water heater blew, a lot of fresh water spilled, and there seems to be a block between the aft bilge and the center one, where the bilge pump is. To be investigated by taking her out next weekend, putting paper around the seacocks to the throughulls, and heeling her as hard as she'll go. If there's no water, then it was the stuff from the heater, tasting salty because the fresh water had dissolved salt coated on the boat through the years, which didn't make it to the main bilge because of a block in the connection. If there's water, and the paper on the seacocks is dry, then we have a serious problem. And if we have a serious problem, the two-week cruise in August is off.
Oh, and don't get me started on how much I hate the new jib sheets. We had a gust blow up on the broad reach home that took my hat and had my partner shouting orders to douse the sails. I tried to pull in the jib on the roller furler, and couldn't, and while it flapped, the sheets tangled in ways our old, thicker and stiffer sheets would not have done. I let it go and brought down the main, then tried to deal with the jib sheets.
I have a welt on my left arm worthy of a good sadist. The wind whipped the ropes hard, and one caught me on the tricep. I ended up getting the sail rolled all right, and could deal with the mess when there wasn't a large piece of sailcloth in a thirty-five knot wind turining the ropes into bullwhips. We ended up coming into the harbor on mizzen alone, and still making over five knots.
So, we shook down. Stuff to do before we head out in three weeks. If we head out.