On the hard

Wildest Dream has been sitting at a yard in Chelsea, MA for a few days. Not much to report since work is slow. But here’s the recap so far.

Motoring with my friend Steve to the marina, the engine almost died. It hiccuped and then would not click into gear. While in the narrow channel towards Admiral’s Hill, I was getting ready to drop the anchor, but luckily the engine stayed on and we were able to get it back in gear.

The headstay (forward most wire that helps keep mast upright) had to be dropped in order for the boat to get into the travel lift. The tide was on its way out, so the guys at the boat yard wanted it in quick. I rigged the jib halyard and another line to the mast to keep some forward tension on the mast while I released the headstay. Then I slowly released the tension on the halyard. No more obstructions on the front of the boat, so it was free to go into the lift.

But the hard work was just about to begin. The cutlass bearing. Right now, we’re at an impasse with it (can’t slide the shaft past the skeg, so maybe remove stuffing box & try to bang out cutlass bearing from inside OR lift engine & push shaft in and get to cutlass bearing from the outside). So I am currently sanding the bottom to get it ready for 2 gallons of bottom paint.