Happy 7th Birthday Aila!!!!

Day 9, June 6, 2019.

Today was Aila's 7th birthday. Thank you to those who wished her a happy birthday, gave her presents and hugs and lots of love.

7 years ago a tiny, squishy, purply, miraculous baby was born. There was a lot of labour, sweat, cursing, pushing and grunting that went into it.

Today, two hard, compact, angular, heavy batteries were lifted out of the bowels of the boat. And then two new batteries went back in.

There was a lot of labour, sweat, grunting and awkward manoeuvres. However I'm glad to say there was no cursing or pushing involved.

It may be a bit strange to compare Aila's birth to me changing the starter batteries on our boat. But honestly, all day I couldn't help but compare the two and think how similar they were.

Ok, kind of. But still. There was only one result I was looking for in both events. There could be no other option. And they both required a helluva lot of determination. 

The batteries are positioned just under the companionway (where the stairs come down into the boat) and accessed through a side panel.

You have to squish and contort your body in the most awkward manner to even see the two batteries.

Getting the cables off the terminals was tricky, and then lifting them out one by one was an exercise in precision and weightlifting.These things are not light!

Once they were out, we went into Halifax to drop off the forestay rigging at the sail shop. We saw our other rigging being made up, almost ready! So shiny and new.

Got a few more bits then headed to Canadian Tire to return the old batteries and get new ones.

Once we were back, I got straight to work of getting them back in. The hardest part was connecting the wires back to the terminal and ensuring the nuts and bolts all threaded on properly. I was relying mainly on touch.

A few hours later the job was done and I felt like a human pretzel. I went to lie down in the cockpit, enjoying the sensation of lying completely still and outstretched. Bliss.

This morning we also had a second look about our rotten bulkheads. They are pretty certain that the repair will be able to be done with minimal damage and more importantly, without compromising the structural integrity of the boat.

Unfortunately the boatyard is just swamped with work and so fitting us in for this work will be tricky. But they know we want to get out on the water as soon as possible so they'll see what they can do.

In the meantime there's still a ton of work to do.

What was nice about today was that we actually started AND completed one task. It feels like a huge win!

We even had a shower in the marina tonight so feel extra special and clean.

Dinner was late, as usual. Too late to cook so we had cereal and muffins.

The next several days are looking sunny so that's awesome. I'm so done with thermals in June.

Tomorrow it's back to sanding the hull. We've ordered the antifouling paint so that job will be after that. Good weather can't come soon enough!

Lastly, I want to thank each and every one of you who have been following our journey so far. All your supportive comments and cheering has motivated us like you can't imagine.

Now I also feel like I need (and want) to give a daily update so you can be part of our journey! As much as social media gets a negative rap often, we're finding it quite a mental health boost lately! 

Thank you!

Morning coffee never tasted so good!

Sideways rain and fog and wind all day non-stop.

Tight squeeze!

Bilge pump. Pumps out the water that is collected. This is the lowest point of 
the boat which is why the bilge pump is here since that is where water is likely to collect.

See cables that have been disconnected on batteries. That was a lot of effort!

 

Top: new rigging looking like shiny bling.
Below: the old rigging.

No I'm not asleep. I'm trying to see where these darn batteries go
 but my head just won't fit in the small hole!

Looking inside the access panel. Batteries are located further left, out 
of the picture, but they are sitting on that white ledge, way back.

Lunch at Halifax Superstore's canteen.