PREPARING RAFT FOR SUMMER IN FLORIDA

This list of preparations has been submitted after the fact. We held off publishing our list of preparations until after we returned to RAFT to see how well she fared over the summer. This was the first time we had ever left a boat in a hot hurricane location. All of our previous experiences involved winterizing boats for Canadian winters. We are now back on RAFT, in Fort Pierce, getting her ready to go sailing again.

This is also the first email we are sending via shortwave radio.

Here is what we did in April 2005.

Day 1
Sorted clothes and shopped

Day 2
cleaned V berth, Packed books in garbage bags, sorted software, and nav. station stuff
sorted food (leaving some canned and dried goods), cleaned port cupboards, tightened port side toe rail (it leaked just enough to be annoying} cleaned stainless steel, starboard side, resealed pumpout connections (converted back to holding tank) Took salon table down, took off sails, put in bags

Day 3
Sorted starboard salon cupboards, washed ropes, hung dry ropes in salon, cleaned dinghy, purged dinghy motor of sea water, washed deck, changed oil and filter, topped up batteries with distilled water, filled diesel tank, added biocide conditioner, pumped, purged and sanitized holding tank, built mast brace, tidied up rigging, removed furling line, cleaned stainless, port side, took down boom, put out dock lines and fenders, organized cockpit locker, did final emails

Day 4
arrived at Riverside Marina, loosened off rigging, mast taken down, hauled out, power wash bottom, took off masthead instruments, moved to summer position and blocked, did Laundry, washed all slip covers for settees and cockpit cushions, sanitized head, cleaned out head cupboards, organized salon cabinets, took apart spreaders

Day 5
releveled RAFT, fastened down mast, fastened dinghy under mast, put in dorad covers and cockpit speaker covers, took down flagpole, removed ropes from davits, put screens in all throughholes, Chlorinated water jerry cans, put away fenders & docklines, took down and stored cockpit table, wrapped pedistal

Day 6
cleaned oven, greased thru holes, installed whirley bird (roof fan over mast hole BIG MISTAKE major source of rain water inside RAFT over summer) purged seawater from engine, took out transmission, took hoses off engine water intake and left seacock open as emergency bilge water escape, chained and roped jackstands together, foiled ports, took blades off wind generator, cleaned bilges, vacuum sealed linens, towels and clothes being left on RAFT

Day 7
Opened crack in keel to dry over summer, wrapped rope around mast, secured mast to RAFT, took down canvas bimini, dodger etc and solar panels stored inside cabin, cleaned fridge, chlorinated all water tanks and dumped water, turned batteries off, packed car, put damp out around cabin, set off 4 mildew bags and 4 discs, Said goodbye to RAFT

How successful were we, check our next log!!