When I arrived, my marina gate card did not work. I was lucky someone was exiting the marina so, I could slip in and sleep on the boat. 18 months without being opened and aired-out. Still, no “Boat Smell”. I had left a dehumidifier running. The water that was collected drained out into the galley sink. No mold, no mildew. I woke up that first morning with clear sinuses. To say I was happy with the boat’s condition would be a huge understatement.
Distant Horizon Secured From The Winter
Over the next few days, I started checking out the boat’s essential systems. On calm days, I would hoist sails. I would wash and perform inspections. I had left the boat in a totally disheveled state, intentionally, allowing air to flow into all areas. So, I had a lot of cleanup and organizing to do.
Otherwise, One storm jib needed repair. My storm jib hanks onto the inner forestay. Hanks are spring loaded bronze clips attached to the sale. The inner forestay is a wire that is inside the main jib and runs partially up the mast. The hanks clip onto this wire. Then, of course, a halyard is used to raise the sail. Those hanks slide up the wire, holding the sail in place.
New Hanks on the Storm Jib Attached to the Inner Forestay
The hanks attach to the sale through grommets. Well, some of the grommets were separating from the sail cloth. I had to order new hanks Because some of them were bound to break when there were removed from the sail. Once the new hanks arrived, I had a sailmaker fix the sail.
A New Bronze Hank on the Storm Jib
Winter Damage
During a winter storm, the wind was blowing so hard, Distant Horizon was actually laying on her side on the edge of the dock. The man watching Distant Horizon had told me about this. I was afraid what damage had incurred. Thankfully, only the gelcoat, the smooth finish over the fiberglass was scraped up. This seemed like a minor piece of damage for such an extreme condition. I knew Distant Horizon was built tough.
Damage incurred over the winter
Everything else was in good shape; except of course… the varnish was failing. That was to be expected; 18 months without maintenance. It was too long to go without care