That's it

There's not too much to report now that Ariel's out of the water. Perhaps the only news is that her cradle appears to have been damaged during summer storage. One of the poppets is slightly bent and needs to be straightened and beefed up with a new support. I'm thinking I might be able to borrow a welder from the shop teacher and weld up a new support.

The cover went on a couple weeks ago. The boys and I spent a Sunday (or holiday Monday?) constructing the PVC frame and securing the cover. This season marks the fourth season the cover has been in use. I'm pleased with how it has held up. The only maintenance was a bit of restitching where the thread had begun to chafe. Otherwise, it is doing well.

We're in the midst of another storm, so it's pretty windy. I checked on Ariel yesterday and tightened the cover a bit. Additionally, I placed two containers of moisture absorbent to keep Ariel's cabin dry.

The winter worklist might get some attention as soon as I finish a couple of canvas projects. Some of the things we'd like to accomplish include: install new instrument package and secure mast cables; install new diesel deck fill; loft and construct new yankee jib and staysail; construct new mainsail cover; construct and add lee cloths; re-bed sintered bronze plate; track down a head odor; and other miscellanea.

I've taken an engine oil sample that I will send to Blackstone Laboratories for analysis. We have never had the oil analyzed, so I'm curious to know just what the report indicates and whether it might reveal something related to the increased cranking time we've been experiencing lately.