Making a big To-Do.

We’re making a big to-do, but I can’t say it is a big to-do about nothing. Sure that has happened before. Everyone has witnessed an instance where someone has made a big commotion about something which turned out to be pretty minor.

But, this is big to-do about something. And that something is Condor. As mentioned before, we have a self-imposed deadline of March 31 to get Condor to the point where she can be launched and sailed from Solomon’s to Baltimore. The deadline is not 100% self imposed. The PO (previous owner) has paid winter storage through March 31. Being cheap, we decided that it was worth the extra push to get Condor in the water before having to pay more storage. And besides, what good is a sailboat sitting in a yard. We want to get her out and sail!

So, we made a big to-do. And a big to-do it is. Close to 40 things. If you haven’t realized, we’re talking about a to-do list. Close to forty items on Condor’s to-do list. Rather, our to-do list for Condor. In a sense, making this big to-do should really help, though at times looking through it can be overwhelming. Suzanne thinks it should help keep me focused. ADD, you know. All too often, she has to call me back to task because I have found some other issue that requires my attention. For instance, while rebedding the deck plate for the water fill, we had to move the whisker pole. She commented that the spring loaded jaw for the pole wasn’t moving freely. Steve to the rescue! I ran and got some lube and spent fifteen minutes getting it moving while Suzanne stood, glaring at me, holding the deck fitting and waiting for me to apply the caulk. She had to remind me that rebedding the deck plate was on the list and freeing the jaw of the whisker pole could be added to the list – after we finish the deck plate.

It should be pointed out, for those of you with little firsthand experience, that ADD is not the inability to pay attention. Rather it is the ability to pay attention to many things. All too often, those of us who benefit from the effects of ADD are called abruptly back to the task that someone else thinks is more important than the many things we’re focusing on. And so, Suzanne calls me back to her deck plate and we complete that task. By the way, the whisker pole jaw works perfectly now.

Armed with our list, we head to Condor. Please remember that she is about a two hour drive away. With our massive list we jump to work. But where do we start? Time to back up again and prioritize our list. This shouldn’t be too hard. We read through each item and quickly decide if it has to be done before launching. For example, apply bottom paint. That generally works much better if the boat is on stands in the boatyard rather than in the water. So bottom painting is a ‘1’ job. Not all tasks are so easily decided. Rebuild and lubricate the winches. Okay, the winches, all eight of them, function, though not as smoothly as we would like. So rebuilding winches is a “2” job. But have you ever disassembled a winch while the boat is in the water? There is always that one spring that likes to jump overboard. Much safer (read ‘cheaper’) to do while the boat is on the hard. Maybe this should be classified as a “1-2”, meaning it would ideally be done before launch, but can wait.

I mentioned the benefits of ADD. In all truthfulness, I’m still looking for them. So if any of you can offer ideas as to the benefits of ADD, please do.

So, the list? In no particular order:
Fair keel
Sand bottom
Paint bottom
Replace cutlass bearing
Buff/wax topsides
Overhaul seacocks
Rebed chainplates
Replace halyards
Tighten toe-rail bolts
Clean/rebuild winches
Replace rotten cabin subfloor
Clean water tanks
Replace water system filter
Sand/bleach cabin sole
Replace engine zinc
Replace impellor
Replace engine coolant hoses
Finish cabin sole
Lubricate spinnaker and whisker pole ends
Replace all other running rigging
Install radio
Replace Loran
Replace gunwale scuppers
Rebuild manual bilge pump
Replace float switch for auto-bilge pump
Replace batteries
Rebuild quarter berth shelf
Refit doors and drawers
Reattach trim at companionway
Make mainsail cover
Purchase mainsail
Clean fuel tank
Replace prop zinc
Replace fire extinguishers
Replace flares
Replace PFD’s
Replace rotten wood in anchor locker
Clean/replace anchor rode
Replace scupper in anchor locker
Replace fixed ports
Install opening port in quarter berth
Clean and oil interior
Replace stern lettering and hailing port
Check all nav lights
Install bimini

And there you have it. At least until our next visit when I find more stuff that needs to be completed right away and Suzanne gently reminds me to add it to the list.