With Goblin floating in the Atlantic, Alex and I are more motivated than ever to get everything crossed off our lists. Alex is working through a long list of projects to make Goblin into a safe, effective vehicle for our adventures. I’m building my long list of projects to make Goblin into our home. He crosses off servicing winches and checking chain plates, I stare at storage and bedding. We’re coming at Goblin from two very different angles which makes for interesting discussions of what to prioritize.

I’m coming to realize that boat work means that something is always taken apart and something else is recently put back together. Right now, the lifelines are replaced and back up, making me much more willing to let the kids come aboard. On the other hand, the masts have been pulled out to work on the rigging and Goblin looks foolish without them. One project finished, three more started.

This past weekend my parents took Zoe and Kins so that Alex and I could tackle projects together. Since the masts are out, we pulled a couple of chainplates to check and make sure they were sound. Lots of fun trying to fit a socket wrench into small compartments but in the end we got a look and everything is solid. Start to finish with a project without adding three more to the list, what a victory.

From there it was winch work. Completely disassembling and reassembling each winch is high on the presailing list. Some were so crunchy and stuck, I wonder if they’ve ever been cleaned. Alex took care of one on a previous visit and we got two more taken care of Sunday. The worst of them now spin smoothly and we’ll work through the other 11(!) over the next few visits. I found it more than a little frightening to completely take apart an important part of our boat but the feeling of accomplishment when it all went back together and worked was great. It wasn’t working and now it is, I did that!

Having the masts out also meant the opportunity to replace the radar. Unfortunately, two broken drill bits and a handful of dulled ones weren’t enough to make the mounting holes. Back to the hardware store for different drill bits and hopefully that will be accomplished before the mast has to go back in.