Final steps on the step?

Sunday, Oct 4, Anne had the day off work and joined me on the boat to apply the final 2 layers of mat on the new mast step.

After laying up the cloth on the step we turned our energies toward the wind generator post.  We pulled new coaxial cable for the AM/FM antenna.  The existing wire was loosing it's insulation due to UV exposre. We installed a Davis Mega Light that we will use as a second, lower anchor light. The mega light has a built in photo eye that automatically cycles the light on at night an off in the day.  Immediately upon purchasing the light we ordered an LED bulb for the unit from Sailor's Solutions.  We cut the cigarette light plug off the end of the Mega Light and plan to wire the light directly to a switch on our electrical panel.  The combination of a Davis Mega light $45 and a LED bulb $20 gives us a unit equivalent to what Lopo Light, Orca Light, or Allied Signal would sell for $300+ dollars.  We will provide a report out on the endurance of the light in the future.

I returned to C'est la Vie solo today, October 5.  Before opening ports or hatches, I suited up, grabbed the grinder, and ground level the mast step.

While in full fiberglass grinding mode I also ground out an area of deck on the port side that looked as if it was allowing water intrusion.  It discovered a wooden plug in what must have been the original waste pump out fitting.  I also used the disc sander to prep the area around the windlass and the chain plates for some epoxy repairs.  By the time the dust settled, I had nine different spots on deck that were prepped for fiberglass repairs or filling.  The projects ranged from filling screw holes to repairing the deck to fairing the mast step.

Here is a shot of the faired, smooth, and level mast step just before climbing down the ladder and calling it a day.