Several folks have asked me why we needed to spend two months in the boatyard when we returned to St Petersburg after our summer “vacation”. Well, we sure learned a lot in our first cruising season, including a big list of upgrades and improvements that we wanted to make to ensure SV Sanitas was as safe and comfortable a home as possible. And we’re throwing around the idea of not returning to Florida next hurricane season – maybe finding someplace safe for Sanitas to stay in the islands while Capt. Mike and I travel on land. So in that case, we’d like to do as many projects as possible while we are in the land of West Marine and Amazon, and we can get almost anything we want with free 2-day shipping.

So here’s the list of projects we’ve completed so far – all three pages of them – several of which I’ll document in more detail in separate blog posts:

• Replace foam in settee cushions
• Make portlight shades
• Shop for dinghy outboard
• Order cockpit cushions
• Polish stainless steel
• Refinish external teak
• Install cockpit shower
• Fix manual bilge pump hose
• Rebed deck fittings
• Repair teak deck rail – saltwater leak
• Fix stove top – weld grates in place
• Curtain for quarter berth / garage
• Try to fix water pressure
• Hook bilge pump up to electronic control
• Inspect rigging shackles
• Reinstall sails
• Replace jib and staysail sheets
• Wax non-skid deck
• Replace mouse fur in the head cupboard
• Clean fruit hammock
• Clean up wood and mold from summer storage
• Wash and polish hull – Salt Creek Marina
• Apply new coat of antifoul paint – Salt Creek Marina
• Wash mast track cars
• Fill propane tank
• Check each switch on electrical panel
• Replace house battery bank
• Clean and grease the winches
• Adjust steering quadrant
• Check medical and first aid kit
• Check lights
• Inspect mainsail for wear or damage
• Repair anchor bridal chafing spot
• Buy old fire hose for chafing protection
• Improve ditch bag
• Build new soda stream system
• Rebed steering pedestal
• Repair aft port locker bulkhead rot
• Caulk countertop in head
• Replace propane sensor
• Install mount for fresh water strainer in fridge
• Replace anchor locker door latch
• Clean prop and replace anodes
• Install new fridge pump
• Normalize lazy jacks
• Fix sail cover zipper