"THE V 8's ARE BACK,BUT THE WORK GOES ON"

G'day all, Itz 4am in  itchy scratchy land.
Not only are the V8's back but Nascar started this week! Those 2 items should of slowed the pace of work to a trickle but the opposite waz true.
The "Pergola" has to be finished this coming week so despite several motor racing delays,the top of the roof is now painted and ready 4 me 2 fit the solar panel banks.
The concept of fixing our edging problem with 12mm rope has proved 2 be just the material we were looking 4. As you can see from these couple of foto'z the rope had a few complex curves to handle.

And handle them it has! after a few layers of fibreglass and filler the edges have come up a treat. Then the work really began with the dreaded job of preparing the roof for painting came "the sanding" and the scratching but 3 days later the job is done and after a couple of good coats of high build primer the roof looks like a professionally made unit.
I'm still itchy but the scratching is getting better.
The roof is only one of the many tasks getting attention this week. The vinyl has arrived for some of the covers,so a little progress has been made in that direction. Also the forward starboard guest cabin has been gutted stripped and prepared for painting, the

last stainless fittings for the handrail also arrived so that job 2 has begun. Itz been a week of multiple project intermixed with motor racing and bourbon(what more could a guy ask for) As I said itz very early saturday morn and while the sugar soap dries it the front cabin I thought I'd update you all.
The fone and emails have been running hot again with Manda Mermaid being the highlight,it seems she's off work with a crook back this week so an email arrived early one morning, also Kyron,Mr Mick,Mum,Dad,Brother Mark (Lucky Bastard) and also Carlo and Fridgy Brad have all been on the fone.Ken from weathersfield is laid up in hospital this week,so a get well soon message goes out to both Ken and Amanda.!
Anyway back 2 the motor racing after several rain delay's the Daytona 500 was finally run with Marcos Ambrose putting on a gr8 performance until he was punted off the track about 30 laps from the end. Juan Montoya's crash into a safety vehichle has to be the strangest racing crash I've seen for a very long thyme! Friday saw the return of v8 racing for the year with the cars "and Brother Mark" arriving in Adelaide for the Clipsal 500. Can't wait for this arvo's race.
Amongst this weeks work I've also managed another batch of "Fellixxer" with a bottle of Absynith being added to the bar.Also some gr8 salads have found there way from the kitchen 2 the plate  as a minor health kick begins (only very minor though).
Friday's lunch was a rolled roast chicken filled with bacon,onion,cashews and honey. Served on a bed of Mediterranean Couscous and roasted japanese pumpkin with balsamic dressing.Yummo!!
We've also had a steamed dim sum night as Matt tried out his new pressure cooker/steamer combo.Must get me one of those!
Today I'll use the left over chicken from yesterday to create the ultimate motor racing food Chicken ceasar sushi rolls!

The painting took a long hot afternoon but the transformation (wkoa) is amazing both to the roof / pergola and also the front window frame and roof supportz. Now the new month is here an order of aluminium has arrived from ullrich to manufacture the frames and supports for the 7 solar  that will fit to the roof  once itz craned back onto the Yot next week.Still lotz of work 2 go with the Solar mounts complete the whole roof will be flipped so the finish work can be completed to the underside(ceiling), more scratching! But it'll be worth it.

With the arrival of the last few fittings for the handrails this task began late one evening. This will be a slow process as welding stainless is a new skill I've learned ( but in no way mastered) and thin stainless presents a whole new range of issues. Also with the removal of the solar panels from the forward cabin I used the rain delayed Nascar race as catalyst to begin the refitt of the guest cabin before people begin 2 arrive in the coming month's. So I'm once again bouncing from job 2 job,task 2 task but they are all jobs that need doing. Many of the smaller tasks can be performed in the night time when industrial sanding and painting is frowned upon. So with any luck next week I will have a roof again plus a freshly spray painted guest cabin and be at the stage of wiring in Led lighting to both area's also the wiring of the solar panels should allow for the final termination (wkoa) of shore based power as the sun takes over the job of recharging the battery banks. There has been some progress this week in the direction of the desalination water maker and also the fitting of a washing machine has been added to the list of jobs to be tackled during the coming weeks.It seems I'm constantly washing clothes! but when your sanding fibreglass 4 or 5 changes in a day are common place.Along with several HOT showers clothes and all.
The changes to the overall silhouette??? of the YOT are amazing and the hard graft of the last few months is really beginning to show. Itz true that I seem to cross 2 or 3 jobs off the list and add 6 more but the jobs are getting smaller and are more cosmetic in nature as the construction phase enters itz last stage.
Once the Yot is once again sea worthy I'll head of for a few short trips to trial these improvementz before the really enjoyable stage of final interior fittout begins.Lotz of ground work has already been done for this stage with the drawings of the cabinetry and lotz of the wiring prep work already complete. So fingers crossed by this time next week I'll be sitting on the newly covered rear deck under led lighting and have the stainless welder out tacking both the handrails and the mounts for the B.B.Q and Wok burners into place.
This improvements will just about complete the rear deck build just the blinds and screens to go before I can sleep outside during the tropical downpours and lightning showz.Can't wait for that either (Jesus- that almost soundz like optimism!) But for now itz back to masking the last of the cabin before I head down the ramp and begin cutting,riveting and bolting the solar panel mountz into place.
Ciao 4 Now!!
Congratulations on your successful fishing trip Mr Mick!

Captain scratchy.