"Always bear in mind, that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing". Abraham Lincoln

It has been a week since my last post. Unfortunately the marina where Serenity is docked in Lorain, Ohio does not have WiFi. I spent last week working on Serenity while Shirl visited with her family in Michigan. She and Rachel did complete their sixty mile walk and we thank all who donated to a great cause. Shirl was a little tired and sore after walking sixty miles in three days, but was very happy she participated. A great accomplishment...I do not know many people who have walked sixty miles in three days.  She drove to Lorain on Friday and we had dinner at the marina restaurant...Jackalopes, then spent a lot of Saturday and Sunday sailing. The weather was fantastic, and Serenity sailed beautifully. We have much more confidence sailing now, and can even relax and take in all the beauty that Lake Erie has to offer.
Our top speed Sunday was seven knots with thirteen knots of wind. Not exactly fast, but steady and comfortable on all points of sail. Serenity is a great boat for the trip we want to take.

I completed a few projects this week as well. I installed a Nicro Day/Night Plus solar vent in our main cabin hatch. In order to install the vent I needed to cut a 3 3/4 inch hole in the Lexan plastic. I was a little apprehensive because of the age of the plastic. Blue tape allowed me to cut the hole in the Lexan using a jig saw without scratching the plastic.

A picture after the hole is cut.

 I did not have a clue that the plastic was this thick.

 The finished project...not difficult but the inside trim piece was made for an installation through the deck. The instructions state that if you install the vent in a hatch you do not need to use the inside trim piece, and you can order a flexible piece to slide over the vent to cover the screws. I simply modified the trim by removing about 3/8 inch from its depth. The only other issue was that the manufacturer sent machine screws for the installation...again for a deck installation. I decided to use bolts, nuts and lock washers,  stainless of course, to keep from taking a chance on cracking the Lexan ...so it was off to Home Depot. 

Finished project...the vent runs on solar during the day and charges batteries so it can continue to run at night. It has an on/off switch as well, and is very quiet. It can be used in exhaust mode or intake mode. This should help keep fresh air circulating through the boat even when all the ports and hatches are closed.

The hatch is still functional, and the vent looks good as well.

I also took care of a squeaky winch. After dis-assembly it appears that water had gotten into the winch as you can tell by the appearance of the grease.

The winch body was cleaned and checked for wear

Here is a picture of the parts cleaned and ready fo reassembly.

I repacked the bearings with grease as well. This was done the old fashioned way...put grease on the bearings and use the palm of your hand to work it into the bearings. The rest of the gears and all moving parts were given a light coat of grease. The IP 35 manual states that this should be done to each winch once a year. If you don't feel like doing it, price new winchs...that will motivate you!

The winch now works great!

We are still planning a September start date for our trip.