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Another weekend of boat work down. I'm pleased to report the plumbing is FINALLY done.

The watermaker sample tap has been fitted to the galley, the test & tank positions labelled on the main panel (note to self: avoid bumping pressurised freshwater flush switch until all connections are made), the water tank vents fitted, and the diesel tank breather container also has extra holes now.

Added to that, the new waste tank has a vent breather pipe, a deck "suck-out" pipe, and a MK5 manual pump & pipe all fitted. Phew. Quite the weekend.

After all that bilge related fun, the sun came out and I needed some fresh air so the railings got a good sand down, the boot stripe got marked up and I finished epoxy filling the wheelhouse and toe rail.

This coming weekend I'm going to be building a sliding entrance hatch, drilling a couple of limber holes in the bilges (to stop water pooling in rust-prone areas), and if time allows, fitting the last two steering sheaves and aligning everything to make for a smoother and lighter aft helm.

That will pretty much just leave a bit of grinding, some sanding and painting of the topsides and railings before we haul out.

Our haul out is now 8 weekends away and the plan is to head out to anchor the night before, have a BBQ (weather permitting) then motor up to the haul out yard around lunchtime - just in time to clear their concrete sill. There's still a lot of days in the office to go and work to be done on the boat, but May 19th will be here before we know it....