heating, drying, sealing and covering

Visited Phoenix.... and put a secure cover over the hole left in the deck by the mast removal.... the yard had covered it, but i've put a more secure cover on...

Also, while I was there, I took the opportunity to put a frost guard heater and a dehumidifier on... so she should be dry and frost free.

In the meantime, i've also ordered a heavy duty tarpaulin off eBay to cover the cockpit and some of the rails... its a 250gsm, so pretty robust, and with holes every 50cm and reinforced corners for tying it down. Its big at 8m x 10m as I wanted to cover the cockpit properly, as the hatch in the cockpit floor leaks slightly, and I don't want to repair it, as it will be getting taken out when the engine is removed, so seems a bit pointless trying to seal it in the interim.... also, there appears to be a very slight leak through the bolts that secure the genoa track to the capping rails... the nuts are below deck, and a couple on each side are weeping very slightly... so getting a cover over the track will give me time to sort this in the spring, without the water doing any damage in the meantime... they will be 'difficult' to repair, as the bolts are 25cm long, and the nuts are up under the join between the deck and hull, so very hard to get at, and hence hard to knock out... I tried to do one earlier this year, and got nowhere... next step is an impact screwdriver, and if that doesn't work, then i'll just resort to a bead of sealant round the base of the track and over the bolt heads.... I don't want to damage the bolts, as 40 lots of 25cm counter sunk 316 satinless bolts will be expensive... we're probably looking at £10 to £15 each.