Surprise has been laid up in ordinary since September. I hadn't looked at her for over two months, and I wasn't surprised (no pun intended) When I went to the shed to look at her and her port side trailer tire was flat.
Luckily I was able to reinflate the tire at the storage shed. After I dealt with that, I towed her home. I had hoped to get her out on the water this last weekend, but the weather didn't cooperate. Instead, I replaced the spare tire storage system, which I'm glad I never needed to access, because the only way to get to the spare would have been with a grinder. The tire was held to the trailer by U-shaped threaded bar that was secured by two nuts. The bar was held in a horizontal attitude around one of the trailer beams. Both it and the padlock securing the tire had corroded beyond any hope of opening without extreme measures. So I did the simplest thing I could and cut the bar off the trailer, with the previously mentioned grinder, freeing the tire. I've replaced the bar with a mount that secures the tire to the trailer in a vertical attitude and should stay well clear of any corrosive liquids - such as salt water.
The only other change I've made to her was to replace the spinnaker hexaratchets with smaller Harken carbo versions. These things are a new product and I wish I had had them five years ago. Not only are they more appropriately sized, they are cheaper. How did that happen?
Wednesday nights are starting in one week. The winds have been breezy some days and calm others. It should be interesting since I haven't sailed her since September. Like I said, it was a long, long winter.
Here's to Spring!