Ice Cream

I like it.  I like it too much.  In the 23 years we’ve lived on our boat, though, we’ve never been able to keep ice cream onboard.  We have a good refrigerator, but it does not have a freezer.  During the years we were away from the U.S. cruising, ice cream was what we craved after a long and usually hot passage.  As soon as we anchored in a new port, we’d head ashore with our passports, boat papers, and two spoons.  Once the paperwork was done, we’d find a store, buy a two liter container of ice cream and usually eat it right on the steps of the store.

Ice cream is now one of the few foods that Pam can eat pretty well, so we often go to the grocery store on the way to the trailer and pick up a pint for her to eat.  I help.  I do.

Yesterday I got two half gallon containers of ice cream (coffee and vanilla bean) and put them in Island Girl’s fridge.  Today I was only there for a short time and did little work, just installed a cabinet door.  But, the ice cream is frozen solid in the freezer, so it’ll be ready for Pam tomorrow when we get over there.  How cool is that?  Ice cream in our own freezer!  I’m a happy boy.

Island Girl’s Systems are Go

Not much actual work today, but a big step forward. Yesterday I moved the trailer near a faucet and filled our fresh tanks. Today, the water pump and water heater got their electrical hookups done. Note to self: always make sure that you've hooked up the wires to the circuit breaker panel before you wonder why the pump doesn't work.

No leaks at all in the PEX. There's a drip at the water heater drain that needs attention and one at the strainer basket in the sink. Easy fixes. I will never like plumbing, but the PEX with the copper crimps and brass fittings works really well.

So we've now got heat, a cold fridge, hot and cold water, and a stove all functional.

Little by little, polishing continues.  Rain has about made it impossible for the last few days, but I’m planning to do it just a little at a time anyway.  Compounder and F7 Nuvite is all I’ve used so far.

-steve

Plumbing Water and Plumbing Gas

I still hate plumbing, but it's almost over. Fill lines for the two tanks and the sink drain remain to be done with the water. The pics show the layout in the galley with a few ball valves instead of check valves.

The low point is right at the water heater and using the heater bypass, I'm able to get away with a single drain line for the system.

Double flares have been keeping me busy for a week or so. I've been lying under the trailer on rain and mud soaked cardboard surrounded by the state animal of western Washington, the slug. I put in shutoff valves for each of the four gas appliances. The propane system is all hooked up now, but the tubing still needs to be secured to the frame. I'd never done the double flares before, so it was scary turning the gas on this afternoon after the last connection was made. Had a couple of joints that needed another pull on the wrench and one just plain crummy flare that evaded my quality control and had to be replaced.

Even though we've had temporary gas lines run for the heater for 2 years, it was still pretty cool to fire up the stove for the first time.

And, despite the rain, polishing has begun. Weather looks good for the next few days, so I'm planning on getting some more compounding done.

The curtain sewing project has given me the sewing bug.  I’m going to try to sew my own awning and window shades and bought an old Pfaff 130 sewing machine on eBay for the task.  It is a year older than me and six older than the trailer.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t well packed and arrived with the base for the case pretty well destroyed.

I took it completely apart and repaired it with epoxy and fiberglass, so it’s back in pretty good shape now.

The machine came through it fine and should be able to handle any awning work I throw at it.  My own capabilities are limited to throw pillows right now, but at least an awning is on the horizon.

-steve