spring cleaning

So this past weekend Sam and I finally made time to head down to Zig Zag (the boat) and spend some time on her and get her ready for our cruising schedule. It might be a good thing that it wasn't too light out when I arrived. It was a mess! Typically the boat gets a good scrub down from Sam each time we take it out and it was long overdue.

Seems we hadn't gotten out much this winter - maybe due to seasons passes at Mission Ridge and some good skiing days. Personally when it is chilly out I would rather be skiing plus the clothing is designed for those chilly days on the slopes. And of course I needed to ensure I was getting my money out of my seasons pass.

So really it was one of the first weekends we could make it down. We decided to stay on the boat for a few days while we worked on getting it cleaned up. Plus there were some new restaurants and old favorites I was wanting to try. When I saw the boat in daylight I was a bit horrified and was glad I hadn't succumbed to my idea of inviting some friends down for some appetizers Friday night. Turns out the birds had taken quite a liking to our boat this winter and had really made it their home.

For once I was happy with our division of chores - Sam cleans the outside while I concentrate on the inside. During a warm sunny day I haven't always appreciated my choice, especially when Sam closes all the hatches and windows and I am stuck inside a sauna. On Saturday though I was feeling pretty happy. While the birds had really made a huge mess of the outside the inside was pretty clean - for some reason a boat doesn't collect dust - mildew yes - dust not so much!

So while Sam spent hours scrubbing the outside I cleaned out cabinets and reflected on my good fortune. I didn't even really have to do much scrubbing on the head since we had only been on board for an evening. I would have to say my Saturday morning was much better than Sam's.

Finally he had it cleaned up and we were once again looking presentable on the dock. We headed out for a few hours and when we came back the birds had made their presence known once again. After speaking to liveaboards across from us they told Sam they had never seen so many birds and I would have to agree when we checked out some other boats across the way with their spreaders full of birds. Maybe a chilly, snowy winter in Seattle isn't such a bad thing since then the birds head south.

After a few days on board I wasn't quite as happy with my inside cleaning job - after all a few days in a small space and I really needed to clean up each day. Then I took a look outside and the birds had been paying us a few more visits. Really I would prefer to clean up after people (or animals) I know so being on the inside duty wasn't such a bad deal.

I have decided we will stick with our current responsibilities - as long as Sam is still in charge of the pump out station and any boating problems in addition to cleaning the outside. I may have to go take a few pictures outside to remind me come summer but I think I may have gotten the better end of this deal. Just don't tell Sam and if the boat looks dirty on the dock blame him.