Getting started

The adventure begins...well at least the "fix the boat" part.
We arrived in Marathon two weeks ago tomorrow. The first week was spent dodging heavy rains and generally getting settled in. Last week we started working on Queequeg.
We were a bit dismayed to find that there was water in the boat again. Not nearly as much as before; just barely to the floor boards. We have now installed one solar panel, a new battery and a new bilge pump so that won't happen any more. We will have our work cut out for us in finding all the ways water gets in the boat on dry land. at least we know none of it leaks back out through the hull!
I've also installed a new battery monitoring system and an automatic charge relay. I removed the old AC battery charger as it had turned to a mass of rust. I now have extra room in the engine compartment so I won't be busting quite so many knuckles working on the engine. Those old chargers were HUGE!
Part of the week was spent tracing and replacing some of the wiring. What a tangled mess! Some of the systems were wired up directly to the batteries, bypassing the breaker panel. Not a good idea. Some of those wires had been destroyed by the water and had to be replaced anyway, so I rerouted them to the panel. We now have lights, refrigeration and navigation instruments all functioning.
Bev has been hard at work giving the boat thorough cleaning. After a week, she's barely done with the forward stateroom. Between the flood and the bugs, the boat is quite a mess. We're still not sure, but hope that we can salvage the cushions as there is no money in the budget for new upholstery.
The bimini and the dodger needed a little sewing, but they are now up and functional.
This next week will be devoted to getting the old Yanmar diesel engine started. When last I left it, it could turn, but I didn't get the fuel cleaned out or the starter motor working. This week I'll clean the fuel system, install the new alternator, test and/or replace the starter, change the oil - again - and then see if the old kicker will start.
There is a "T" connection on the water intake that will allow a garden hose to be hooked up while the boat is on the hard. That should allow water to pass through the engine while test starting it before the launch.
Stay tuned for more updates as the work progresses.