January and February Update
Pride of Baltimore II is securely tied up at her winter berth at the MPA facility across the street from Pride, Inc.'s office. Pride II survived the 20+ inches of snow that fell on Baltimore the week before Christmas, suffering only some minor breaches in her protective winter cover.
The winter maintenance crew arrived on January 4th. The brisk winds and the frigid temperatures typical of a Baltimore winter make for interesting working conditions; but the crew knows exactly what they are getting into when they sign up. There is plenty to do, which ensures the crew stay active enough to fight of some of the chill.
Some of the winter projects include:
- Ongoing varnish repair and refinishing of spars and blocks.
- Identifying which blocks need to be dismantled to undergo proper maintenance.
- Some of the standing rigging wire is being wire brushed so ready the wire for a protectant to be applied
- The engineering department has been busy with wiring overhaul in designated areas, plumbing overhaul and maintenance where needed, as well as upgrading of certain 24 volt DC wiring connections.
- Carpentry repair in the galley, caused by a small leak from the deck above, which caused some water damage near the stove area. ; The leak needed to be addressed and the damaged wood removed and replaced.
- Overhaul of the "butt seams" of the covering board (this is the red/brown painted deck planking at the edge of the deck). The project involves significant reefing out of the old pitch and caulking, and then drying and servicing of the exposed end grain of each butt seam between the covering-board. Once the seams have been cleaned, dried and painted, a special mixture of preservative putty compound will be inserted, followed by caulking and application of a final layer of seam compound.
