Not Quite The Day On The Water i Was Hoping For...But On The Upside...At Least Now I Know Where The Leak Is...

It's been a while since Maggie had been out for a sail, and Sunday was the day. 
I arrived at the marina and Maggie was waiting for me on the hardstand, with a gentle easterly breeze barely bothering the flags. This would be a good day to get the main up and sort out the reefing lines before hitting the water. After about half an hour, the lines were sorted and i had Maggie moved to the water.
Once in the water i did the normal set up...hank on the jib, run the jib lines, kick over the engine...so far so good. Then time to lower the keels. This is normally the first thing i do, just to resist some of the sway and give a bit more stability under foot...why i did it last on this day is anybody's guess???
Oh and i might add, that since i'd last been down to see Maggie, we'd had quite a bit of heavy rain, so i checked inside the under sink cupboard - where i'd previously found water - for any leaks...and nothing...that's great!!
So now to winding down the keel...as always, i release the handle from the catch and ease the keels down...however, this time as the keel lowers i here a cracking of fibreglass...hmm, that doesn't sound good...so i go below and check the hatch beneath the sink - the previous area of flood related interest (clicky and clicky for previous story) - and well what do you know...we've struck water...hmmm, not so good...!!
So i do what anybody wanting to go for a sail does, wind the keel right down and evaluate just how bad the leak really is...well...on the upside i didn't hear any more 'glass breaking, but a quick look in the hatch shows that the of water in flow has increased...um...so maybe going for a sail isn't such a good idea after all... :(
So back up on the dry i have a bit of a look underneath, and it appears that the keels have corroded to the extent that the induced swelling put too much pressure on the casing and CRACK!!...BUGGER!!!...DAMN!!!!
For the last 18 months or so i've been meaning to put Maggie up in a cradle, drop the keels and tidy it all up and looks like the time has come...
No doubt, once i get this operation under way my award winning literary skills will bring you all - OK the unlucky person who reads this - the next next exciting instalment of...drum roll please... 

...Tim's Jedda Renovation...

until then...Happy Sailing...