There comes a time in every sailor’s life where one must come to a decision. Either you are going to clean and paint the bilge, or you are going to live with a dirty bilge. The latter is not an option
I’ve been wanting to clean and paint the bilge for quite some time now, but it seems that every time that I think I may have time to get to it, First Mate comes up with yet another project for us to do. Well, this weekend is different. This weekend is the weekend when the First Mate is finalizing diving school. She is spending two days scuba diving in the Pacific to become certified, so here I am with time all to myself to get those pesky projects done that I’ve set aside.
Our sailboat actually has two bilges – a forward bilge and the main bilge. Seen above is our forward bilge. It has its own bilge pump and a fairly deep sump area and if kept dry could be a great additional storage area close to the galley. Should this bilge ever fill, it will overflow into the main bilge, so even if I do not reinstall the bilge pump, we’re still good.
Next project is to mount and connect all the additional LED lighting that we bought for the galley and settee, but that is a post for another time!