Nothing comes easily...

So today Bob and I decided to reposition the tarp we have spread over the boom to keep the rain and sun out of the cabin and cockpit.  Sounds easy, huh?  NOT!

I decided that we needed some type of "spreader bar" at the mast-end f the tarp so we would have more standing room inside the cockpit.  Being 5'10" and 6' Bob and I really wanted a little more headroom when we are getting in and out of the boat (not to mention simply trying to enjoy the evening breeze from the cockpit). 

My friend Larry (Lucky Larry around the marina) was nice enough to give use several long pieces of PVC pipe that he had used for the same purpose before.  We set about what we "thought" would be a 30 minute job...1 1/2 hours ago~lol  We were able to get one of the PVC pipes lashed to the mast and the tarp connected (albeit not well) and the tarp tied down higher then the ties at the aft end (gotta have somewhere for the rain to run off...better than in the forward hatch!).  That was a chore!  Not only did the pipe "roll" every time I tried to hook the tarp to it, but we also had to deal with the tarp, the rather brisk wind that blowing AND lashing it to the mast all at the same time.  Someone could have sold tickets for the show and made a small fortune~roflol  Bob and I looked like a strange version of the Three Stooges trying to hold everything and still work at the same time;-)

Now that the front end is finished, we moved onto the middle section and simply tied the tarp off to whatever was available down the sides of The Mystery.  Easy enough, thank goodness.

The aft section...not so easy.  Not only did we have to work with no room to put your feet (thanks to the tiny bimini we have that covers maybe 1 square inch with shade and is otherwise useless), but now the wind was really starting to kick.  The second PVC pipe never made it into place...at least by my hands~lol  I helped lash the tarp down over the framework for our crappy bimini and called it quits.  My hands hurt (damn that wind and those tiny lines), my arms ache from straining to hold that tarp against the wind AND tie if off to both the PVC and the mast and my sense of accomplishment was shot down the tubes by the difficulty of getting what should have been an easy job done.

Bob, on the other hand, is still struggling trying to figure out how to get the aft section of the tarp spread out a little more with the other piece of PVC.  Me, I can stand in my little corner of the cockpit and my desire for more has fled with the wind.  Maybe on a much less windy day I'll be willing to tackle the problem again, but for now I'm just fine...thank you very much:-)

Edited to add:  Bob did manage to get the aft PVC pipe in place and we are enjoying the shade so far.  Unfortunately, one of the metal "rigs" on the aft section of the tarp has already broken off.  Guess we should have bought a good tarp instead of using this crappy old one...live and learn is all I can say.  Guess we'll be doing this again within the next couple of months.  Maybe by then we'll have figured out an easier way of getting this "simple" job done.

My tarp is my friend!

We've suffered with just the small bimini (sun shade) over the cockpit for the past few weeks and I want some shade!  Maybe a little protection for when it rains?  Talk about a pain in the fanny when it rains!  You can't open the hatch without it raining inside the cabin!  Ugh!  We have a tarp that can be used as a cover, but it's around the hatch where the air conditioner is to keep the rain out of the v-berth.   We need a solution!

The view from below decks

Well, it can't be said that necessity doesn't breed solutions!  Bob took our inflatable air mattress and sealed in the v-berth hatch around the a/c unit.  Not only is it thicker and provide better insulation, but it's heavier and doesn't rustle when the wind blows.  Hey, that was a good idea!  Thanks baby!!!

The air mattress covering the hatch where the a/c is installed.  Taken from the main hatch.

The a/c unit is actually better insulated now and the boat is cooler. 
Necessary now that the refrigerator is heating us up so much!

Now, I had thought that I would purchase a couple of long PVC pipes and attach (read tie here) two sides of the tarp to a piece of the pipe, drape the pipe over the boom (that's the long thing that sticks over the cockpit where the sail is attached Ms. B) and then anchor the PVC to the sides of the boat.  That would provide a "bowed" effect and keep the tarp nice and tight while providing shade and rain protection. 

Bob decided to drape the tarp itself over the boom and tie it down like a tent.  I have to admit that it works just fine this way and the results are the same.  It doesn't leave as much space to get into the boat, but I didn't have to do the actual work, so I'm pleased with the results~lol

He finished just in time for a nice rain storm:-)  I left the hatch part-ways open and had a wonderful nap listening to the rain.  Not one drop of water inside the cabin.  I think it may stay like this!

My sun shade tarp from the front of the Mystery.

Where we board is a little limited on space, but we ARE in the shade and we ARE dry when it rains!