Aluminum+Stainless steel=@#@$%#^!!!!

I am bleeding as I type this.  Cut myself fighting this stainless steel and aluminum monster.

That bastard in the photo above is my genoa car with sheave.  It is from 1991 or so I imagine.  Plenty of time to learn how to piss me off. Harken makes something similar still but they are about $900 apiece.  The sheaves on both my cars are shot.  The sheave will try but only with  a lot of help.
See that blue box under the car.  That holds the ball bearings in when it is not on the track.  Of course I know this after I took the other car off.  Ball bearings everywhere.  Grrr.  Being in a rush as usual and not thinking.  Dumb.
Anyway, I emailed Harken and found out that they will sell me sheaves for the low low sum of $266 each.  Crazy marine prices.  Part number 608 in case you were wondering.  So they come in on Friday.
I am currently STILL trying to get the sheave off the other block.

 That bolt is stuck on there.  Corroded.

If you zoom in you can see that the plate is stuck on the stainless steel part.  I think if I was able to have Thor slam on it with his hammer, that might dislodge this damn bolt.  I hacksawed through the other side of this thing.  That took about 10 minutes and 3 blades.
The photo below is the evil twin of the one above.  20 minutes of hacksawing to get that out.  5 blades also.  That bolt is 3/8" and is it strong.  See how the bolt is welded in the sheave.  No amount of hammering is going to fix that.

I put the dinghy wheels on.  That was an exercise in total frustration.  The stern of our Mercury dinghy is unlike most.  Of course.  So I had to remove some hardware from the dinghy to put this hardware on.  I had to epoxy the old holes and then I had to screw up drilling the new holes.  Filled those in and drilled again.
It seems that no matter what I am mounting, if it has screw holes in it, I mess it up royally.  Finally got those bastards on the back of the dinghy and one more thing checked off the list.

 Supposedly those wheels are going to save us backache and time.  Put the wheels down and the motor can stay lowered and the wheels protect the prop from hitting.  Unless you run up on a lone boulder that saddles those wheels.  When I do that, I post a picture.
I am officially on sabbatical now.  No more work.  No more money coming in only going out.  This will be interesting.

The going away cake from the gang at work

Next up I have to insulate the reefer and freezer better and then I have to finally get insurance for the boat that will cover us while in Mexico.  It is harder than you think.  Most insurance companies want three people on the boat with "blue water experience".  Which is what exactly?  None of the brokers can give me a satisfactory answer.  They ask where have you sailed and they say that counts or it doesn't count.  They don't ask for proof either.  At least not yet.  I have a couple emails out and we'll see what they say.