FROSTY THE SAILOR

SHIP'S LOG:

Another task has been completed by the yard! They have connected the exhaust hose from the engine to the "new" seacock! Now, I can run the engine and charge the batteries! Well, I could if there was enough juice in the batteries to turn the engine over and if the batteries would take and hold a charge! Unfortunately, neither is the case. Too bad about the batteries too, as they are AMGs and will be EXPENSIVE to replace. Considering my precarious financial situation, such will not be the case and I will have to go with wet cells. Another one of those unexpected surprises that keep cropping up to keep me on my toes.

I have discovered a panel on the side of the engine space that allows access to the top of the engine when removed ..... and allows for great frustration when one tries to put it back in place. For some reason that I have yet to figure out, the panel, held in by four screws, popped out rather easily yet refused to go back into place. It is going to take some work with a plane or a sander to get it to fit. while it is out, I am trying to come up with a way to fix it in place and yet still allow it to be readily removed. Screwing and un-screwing doesn't seem to be the way to go.

Of course, getting the panel off in the first place was a chore. It was not so much the the panel was tough to get out, clearing the way for it was. A previous owner had placed a cup-holder ( actually a piece of 3-inch diameter PVC pipe) on the counter in front of the panel and affixed it to the bulkhead with screws. It is great for holding cups but it had to be removed to remove the panel. In addition, not satisfied with the amount of light generated by the flat light fixture over this counter, a previous owner had installed a swiveling light fixture which hung down just far enough to prevent the panel from being removed. It too had to be removed too. Unfortunately, it was not installed all that well and literally came apart when I took it out. Solves the problem of what to do with it after I get the panel back in. Fun! Fun!Fun!

The name is on and it looks great. It is done in silver foil and outlined with white. It looks impressive but it does provoke the obvious questions. Perhaps I should put the scripture notation below it or something.

I have found that I cannot re-install the floor in the "in-law apartment" - the large cockpit locker. The new thru-hull for the exhaust changes the angle of the hose raising it above the previous floor level. I guess that I will have to re-cut the floor to allow for the new angle but I wonder if I should do something to "protect" the hose. There is, after all, a lot of "stuff" that used to reside in that locker and I wouldn't want to get that hose punctured. This is also the home of the battery bank and the future home of the new and increased-in-size battery banks. it means that I am going to have to rethink storage. You would think that there would be a lot of storage on a 39 foot boat, and there is, but you still have to have a place for everything and have everything in its place, or you'll never find anything. I "lost" a Maglite flashlight for almost a week on the boat and the only reason I didn't buy another is because I knew that it was on the boat somewhere. Eventually it turned up and it now sits in its own place whenever not in use. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the bungy-cords I "lost" yesterday. I am going to have to start bringing things to the boat and finding places to store them but that is not as easy as it sounds.

First of all, every boat is weight sensitive. ABISHAG can carry a lot of weight but it is not just how much but also where. How and where you position the weight on the boat affects its sailing characteristics, especially its stability. You have to keep the weight as low as you can.

Then, there is access. How do you get to the things that you need when you need them? Things that you don't use a lot can be buried deep in a storage space and the stuff you use a lot has to be readily available. Then again, safety equipment, which you hope you will never use, has too be instantly accessible.

This all gets even more confusing when you get to food supplies. Items you use a lot have to give way to stuff that can go bad . Fruits and veggies last for different lengths of time before they go bad and where you store them, deep in the cool bilge or high in a dry hammock, affects that time line. There are whole books written about how to store stuff on your boat. Like many things in boating, there is almost too much info. The simple truth is just the fact that I still have too much stuff.

MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:

It is frustrating that I am still here. When I get up in the morning now and there is frost all over my car, I really get pissed. I should have been away by now but I am still here. today, I went out to get some milk for breakfast and had to warm up the car and defrost the windows. i was not happy about it. And really, it is the yard and there is not much I can do about it.

One good thing, one very good thing in all of this is that I will probbaly get to spend Thanksgiving with the family. I seriously doubt I would whip up a turkey if I was on my own at anchor in the Cheasapeake.

Once the boat is finally ready, I will have to hold a "Going Away" Party and give everyone a chance to say "Good-bye.' Maybe I should have a "Boat Warming"?