CLEAN-UP!

SHIP'S LOG:

Today was spent doing the major clean-up of ABISHAG. It is really amazing how much "dirt' ends up on a boat surrounded by water! The clean-up also involved finding a spot for all the "stuff" currently on board. That was a little more of a challenge. It would be easy to place things in the first available spot but I couldn't do that as it would create chaos in the future. I have a lot of plumbing stuff - connectors, valves, pumps, hoses of various lengths and diameters - and while it is important the odds of needing any of it anytime soon are slim. So it was that i had to move it out of a locker over the settee in the salon to locker under the LECTROSAN unit in the fore peak. All the electrical stuff - wires, connectors, switches - were moved from a settee shelf to a locker under the settee. There were several other shifts of stuff that went on and as a result, the interior is a lot cleaner and ready to receive the stuff that is coming. Space for a load of books and clothes and tools and provender has to be found and the stuff put in place. A good blow will make clear what items are in the wrong spots and which are.

Had a long chat with "CHUCK THE LAUNCH DRIVER" who was planning to leave for the South on Monday(9/15) but who put it off as the weather was a bit iffy. It was bright and sunny but the wind was honking between 15-20knots and gusting up to 30 - not particularly bad, (actually probably sounds pretty good) but coming out of the North would make the trip down Long Island Sound a little rough and there was no real reason to get beat up. I like Chuck's approach - go when the weather is good and don't when it isn't. We talked about the where he was planning to stop for the first few days and I was glad to find that his plan was a match to my own - New London to the New Haven Breakwater - New Haven to Willet's Point, New York(Throgg's Neck) - Willet's Point to Mannasquan Inlet, New Jersey. Of course, it will all depend on weather and that's up to God. I'll go with what I am given. Chuck and I traded cell phone numbers and we'll keep in touch as we go. Chuck's delay turned out to be a good thing - much like my own - as he found a leak in his anti-freeze/cooling system that he was able to fix. He will now be leaving, or is planning to do so, this morning (9/16).

As of this morning, I am planning to be leaving on this coming Monday Morning(9/22). Even if the weather keeps me in New London, it is always a possibility, I will have everything down that I can get down, everything needed to be done, and will be ready to go. There is always the possibility that chuck and I will meet up along the way and will trip together. If not, I will at least have "a scout" ahead of me on the journey.

MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:

Well the last financial option for getting out of debt before leaving came a cropper. Evidently, I have too much credit card debt to get a loan and so I will just have to make the trip on shaky financial ground. I will buy a Powerball ticket for the Wednesday drawing but I am not expecting to win the big prize or even a smaller one. I think God is trying to get me to trust that he will take care of everything. Perhaps it is part of God's plan that I win the Powerball and there is no way I can know if I don't play, but I suspect that it won't be the case. I am just going to have to trust that God is in charge. Self-surrender, giving up control, taking steps with trust is a tough, tough thing to do.