A Whole New Nautical Community

SHIP'S LOG:

COLD doesn't begin to express what the temperature of the water was! If it was in the mid 50's I would be very surprised. Even more surprising was the condition of the prop. What a collection of sea creatures had set up housekeeping on it and the shaft. There were sponges. There were crabs. And of course there were barnacles. Boy, were there barnacles. Not only were they on every exposed surface of the prop and shaft, they were on the crabs as well. They were even on each other. Actually, they almost seemed as though they had been placed, lined up in rows so as to maximize the number of them that could be present. They were several layers deep wherever they were attached . And attached is the operative word! They resisted attempts to move them off. It was a question of scrape and go up for air. Scrape and go up for air again. Over and over again. The sponges were simple to remove and the crabs, once you touched them, vacated the area rather easily. But the barnacles, it was a real war. And even after all of the barnacles were removed, you still had to deal with the "glue" the left behind. Barnacles secrete something from their shells that they use to affix themselves to whatever surface they desire. Once you scrape the shells off, you have to scrape the "glue" off as well or else it acts like an invitation to other barnacles to come and attach themselves in place of those who were removed. And barnacle "glue" is something akin to crazy glue or super glue. Once in place it resists almost every attempt to remove it. You have to use a scraper and then bronze wool and lots of elbow grease. And it takes a lot, a lot of time. All of this done in cold, cold water. Does the term "hypothermia" mean anything to you.

And then there are the cuts! Barnacle shells have sharp edges and when you break them by trying to scrape them off, they develop more sharp edges. Every piece of unprotected skin, meaning every place you aren't wearing chain mail, Kevlar or any other type of armor, when it comes in contact with an edge, and no matter how careful you are they will, there will be a cut. It is something like rolling around in a bunch of rose bushes. No matter how careful, you will get cut. And then there is the fact that you are in salt water! Of course there is little chance that bleeding in the water will attract sharks, but it is a thought that enters your mind. And the odd fish that comes swimming by minding its own business sends a chill up and down your spine. You feel it even though you are already shivering from the cold water. Of course, the largest Great White Shark( remember from JAWS?) ever taken on rod and reel(23 feet), was taken off Montauk by Frank Mundus . . . a little over 10 miles away. Still, what are the chances? But the prop an shaft are clean and ABISHAG is ready for the eventual trip to Mystic for her winter slumber. I still haven't figured the cost yet.

MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:

Denial is more than a river in Egypt. I keep hoping that winter won't come but the last few days make it abundantly clear that it is coming and fast. The astronomical "winter" won't be here until December, but the atmospheric winter will be early this year. The Old Farmer's Almanac says that it is going to be cold and nasty with lots of snow. I was so hoping that all I was going to see of winter and cold and snow would be what was available in the Internet. I was planning to be deep in the South before the first flakes fell in God's Country, laughing at all of you stuck up here. I guess that God thought I was being unkind and decided that I should share your fate. So I will. Man, the thought of unloading the boat AGAIN is depressing. Going through the entire winterization process, even more depressing. The thought of not sailing in the sunshine and the hot weather in December, really depressing. C'est la vie!