SHIP'S LOG:
Yesterday was cold, brutally so, and when the wind blew, it was even colder. That made it a perfect day to go window shopping indoors. But not just any store mind you, but rather a special store, "WEST MARINE." Yes, I stepped over the edge and drove to the nearest West Marine Store, but with the purest of intentions. I was going, I told myself, merely check out some necessary items that will absolutely be need in order to launch ABISHAG come MAY? There were bottom paint can labels to read to make sure that I got the proper ablative paint. There was packing flax to examine. The was cordage and line to price, along with a host of bolts, screws, washers, nuts, pins and clips to find.
Then there were fenders to examine, after all, who couldn't use more fenders? There were pre-spliced, double-braided , color-coded dock line to investigate as mine are beginning to show their age. There were brand new, self-contained, plug and play refrigerators that could easily replace the now departed refrigeration system of yore. And there were tools, or at least some that I don't have but "surely need" - a polishing/sander; wire -stripping & cutting ratcheting pliers; the list is endless. There were cleats for the fenders, steps for the cockpit, boarding ladders, cabinets and doors, solar vents and hatches, degreasers and engine paint, bilge cleaners and paint, faucets and pumps, electrical panels and LED lights, as well as a whole host thingamabobs that are just wonderful and need to be had. . . . . lust is a terrible thing.
Of course, the only thing that kept my from going impulse-buying crazy is the fact that I don't have any money, at least not any more than the cost of a new gallon of bottom paint($130 by the way) and I have a lot of the other stuff already. True, it is old and used, but for the most part, I have what I need. It is just a question of sorting it out and using it. Yes, there are items that I will have to buy, but not right now. The first thing is to do a survey of ABISHAG and make an honest assessment of what ABSOLUTELY AND POSITIVE NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE LAUNCHING and what would be nice but is really not necessary. There is a real difference between what make her look pretty and what makes her safe and sail-able. The survey will have to wait until at least next week as it is too bleeding cold to do it today or even this week. Till then, I will sit with the catalogs and dream and will religiously stay away from West Marine, Defenders and Harbor Freight!