SHIP"S LOG:
While not clean enough to eat out of, the bilge has become much cleaner than it was. Last year, I had this "mysterious" oil disappearing problem which, with the help of Cliff & Chuck, the engineering miracle workers, was solved by left oil way down deep in the bilge. The deep bilge is to "ultimate low point" of the interior of the boat, the final resting place of everything dropped in the boat. Loose anything, and you will eventually find it in the bilge . . .not that you would wanted after it has spent time therein! The bilge on ABISHAG is a little over a foot square and a good foot deep so it collects detritus and fluids quite well. The one bad bit of engineering is that it is also the location of the "show sump"." The Shower Sump is a 1 ft. square box into which drains the flow from the drains in the floor of the two heads. It is intended to trap hair and other such items to keep it from clogging the bilge pump which empties the bilge and keeps the boat afloat. The shower sump has three (3) inflow hose connections and one discharge hose connection. The discharge was intend to be connected to the bilge pump discharge hose downstream from the bilge pump and so exit the boat through the same thru-hull as the bilge pump. The show sump has a mesh trap inside to trap and collect all the nasty stuff that we exude when taking showers or washing in the sink. If you have ever had to unclog a drain in a sink or shower, you know what I am talking about. If you never have, you will one day! The entire top can be removed to that the trap can be cleaned . . not a chore that anyone who willing choose to do!
Unfortunately, somewhere in her past, one of ABISAHG's previous owners, for reason know only to them, removed to of the three hoses bring the nastiness to the sump and disconnected the discharge hose complete. There is, on the top of the shower sump box, a "float switch," a little device that lifted by rising water, turns on a pump somewhere. I am assuming, bad idea I know, that the pump it operates is inside the shower sump. When the water in the bilge rose sufficiently to lift the float switch, the rising water would also activate the regular bilge as well. Thus the water in the bilge and in the sump would be discharged together. However, the float switch is inactive. All electrical leads to the pump, wherever it might be located, are severed and, with the hoses cut, and with what remains of the dischage hose connected to nothing, the sump has fillled with oil and bilge and has been "fermenting" for years. Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of the shower sump?
Yesterday, I cleaned as much of the bilge as I would get to for you see the shower sump just about fills the entire deep bilge making it all be impossible to really clean it out. I hit it with SIMPLE GREEN, LESTOIL, DAWN Dish-washing liquid, and scrubbed with a brush, a scouring pad and lots and lots of Brawny Paper towels. To get rid of all the water, cleaning fluids and gunk, I vacuumed it all out with my wet/dry shopvac. I was able to get the almost inaccessible places in the bilge and even sucked most of "whatever" was in the shower sump out! The fluids I osaked up with two weeks worht of newspapersand dumped them into heavy duty trash bags and hauled them down the dock to the dumpster. It is clear though that the shower sump has got to go! It prevents any chance of really cleaning the bilge and, without cleaning the bilge really, really well, you get that low-grade rotten egg smell. Putting a mesh trap ( what is know for some reason as a "strum box") around the bilge pumps , automatic and manual, will make it a who lot easier. It "looks" as though the "only thing" hold int eh shower sump in place is one hose that wasn't disconnected by the previous owner. Remove that hose should free the shower sump box and open up the bilge.
Don, the magic electrician, is working on my engine. When it was winterize last year, the winterizer found that the oil got "way too hot." Eveidently it partially melted the plastic on one of the oil filters. There seems to be some question about how well or if the oil is circulating through the oil cooler. So at $60/hour, Don is trying to discover what is what. Having Don, the magic electricain, do this is great. He is a terribly honest guy, He trys to do everything he can to cut expenses. And he is a wonderful source for electrical work whose brain I pick when I can. I was having aprioblem with the SSB ( SIngle Side-Band Radio). However the power was turned on, it crackled and hummed and buzzed, not sounds that are indicative of proper operation. I disconnected it and took it to Dockside electronics, a stone's throw across the river, and they tested out the radio. It worked fine, so the problem was with the boat. I went back and reconneceted it and the problem reoccured. Do was able to talk me through tracking down the problem. It turned out to be a loose nut connecting the positive power wire to a fuse between the radio and the battery. Of course, the nut was nearly inaccessible, but I did get to it and the SSB is working just fine now. I 'll pick Don's brain more tomorrow when I see if he can walk me through discovering why the windlass doesn't work electrically.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I thought that I was through with bills from the Shipyard but it looks like I'll be getting another for Don's work. Hopefully, it will just be labor and not parts, though parts are usually the least expensive part of any work done. Hopefully, someone will come through at the last moment to, I hate to say it, "buy ABISHAG." Getting dunned again is hard on one's finances especially when one doesn't have any!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
She Was In, Then Out, And Now She's In Again! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
It was, I hate to say, two(2) weeks ago that ABISHAG was lifted from the water and setup on the hard. I hate to say it for I have been rather lax in getting out the word. While on the hard I was able to paint eh bottom which was remarkably clean considering that the "last scrubbing" was back in August sometime. It took two days to paint the bottom. She got one coat this year as the ablative paint( it wears away) was in good shape, I probably could have gotten away with just painting spots but gave her a whole coating from stem to stern. I painted the transducers with a special transducer paint that which protects against marine growth (well sort of) and still allows the transducers to function. The copper in the regular bottom paint would prevent the sending and receiving of signals rendering the transducers ( for the depth sounders) from working properly.
I cleaned out the thru-hulls removing the colonies of now dead marine critters insuring the water will go in and out as it should, especially through the engine cooling system and removed the built up marine growth from the prop and the shaft. The exterior zinc, which has been on the boat for 5 years now is in sound shape and didn't need to be replaced, which surprised the heck out of me! Evidently the galvanic isolator is doing one heck of a job!
There was a significant amount of mold inside on the walls and flat surfaces, especially in the fore-peak and the forward head. It must have come in through the vent that is in front of the mast and which I stupidly forgot to remove and cover for the winter. We had lots of rain and snow and wind this past winter and with the boat closed up during those bizarre hot days of March and April, produced some serious mold issues. However, a little scrubbing with "Simple Green" removed it all and made the interior smell wonderful too.
I removed the covering from the cockpit. The blu-poly tarp survived the winter but it has now seen better days. I doubt that it will be of much used other than as a drop cloth in the future.
One of the zippers that attach the bimini(the sun-covering over the cockpit) to its frame had torn away from the bimini. I had to remove the bimini and take it below and restitch it. A two minute job on a sewing machine was a one hour task by hand, though it should now outlast the rest of the bimini.
The stuffing box was re-stuffed and, considering it hadn't been touched for several years probably has an equal number of years to go for the future. working on the stuffing box (where the shaft goes from the transmission through the hull to the prop) requires that one be in two places at once. You can access it( partially) from the side of the engine through the doors of the engine compartment in the galley passageway and (partially) from a hatch in the floor of the closet in the aft cabin. It is a seemingly endless series of a partial adjustment from the aft cabin, followed by a further adjustment from the galley side, follwed by another from the after cabin, and another from the galley, etc., etc., etc, ad infinitum! You get the picture I am sure. Fun! Fun! Fun! ! ! !
I was able to free up the clutch for the chain gypsy on the windlass. Corrosion had locked it solid but a little, actually a lot of PT BLASTER, and some gentle persuasion with a hammer made everything hunky-dory. Unfortunately, the electric motor is still non-functioning and will have to be rewired or replaced, and who knows what that will cost!
My battle with the winch on the starboard side of the mast continues. I can only partially disassemble it so I can't get to what is probably the cause of its current non-function status. I talk with a rigger a couple of years ago and told him that the outer drum would rotate but that the winch handle would not grind the winch. He felt that the reason for this was the last time, whoever serviced the winch, put the pawls in backwards. Pawls are little pieces of metal that allow the winch to turn in only one direction. I can't fathom how someone could get them in backwards but it must be the case. I tried to disassemble the winch and remove the central shaft but it is stuck fast. I tried leveraging it out. No go! I tried wedging it out. Nada! I have got to find some type of "puller" to use on it. The shaft only has to move out about 1 inch and the pawls will be disengaged from the ratchet gearing but I can't get it to move move that a few centimeters. I would take the whole thing of the mast but corrosion has welded the base to the mast and it ain't going anywhere.
I found that a cable from the auto-pilot is rubbing ever so slightly on a metal tube where it connects to the quadrant, a triangular piece of metal attached to the top of the rudder shaft so that it can do its thing. It is imparting just enough resistance to make the wheel a little bit hard to turn. If I can come up with a solution, I will fix it but right now there seems to be no real necessity to do anything other than to grease the hell out of the cable.
The Single Sideband Radio won't go on but does make a sound that sound something like an alarm. I will have to remove it and get it tested. It may have reach the end of its life. I hope not as its replacement is 4 Marine Units!
I wasn't planning to go back into the water until next week, but space constraints in the yard forced me in on Wednesday past. I won't get the sails back until next week and anyway, there is an issue with the "oil temperature'" that needs looking at and friend Ray is coming to paint the And the mooring hasn't been set. The ball will go in over the weekend so I will have someplace to go when I can go. Ah, the fun of boat ownership!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Strangely, I never expected that I would be launching ABISHAG this year. I thought for sure that she would have been bought (Curses on the horrid economy and Bernie Madoff) and i would have spend the summer on the beach or something. I would have been comforted by the fact that my financial house would have thus been in sound order but it didn't happen. Now, with the yard bill paid, unless I want an even large bill or am just willing to walk away from the boat, I will be sailing. I spent so much time convincing myself that she would sell and accepting the fact that I would be boat-less for the first time in 30 years that it is somewhat hard to grasp the fact that such is not the case. It is all very strange! What happens next, I have no idea!
It was, I hate to say, two(2) weeks ago that ABISHAG was lifted from the water and setup on the hard. I hate to say it for I have been rather lax in getting out the word. While on the hard I was able to paint eh bottom which was remarkably clean considering that the "last scrubbing" was back in August sometime. It took two days to paint the bottom. She got one coat this year as the ablative paint( it wears away) was in good shape, I probably could have gotten away with just painting spots but gave her a whole coating from stem to stern. I painted the transducers with a special transducer paint that which protects against marine growth (well sort of) and still allows the transducers to function. The copper in the regular bottom paint would prevent the sending and receiving of signals rendering the transducers ( for the depth sounders) from working properly.
I cleaned out the thru-hulls removing the colonies of now dead marine critters insuring the water will go in and out as it should, especially through the engine cooling system and removed the built up marine growth from the prop and the shaft. The exterior zinc, which has been on the boat for 5 years now is in sound shape and didn't need to be replaced, which surprised the heck out of me! Evidently the galvanic isolator is doing one heck of a job!
There was a significant amount of mold inside on the walls and flat surfaces, especially in the fore-peak and the forward head. It must have come in through the vent that is in front of the mast and which I stupidly forgot to remove and cover for the winter. We had lots of rain and snow and wind this past winter and with the boat closed up during those bizarre hot days of March and April, produced some serious mold issues. However, a little scrubbing with "Simple Green" removed it all and made the interior smell wonderful too.
I removed the covering from the cockpit. The blu-poly tarp survived the winter but it has now seen better days. I doubt that it will be of much used other than as a drop cloth in the future.
One of the zippers that attach the bimini(the sun-covering over the cockpit) to its frame had torn away from the bimini. I had to remove the bimini and take it below and restitch it. A two minute job on a sewing machine was a one hour task by hand, though it should now outlast the rest of the bimini.
The stuffing box was re-stuffed and, considering it hadn't been touched for several years probably has an equal number of years to go for the future. working on the stuffing box (where the shaft goes from the transmission through the hull to the prop) requires that one be in two places at once. You can access it( partially) from the side of the engine through the doors of the engine compartment in the galley passageway and (partially) from a hatch in the floor of the closet in the aft cabin. It is a seemingly endless series of a partial adjustment from the aft cabin, followed by a further adjustment from the galley side, follwed by another from the after cabin, and another from the galley, etc., etc., etc, ad infinitum! You get the picture I am sure. Fun! Fun! Fun! ! ! !
I was able to free up the clutch for the chain gypsy on the windlass. Corrosion had locked it solid but a little, actually a lot of PT BLASTER, and some gentle persuasion with a hammer made everything hunky-dory. Unfortunately, the electric motor is still non-functioning and will have to be rewired or replaced, and who knows what that will cost!
My battle with the winch on the starboard side of the mast continues. I can only partially disassemble it so I can't get to what is probably the cause of its current non-function status. I talk with a rigger a couple of years ago and told him that the outer drum would rotate but that the winch handle would not grind the winch. He felt that the reason for this was the last time, whoever serviced the winch, put the pawls in backwards. Pawls are little pieces of metal that allow the winch to turn in only one direction. I can't fathom how someone could get them in backwards but it must be the case. I tried to disassemble the winch and remove the central shaft but it is stuck fast. I tried leveraging it out. No go! I tried wedging it out. Nada! I have got to find some type of "puller" to use on it. The shaft only has to move out about 1 inch and the pawls will be disengaged from the ratchet gearing but I can't get it to move move that a few centimeters. I would take the whole thing of the mast but corrosion has welded the base to the mast and it ain't going anywhere.
I found that a cable from the auto-pilot is rubbing ever so slightly on a metal tube where it connects to the quadrant, a triangular piece of metal attached to the top of the rudder shaft so that it can do its thing. It is imparting just enough resistance to make the wheel a little bit hard to turn. If I can come up with a solution, I will fix it but right now there seems to be no real necessity to do anything other than to grease the hell out of the cable.
The Single Sideband Radio won't go on but does make a sound that sound something like an alarm. I will have to remove it and get it tested. It may have reach the end of its life. I hope not as its replacement is 4 Marine Units!
I wasn't planning to go back into the water until next week, but space constraints in the yard forced me in on Wednesday past. I won't get the sails back until next week and anyway, there is an issue with the "oil temperature'" that needs looking at and friend Ray is coming to paint the And the mooring hasn't been set. The ball will go in over the weekend so I will have someplace to go when I can go. Ah, the fun of boat ownership!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Strangely, I never expected that I would be launching ABISHAG this year. I thought for sure that she would have been bought (Curses on the horrid economy and Bernie Madoff) and i would have spend the summer on the beach or something. I would have been comforted by the fact that my financial house would have thus been in sound order but it didn't happen. Now, with the yard bill paid, unless I want an even large bill or am just willing to walk away from the boat, I will be sailing. I spent so much time convincing myself that she would sell and accepting the fact that I would be boat-less for the first time in 30 years that it is somewhat hard to grasp the fact that such is not the case. It is all very strange! What happens next, I have no idea!
Friday, April 23, 2010
ALLS WELL THAT ENDS WELL . . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
And winter has ended. Spring is here. I "hobbled" down to the shipyard for my annual scare. I went to the dock to see how ABISHAG had fared over the long winter and SHE WASN'T THERE!!!!! Of course not. They have been putting boats in the water since April 1st and the guy renting the slip I was in went into the water early and so they moved me to another slip. You would think that after all the times this has happened to me that I would be ready "not to find the boat where I left it," but no, every year I just about have a heart attack when I don't see the boat where I expect to see it. But I found her eventually, at the dock and in the slip the farthest away possible of a hobbling man.
Once On board, I took of the tarp that had been covering the cockpit over the winter. It kept the snow out but is now only useful as a drop cloth. Those blue poly tarps have a very short life span! I get her hauled as soon as I can , will paint the bottom, do the zincs, grease the seacocks, slap on the registration stickers and off we will go. I have got to be quick getting out of the yard because they charge for everything, even the air and I gots no coins.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I am glad she didn't sell. I don't know exactly how we are going to swing it but sailing is better than selling.
And winter has ended. Spring is here. I "hobbled" down to the shipyard for my annual scare. I went to the dock to see how ABISHAG had fared over the long winter and SHE WASN'T THERE!!!!! Of course not. They have been putting boats in the water since April 1st and the guy renting the slip I was in went into the water early and so they moved me to another slip. You would think that after all the times this has happened to me that I would be ready "not to find the boat where I left it," but no, every year I just about have a heart attack when I don't see the boat where I expect to see it. But I found her eventually, at the dock and in the slip the farthest away possible of a hobbling man.
Once On board, I took of the tarp that had been covering the cockpit over the winter. It kept the snow out but is now only useful as a drop cloth. Those blue poly tarps have a very short life span! I get her hauled as soon as I can , will paint the bottom, do the zincs, grease the seacocks, slap on the registration stickers and off we will go. I have got to be quick getting out of the yard because they charge for everything, even the air and I gots no coins.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I am glad she didn't sell. I don't know exactly how we are going to swing it but sailing is better than selling.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Fast Sin't Fast Enough!!!!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Even though everyone from the surgeon to the physical therapist says that I am doing remarkably well with my recovery, it somehow just doesn't seem fast enough. I am down to "part-time" crutch use and can move around without much if any "waddle," still it seems it should be faster. I would hate to think what I would be like if I hadn't had all of these months of "patience training"! I have got to learn how to get down on all fours and back up again without dislocating the new hip, something easier said than done. The sadist of a physical therapist, with whom I am blessed, assures me that when we've strengthened the muscles and tendons, it will be easy as pie . . . sort of.
I would presume that I'll dump the crutch by the weekend which means a serious trip to see ABISHAG! Tied as she is to a "non-floating" dock, depending on the tide, she could b even with the finger pier along her side or 2-3 feet below it. Obviously, if the deck and pier are level, getting on and off is a piece of cake. However, swinging down to the deck or crawling back up 2-3 feet is best accomplished when one is spry and nimble. And while I have never been particularly spry and nimble, I am even less so now. I would sure hate to pop the new hip while trying to get on or off the boat. The level of pain is said to be extreme and it is nothing I wish to experience ever, but I do have to get started on "das boot."
No bites, not even a nibble since the February inquiry. SO it looks like we re going to have to figure out some way to come up with the coins to sail her for the summer. "A terrible tragedy, but it looks like it will have to be done!" It is either sell or sail it and it looks like now it will be the latter.
The forecast for the summer looks good but the hurricane season looks bad. Well, everything can't be perfect!
Even though everyone from the surgeon to the physical therapist says that I am doing remarkably well with my recovery, it somehow just doesn't seem fast enough. I am down to "part-time" crutch use and can move around without much if any "waddle," still it seems it should be faster. I would hate to think what I would be like if I hadn't had all of these months of "patience training"! I have got to learn how to get down on all fours and back up again without dislocating the new hip, something easier said than done. The sadist of a physical therapist, with whom I am blessed, assures me that when we've strengthened the muscles and tendons, it will be easy as pie . . . sort of.
I would presume that I'll dump the crutch by the weekend which means a serious trip to see ABISHAG! Tied as she is to a "non-floating" dock, depending on the tide, she could b even with the finger pier along her side or 2-3 feet below it. Obviously, if the deck and pier are level, getting on and off is a piece of cake. However, swinging down to the deck or crawling back up 2-3 feet is best accomplished when one is spry and nimble. And while I have never been particularly spry and nimble, I am even less so now. I would sure hate to pop the new hip while trying to get on or off the boat. The level of pain is said to be extreme and it is nothing I wish to experience ever, but I do have to get started on "das boot."
No bites, not even a nibble since the February inquiry. SO it looks like we re going to have to figure out some way to come up with the coins to sail her for the summer. "A terrible tragedy, but it looks like it will have to be done!" It is either sell or sail it and it looks like now it will be the latter.
The forecast for the summer looks good but the hurricane season looks bad. Well, everything can't be perfect!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
And On It Goes ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
There must be someone to whom I can report my Physical Therapist! Vicious! Heartless! Unyielding! Without pity or remorse! I find it hard to believe that such workouts as I am forced to undergo can possibly be within the bound of proper medicine or even the law! When one of the little old blue-haired ladies with whom I share this therapist keep muttering "bastard" and "son-of-a-bitch" under their breath, you know something must be wrong!
Ah yes, but then, I am getting better and by the end of the week (next) should be crutchless. That's a good thing as I need to get down to start work on ABISHAG. I am acting on the assumption ( yes, I know all about not to "assume") but with only one, count 'em one(1), nibble, I dare say she won't be sold this year, which means that she will be sailed though exactly how I am going to swing this financially is still a bit of a mystery. But I love a good mystery.
There must be someone to whom I can report my Physical Therapist! Vicious! Heartless! Unyielding! Without pity or remorse! I find it hard to believe that such workouts as I am forced to undergo can possibly be within the bound of proper medicine or even the law! When one of the little old blue-haired ladies with whom I share this therapist keep muttering "bastard" and "son-of-a-bitch" under their breath, you know something must be wrong!
Ah yes, but then, I am getting better and by the end of the week (next) should be crutchless. That's a good thing as I need to get down to start work on ABISHAG. I am acting on the assumption ( yes, I know all about not to "assume") but with only one, count 'em one(1), nibble, I dare say she won't be sold this year, which means that she will be sailed though exactly how I am going to swing this financially is still a bit of a mystery. But I love a good mystery.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Water! Water Everywhere!
SHIP'S LOG:
It is still raining! Most of southeastern Connecticut and seemingly all of Rhode Island are being washed away. I am wondering about ABISHAG as she is all but cut-off to access by car. Route 1 is your basic small(sometimes not so small) stream over-flowing its banks and of course is the demarcation line between the coast (and the marinas where be the boats) and the rest of the North American continent. And as they say all over New England, "You can't get there from here!"
One good thing: ABISHAG was stored in the water. This means that she rises and falls with the level of the water. Though I have seen no news with this regard, it is possible, and it has happened before, that boats stored ashore have had their blocks and support stands washed away causing the boats to fall over. It is also a very rare event for only one boat to fall. If one goes, packed as tightly together as they are, others usually follow. The downside of being in the water is the potential for damage from the flotsam and jetsam that gets washed into the river and down stream by the flooding. One thing in ABISHAG's favor is that she is moored on the downstream side of the dock so the dock, as well as those boats moored on the upstream side of the dock, provide her with considerable protection from damage by floating debris.
Of course, with fixed docks - that is docks that don't rise and fall with the tide or increased water levels - she is fixed by docklines that are set for the normal range of rise and fall. Hopefully, the yard people have been diligent about monitoring the conditions and have made the adjustments necessary. Of course, with the brokers who are trying to sell her having their office right in the same yard as ABISHAG is moored, and not 200 yards away, there are an extra set or two of eyes and helping hands. If, for whatever reason she or another craft breaks loose, she could suffer a lot of damage and cause a lot as well. And with no insurance . . . . . AH, the fun of boat ownership!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I can't begin to express how sick I am of the current weather. The gray skies and rain and cold and wind are incredibly depressing to me. And they make my new hip ache! Well, not necessarily the hip but all of the stuff around it that got cut and stitched. It is not real pain, just achiness which only adds to the nastiness of the present climatic situation. Crutching around on but one crutch is encouraging but it will still be a couple of weeks before the mobility is sufficient for me to really get out and moving. Then it will be down to the boatyard to do the spring work and get ABISHAG launched. If it is sunny, I won't care. As long as there is no rain and at least some sun, I won't care. It will probably seem enjoyable to get to work at last.
It is still raining! Most of southeastern Connecticut and seemingly all of Rhode Island are being washed away. I am wondering about ABISHAG as she is all but cut-off to access by car. Route 1 is your basic small(sometimes not so small) stream over-flowing its banks and of course is the demarcation line between the coast (and the marinas where be the boats) and the rest of the North American continent. And as they say all over New England, "You can't get there from here!"
One good thing: ABISHAG was stored in the water. This means that she rises and falls with the level of the water. Though I have seen no news with this regard, it is possible, and it has happened before, that boats stored ashore have had their blocks and support stands washed away causing the boats to fall over. It is also a very rare event for only one boat to fall. If one goes, packed as tightly together as they are, others usually follow. The downside of being in the water is the potential for damage from the flotsam and jetsam that gets washed into the river and down stream by the flooding. One thing in ABISHAG's favor is that she is moored on the downstream side of the dock so the dock, as well as those boats moored on the upstream side of the dock, provide her with considerable protection from damage by floating debris.
Of course, with fixed docks - that is docks that don't rise and fall with the tide or increased water levels - she is fixed by docklines that are set for the normal range of rise and fall. Hopefully, the yard people have been diligent about monitoring the conditions and have made the adjustments necessary. Of course, with the brokers who are trying to sell her having their office right in the same yard as ABISHAG is moored, and not 200 yards away, there are an extra set or two of eyes and helping hands. If, for whatever reason she or another craft breaks loose, she could suffer a lot of damage and cause a lot as well. And with no insurance . . . . . AH, the fun of boat ownership!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I can't begin to express how sick I am of the current weather. The gray skies and rain and cold and wind are incredibly depressing to me. And they make my new hip ache! Well, not necessarily the hip but all of the stuff around it that got cut and stitched. It is not real pain, just achiness which only adds to the nastiness of the present climatic situation. Crutching around on but one crutch is encouraging but it will still be a couple of weeks before the mobility is sufficient for me to really get out and moving. Then it will be down to the boatyard to do the spring work and get ABISHAG launched. If it is sunny, I won't care. As long as there is no rain and at least some sun, I won't care. It will probably seem enjoyable to get to work at last.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
So This IS Spring? ?? ? ??
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Well I am back at the "Hermitage" and now I have to deal with stairs on a full time basis. Truth be told, they are not all that difficult, especially going up, though going down is still a little on the hinkey side. I have got to remind myself over and over again not to rush and to be careful of crutch placement as momentum and gravity are powerful forces, especially when working together!!!! I would really hate to take a tumble and ruin all young Doctor Sean's handiwork!
I am off of all of the pain medication now, except for the "as needed" meds which I haven't needed . . . as of yet. There was no pain whatever before but now there is! Nothing much, but I can tell where every cut, slash & stitch was and is. I am down to one crutch which is a 50% improvement. My new PT thinks I am ready for out patient Physical Therapy. Rather than her coming here, I will venture to the out-patient physical therapy facility at the local hospital. Perhaps I go back the the private PT facility where I re-habbed my wrist when I shattered it a couple of years ago.
One of the things I have to be careful of is how I move the right leg and hip. I can't cross my legs, I can't allow the knee to be higher than the hip. I can't inward or outward turn the high by more than 45 degrees and certainly I can't do all three at once. Doing so will result in a dislocation of the hip. With the intensity and sincerity and earnestness with which the medical people talk about not wanting this to happen, I get the rather distinct impression that it really is something to be avoided at all cost. The surgery was described as rather violent, with lots of pounding and sawing and leveraging and drilling and grinding, something akin to changing the rings on an engine. I gather from the description and the cautions, "re-locating" a dislocated hip prosthesis is something akin to replacing a transmission, lots of leveraging and pounding and the like. I have been cautioned again and again, ad nausem, not to do anything that would risk it. It should make for a fun post-Easter time as I get the boat ready for the season.
Poor ABISHAG! She has tickled no one's fancy this winter, except for that one guy, but nothing came of that. It looks like if she is not going to sell, she is going to sail. I am not sure just how that will work out, but I leave such things up to God these days. God will work it all out in some way and I am just going along for the ride. It makes it feel a whole lot better not having to carry that weight. But in any event, I have to get her ready so that she can be splashed come May or else it will be more money for the ever hungry boatyard. Anybody out there have any POWERBALL Winnings they would like to share? Just asking.
Well I am back at the "Hermitage" and now I have to deal with stairs on a full time basis. Truth be told, they are not all that difficult, especially going up, though going down is still a little on the hinkey side. I have got to remind myself over and over again not to rush and to be careful of crutch placement as momentum and gravity are powerful forces, especially when working together!!!! I would really hate to take a tumble and ruin all young Doctor Sean's handiwork!
I am off of all of the pain medication now, except for the "as needed" meds which I haven't needed . . . as of yet. There was no pain whatever before but now there is! Nothing much, but I can tell where every cut, slash & stitch was and is. I am down to one crutch which is a 50% improvement. My new PT thinks I am ready for out patient Physical Therapy. Rather than her coming here, I will venture to the out-patient physical therapy facility at the local hospital. Perhaps I go back the the private PT facility where I re-habbed my wrist when I shattered it a couple of years ago.
One of the things I have to be careful of is how I move the right leg and hip. I can't cross my legs, I can't allow the knee to be higher than the hip. I can't inward or outward turn the high by more than 45 degrees and certainly I can't do all three at once. Doing so will result in a dislocation of the hip. With the intensity and sincerity and earnestness with which the medical people talk about not wanting this to happen, I get the rather distinct impression that it really is something to be avoided at all cost. The surgery was described as rather violent, with lots of pounding and sawing and leveraging and drilling and grinding, something akin to changing the rings on an engine. I gather from the description and the cautions, "re-locating" a dislocated hip prosthesis is something akin to replacing a transmission, lots of leveraging and pounding and the like. I have been cautioned again and again, ad nausem, not to do anything that would risk it. It should make for a fun post-Easter time as I get the boat ready for the season.
Poor ABISHAG! She has tickled no one's fancy this winter, except for that one guy, but nothing came of that. It looks like if she is not going to sell, she is going to sail. I am not sure just how that will work out, but I leave such things up to God these days. God will work it all out in some way and I am just going along for the ride. It makes it feel a whole lot better not having to carry that weight. But in any event, I have to get her ready so that she can be splashed come May or else it will be more money for the ever hungry boatyard. Anybody out there have any POWERBALL Winnings they would like to share? Just asking.
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