SHIP'S LOG:
About that email from the Coasties . . . . it seems that they were absolutely correct. The credentials did arrive within 10 days of receiving the email. In fact, they came even before I got the email. Turns out that the credential they were referring to was not the Merchant Mariner credential but the medical certificate for the Merchant Mariner license. Like I said, the every thing I got days before the email announcing that I would be getting it. I'll be getting the Merchant Mariner Credentials as soon as one more group reviews the paperwork and signs off on my qualifications. Any day now. SIGH!
And the MRI! As I said, my ortho guy is on vacation this week, so after two tries, I got a phone call from the physician's assistant, Tom. The good news is that I don't have a torn cartilage in my knee, I have two torn cartilages in my knee, one on the inside and one on the outside, and while the tear on the inside feels the more painful, the tear on the outside is the greater. I'll have to wait until sometime next week before I can sit down with Dr. Sean and we can decide what to do.There isn't anything they can do stop the pain, no wrap, no brace, nothing like that. I have to live on Aleve or some other anti-inflammatory. With the arthritis that is present, there is a chance that even if they go in and scope the knee, they pain relief may not be complete. And how is your day going?
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Already But Not Yet!
SHIP'S LOG:
Fourteen days ago, I got an email from the Coast Guard Documentation Center In West Virginia(?) stating that my Merchant Marine Certificate with the Launch Operator Endorsement, had been issued and "would be sent by FIRST CLASS MAIL" and that I should expect to receive it " in less than ten days." Like I said, that was fourteen days ago! So technically I am a launch river, the "Already," but can't actually drive the launch, the "Not Yet," as I do not have the certificate in hand.
Another example is my right knee. I had an MRI done on it on June 14th, but I am still awaiting the results. I have called the doctors office twice in the last few days and the receptionist said she would pull the file and give it to him and he would call me to discuss the results. That was this past Friday. I called again yesterday and another receptionist said that the doctor was away for a few days but that she would pull the file and the physician's assistant would call me and discuss the results. I am still waiting! In the meantime, the cortisone has worn off and the knee feels as it first did when I went to the doctor some weeks ago now. This is not making me happy!
Fourteen days ago, I got an email from the Coast Guard Documentation Center In West Virginia(?) stating that my Merchant Marine Certificate with the Launch Operator Endorsement, had been issued and "would be sent by FIRST CLASS MAIL" and that I should expect to receive it " in less than ten days." Like I said, that was fourteen days ago! So technically I am a launch river, the "Already," but can't actually drive the launch, the "Not Yet," as I do not have the certificate in hand.
Another example is my right knee. I had an MRI done on it on June 14th, but I am still awaiting the results. I have called the doctors office twice in the last few days and the receptionist said she would pull the file and give it to him and he would call me to discuss the results. That was this past Friday. I called again yesterday and another receptionist said that the doctor was away for a few days but that she would pull the file and the physician's assistant would call me and discuss the results. I am still waiting! In the meantime, the cortisone has worn off and the knee feels as it first did when I went to the doctor some weeks ago now. This is not making me happy!
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Almost Done
SHIP'S LOG:
There are about 25 ceiling panels in ABISHAG's salon, galley and aft cabin. All have been Velcro-ed in place except for four. I'll finish those off today and then the ceiling will be complete. Not perfect but complete and hanging in place. Some of the panels are just a bit warped and don't make as good contact with the Velcro as I would like. The Masonite is also a bit on the heavy side. so some extra fairing strips and a reduction in the size of the panels will be coming this fall. But not now, now is sailing time.
Still no Merchant Mariner Certificate as of yet. It has been issued and is being sent by First Class Mil from West Virginia. The CG said it would take about 10 days. Ten Day Mai From West Virginia First Class? Your tax dollars at work!
There are about 25 ceiling panels in ABISHAG's salon, galley and aft cabin. All have been Velcro-ed in place except for four. I'll finish those off today and then the ceiling will be complete. Not perfect but complete and hanging in place. Some of the panels are just a bit warped and don't make as good contact with the Velcro as I would like. The Masonite is also a bit on the heavy side. so some extra fairing strips and a reduction in the size of the panels will be coming this fall. But not now, now is sailing time.
Still no Merchant Mariner Certificate as of yet. It has been issued and is being sent by First Class Mil from West Virginia. The CG said it would take about 10 days. Ten Day Mai From West Virginia First Class? Your tax dollars at work!
Monday, June 16, 2014
Summer's Here!
SHIP'S LOG:
Of course you would not know it from the water temperature, which is 70 for the first four feet and 40 below that, but from the air temp which is in the high 70's and wonderfully, mildly humid. It feels like Summer!
To celebrate, I locked my keys in my car! I called around and finally found a friend who had AAA and an hour or so free. The came to my car, right outside TYC, made the call and we waited and idly chatted for a good 50 minutes. The AAA guy showed up and it took longer to fill out the paper work than it did for him to open the car. That's twice no in the last 30 days that I have had a senior moment and locked my keys in the car. When I had the little blue Hyundai Hatchback P.o.S., I never locked the hatch and so could always access the inside. I am going to have to train myself to manually lock the doors and not use the electronic lock switch.
I check with the House Chairman and I got permission to salvage a few scraps from under the clubhouse. These will work perfectly to make the slating necessary to put the ceiling panels back in place. ABISHAG locks a little ratty with everything stuff in the bow and I want to get it over and done with.
Still no word from my orthopedist on the results of the MRI. It will probably be a few days more before I hear the "hopefully" good news.
My medical certification for the Launch Operator License arrived in the mail today. Boy, they are sure dragging this thing out. The launch goes into full-time service Friday and Wayne is getting a little nervous.
Of course you would not know it from the water temperature, which is 70 for the first four feet and 40 below that, but from the air temp which is in the high 70's and wonderfully, mildly humid. It feels like Summer!
To celebrate, I locked my keys in my car! I called around and finally found a friend who had AAA and an hour or so free. The came to my car, right outside TYC, made the call and we waited and idly chatted for a good 50 minutes. The AAA guy showed up and it took longer to fill out the paper work than it did for him to open the car. That's twice no in the last 30 days that I have had a senior moment and locked my keys in the car. When I had the little blue Hyundai Hatchback P.o.S., I never locked the hatch and so could always access the inside. I am going to have to train myself to manually lock the doors and not use the electronic lock switch.
I check with the House Chairman and I got permission to salvage a few scraps from under the clubhouse. These will work perfectly to make the slating necessary to put the ceiling panels back in place. ABISHAG locks a little ratty with everything stuff in the bow and I want to get it over and done with.
Still no word from my orthopedist on the results of the MRI. It will probably be a few days more before I hear the "hopefully" good news.
My medical certification for the Launch Operator License arrived in the mail today. Boy, they are sure dragging this thing out. The launch goes into full-time service Friday and Wayne is getting a little nervous.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Blah!
SHIP'S LOG:
Well, this has certainly been a crappy week! That is to say the weather has been crappy. Winds were supposed to top-out at 10 knots but have been blowing a steady 15 with gust to 25! The wind was supposed to come out of the south, but it has been mostly from the East/North East which in the Thames sets up a nasty chop . . . not good for sleeping. And the there is the rain which has happened several times every day this week. It is sort of like the old joke that goes: it only rained twice this week, once for three day and once for four. And when there has been no rain and no wind, we have had fog. right now from high atop the clubhouse, I can barely see then end of the dock. this should make it "simply wonderful" for all those involved in the Off Sounding Race. Today they are supposed to race from Watch Hill to Block Island. Right now, it would be more a drift than a race and in the fog as well.
Joy of joys, I got an email from the Coast Guard stating that my Merchant Mariner's Certificate, with the Launch Operator endorsement, has been approved and issued. I have been working on this since February!What a paper chase. Hopefully, the actually papers will show up this week and that's a good think too because we will be going to full time launch hours on the weekend and I have to carry the license with me when I operate the launch. We only have two launch operators currently and they have been getting worn from just the limited hours currently in place.They could use the help.
Oh, by the way, let's hear it for "snail mail." The License obtaining process could be done electronically on-line or the old fashion way by way of the Post Office. While I have a computer, i didn't have access to a scanner nor a printer so had to opt for the old fashion method. The other three "candidates" all chose to do it electronically. It would appear that old fashion beats new fashion as none of the others have gotten notification of approval and issuance. How 'bout that!
Well, this has certainly been a crappy week! That is to say the weather has been crappy. Winds were supposed to top-out at 10 knots but have been blowing a steady 15 with gust to 25! The wind was supposed to come out of the south, but it has been mostly from the East/North East which in the Thames sets up a nasty chop . . . not good for sleeping. And the there is the rain which has happened several times every day this week. It is sort of like the old joke that goes: it only rained twice this week, once for three day and once for four. And when there has been no rain and no wind, we have had fog. right now from high atop the clubhouse, I can barely see then end of the dock. this should make it "simply wonderful" for all those involved in the Off Sounding Race. Today they are supposed to race from Watch Hill to Block Island. Right now, it would be more a drift than a race and in the fog as well.
Joy of joys, I got an email from the Coast Guard stating that my Merchant Mariner's Certificate, with the Launch Operator endorsement, has been approved and issued. I have been working on this since February!What a paper chase. Hopefully, the actually papers will show up this week and that's a good think too because we will be going to full time launch hours on the weekend and I have to carry the license with me when I operate the launch. We only have two launch operators currently and they have been getting worn from just the limited hours currently in place.They could use the help.
Oh, by the way, let's hear it for "snail mail." The License obtaining process could be done electronically on-line or the old fashion way by way of the Post Office. While I have a computer, i didn't have access to a scanner nor a printer so had to opt for the old fashion method. The other three "candidates" all chose to do it electronically. It would appear that old fashion beats new fashion as none of the others have gotten notification of approval and issuance. How 'bout that!
Monday, June 9, 2014
A Little Of This And That
SHIP'S LOG:
I spent the weekend on the mooring trying to find a place for all the stuff I brought aboard. I might have gotten 75% of it stored away. Actually that is pretty good since I still have another load up at Russ' and I can't even consider bringing it down until all this stuff has found a home. And that won't really happen until the ceiling panels are back in place and on and on and on it goes.
Even with the Thames River roll, sleeping on the mooring is the best for rest. Even the rolls are pleasant on the mooring when you get into the rhythm.
The knee is better but not great. The cortisone seems to have relieved most of the irritation which is good, but I am beginning to think that there is either a tear in the meniscus, or a piece is detached or there is a bone chip floating around for no good reason. Rather than the whole knee being sore, there are various spots which seem to trade off on being sore. Walking is actually a bit of a chore and I find it surprising how tiring it can be. The fact that the pain may less but really never disappear completely reminds me, dare I say it, of my hip prior to its replacement. That is not a pleasant thought at all. I haven't had ABISHAG out for a sail yet as I do not trust my knee when moving around on deck. The Doctor said the knee is sound but the pain, with an occasional bolt, causes the brain to tell the knee to buckle and it could do so at a most inopportune time, Since I sail by myself most of the time, it isn't something I want to take a chance with just yet. Hopefully the MRI will discover the source of the irritation and pain and it can be dealt with quickly.
Despite the knee, I went racing with Jim Avery in the CHILI Series on Sunday and we won both races, on corrected time of course, but we won. Not bad, not bad at all.
The CHARLES W. MORGAN, the oldest commercial vessel in the US and the last wooden whaling ship is doing shakedown day trips out of New London. It is impressive to see her under sail and moving with surprising speed for something so large driven only by the wind. She'll head out in a could of days for a summer tour of New England waters before she goes back to Mystic Seaport for good.
I spent the weekend on the mooring trying to find a place for all the stuff I brought aboard. I might have gotten 75% of it stored away. Actually that is pretty good since I still have another load up at Russ' and I can't even consider bringing it down until all this stuff has found a home. And that won't really happen until the ceiling panels are back in place and on and on and on it goes.
Even with the Thames River roll, sleeping on the mooring is the best for rest. Even the rolls are pleasant on the mooring when you get into the rhythm.
The knee is better but not great. The cortisone seems to have relieved most of the irritation which is good, but I am beginning to think that there is either a tear in the meniscus, or a piece is detached or there is a bone chip floating around for no good reason. Rather than the whole knee being sore, there are various spots which seem to trade off on being sore. Walking is actually a bit of a chore and I find it surprising how tiring it can be. The fact that the pain may less but really never disappear completely reminds me, dare I say it, of my hip prior to its replacement. That is not a pleasant thought at all. I haven't had ABISHAG out for a sail yet as I do not trust my knee when moving around on deck. The Doctor said the knee is sound but the pain, with an occasional bolt, causes the brain to tell the knee to buckle and it could do so at a most inopportune time, Since I sail by myself most of the time, it isn't something I want to take a chance with just yet. Hopefully the MRI will discover the source of the irritation and pain and it can be dealt with quickly.
Despite the knee, I went racing with Jim Avery in the CHILI Series on Sunday and we won both races, on corrected time of course, but we won. Not bad, not bad at all.
The CHARLES W. MORGAN, the oldest commercial vessel in the US and the last wooden whaling ship is doing shakedown day trips out of New London. It is impressive to see her under sail and moving with surprising speed for something so large driven only by the wind. She'll head out in a could of days for a summer tour of New England waters before she goes back to Mystic Seaport for good.
Friday, June 6, 2014
More Fun Than A Barrel of . . . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
I can't remember when I had so much fun as I did yesterday. Through the generosity of a very dear friend, I had the 3/5 of a Marine Unit I needed to procure the three necessary batteries to get ABISHAG's heart going again. It was merely a matter of going to get the proper sized/powered/warrantied batteries up at WALMART. Yes, I know, but they do sell stuff cheap.
The batteries aboard are down below in the "In-Law" apartment, the rather large, but not quite large enough, cockpit locker. There are several different connections to the batteries linking them to chargers and monitors and the wind generator and to get them out of sequence or reconnect them wrong when installing the new batteries would be a bit of a disaster. and knowing how I view electricity anyway (it's all voodoo), there are three was of insuring or trying to insure you get it right. The first is to draw a diagram and take a "selfie." This shows how everything looked before you started to disconnect wires. The second is to tie the leads together with wire ties as they come of each individual stud. The third, and the one which I chose, is to got get the new batteries first, drag them down to the boat, haul one old battery out and replace it with a new battery, putting the proper wires on the proper studs. You have to picture doing this in a closet, squatting, unscrewing nuts off and on battery terminals, nuts that are two different sizes so you don't put them on the wrong stud, then lifting 55 to 60 pounds of dead weight out and then in and making all the proper connections. Try lifting 50 pounds onto the kitchen table while sitting on the floor, with a sixty watt bulb providing all your light. Fun, ain't it?
By the way, did I mentioned that it was raining? Not just raining rain but down-pouring in bursts. So I got soaked during the procedure. But it didn't end there. When you buy a battery, there is a "core charge," a fee for the disposal of the battery when it's time is up. By hauling the old batteries back to WALMART, I got a refund of the "core charge." In the rain. 180 pounds!
The downpour also indicated that while butyl tape might make a a good sealer for deck hardware and the like, it is no good as caulking. My carefully caulked hatches are leaking again. I am going to have to remove the lenses completely, take out all the caulk and sealer and re-bed the lenses.I think that this time, in addition to the caulking/sealer, I will also set several screws in place to hold the whole mess together. Nothing like over-kill!
I can't remember when I had so much fun as I did yesterday. Through the generosity of a very dear friend, I had the 3/5 of a Marine Unit I needed to procure the three necessary batteries to get ABISHAG's heart going again. It was merely a matter of going to get the proper sized/powered/warrantied batteries up at WALMART. Yes, I know, but they do sell stuff cheap.
The batteries aboard are down below in the "In-Law" apartment, the rather large, but not quite large enough, cockpit locker. There are several different connections to the batteries linking them to chargers and monitors and the wind generator and to get them out of sequence or reconnect them wrong when installing the new batteries would be a bit of a disaster. and knowing how I view electricity anyway (it's all voodoo), there are three was of insuring or trying to insure you get it right. The first is to draw a diagram and take a "selfie." This shows how everything looked before you started to disconnect wires. The second is to tie the leads together with wire ties as they come of each individual stud. The third, and the one which I chose, is to got get the new batteries first, drag them down to the boat, haul one old battery out and replace it with a new battery, putting the proper wires on the proper studs. You have to picture doing this in a closet, squatting, unscrewing nuts off and on battery terminals, nuts that are two different sizes so you don't put them on the wrong stud, then lifting 55 to 60 pounds of dead weight out and then in and making all the proper connections. Try lifting 50 pounds onto the kitchen table while sitting on the floor, with a sixty watt bulb providing all your light. Fun, ain't it?
By the way, did I mentioned that it was raining? Not just raining rain but down-pouring in bursts. So I got soaked during the procedure. But it didn't end there. When you buy a battery, there is a "core charge," a fee for the disposal of the battery when it's time is up. By hauling the old batteries back to WALMART, I got a refund of the "core charge." In the rain. 180 pounds!
The downpour also indicated that while butyl tape might make a a good sealer for deck hardware and the like, it is no good as caulking. My carefully caulked hatches are leaking again. I am going to have to remove the lenses completely, take out all the caulk and sealer and re-bed the lenses.I think that this time, in addition to the caulking/sealer, I will also set several screws in place to hold the whole mess together. Nothing like over-kill!
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