Boat And Other Work

SHIP'S LOG:

     Wow, that was a fast two months! Then again, summer always passes quickly while winter drags on and on. O well, such is life.

     I did have the chance to get out sailing every week, usually several times but it was always missing something. My boat for instance. As nice as it is to go out sailing on any boat, when it's not yours it just isn't the same. Every boat owner likes things a certain way, does things a certain way and I always find that I am deferring  and it gets old after a while. then again it is better than not going sailing at all.

     Did a lot of hours on the launch as over the summer most of the launch drivers begged off or took only a shift or two. It meant that the Fair Ivy and I ran the launch most if the time.  running the launch isn't a bad way to make a buck . One is out in the sunshine (and the rain), in the summer breezes (and storms and gales) and one gets lots of practice in small boat handling. Most people have no idea what a skill it is to bring a 26foot launch up to their boat, which in the club range from 18 to 45 feet, stop it right along side without making serious contact with it ,then hold it in place while they get on or off, with or without "cargo" - coolers, sails and other assorted nautical items. Lots of times,they don't appreciate the fact that they aren't the only boat calling for service. This is especially true on race nights/days and on weekends. people tend to get a bit testy when they call and have to wait. it seems invariable that one will get a call from two boats at opposite ends of the mooring field which is 1/4 to 1/2 of a mile wide. It simply takes time to get from one boat to another and then back to the dock. We must also pick up all who call so they may also have to wait while the launch fills up before they get to where they are going. Another aspect of driving the launch, especially on week days when the number of users is smaller, is that one goes and picks up the grew off one boat and takes them back to the dock. You then tie up the launch and walk all the way back to the club hose only to get a call to go out to a boat way out on the edge of the field, or are greeted in the club house by someone who wants to go out. And of course, you render them the service with a smile because that's the job.

     When it is really busy, I might not leave the launch for an entire 6 - 8 hour shift and that can be very tiring. When the launch is in motion, you are constantly shifting you weight to keep your balance because you run the launch standing up. At the end of the shift your ankles and knees are screaming. When it is really choppy it is even worse. And when it is hazy, hot and humid, you get dehydrated and have to constantly slug water or Gatorade. I have grown to really hate all kinds of Sports drinks.

   But like I said, it is not a bad way to make a buck and that was a good thing this year as the Federal government shafted me. Due to my financial situation, I had to start taking Social Security Retirement early. What they don't tell you is that if you do, you are financially penalized if you make over a certain amount. So earlier this summer, I got a letter from Social Security saying that they had overpaid me and they wanted their money back. you would think that since they had the information and set the level and schedule of the payments they would have been on top of this from the beginning of the payments. nope! And rather than take a little out each month, they stopped paying me for the summer. The money I made from driving the launch went for regular living expenses rather than to cover the bills incurred from the Great Tree Incident and for the winter storage. And still Publisher's Clearing House has been unable to find me!

     Friend Fred and I have gotten work done on ABISHAG.The damage bow pulpit and stanchions have been removed and the holes in the deck they left have been filed. The jib furling system has been dismantled completely and is intact. It does not appear that they is any damage that would require it be replaced totally, though perhaps some bearings and fittings may need/will need to be replaced. The forestay itself may have to be replaced. There is no visible damage readily apparent, but it has been stressed and that might render it unsafe.  Sound Rigging will have to make the call on that in the spring. Pretty much all that can be done before spring has been done and over the weekend, I will close up and the boat and cover her.  One heck of a sailing season!

     Speaking of repairs, I am getting some done myself. My left ankle  is a mess. All that balancing and rocking on the launch didn't help it at all. Neither did walking on it for that matter. Next week on the 3rd of November I am having an operation to correct  the problem. My doctor will break the arch and the heel and re-build them. Then the tendons on the inside of the ankle, which are shredding and almost to the point of breaking, will be re-stitched and re-enforced. It will mean that I will be off my feet for 6-8weeks though other patients I encountered in the office waiting-room say that that is an over optimistic outlook and that the pain is nasty. We shall see what we shall see!

     My left knee now has an expensive custom-made brace that cost between 1 and 2 Marine Units. You have to got back several years in the blog to find out how much a "Marine Unit" actually is but it is more than I could afford without help from my medical plan. Still I had a co-pay of $160 for the brace so that will give you some idea. It works every well  and hopefully will continue to do so and so forestall the need for a knee replacement. My right knee, not so much. The cartilage is on both sides of the knee and while the doctor is considering the possibility of going in and cleaning it out, he is not sure that doing so will absolute solve the pain problem. Another brace would not help the situation until after. if then.

     There you have it. I will try to be better with updates though heading into winter and surgery it might not always work out. The again, it is one day closer to launching ABISHAG!

Publisher's Clearing House, Here I Am ! ! ! ! ! !

SHIP'S LOG:

     Tuesday was not a particularly good day.

     First of all, I learned that cousin Bobby died. Bob was part of the crew when I took ABISHAG south back in 2010. He and I and friend Fred weathered a nasty storm off New Jersey, bounced up the Delaware Bay and made it into the Chesapeake. With the passing of a few years the less than stellar parts of the trip have faded and we all remembered it as a great time that we enjoyed re-living again and again. Bob had been failing for the last few years  and had experienced  series of strokes over the last 6 months and I guess he decided that he had had enough. God bless him. Fred and I and a lot of friends will miss him greatly.

     And secondly, I got a letter, a certified letter from BOAT/US' insurance division saying that  since the other guy's boat was properly block and that there was violent storm that could not have been predicted, and that the other owner had done everything necessary to see that his boat was properly secured, they accepted no liability for the damage to ABISHAG. Have a nice rest of the summer. So I've got to see what sort of deal I might be able to work out with the boatyard. Obviously I can't pay the $12,000+ it would take to get her up to snuff. It looks like I've got tons of DYI coming up, though some stuff, like the rigging I am going to have to pay for to be sure it gets done right.

    And thirdly, I showed up for work only to find I wrote the wrong day .on my schedule. Such is life!

SENT!

SHIP'S LOG:

     Today is the day. I sent to BOAT/US the estimated cost of repairs, $11, 743.82, as well as a charge of $1,064 for "summer storage!" The clock is now ticking and it will undoubtedly tick a long, long time. I have no doubt that there will be every type of maneuver tried to get out of, or at least forestalling, payment, but the ball is now in their court! It would be so much easier if Publisher's Clearinghouse finds me.

Another fun item . .  . evidently because I "mad too much money," Social Security won't be sending me my payments for the next three months. I began taking Social Security Retirement before I hit 65 and that's a no-no if you have income above a certain amount. So they "technically"  over-paid me  and they want their money back. So they will get it by not paying for three months. How great is that?

Nada! Bupkis! Nothing

SHIP'S LOG:

     I would love to report significant movement in the ABISHAG case, but there has been nothing. I have found that being dependent on other people doing things can be a long and tiresome process. I did get an email email from the secretary at the yard saying things " were in process." O the joy of boat ownership!

And On It Goes! ! ! ! !

SHIP'S LOG:


     Well, nothing really has happened, aside from shifting ABISHAG to the other side of the yard far away from trees.The rigger who was supposed to come by last Friday didn't make it but supposedly will be by tomorrow to survey the rigging damage if any and propose  price for fixing it. Once we have that, they the total of the coast of repairs can be worked out and hopefully the insurance company will OK it and I can get on with sailing. Truth be told, with the current date, I doubt that even if everything is approved lickity-split that ABISHAG will feel water this year. What with the way things have gone this year, it would be my luck to get her repaired and down to TYC in time for a fall hurricane to sink her.

     On another  repair front, my orthopedic specialist has discovered "shredded tendons" in my left ankle. It  what has been contributing to the osteoarthritis in the ankle as well as the knee. So late this fall, I will have the tendons surgically repaired which entails breaking the bones in the arch and rebuilding it so that the tendons will heal right and not shred again. That will mean at least 6 weeks off the left foot.  And that doesn't even begin to really deal with the left knee nor the right. I don't think I can take anymore fun.

Some Small Movement

SHIP'S LOG:

     Well, there has been some small movement, with the emphasis on "small," not "movement!" The yard finally got all the bits and pieces of "the Tree" off of ABISHAG. This allowed them to get all the bits and pieces of SNAFU, the other boat, off of ABISHAG as well. Actually, there was "movement" as once they had removed all of the detritus, they picked her up and moved her to a new spot in the yard, about as far from trees as they could get her. And now the fighting begins!

     The insurance companies are certainly not in agreement as to who is responsible for the damage done and there certainly was damage done. My friend, Tom Greaves, a marine surveyor who did the original pre-purchase survey back when I bought the boat, went up and did a survey or at least as much of one as he could do without getting on the boat. The yard's insurance company didn't want anyone on the boat until the "responsibility" issue had been worked out less someone traipsing around aboard somehow muddied the matter.

     Tom's survey:

- Remove main mast for rigging and tang inspection aloft.

- Sand, prime and repaint topsides resulting from contact from other vessels.

- Repair stanchions and rails where required.

- Inspect deck under stanchion bases and repair if necessary.

- Repair damaged teal cap rails and refinish.

 - Replace head stay and foil  with new.

 - Inspect all chain plates and interior bulkheads for storm damage

 - Replace bow rail with new.

 - Repair anchor rollers.

 - Interior of vessel to be inspected for damage to bulkheads and floors.

 

     It doesn't sound too bad but conservatively we are looking at $15,000 when the job is done. And that's worth fighting over. SNAFU's insurance company is probably going to claim that the yard is at fault for "badly" blocking up the boat and for the damage done by the falling tree. The yard's insurance company is probably going to claim "act of God" for the damage done by the wind and the falling tree. It will probably be one heck of a battle royal and it will take time, so I am caulking up this sailing season as a total loss. If everything worked out well, perhaps I could get in by the middle of August but that's only a maybe. AH, the joys of boat ownership!

 

 

SHIP HAPPENS!

SHIP'S LOG:

     I was almost all set. I finished up pretty much everything that need to be done yesterday. Thursday was to be "Bottom-Painting" day and ABISHAG was scheduled to be launch into the might Connecticut River on Friday. Bending on the sails would have been done over the weekend and the trip New London and my mooring at TYC would happen Monday. Ah, but such was not to be.

     About 5pm, maybe 45 minutes after I left the boatyard, a terrific thunderstorm, perhaps along with a micro-burst or a tornado hit the Portland area and the fun began. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to lift the boat next to mine right up off its poppits and dump it on the ground between it and ABISHAG. When it fell, the deck-stepped mast became detached and fell of the boat. It really must have torqued badly as some of the shrouds which held it up broke. It also caused the boom to swing crash into the bow pulpit, bend itself around it. Not long after, the weather phenomenon uprooted a nastily large tree which crash down on the other boat, hitting the hull just where it begins to curve into a point. As it fell and slide forward, it connected with the boom and landed on my bow pulpit, torquing ABISHAG so she started to rotate on the forward block under her keel. Luckily, the force was spent on the bow pulpit. Had ABISHAG rotated an inch more, and I mean one inch more, she would have come off the rear keel block and she would have toppled onto the ground.

     It is tough to see the damage as the bow is all covered with tree, but the bow pulpit is toast. It took a real pounding from the boom and the tree and is all bent out of shape. It actually pulled two of the stanchions out of the deck. That will definitely have to be replaced as will the holes in the deck. The life lines from the boarding gates to the bow were also put under sufficient strain to bend their stanchions. They are fixable through the stanchion based will have to be popped and re-bedded. I can't be sure about the furling gear for the jib nor the chain-plate for the forward shroud. The way the track for the furler is twisted, it much have taken a heck of a blow. That is really all I can see, though I am going to have to get a mariner surveyor to check her out for any stress and impact damage to the hull. Though since she is built like a tank, over built in fact, I don't think that there is much to worry about in that regard.

     As soon as the insurance companies do their thing, they will lift and reset ABISHAG and then the fun will begin. AH, the joys of boat ownership.