SHIP'S LOG:
......And day as well. The wind blew, the sky rained, the waves went up and down. It was a crackerjack storm and I was safe and dry on ABISHAG. A cartoon i saw years ago came to mind. It was from a book called "The Gaff Rigged Yacht." I never read it, I only saw the cartoon which features two worthies in the cockpit of a rather dilapidated sailboat in the midst of a storm. One says to the the other, "It must be hell ashore on a night like this!"
The wind was really something, with gust hitting 44 mph. I would lay in bed listening to the wind humming through the rigging and the tone would go up the scale as it vibrated the wire shrouds. When it gusted the tone would drop lower as the wind got strong enough to vibrate the thicker wire shrouds. The rain pounded, and I mean really drummed on the deck, and at times would be so loud that it woke me up. There is, of course, no attic above my head so it is something like sleeping in a car. Add to that the waves that occasionally struck the hull in just the right way and made it vibrate and you will get some sense of what it was like. The motion was not bad at all. No longer on the dock and free to move with the wind an waves, ABISHAG produced a rather gentle rocking motion that was almost pleasant.
I was stuck inside the whole day as the rain fell without a let up. I finished most of the storage, fixed a leak in the main salon hatch, took a nap and started "DRACULA". Not a bad day at all, especially considering the weather. The wind died down by 4pm which meant that since it was Friday, the club launch would be running and so I gave it a call. It was and and I took a trip into the club for a shower and supper and then back out to ABISHAG for round Two. The weather is supposed to continue to be bad for the next two days but should blow out by Monday. . . . And then, well I see what happens when I get to Monday!!!!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It was not the least bit scary being on the boat during this storm. I never felt the least bit in danger. I am not sure what I would have done if something had "happened," but nothing did, so I will have to await the next storm. Providentially, it arrives in a few hours. Chuck the launch driver, who left almost 10 days ago, called from Atlantic City. He was holed up in a creek near the city with 7 or 8 other boats heading south. They were all sitting three waiting out the storm. He suggested that I do the same in New London and I told him that I was way ahead of him on that score.
It was a boring day today. I was able to establish a rhythm to the day and it will become habitually I am sure. But with not sailing to do, as well as being trapped inside, there was not a lot to occupy my time. It was, in fact, difficult to manage any enthusiasm to do anything. The leak in the hatch that I have fixed a half dozen times was inspiration to do that job again(the good part being that at last I knew when the thing was actually plugged), but I spent a lot of time ruminating about stuff to do. It took awhile to set a plan of tasks and go at it. It wasn't a long list but I set it and got most of them done. Adjusting to living on the boat is going to take time . . . . but at least I am getting lots of sleep! I guess God wanted me to start out slow.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Journey Of 1,000 Miles Begins With A Single Step!
SHIP'S LOG:
Or in this case getting off the dock and onto my mooring 100 yards away. Hey, it's a big step because it is the first one and now I have to wait out the weather. The next couple of days will be nasty and out here on the mooring, I will be able to "safely" learn about living on a boat full-time.
I went out and did the shopping today and got the food stuffs for the next couple of weeks. Even doing the shopping at BJ'S Wholesale club was a bit of a shock. I kept it simple, no prime rib or chicken Kiev. Moving onto the boat is akin to moving into your first apartment. You really have to get everything - salt & pepper, sugar, the odd pot , dish washing liquid, soap, shampoo, etc., etc., etc. Once you have the "staples, you buy the "luxury items" like FOOD.
And as with your first very small, tiny, have-to-go-outside-to-change-your-mind apartment, you are then faced with where are you going to put it all. Thankfully, I didn't buy that much - couldn't afford to - but I was still faced with the problem of storage. The interior of the boat was still littered with boxes and bags of important "stuff" all needing a place to go an d not all that many place to go. It was a seller's market so to speak. So out on the mooring I got to work storing all the stuff - food and otherwise - all over the boat, keeping a careful record of where everything went so that when I need it, I can find it. The chances of that are slim and none and slim just left town. But at least I can move around the interior easier than before. Truth be told, it is not all done, but with the storm acomin' I'll have plenty of time to finish it off and correct any mistakes.
Getting off the dock where I was tied up for three days was an interesting experience. The boat was tied to the dock with two bow line and two stern lines, basically keeping it from moving, and a spring line which kept the boat from surging forward into the dock. Getting ABISHAG away from the dock by myself in a 20 knot wind was a real problem. How do you untie the lines from the dock without the boat blowing away or into some pilings and steer the boat and control the throttle at the same time. God arranged for one of the Diesel Brothers to show up at the Club and he gave me a fascinating lesson in the Art of Spring Line Management.It is rather complicated to explain and I am not even sure I understand the whole process completely myself, but with his instructions and demonstrations, I backed ABISHAG away from the dock with out killing him or me or sinking my boat or someone else's. All in all, a successful maneuver though I am loathed to try it again anytime soon . . . . but you just know that it is going to happen. I kept playing it over in my head while I was storing stuff, trying to get it to stay. It probably will and that is also why I can't recall where half the stuff got stored.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It is better on the mooring. ABISHAG doesn't fight the wind and the waves and she rides wonderfully smooth. She also makes a lot less noise, less creaking and groaning. I guess she doesn't like being at the dock all that much. I still have my car. I tell myself that it is just for those last minute trips I have to make to buy the odds and ends I keep forgetting but it is really a tie to the land. I guess that sounds rather dramatic but it's a real safety valve. I can get in and drive to the store, the movies, to get a meal, and do all the familiar things that we all take for granted. Having to be confined on the boat will take a little, perhaps a lot of getting use to, and even though I am on the mooring now and getting to the car will entail lowering the dinghy, getting in, rowing to the beach, securing the dinghy and walking to the car, I can do it. When the car is gone, the last tie gets severed. Yeah, that sounds overly dramatic too. The boat becomes your world.
Or in this case getting off the dock and onto my mooring 100 yards away. Hey, it's a big step because it is the first one and now I have to wait out the weather. The next couple of days will be nasty and out here on the mooring, I will be able to "safely" learn about living on a boat full-time.
I went out and did the shopping today and got the food stuffs for the next couple of weeks. Even doing the shopping at BJ'S Wholesale club was a bit of a shock. I kept it simple, no prime rib or chicken Kiev. Moving onto the boat is akin to moving into your first apartment. You really have to get everything - salt & pepper, sugar, the odd pot , dish washing liquid, soap, shampoo, etc., etc., etc. Once you have the "staples, you buy the "luxury items" like FOOD.
And as with your first very small, tiny, have-to-go-outside-to-change-your-mind apartment, you are then faced with where are you going to put it all. Thankfully, I didn't buy that much - couldn't afford to - but I was still faced with the problem of storage. The interior of the boat was still littered with boxes and bags of important "stuff" all needing a place to go an d not all that many place to go. It was a seller's market so to speak. So out on the mooring I got to work storing all the stuff - food and otherwise - all over the boat, keeping a careful record of where everything went so that when I need it, I can find it. The chances of that are slim and none and slim just left town. But at least I can move around the interior easier than before. Truth be told, it is not all done, but with the storm acomin' I'll have plenty of time to finish it off and correct any mistakes.
Getting off the dock where I was tied up for three days was an interesting experience. The boat was tied to the dock with two bow line and two stern lines, basically keeping it from moving, and a spring line which kept the boat from surging forward into the dock. Getting ABISHAG away from the dock by myself in a 20 knot wind was a real problem. How do you untie the lines from the dock without the boat blowing away or into some pilings and steer the boat and control the throttle at the same time. God arranged for one of the Diesel Brothers to show up at the Club and he gave me a fascinating lesson in the Art of Spring Line Management.It is rather complicated to explain and I am not even sure I understand the whole process completely myself, but with his instructions and demonstrations, I backed ABISHAG away from the dock with out killing him or me or sinking my boat or someone else's. All in all, a successful maneuver though I am loathed to try it again anytime soon . . . . but you just know that it is going to happen. I kept playing it over in my head while I was storing stuff, trying to get it to stay. It probably will and that is also why I can't recall where half the stuff got stored.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It is better on the mooring. ABISHAG doesn't fight the wind and the waves and she rides wonderfully smooth. She also makes a lot less noise, less creaking and groaning. I guess she doesn't like being at the dock all that much. I still have my car. I tell myself that it is just for those last minute trips I have to make to buy the odds and ends I keep forgetting but it is really a tie to the land. I guess that sounds rather dramatic but it's a real safety valve. I can get in and drive to the store, the movies, to get a meal, and do all the familiar things that we all take for granted. Having to be confined on the boat will take a little, perhaps a lot of getting use to, and even though I am on the mooring now and getting to the car will entail lowering the dinghy, getting in, rowing to the beach, securing the dinghy and walking to the car, I can do it. When the car is gone, the last tie gets severed. Yeah, that sounds overly dramatic too. The boat becomes your world.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
"Don't worry, I have a plan." - Gen. George Custer, Little Big Horn, 1876
SHIP'S LOG:
I arose this morning and decided to "test out" the new holding tank sanitation system. Thankfully, my guardian angel suggested that I try and "unloaded" flush. Pump, Pump. Pump. Pump. And nothing went into the holding tank. Thank goodness for the test. Nothing could be worse than a full bowl and no way to empty it. This particular problem was something that I had to fix before departing. I had to have a working head and a holding tank system or a run in with the Coast Guard or local marine police could be a very expensive encounter. The bowl would empty overboard but seemingly not empty into the holding tank. The scary thing was trying to figure out where it was going if it was not going into the tank!
After fiddling and fussing for about an hour, I placed a call to the DIESEL Brothers. They know everything about things mechanical and something as simple as a sanitation system on a boat would be a piece of cake so to speak. Luckily they were down at TYC, or rather at Fort Trumbull Coast Guard Station for a stability test - not for the Diesel Brothers but for the Club Launch. After the test they stopped by and it took them all of 1minute to determine the problem and less time to fix it. The "problem" was simply that there was not enough water in the system to fill the hose and move the "product" along the hose to the tank. One there was water through the system, it work just fine. I can personally attest to it!
The whole hooha with the holding tank took most of the morning and it really messed up the day's plans. Once the sanitation system, I had to secure the tank in place. You really don't want a 13 gallon tank filled with . .. er . ."waste" slide around the boat. The chances of an "accident" would be great and the consequences would be too terrible to contemplate. I hit WEST Marine for the items I needed for the tank, as well as a few last minute items and went back to the boat. The whole project took the rest of the afternoon and left no time for grocery shopping. And that means no departure today.
An it turns out that this might be a very good thing. The weather for the next couple of days looks nasty. Rain, and a lot of it. Wind and a lot of that. And nasty seas - any of those aren't good. So the new "plan" is to go grocery shopping tomorrow and then take the boat out to the mooring and wait for the weather to clear. It will not quite be the same as going down the coast but it will give me the time to get into the rhythm of living on the boat. There will be plenty to do, simply storing all the itmes that still litter the salon plus the food stiuffs, will eat up lots of time. As will logging where all the stuff is so that i can find it when I need it. According to the weather reports, it now looks like Sunday or Monday will be departure day but I'll let it happen when God decides it should happen.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I was really disappointed that I didn't get to go today, but I guess that God didn't want me out in the coming weather. Once I decided not to go, I got very peaceful. It allowed me to go do the shopping for the items I need for the projects and to work through the things that need to be done. There was no rush, not anxiety, and everything got done. I have found that making a decision can bring a lot of peace. It settles the mind. It is the indecision that seems to cause all the anxiety and worry. You can't really do any more than what you can do. Still, I am looking foward to getting off the dock . . . . . and get going.
I arose this morning and decided to "test out" the new holding tank sanitation system. Thankfully, my guardian angel suggested that I try and "unloaded" flush. Pump, Pump. Pump. Pump. And nothing went into the holding tank. Thank goodness for the test. Nothing could be worse than a full bowl and no way to empty it. This particular problem was something that I had to fix before departing. I had to have a working head and a holding tank system or a run in with the Coast Guard or local marine police could be a very expensive encounter. The bowl would empty overboard but seemingly not empty into the holding tank. The scary thing was trying to figure out where it was going if it was not going into the tank!
After fiddling and fussing for about an hour, I placed a call to the DIESEL Brothers. They know everything about things mechanical and something as simple as a sanitation system on a boat would be a piece of cake so to speak. Luckily they were down at TYC, or rather at Fort Trumbull Coast Guard Station for a stability test - not for the Diesel Brothers but for the Club Launch. After the test they stopped by and it took them all of 1minute to determine the problem and less time to fix it. The "problem" was simply that there was not enough water in the system to fill the hose and move the "product" along the hose to the tank. One there was water through the system, it work just fine. I can personally attest to it!
The whole hooha with the holding tank took most of the morning and it really messed up the day's plans. Once the sanitation system, I had to secure the tank in place. You really don't want a 13 gallon tank filled with . .. er . ."waste" slide around the boat. The chances of an "accident" would be great and the consequences would be too terrible to contemplate. I hit WEST Marine for the items I needed for the tank, as well as a few last minute items and went back to the boat. The whole project took the rest of the afternoon and left no time for grocery shopping. And that means no departure today.
An it turns out that this might be a very good thing. The weather for the next couple of days looks nasty. Rain, and a lot of it. Wind and a lot of that. And nasty seas - any of those aren't good. So the new "plan" is to go grocery shopping tomorrow and then take the boat out to the mooring and wait for the weather to clear. It will not quite be the same as going down the coast but it will give me the time to get into the rhythm of living on the boat. There will be plenty to do, simply storing all the itmes that still litter the salon plus the food stiuffs, will eat up lots of time. As will logging where all the stuff is so that i can find it when I need it. According to the weather reports, it now looks like Sunday or Monday will be departure day but I'll let it happen when God decides it should happen.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I was really disappointed that I didn't get to go today, but I guess that God didn't want me out in the coming weather. Once I decided not to go, I got very peaceful. It allowed me to go do the shopping for the items I need for the projects and to work through the things that need to be done. There was no rush, not anxiety, and everything got done. I have found that making a decision can bring a lot of peace. It settles the mind. It is the indecision that seems to cause all the anxiety and worry. You can't really do any more than what you can do. Still, I am looking foward to getting off the dock . . . . . and get going.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
NOT TODAY< HOPEFULLY TOMORROW
SHIP'S LOG:
Today was spent clearing up a few items . I had gone to my sisters' to pick up some DVDs the other night and have dinner, only to have dinner and forget the DVDs. SO up I went to collect them. The work yesterday in the aft head rendered it not usable, so I took the opportunity of going to my sisters' to perform my morning ablutions. I then collected my mail l and got the propane tanks filled. Taking them back to the boat I installed them and my stove should work just fine now. We shall see.
I then spent the afternoon trying to perform a simple project: connect a y-valve( a diverter valve - a valve that you can use to send stuff to either of two locations). Now what I was trying to do was install the y-valve so that I could send the contents of the aft head either overboard( of which the EPA take a dim view) or into a holding tank( which needs to be emptied periodically). All that was required was to insert one of three nipples into to appropriate hose. The conjunction of hoses was located under the counter in the aft head and could be reached only through a small hole provided by removing a small locker. Imagine trying to insert a small object into the mouth of a small non-cooperative pig through a partially open car window while standing on one foot with not enough light to really see clearly.The 1 1/2" nipple had to be inserted into a 1 1/2" ID hose. The old hose had lost most of its elasticity so the insertion was difficult to say the least. Starting at 1pm, I finished at 4pm! It was not a fun afternoon, one spent bent over and inserted into a hole in a counter trying to put together a valve and three hoses, none of whom wished to have anything to do with one another.
By the end of the exercise, I was in no mood to go shopping so the groceries will wait until tomorrow. With any luck at all, the shopping will be done by noon and I will be able to get away. True, I'll probably not make my first goal of getting to New Haven, but I will get away!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
My sister Karen bailed me out when Bank of America didn't come through as promised. I won't get into the details but suffice it to say that the banking crisis is not only about the big business. They can't seem to do simple things like returning funds they weren't suppose to receive. Big sister came through . . . .and baby sister works for Bank of America! Just goes to show you.
I am down to the shopping and I'll be ready to go. Huzzah!
Today was spent clearing up a few items . I had gone to my sisters' to pick up some DVDs the other night and have dinner, only to have dinner and forget the DVDs. SO up I went to collect them. The work yesterday in the aft head rendered it not usable, so I took the opportunity of going to my sisters' to perform my morning ablutions. I then collected my mail l and got the propane tanks filled. Taking them back to the boat I installed them and my stove should work just fine now. We shall see.
I then spent the afternoon trying to perform a simple project: connect a y-valve( a diverter valve - a valve that you can use to send stuff to either of two locations). Now what I was trying to do was install the y-valve so that I could send the contents of the aft head either overboard( of which the EPA take a dim view) or into a holding tank( which needs to be emptied periodically). All that was required was to insert one of three nipples into to appropriate hose. The conjunction of hoses was located under the counter in the aft head and could be reached only through a small hole provided by removing a small locker. Imagine trying to insert a small object into the mouth of a small non-cooperative pig through a partially open car window while standing on one foot with not enough light to really see clearly.The 1 1/2" nipple had to be inserted into a 1 1/2" ID hose. The old hose had lost most of its elasticity so the insertion was difficult to say the least. Starting at 1pm, I finished at 4pm! It was not a fun afternoon, one spent bent over and inserted into a hole in a counter trying to put together a valve and three hoses, none of whom wished to have anything to do with one another.
By the end of the exercise, I was in no mood to go shopping so the groceries will wait until tomorrow. With any luck at all, the shopping will be done by noon and I will be able to get away. True, I'll probably not make my first goal of getting to New Haven, but I will get away!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
My sister Karen bailed me out when Bank of America didn't come through as promised. I won't get into the details but suffice it to say that the banking crisis is not only about the big business. They can't seem to do simple things like returning funds they weren't suppose to receive. Big sister came through . . . .and baby sister works for Bank of America! Just goes to show you.
I am down to the shopping and I'll be ready to go. Huzzah!
Monday, September 22, 2008
ON BOARD AT LAST!!!!!!!!
SHIP'S LOG:
At last!Yesterday (Sunday) I brought another load of "stuff" down to the boat and load it on board. Unfortunately, I still hadn't stored all the stuff from the previous load and every available flat surface is covered with "stuff." To make matters worse, another load of stuff . . . the last . . . was hauled down today. Finding places for all of these items will be quite the challenge but I am sure that it will get down. It has to get done. Well it will give me something to occupy my time.
I took ABISHAG to get fueled and got my first lesson docking at a pier with pilings. The guy at the gas dock was very helpful and gave me a lot of good info for future reference. Way back in the Fall, I installed a valve in the fuel vent line to keep it from spurting out diesel when the tank was full. It doesn't work. Such is life. I'll just have to be very careful fueling the boat.
Skip came down to help with the installation of the holding tank. Actually he did most of the work, though we discussed each step of the project. There just isn't a lot of room in the aft cabin for two people to work together. Far better then that the one who knew what he was doing did the work. As skip cut holes in my boat, I tried to sort though all the stuff that now is everywhere. I got a handle on most of it those it still looks a disaster. It may take more than a few days to find a place for everything.
Roland, Mark and Mike stopped by with a bottle of "champagne" to toast my departure. I think they also stopped by to see if I was as crazy as they suspected I was. They seem suitably impressed by ABISHAG and Mark and Mike seemed already to be making plans to join me for a while this winter in Florida. Roland on the other hand is not a fan of the ocean.
The amount of stuff that still needs to be stored and the fact that I means haven't even bought food yet has lead me to delay departure for a day. Wednesday with be Departure day now. Slowly but surely it comes!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I am exhausted. I didn't do all that much but I am still exhausted. It must be some sort of reaction to the departure. I was never quite sure that this day would come. True, it isn't here yet, but it is coming fast. I think the excitement of anticipation is exhausting me. I'm off to bed.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
THREE DAYS - MORE OR LESS
SHIP'S LOG:
Yesterday(Saturday) saw the second load of "stuff" brought down and stored on ABISHAG. Stored is perhaps a little generous. Let us say, on the boat and below deck. It was my intention to store everything I brought down but, hey, what can I say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Tony Marino came by and finished up the installation of the water-maker system, actually just the installation of some filters on the raw water line. He did a fine job I am sure, but I will be miles away before I actually use it for the first time The manufacture doesn't recommend using it in brackish water or in harbors where oil and other water borne things might clog the filter system. So I'll probably be far, far south before I have the opportunity to to test out his handiwork. His departing recommendation when using it for the first time was to check for leaks! While Tony was squaring that away, I reworked the fender board system so that I can dock at piers that have exposed and protruding pilings without damaging the topsides
An elder member of TY, Peter Brouwer, died a couple of months ago and his widow brought his ashes up from Florida to honor his last wish which was to have them scattered at Seaflower Reef off Groton Long Point. As Chaplain of TYC, I got to do my very first committal at sea. We motored out from the club to the reef for the service. There were a half a dozen boats and 30 - 40 members present and Peter went over the side amid prayers, poetry, a shower of flowers, a canon blast and a bottle of Tequila.
Back aboard ABISHAG, I attempt to correct a problem with the Spinnaker Halyard. A previous owner had attempted a rather strange though functional repair. At the end of the halyard, which raises and lowers the spinnaker, was a snap shackle, a "clip" that attaches the halyard to the top of the spinnaker. It has a little pull ring so that the shackle can open and close on the sail. The shackle was braided into the end of the spinnaker halyard. Unfortunately, at some time in the past, the little pull ring broke off and the shackle could no long be opened without a great deal of effort. Rather than un-braid the halyard, take off the shackle, put on a new one and braid the halyard back, a previous owner opened the broken shackle, attached a new one to it and closed it back up. It is not a particularly elegant nor safe approach. I decided to correct this little problem and attach a new, working shackle, but first I had to remove the old one. I had to cut it off.
Sadly, my dremel tool had given up the ghost a few days before and I was forced to try and cut off the stainless steel shackle with a hacksaw. A hacksaw with a dull blade I might add. I put the shackle into the vice an set to work. After about an hour! I had made considerable progress, dull blade and all, and to finish it off, I reversed the shackle in the vice and with two cut I finished it off but good! The halyard not the shackle that is. The dull hacksaw blade, which struggled against the stainless steel, just about severed the braided halyard line in two strokes! I was NOT happy! Now unless I want to attempt to learned how to weave a loop in the end of the braided line, a nasty process with older braided line, I can only use it as a halyard by 1.) knotting it to the top of the spinnaker; 2.) knotting the new shackle to the end of the halyard. I do not particularly like either choice. After I had left the boat I realized that in the rope locker, there is an old main sail halyard with a loop in the end that just might work. I don't have the marine units for a new halyard at this time.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Another step closer but rushing around doing all the last minute stuff sort of insulates me from thinking and feeling too much. Doing things while on the boat, I often stop and fall into a revere about what is ahead. It will be a great adventure and a desert experience. An adventure in that I have never done a trip that is anywhere near the scope of this one, even though it will be a series of one day jumps rather than one long haul. And a desert experience in that I will be alone for at least the first part of it. True there will be a lot to occupy me but there will also be a lot of time for reflection and introspection. In a very real and tangible sense, it is a tripping away of just about everything to encounter myself with the help of God. I don't know what will happen so I will try not to anticipate and simple participate in the journey to which God is calling me.
Yesterday(Saturday) saw the second load of "stuff" brought down and stored on ABISHAG. Stored is perhaps a little generous. Let us say, on the boat and below deck. It was my intention to store everything I brought down but, hey, what can I say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Tony Marino came by and finished up the installation of the water-maker system, actually just the installation of some filters on the raw water line. He did a fine job I am sure, but I will be miles away before I actually use it for the first time The manufacture doesn't recommend using it in brackish water or in harbors where oil and other water borne things might clog the filter system. So I'll probably be far, far south before I have the opportunity to to test out his handiwork. His departing recommendation when using it for the first time was to check for leaks! While Tony was squaring that away, I reworked the fender board system so that I can dock at piers that have exposed and protruding pilings without damaging the topsides
An elder member of TY, Peter Brouwer, died a couple of months ago and his widow brought his ashes up from Florida to honor his last wish which was to have them scattered at Seaflower Reef off Groton Long Point. As Chaplain of TYC, I got to do my very first committal at sea. We motored out from the club to the reef for the service. There were a half a dozen boats and 30 - 40 members present and Peter went over the side amid prayers, poetry, a shower of flowers, a canon blast and a bottle of Tequila.
Back aboard ABISHAG, I attempt to correct a problem with the Spinnaker Halyard. A previous owner had attempted a rather strange though functional repair. At the end of the halyard, which raises and lowers the spinnaker, was a snap shackle, a "clip" that attaches the halyard to the top of the spinnaker. It has a little pull ring so that the shackle can open and close on the sail. The shackle was braided into the end of the spinnaker halyard. Unfortunately, at some time in the past, the little pull ring broke off and the shackle could no long be opened without a great deal of effort. Rather than un-braid the halyard, take off the shackle, put on a new one and braid the halyard back, a previous owner opened the broken shackle, attached a new one to it and closed it back up. It is not a particularly elegant nor safe approach. I decided to correct this little problem and attach a new, working shackle, but first I had to remove the old one. I had to cut it off.
Sadly, my dremel tool had given up the ghost a few days before and I was forced to try and cut off the stainless steel shackle with a hacksaw. A hacksaw with a dull blade I might add. I put the shackle into the vice an set to work. After about an hour! I had made considerable progress, dull blade and all, and to finish it off, I reversed the shackle in the vice and with two cut I finished it off but good! The halyard not the shackle that is. The dull hacksaw blade, which struggled against the stainless steel, just about severed the braided halyard line in two strokes! I was NOT happy! Now unless I want to attempt to learned how to weave a loop in the end of the braided line, a nasty process with older braided line, I can only use it as a halyard by 1.) knotting it to the top of the spinnaker; 2.) knotting the new shackle to the end of the halyard. I do not particularly like either choice. After I had left the boat I realized that in the rope locker, there is an old main sail halyard with a loop in the end that just might work. I don't have the marine units for a new halyard at this time.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Another step closer but rushing around doing all the last minute stuff sort of insulates me from thinking and feeling too much. Doing things while on the boat, I often stop and fall into a revere about what is ahead. It will be a great adventure and a desert experience. An adventure in that I have never done a trip that is anywhere near the scope of this one, even though it will be a series of one day jumps rather than one long haul. And a desert experience in that I will be alone for at least the first part of it. True there will be a lot to occupy me but there will also be a lot of time for reflection and introspection. In a very real and tangible sense, it is a tripping away of just about everything to encounter myself with the help of God. I don't know what will happen so I will try not to anticipate and simple participate in the journey to which God is calling me.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
FIVE DAYS AND COUNTING!
SHIP'S LOG:
Stuff is going back into ABISHAG at last. All the stuff (or at least most of it) that was still present has all been moved to permanent locations around the interior, locations selected with an eye to item usefulness and need for ease of access. The new stuff is basically clothes and shoes. I quite surprised myself that I had room for everything I brought. I expected that I would run out of space and have to take a number of items back for storage or disposal but there was plenty of room. In fact, I will be bring a few more items that I left out - cold weather clothes - which look as though, with the ever-lengthening of the time before departure, they might come in useful.
Friday will see the arrival of the remaining tools, books - for pleasure and reference, and assorted odds and ends, many of which I am not sure I will need but am taking anyway. After all there are trash cans everywhere in the event that their usefulness comes into question.
Saturday will see the fueling of the boat - diesel and propane, the final tuning of the rig, and the completion of a dozen or so simple projects.
Sunday will see the last of the items necessary for the trip, as well as food and water coming abroad and stored.
And Monday, well Monday will see the installation of the holding tank for the aft head. A delay in its arrival has forced this delay but all departure plans are arbitrary and flexible. I expect that the the day will be consumed with the installation and "the testing," with makes departure Tuesday Morning - weather permitting.
So Tuesday should be it.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I feel strangely peaceful about the coming departure, and that's saying something considering finances and the never ending projects list. The boat is ready though not perfect. Money is tight. The weather is getting a little bit iffy. And I have never done anything quite like this. This time God's got the plan and I'm just trying to follow it.
Stuff is going back into ABISHAG at last. All the stuff (or at least most of it) that was still present has all been moved to permanent locations around the interior, locations selected with an eye to item usefulness and need for ease of access. The new stuff is basically clothes and shoes. I quite surprised myself that I had room for everything I brought. I expected that I would run out of space and have to take a number of items back for storage or disposal but there was plenty of room. In fact, I will be bring a few more items that I left out - cold weather clothes - which look as though, with the ever-lengthening of the time before departure, they might come in useful.
Friday will see the arrival of the remaining tools, books - for pleasure and reference, and assorted odds and ends, many of which I am not sure I will need but am taking anyway. After all there are trash cans everywhere in the event that their usefulness comes into question.
Saturday will see the fueling of the boat - diesel and propane, the final tuning of the rig, and the completion of a dozen or so simple projects.
Sunday will see the last of the items necessary for the trip, as well as food and water coming abroad and stored.
And Monday, well Monday will see the installation of the holding tank for the aft head. A delay in its arrival has forced this delay but all departure plans are arbitrary and flexible. I expect that the the day will be consumed with the installation and "the testing," with makes departure Tuesday Morning - weather permitting.
So Tuesday should be it.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I feel strangely peaceful about the coming departure, and that's saying something considering finances and the never ending projects list. The boat is ready though not perfect. Money is tight. The weather is getting a little bit iffy. And I have never done anything quite like this. This time God's got the plan and I'm just trying to follow it.
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