SHIP'S LOG:
If you are of that Catholic persuasion, today is New Year's Day because it is the First Sunday of Advent, the first day of the NEW Liturgical Year. So Happy New Year . . . and don't forget to make, and keep, those New Year's Resolutions!
Checking up on the Blog from this day last year, I was leaving the New River, one of several so named, this one in Georgia just outside of Savannah, dashing into Georgia and the cold was starting to hit. Truth be told, it was about the same temp as we have here today, lows in the high 30's/low 40,s, high in the low 60's/high 50's. Ah what a difference a year and 1,ooo miles makes. Not much of one.
And I am not in Vermont. I am still in God's country. I was going to have to pay up at least some of the utilities up in Vermont and I had thought that I had the coins to do so, but checking carefully I found that my financial assets would actually be strained beyond breaking if I went and so had to bow out. It was certainly generous of my friends, Skip and Nancy, to offer me their home-away-from-home, but I just was able to swing it. But God arranged another spot even as the first one fell apart. I friend, who is selling his house to move to Florida of all places, offered me the use of the "In-Law" apartment attached to his home - gratis! It keeps me near family and friends and the boat, and, hopefully, out of the way of a lot of snow and cold. Then again, if there is a repeat of last year's winter weather bonanza, where I happen to be may make no real difference.
One thing it does do is to put me close to my friend, Ray. Ray is the guy who has taken care of motorized vehicles and done so without cost. Trying to get Rat to accept anything in payment is an exercise in futility. Unfortunately Ray has had some tough times. He has been in a car wreck and it has done some damage. Right now, he is trying to get his medical insurance to pay up and get the other driver's insurance to pay up. He can't work, he's a mechanic, and things are tough. So I will be able to help in any way I can, if only to buck him up a little. I will have to see where all of this leads. It should be good though and it will make me feel satisfied if I can help him and his family even a little.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
SHIP'S LOG:
Thanksgiving! There is really something wonderful about a holiday that is dedicated to over-eating. A year ago, I spent it in Beaufort, SC, with the "outrageous "Guy McSweeney and family. Coming and going, Beaufort was perhaps the best place on the trip. From the people to the temperature, it was wonderful. Perhaps the only drawback was the gnats, but even they could not take that much away from the place and the people. Not to mention the food.
Here it is cold and rainy and we shall not see the 70's again before late spring at the earliest. I am not looking forward to the snow either. Then again, it is all a part of the wonder that is New England.
I emptied ABISHAG on Monday having found that they had hauled her the Tuesday before. Never did get that call and that disappoints me. I have not been completely thrilled with the place though I can't say that anything "bad" has happened, but there is just a feeling of "slovenliness" or something about the place. Perhaps it is just a feeling stemming from the fact that it is the fall and haul-out time and perhaps this will all change by spring. Perhaps I am just experiencing the effects of my cold or the lack of sunshine or something else similar. Who knows for sure? It is just a feeling. In any event, the insides are now outside and stored in a warm, dry cellar to sleep until spring. Now if I can just get there myself.
Thanksgiving! There is really something wonderful about a holiday that is dedicated to over-eating. A year ago, I spent it in Beaufort, SC, with the "outrageous "Guy McSweeney and family. Coming and going, Beaufort was perhaps the best place on the trip. From the people to the temperature, it was wonderful. Perhaps the only drawback was the gnats, but even they could not take that much away from the place and the people. Not to mention the food.
Here it is cold and rainy and we shall not see the 70's again before late spring at the earliest. I am not looking forward to the snow either. Then again, it is all a part of the wonder that is New England.
I emptied ABISHAG on Monday having found that they had hauled her the Tuesday before. Never did get that call and that disappoints me. I have not been completely thrilled with the place though I can't say that anything "bad" has happened, but there is just a feeling of "slovenliness" or something about the place. Perhaps it is just a feeling stemming from the fact that it is the fall and haul-out time and perhaps this will all change by spring. Perhaps I am just experiencing the effects of my cold or the lack of sunshine or something else similar. Who knows for sure? It is just a feeling. In any event, the insides are now outside and stored in a warm, dry cellar to sleep until spring. Now if I can just get there myself.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Cold & Colds
SHIP'S LOG:
The "cold" has hung on now for at least a week. It seems to go during the day but at night the sniffing and coughing comes back. I hate colds almost as much as I hate the cold. Monday or Tuesday I will complete the emptying of ABISHAG. I have no idea now if they have hauled her or not. I was supposed to be called when they did so that I could check out her bottom when she was in the slings but I have heard no word. It is possible that they "forgot" but it real makes no difference with the emptying process. If ABISHAG is still in the watter, it simply means a long walk from the boat to the car.
With that done, it is simply a chance to enjoy Thanksgiving and they head up to Vermont on Saturday morning. Then the hibernation beginngs. Hopefully, it will be of short duration and I'll soon be back to the shore, or at least closer than Vermont.
Yesterday, was TYC "DECOMMISSIONING DAY." Snow fences (used to keep the sand from blowing all over) were put in place. Bathrooms were cleaned, closets emptied, floats brought ashore and secured, and a myriad of other projects accomplished. The place looks lonesome and alone. It is the really depressing part of the "sailing season" when it is finally, officially and totally over. One of the owners of the last boats in, took off for an overnight to Greenport. The weather is actually nice for such a trip but it would only make the hauling a little more painful when at last it comes. Still, it would have been nice to go but I had other things to do and for which to get ready. I hate winter, even when it isn't here yet.
Today marks a significant moment in last year's trip. On this date last year I was in Charleston, SC, preparing for my run through "ELLIOTS CUT," the most dangerous piece of water on the entire ICW. I gather from the blog and the Log that I got myself a bit worked up in anticipation of the moment but all went well. Looking back on it now, it probably was a good thing to be so cautious. But it was a more relaxed scene when I came back through in the Spring. Must have been a little bit of growth in self-confidence in the intervening months. And it was in the mid 70's!
The "cold" has hung on now for at least a week. It seems to go during the day but at night the sniffing and coughing comes back. I hate colds almost as much as I hate the cold. Monday or Tuesday I will complete the emptying of ABISHAG. I have no idea now if they have hauled her or not. I was supposed to be called when they did so that I could check out her bottom when she was in the slings but I have heard no word. It is possible that they "forgot" but it real makes no difference with the emptying process. If ABISHAG is still in the watter, it simply means a long walk from the boat to the car.
With that done, it is simply a chance to enjoy Thanksgiving and they head up to Vermont on Saturday morning. Then the hibernation beginngs. Hopefully, it will be of short duration and I'll soon be back to the shore, or at least closer than Vermont.
Yesterday, was TYC "DECOMMISSIONING DAY." Snow fences (used to keep the sand from blowing all over) were put in place. Bathrooms were cleaned, closets emptied, floats brought ashore and secured, and a myriad of other projects accomplished. The place looks lonesome and alone. It is the really depressing part of the "sailing season" when it is finally, officially and totally over. One of the owners of the last boats in, took off for an overnight to Greenport. The weather is actually nice for such a trip but it would only make the hauling a little more painful when at last it comes. Still, it would have been nice to go but I had other things to do and for which to get ready. I hate winter, even when it isn't here yet.
Today marks a significant moment in last year's trip. On this date last year I was in Charleston, SC, preparing for my run through "ELLIOTS CUT," the most dangerous piece of water on the entire ICW. I gather from the blog and the Log that I got myself a bit worked up in anticipation of the moment but all went well. Looking back on it now, it probably was a good thing to be so cautious. But it was a more relaxed scene when I came back through in the Spring. Must have been a little bit of growth in self-confidence in the intervening months. And it was in the mid 70's!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
IS Vermont Going To Be Like The Carolinas?
SHIP'S LOG:
A dear friend of mine , who has been reading the blog, dropped a veiled warning that Internet Access in Vermont is a sometimes thing. I gather that with all of the mountains, the line of sight signals for cell phones, and hence "WiFi" can be rather iffy depending on where you are. Skip & Nancy, who own the Vermont property, say that to use their cell phones it is necessary to go out on the porch top get service. A wonderful thought in a blizzard!
Still no word from the boatyard and/or the powers that be. Both will come in time and worrying about it doesn't make it happen any faster. It will come when it comes.
Three boats alone remain in the TYC mooring field. It is really barren now. Two are undoubtedly still here simply because their owners haven't gotten around to hauling them. When the Indian Summer breaks, they will be here quickly, probably kicking themselves for waiting as long as they have. The last is own by Mike, who is still planning one last trip to Block Island and Greenport, NY. Mike seems to get out to Block Island as often as he possibly can during the season. He loves the place. If he could afford to buy a place out there he probably would and live there fulltime. being a politician, be would probably run for mayor or king or whatever the head puba of the place is called.
I'll have to find new digs by Saturday as that is when the TYC Clubhouse is shut down. No water, no heat and everything locked up. If all goes according to plan, always remembering that Custer had a plan, ABISHAG will be unloaded on Thursday, in or out of the water, and I will be off to Maine, probably on Sunday or Monday. I am scouting around for some good winter boots to add to my rather limited wardrobe as I suspect that we are going to get hammered again this winter.
Even though I haven't seen snow in about two years, the freak storm of a couple of weeks back notwithstanding, I still hate it. It looks wonderful but going out in it is not something I am looking forward to with any relish whatsoever. Too bad someone hasn't got a condo in Florida I could watch!
A dear friend of mine , who has been reading the blog, dropped a veiled warning that Internet Access in Vermont is a sometimes thing. I gather that with all of the mountains, the line of sight signals for cell phones, and hence "WiFi" can be rather iffy depending on where you are. Skip & Nancy, who own the Vermont property, say that to use their cell phones it is necessary to go out on the porch top get service. A wonderful thought in a blizzard!
Still no word from the boatyard and/or the powers that be. Both will come in time and worrying about it doesn't make it happen any faster. It will come when it comes.
Three boats alone remain in the TYC mooring field. It is really barren now. Two are undoubtedly still here simply because their owners haven't gotten around to hauling them. When the Indian Summer breaks, they will be here quickly, probably kicking themselves for waiting as long as they have. The last is own by Mike, who is still planning one last trip to Block Island and Greenport, NY. Mike seems to get out to Block Island as often as he possibly can during the season. He loves the place. If he could afford to buy a place out there he probably would and live there fulltime. being a politician, be would probably run for mayor or king or whatever the head puba of the place is called.
I'll have to find new digs by Saturday as that is when the TYC Clubhouse is shut down. No water, no heat and everything locked up. If all goes according to plan, always remembering that Custer had a plan, ABISHAG will be unloaded on Thursday, in or out of the water, and I will be off to Maine, probably on Sunday or Monday. I am scouting around for some good winter boots to add to my rather limited wardrobe as I suspect that we are going to get hammered again this winter.
Even though I haven't seen snow in about two years, the freak storm of a couple of weeks back notwithstanding, I still hate it. It looks wonderful but going out in it is not something I am looking forward to with any relish whatsoever. Too bad someone hasn't got a condo in Florida I could watch!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Slow Disassembling Of ABISHAG
SHIP'S LOG:
This must be Indian Summer or something close to it. The days are wonderful and even the nights are too, too bad - too cold that is. I took the opportunity to head up to Portland to do a couple of things on ABISHAG. The first was to pack all of my remaining clothes and get them out of the boat before they end up moldy. One of the things I have found on my trip that packing clothing with drier sheets actually prevents the " 3 M's," mold, mildew and moths. Still there was a dampnes to a lot of the stoff and I will have a large laundry project ahead of me. It will be washing drying and re-packing for the trip to Vermont.
Another item that needed taking care of was the "Speedo" transducer. This is a little paddle wheel that extends beyond the surfsce of the hull underwater and spins as the boat moves through the water. A magnet no one of the paddels passes a point and produces a small \electrical cahrge that is read as speed by the "Speedo." Unfortunately, the transducer is locat4rd on a part of the hull where it is possible that it will hit by the straps used to lift the boat out of the water. It has to be removed and replaced with a flat plug less the weight of the hull be transfer to it as the straps are drawn up tight. At best, it will break the paddle wheel and at worst, it will psuh the entire fixture right into the hul creating a hole in the hull. Holes under the water line are not good things. It would require a seriious repair job come spring and, more than likely, a whole new trsansducer unit and maybe a whole new "Speedo" set up. It is easy and less work and much less expesnsive to pull the transducer and replace it with its plug. Trying to get the transducer out proved to be an exercise in futility for reasons unknown. After fiddling with it for a few minutes, I decided to leave it for the yard crew to do. I left them a note with the plug on that hatch which sat over the location of the transducer. I also made it a point to track down one of the yard crew and let them know the situation.
As for being hauled? well, there are no other boast on the docks so I must be the next one to get hauled. It has "only"been a month since ABISHAG moored of the marina so it is about time.
This must be Indian Summer or something close to it. The days are wonderful and even the nights are too, too bad - too cold that is. I took the opportunity to head up to Portland to do a couple of things on ABISHAG. The first was to pack all of my remaining clothes and get them out of the boat before they end up moldy. One of the things I have found on my trip that packing clothing with drier sheets actually prevents the " 3 M's," mold, mildew and moths. Still there was a dampnes to a lot of the stoff and I will have a large laundry project ahead of me. It will be washing drying and re-packing for the trip to Vermont.
Another item that needed taking care of was the "Speedo" transducer. This is a little paddle wheel that extends beyond the surfsce of the hull underwater and spins as the boat moves through the water. A magnet no one of the paddels passes a point and produces a small \electrical cahrge that is read as speed by the "Speedo." Unfortunately, the transducer is locat4rd on a part of the hull where it is possible that it will hit by the straps used to lift the boat out of the water. It has to be removed and replaced with a flat plug less the weight of the hull be transfer to it as the straps are drawn up tight. At best, it will break the paddle wheel and at worst, it will psuh the entire fixture right into the hul creating a hole in the hull. Holes under the water line are not good things. It would require a seriious repair job come spring and, more than likely, a whole new trsansducer unit and maybe a whole new "Speedo" set up. It is easy and less work and much less expesnsive to pull the transducer and replace it with its plug. Trying to get the transducer out proved to be an exercise in futility for reasons unknown. After fiddling with it for a few minutes, I decided to leave it for the yard crew to do. I left them a note with the plug on that hatch which sat over the location of the transducer. I also made it a point to track down one of the yard crew and let them know the situation.
As for being hauled? well, there are no other boast on the docks so I must be the next one to get hauled. It has "only"been a month since ABISHAG moored of the marina so it is about time.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
A Day At The Beach One Year Removed!
SHIP'S LOG:
I am at the beach today at TYC and a year ago I was also at the beach, Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina to be exact. Of course, a year ago it was in the 70's where I was and such is not the case here. Looking back to then, what I find interesting is not the weather so much as the fact that things seems better planned, or at least there seemed to be a pretty set plan. I was getting ready to head up to Willmington to see Vin & Anne and then it would be down to Cape Fear and back on to the "Magenta Highway."
Right now, things are sort of betwixt and between. I have picked up the first real cold of the season which doesn't bode well for the months ahead.. ABISHAG has still not been hauled and the two days on which I planned to get her set for the winter didn't pan out due to lots of rain and lots of wind. No word from the powers that be. "House sitting" in Vermont is set though I probably won't go up until after Thanksgiving, perhaps that Sunday. As uncertain as it seemed at the time, the journey seemed a lot more exact and certain, even with all the unknowns and uncertainties to come. Still, it will all work out.My current "spiritual reading' happens to be Stephen King's book, "The Stand." There are a lot of very good spiritual insights in though I would tend to believe that Steve-o hadn't intend it to be so. It can really be amazing how God chooses to speak to you at time, in ways and from places you least expect. The was an important part of the learning process of the trip, getting to the point of not just listening be actually hearing. Of course, the weather and the scenery and the people were very nice as well.
I am at the beach today at TYC and a year ago I was also at the beach, Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina to be exact. Of course, a year ago it was in the 70's where I was and such is not the case here. Looking back to then, what I find interesting is not the weather so much as the fact that things seems better planned, or at least there seemed to be a pretty set plan. I was getting ready to head up to Willmington to see Vin & Anne and then it would be down to Cape Fear and back on to the "Magenta Highway."
Right now, things are sort of betwixt and between. I have picked up the first real cold of the season which doesn't bode well for the months ahead.. ABISHAG has still not been hauled and the two days on which I planned to get her set for the winter didn't pan out due to lots of rain and lots of wind. No word from the powers that be. "House sitting" in Vermont is set though I probably won't go up until after Thanksgiving, perhaps that Sunday. As uncertain as it seemed at the time, the journey seemed a lot more exact and certain, even with all the unknowns and uncertainties to come. Still, it will all work out.My current "spiritual reading' happens to be Stephen King's book, "The Stand." There are a lot of very good spiritual insights in though I would tend to believe that Steve-o hadn't intend it to be so. It can really be amazing how God chooses to speak to you at time, in ways and from places you least expect. The was an important part of the learning process of the trip, getting to the point of not just listening be actually hearing. Of course, the weather and the scenery and the people were very nice as well.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
WInter's Comin' On Slowly
SHIP'S LOG:
Right now, it is only like winter late at night. We are, I suppose, in Indian Summer(strange phrase, don't you think?) where the days are warm( up to 68 yesterday), the evening cold but comfortable, and the late night cold. One gets up in the early morning and notices frost on the car which disappears as soon as the sun hits it. Still, there is frost!
A year ago, I was heading down the ICW thru North Carolina, passing through Camp LeJune and its life fire range that crosses the ICW lane of travel, on my way to Mile Hammock at the southern end of the camp.It was warm enough for shorts and T-shirts and, sadly, mosquitoes. Yesterday, I was up on ABISHAG, still at the dock, folding up her sails in preparation for taking them to the sail loft. There was no place close by the boat to lay them out on the grass and do a proper folding job. Lots of mud from the floods and lots of gravel in the parking lot. Plus the fact that trying to manhandle a Genoa or a Main in a mess bundle was more work than I wanted to deal with. Thus it was that i had to do them on the deck. The Main was relatively easy as I simply laid it out over the Bimini and pulled it from one side to the other, folding as I went. The Genoa was a whole different story. Much larger than the Main, it was also made of much heavier cloth and was all twisted from the rapid stuffing it under went down the hatch in the snow storm. It took a bit of time just to unfold it, let alone try to flake it. I am not sure how much it actually ways, but probably pretty close to 25lbs if not more. And it has a mind of its own. If it could get caught on anything on deck it did. If it could re-twist itself as it was flake , it did. Like someone facing a trip to the dentist, it obviously did not want to go. But with a lot of pulling and wrapping and "a few words of encouragement," I was able to get it into a relatively concise bundle, small enough to fit in my car. The smallest sail, the Mizzen, I folded and inside in the aft cabin and left it there. It wasn't used enough to require a trip to the loft. The last piece that needed to go was the dodger(windshield). The clear vinyl in it that is intended to allow you to see ahead when it is raised and in place, had been destroyed on the trip. It was old to begin with and the cold of last December and the high winds caused any number of rips. As the vinyl ages, it gets hard and brittle and just cracks. I had been using fiberglass reinforced packing take which work surprisingly well, though after exposure to sunlight for about a month, the UV destroyed it. Replacing allowed me to complete the trip but as a long term solution, it was a bust. SO it was off to the sailmaker to get a new piece put in place.
Hopefully this Thursday, whether the boat is in the water or out, I will empty her out with the help of my good friend, Russ. And that will be that. We are down to 6 boats in the mooring field, including two with engine problems. Even the launch has been put away for the winter. Ugh, I hate winter!
Right now, it is only like winter late at night. We are, I suppose, in Indian Summer(strange phrase, don't you think?) where the days are warm( up to 68 yesterday), the evening cold but comfortable, and the late night cold. One gets up in the early morning and notices frost on the car which disappears as soon as the sun hits it. Still, there is frost!
A year ago, I was heading down the ICW thru North Carolina, passing through Camp LeJune and its life fire range that crosses the ICW lane of travel, on my way to Mile Hammock at the southern end of the camp.It was warm enough for shorts and T-shirts and, sadly, mosquitoes. Yesterday, I was up on ABISHAG, still at the dock, folding up her sails in preparation for taking them to the sail loft. There was no place close by the boat to lay them out on the grass and do a proper folding job. Lots of mud from the floods and lots of gravel in the parking lot. Plus the fact that trying to manhandle a Genoa or a Main in a mess bundle was more work than I wanted to deal with. Thus it was that i had to do them on the deck. The Main was relatively easy as I simply laid it out over the Bimini and pulled it from one side to the other, folding as I went. The Genoa was a whole different story. Much larger than the Main, it was also made of much heavier cloth and was all twisted from the rapid stuffing it under went down the hatch in the snow storm. It took a bit of time just to unfold it, let alone try to flake it. I am not sure how much it actually ways, but probably pretty close to 25lbs if not more. And it has a mind of its own. If it could get caught on anything on deck it did. If it could re-twist itself as it was flake , it did. Like someone facing a trip to the dentist, it obviously did not want to go. But with a lot of pulling and wrapping and "a few words of encouragement," I was able to get it into a relatively concise bundle, small enough to fit in my car. The smallest sail, the Mizzen, I folded and inside in the aft cabin and left it there. It wasn't used enough to require a trip to the loft. The last piece that needed to go was the dodger(windshield). The clear vinyl in it that is intended to allow you to see ahead when it is raised and in place, had been destroyed on the trip. It was old to begin with and the cold of last December and the high winds caused any number of rips. As the vinyl ages, it gets hard and brittle and just cracks. I had been using fiberglass reinforced packing take which work surprisingly well, though after exposure to sunlight for about a month, the UV destroyed it. Replacing allowed me to complete the trip but as a long term solution, it was a bust. SO it was off to the sailmaker to get a new piece put in place.
Hopefully this Thursday, whether the boat is in the water or out, I will empty her out with the help of my good friend, Russ. And that will be that. We are down to 6 boats in the mooring field, including two with engine problems. Even the launch has been put away for the winter. Ugh, I hate winter!
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