SHIP'S LOG:
Well, Matthew doesn't seem to have lost any punch in the last 24 hours even running over Jamaica and Haiti. Dropped about 40 inches on Haiti. Just what they needed.
Matthew is moving north about 9 mph and it looks as though it will impact Florida in a day or so and will head up the east coast. It could get as close as right along the coast which will do a real job on the state. It then appears it will follow the curve of the coast at least as far north as Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. After that, no one is making any guesses or predictions, or I should say, everyone is making W.A.G. , Wild Ass Guesses, that send it anywhere north and or east of Hatteras. In other words, nobody knows nothing for sure.
Perhaps the only good news is that Matthew is expected to weaken as it impacts land and that since it is not expected to speed up, shouldn't get here until Monday at the earliest. If that holds true, I should be able to get ABISHAG up the Connecticut River and snugged down in Portland ahead of the storm. Of course, Matthew decides to go to Bermuda, everyone here will be very happy. However, we won't know for awhile. O the Agony Of Waiting!
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Monday, October 3, 2016
Waiting For Matthew
SHIP'S LOG:
It is funny how things work out sometimes. This coming weekend, Columbus Day Weekend for Italians and the politically incorrect, is traditionally the weekend when a large number of the TYC folk head to Essex/Hamburg Cove on the Connecticut River to party. Since it is a three day weekend, we usually leave on Saturday and overnight for two days and on Monday, half head back to New London to continue the sailing season a few more weeks and the rest head up river to one of the various marinas, depending on what you can afford, for winter hauling. I am planning to head up river because: 1.) Riverside in Portland is now the least expensive marina around; 2.) the weather is bound to get less warm and less stable the longer I wait; it's a 42 mile trip and being in Essex means I am half way there so why not go all the way. Good, smart, safe seamanship.
Now way down in the Caribbean, we have a Hurricane brewing which look to really clobber Jamaica, Haiti and Cub in the next 24 - 48 hours. It is currently a Category 4 and since the top is a Category 5, it is a monster. Unfortunately, it could end up right here come this weekend and that is a real cause for concern. While I doubt that even if it gets here it will still be a Category 4, even a Category 1 is a bastard. I can not leave before Saturday in part because my crew can't leave before Saturday and also due to the fact that I am running the Launch on Friday Noon to 6pm and it will be a busy time if Matthew is coming this way. Everyone will want to secure their boats, be it readying it to ride Matthew out on their mooring, or dashing off to a hurricane hole somewhere, or getting hauled at some marina. It will be a very busy and chaotic day.
If Matthew is going to hit Friday, Saturday or Sunday, I will have to ride it out on the mooring at TYC. I had the chain replaced this spring. The anchor is well and deeply set in the bottom, so the mooring is as good as it gets. ABISHAG is strong and has already weathered IRENE and SANDY, so hopefully she can handle MATTHEW should he come calling. If MATTHEW comes Monday or later, I'll dash up the Connecticut Saturday to Riverside and snug down there. Or Perhaps I wait it out in New London. It really depends on the track. I am hoping that it takes a left at Cape Hatteras and heads way out into the Atlantic. The next 24-48 should give a good idea as to where the storm is going. The second most anxiety producing day is the day you head up river for winter haul out, the first being when you bring the boat down river at the start of the season. .The waiting for this hurricane, coming when it is, will be a killer. AH, the joys of boat ownership.
It is funny how things work out sometimes. This coming weekend, Columbus Day Weekend for Italians and the politically incorrect, is traditionally the weekend when a large number of the TYC folk head to Essex/Hamburg Cove on the Connecticut River to party. Since it is a three day weekend, we usually leave on Saturday and overnight for two days and on Monday, half head back to New London to continue the sailing season a few more weeks and the rest head up river to one of the various marinas, depending on what you can afford, for winter hauling. I am planning to head up river because: 1.) Riverside in Portland is now the least expensive marina around; 2.) the weather is bound to get less warm and less stable the longer I wait; it's a 42 mile trip and being in Essex means I am half way there so why not go all the way. Good, smart, safe seamanship.
Now way down in the Caribbean, we have a Hurricane brewing which look to really clobber Jamaica, Haiti and Cub in the next 24 - 48 hours. It is currently a Category 4 and since the top is a Category 5, it is a monster. Unfortunately, it could end up right here come this weekend and that is a real cause for concern. While I doubt that even if it gets here it will still be a Category 4, even a Category 1 is a bastard. I can not leave before Saturday in part because my crew can't leave before Saturday and also due to the fact that I am running the Launch on Friday Noon to 6pm and it will be a busy time if Matthew is coming this way. Everyone will want to secure their boats, be it readying it to ride Matthew out on their mooring, or dashing off to a hurricane hole somewhere, or getting hauled at some marina. It will be a very busy and chaotic day.
If Matthew is going to hit Friday, Saturday or Sunday, I will have to ride it out on the mooring at TYC. I had the chain replaced this spring. The anchor is well and deeply set in the bottom, so the mooring is as good as it gets. ABISHAG is strong and has already weathered IRENE and SANDY, so hopefully she can handle MATTHEW should he come calling. If MATTHEW comes Monday or later, I'll dash up the Connecticut Saturday to Riverside and snug down there. Or Perhaps I wait it out in New London. It really depends on the track. I am hoping that it takes a left at Cape Hatteras and heads way out into the Atlantic. The next 24-48 should give a good idea as to where the storm is going. The second most anxiety producing day is the day you head up river for winter haul out, the first being when you bring the boat down river at the start of the season. .The waiting for this hurricane, coming when it is, will be a killer. AH, the joys of boat ownership.
Monday, September 26, 2016
Winding Down.
SHIP'S LOG:
I have confirmation of a "warm and comfortable" spot for ABISHAG for the winter. It is a new marina though one that is actually next door to the old one. Yankee, for some reason unknown, raised their rate by $10 a foot. Actually, even if the reason was known to me, I could not afford to go there for another season. It would be $40 a foot. Hell, for $42 a foot I could haul out at Crocker's which is literally just down the street from TYC, but I don't have $42 a foot. Riverside in Portland is only $25. True, there will be more hands on work that I will have to do but at least I can afford it. And there are NO TREES IN THE YARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The last day of Summer will be October 9th when I will dock at Riverside and they will haul it the next day. It has been a short season but at least I had one. And next year will be different, it will be one of normal length. Like I said, no trees.
I have confirmation of a "warm and comfortable" spot for ABISHAG for the winter. It is a new marina though one that is actually next door to the old one. Yankee, for some reason unknown, raised their rate by $10 a foot. Actually, even if the reason was known to me, I could not afford to go there for another season. It would be $40 a foot. Hell, for $42 a foot I could haul out at Crocker's which is literally just down the street from TYC, but I don't have $42 a foot. Riverside in Portland is only $25. True, there will be more hands on work that I will have to do but at least I can afford it. And there are NO TREES IN THE YARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The last day of Summer will be October 9th when I will dock at Riverside and they will haul it the next day. It has been a short season but at least I had one. And next year will be different, it will be one of normal length. Like I said, no trees.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
The Story So Far!
SHIP'S LOG:
So far, so good. No real pain from the extraction. The first day I took a Vicodin before the anesthetic wore off and after that I have just been taking ADVIL. Like I said, no real pain and actually very little discomfort. The bleeding stop very quickly and there has been very little swelling. As a result I don't look like a chipmunk getting ready for a hard winter.
If I make through Friday then the chances of the infamous "dry socket " with it attendant pain will have passed. Electric tooth brushing and water-picking are a little difficult but doable. So things are good.
not having to take the narco-meds means I was able to do a shift on the launch yesterday. I have another one come Saturday and I foresee no problems with that one either. This was so much fun, maybe I'll have the other three pulled! NAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So far, so good. No real pain from the extraction. The first day I took a Vicodin before the anesthetic wore off and after that I have just been taking ADVIL. Like I said, no real pain and actually very little discomfort. The bleeding stop very quickly and there has been very little swelling. As a result I don't look like a chipmunk getting ready for a hard winter.
If I make through Friday then the chances of the infamous "dry socket " with it attendant pain will have passed. Electric tooth brushing and water-picking are a little difficult but doable. So things are good.
not having to take the narco-meds means I was able to do a shift on the launch yesterday. I have another one come Saturday and I foresee no problems with that one either. This was so much fun, maybe I'll have the other three pulled! NAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, September 19, 2016
More Fun Than A Poke In The eye with A Sharp Stick!
SHIP'S LOG:
Well That done and over with . . . . at least the surgical part anyway. I have a wad of gauze in the corner of my mouth, a very numb mouth indeed. I've got ice for 20 minutes every 20 minutes. I've got to change out the gauze when it gets too bloody. I am supposed to bite down firmly but gently on the gauze but not clench. Try make that determination when you can't really feel anything. The pain is not supposed to be really bad but they suggest that you start your pain medication right away so that you can manage your pain better. And you spend time praying that you don't develop a "dry socket," something that happens when the blood clot/scab/whatever detaches and goes away. I am not quite sure why it is painful but it is and it is to be avoid. Care needs be exercised.
The surgeon did considerable hacking and drilling and sawing and got the tooth out almost in one piece. It took less than 15 minutes once he started to work and he seemed very pleased with how it went and that's a good thing. I'll let you know about the pain when I can feel my face again.
Well That done and over with . . . . at least the surgical part anyway. I have a wad of gauze in the corner of my mouth, a very numb mouth indeed. I've got ice for 20 minutes every 20 minutes. I've got to change out the gauze when it gets too bloody. I am supposed to bite down firmly but gently on the gauze but not clench. Try make that determination when you can't really feel anything. The pain is not supposed to be really bad but they suggest that you start your pain medication right away so that you can manage your pain better. And you spend time praying that you don't develop a "dry socket," something that happens when the blood clot/scab/whatever detaches and goes away. I am not quite sure why it is painful but it is and it is to be avoid. Care needs be exercised.
The surgeon did considerable hacking and drilling and sawing and got the tooth out almost in one piece. It took less than 15 minutes once he started to work and he seemed very pleased with how it went and that's a good thing. I'll let you know about the pain when I can feel my face again.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
It Doesn't Pay To Be Too Wise
SHIP'S LOG:
Ouch! I cracked a tooth. My right lower molar, which is more fillings than tooth, cracked over the weekend. I didn't know for sure and thought that I had merely irritated the gum when I was flossing. It grew worse and even Ambersol and Oragel didn't do more that temporarily relieved the pain. So I went off to the dentist to see what was what.
She said that I had two problems. The first was that the tooth was cracked and that there was no way to fill it so as to relieve the problem. Secondly, the cause of the problem was actually an impacted wisdom tooth that I never had removed. Considering that I had had two teeth removed when I got braces in high school, I am surprised that the question the removal on wisdom teeth never came up. The impacted wisdom tooth, laying on its side, was journeying forward and was pressing on the weaken molar causing the pain. The end result is that the impacted wisdom tooth has to be extracted and the molar needs root canal work and a crown. The extraction will take place Monday.
The oral surgeon will do a CAT scan first because of the facial nerves involved and will then extract the wisdom tooth. Once that is healed, he will do the root canal and crown. How much fun does that sound like. They have me on a regime of antibiotics and Vicodin for pain, of which there is a bunch. It has lessened a bit after one day on the regime but unfortunately it also means that I can not drive the launch. Narcotics are a no-no. It puts the club in a bit of bind as two of the four launch drivers are away this weekend on a club cruise, one is away Sunday (my shift was Sunday 2-7pm) and the fourth is doing the morning shift on Sunday. It is not allowed for a driver to do two shifts in a day. I am not sure what the Commodore will do but really there is nothing I can do about it. Aside from that, everything is great!
Ouch! I cracked a tooth. My right lower molar, which is more fillings than tooth, cracked over the weekend. I didn't know for sure and thought that I had merely irritated the gum when I was flossing. It grew worse and even Ambersol and Oragel didn't do more that temporarily relieved the pain. So I went off to the dentist to see what was what.
She said that I had two problems. The first was that the tooth was cracked and that there was no way to fill it so as to relieve the problem. Secondly, the cause of the problem was actually an impacted wisdom tooth that I never had removed. Considering that I had had two teeth removed when I got braces in high school, I am surprised that the question the removal on wisdom teeth never came up. The impacted wisdom tooth, laying on its side, was journeying forward and was pressing on the weaken molar causing the pain. The end result is that the impacted wisdom tooth has to be extracted and the molar needs root canal work and a crown. The extraction will take place Monday.
The oral surgeon will do a CAT scan first because of the facial nerves involved and will then extract the wisdom tooth. Once that is healed, he will do the root canal and crown. How much fun does that sound like. They have me on a regime of antibiotics and Vicodin for pain, of which there is a bunch. It has lessened a bit after one day on the regime but unfortunately it also means that I can not drive the launch. Narcotics are a no-no. It puts the club in a bit of bind as two of the four launch drivers are away this weekend on a club cruise, one is away Sunday (my shift was Sunday 2-7pm) and the fourth is doing the morning shift on Sunday. It is not allowed for a driver to do two shifts in a day. I am not sure what the Commodore will do but really there is nothing I can do about it. Aside from that, everything is great!
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
RAcing Again.
SHIP'S LOG:
Well, HERMINE came and went without too much of a brouhaha and all of my careful preparations proved more than adequate for the problems she caused. Her effects hung around for a couple of days and thus delayed the restoration of ABISHAG to her normal state. That actually took more than two days as not only did I have to undo the preparations for the storm but I had to do new preparation for the Commodore's Trophy Race on the 11th!
While I have raced over the years, I haven't raced a boat of my own in about 15 years and it is a different thing altogether. Just getting crew is a bit of a chore as everyone is doing the same. I was able to secure two crew, Friend Fred and another club member, Matt. One or two more would have been very helpful as would have been some practice, but you can't have everything.
The race was wonderful and we spent the great majority of our time scudding along at between 7 and 10 knots which is really screaming for ABISHAG. We didn't finish last. She does not, however, have a racing hull and with two masts and a lot of sail area, we were "just a wee bit" over-powered a lot of the time. Then again, I just want to race. Winning would have been nice but it would have taken a lot of rum to really believe we could finish in the silver, so we settled for having a good time. Matt, in his first race, had a wonderful time. Fred was able to tweak and plot to his heart's content. Like I said, we didn't finish last and I am good with that.
I got out of racing because it gave rise to my inner Capt. Bligh. I could feel it rising on Sunday so I don't think I'll be racing again this year. Perhaps next year for one or two of the big races, but not every week. It can be a good way to loose friends.
Well, HERMINE came and went without too much of a brouhaha and all of my careful preparations proved more than adequate for the problems she caused. Her effects hung around for a couple of days and thus delayed the restoration of ABISHAG to her normal state. That actually took more than two days as not only did I have to undo the preparations for the storm but I had to do new preparation for the Commodore's Trophy Race on the 11th!
While I have raced over the years, I haven't raced a boat of my own in about 15 years and it is a different thing altogether. Just getting crew is a bit of a chore as everyone is doing the same. I was able to secure two crew, Friend Fred and another club member, Matt. One or two more would have been very helpful as would have been some practice, but you can't have everything.
The race was wonderful and we spent the great majority of our time scudding along at between 7 and 10 knots which is really screaming for ABISHAG. We didn't finish last. She does not, however, have a racing hull and with two masts and a lot of sail area, we were "just a wee bit" over-powered a lot of the time. Then again, I just want to race. Winning would have been nice but it would have taken a lot of rum to really believe we could finish in the silver, so we settled for having a good time. Matt, in his first race, had a wonderful time. Fred was able to tweak and plot to his heart's content. Like I said, we didn't finish last and I am good with that.
I got out of racing because it gave rise to my inner Capt. Bligh. I could feel it rising on Sunday so I don't think I'll be racing again this year. Perhaps next year for one or two of the big races, but not every week. It can be a good way to loose friends.
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