SHIP'S LOG:
Yes, that sounds a bit strange but it happened. Thursday I took a day off from the loft and went to work on ABISHAG. Friend Fred was supposed to show up but was unable to make it. Too bad as he missed a beautiful day in the sunshine.
I spent 4 hours or so de-caulking the teak deck. in between the strips of teak on deck resides a rubberized caulking material. On those decks that are really teak deck the caulking provided a seal against leaks getting below and wetting everything down. On a "modern" boat, the teak deck is usually just a veneer that is laid over the fiberglass deck, the real deck. It makes the boat look "so nautical." The problem is that the teak deck is affixed to the fiberglass deck with screws which make holes in the fiberglass deck. Over time, with the flexing of the deck, some of the holes widen and loose their seal and water leaks into those holes and into the boat. To prevent that, or at least in attempt to prevent it, the spacing between the strips of teak are filled with caulk, ideally sealing the space between the strips prevent the water from getting underneath and find whatever holes may be there. This caulking can, over the years, dry out and crack and literally pop out of the spacing and providing a major access route for water. So it has to be renewed every now and then.
"Now and then" has arrived. About 8 years ago, I re-calked the deck . It was a real pain. You have to use a small hook-tool, a gouge and a utility knife to get out all the old caulk. Strangely, some comes out amazingly easily, some refuses to leave despite serious effort. But out it must come as the new caulk will not stick and seal if there is old caulk present. And out it came on Thursday. I will have to wash out each groove with clean and then with acetone or the equivalent and then fill them in the appropriate caulk. It would be a one day job if I had one full day but with only partial days, it will probably take about four.
I wanted to get up to ABISHAG today but can't swing it. But Friend Fred is there and since he is doing electrical stuff ( electricity is all voodoo to me), I won't be in his way. If I can swing it, I'll be up tomorrow. Trying to find free rime to travel 42 miles to wok on ABISHAG while working is not the most fun I have, but hopefully it will allow me and Friend Fred to get the work needed to lunch get done. Ah! the fun of boat ownership!
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Yes, I Am Still Alive . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
. . . .but barely. I am falling apart piece by piece. Let's see, where to start?
March was pretty much n awful month. There was some type of plague going around that was particularly insidious. One did not get it but one time, rather one was subject to it three times. A "victim" got eh original strain - coughing, headache, fever, terminal post-nasal drip, gastrointestinal - which lasted about a week.It really knocked you down for a day or three but you felt miserable for the entire week.When you finally came alive again felling human enough to return to work, and you did, that lasted about three days and then the whole pattern started over again. And then again. 'round these parts here, everyone had it. I am not sure if we passed it from one to another or we all were afflicted independently, but everyone got it from somewhere somehow. Made the sail loft sound like a tubercular ward. Suffice it to say that it made March pretty much of a wash.
In addition, my regular dentist sent me to an Periodontics practitioner as the molar which resides in front of the spot formerly occupied by the departed impacted winsome tooth had been giving me trouble and she surmised that it would require root canal and crowning. As with the wisdom tooth extraction, prior to the visit I heard every horror story involving root canals know to the mind of man. After a "painless" visit, the dentist gave me the "good news/bad news." The good news was that he recommended strongly that I not have root canal done, for the simple reason I would need to have done all over again in a bout a year. The molar was split , the crack running below the gum line. The molar had already died and the nerves had gone to wherever nerves go when they shuffle of the mortal coil and the sensation I felt when I bit down was a developing abscess. Since there was really no way to repair the crack below the gum line, doing a root canal procedure would simple correct the problem for about a year when it would happen all over again. The molar, after long decades of service, simply had to go. And it will, on May 16th.
And then there are the knees. The left one, fitted as it is with an "off-loading brace" - don't ask - has some cartilage left and merely aches horribly. The right knee has no cartilage and the bone merely grind on each other. Any bending results in a grating, grinding an popping that can be heard as well as felt. The result is that I unconsciously try to walk without bending the knees and end up walking like a drunk man on stilts. Stairs are terrible in either direction but trying to maneuver around the sail loft floor covered with slippery sail cloth is the worst. One wrong step and I go ass-over-teakettle and, in the end, everything gets hurt, including my dignity. It got so bad that the day after Easter I called Dr. Sean for an appointment, after a number of X-rays and a lot of twisting and poking and prodding, the prognosis was the left knee was doing as well as could be expected considering the state it was in and didn't absolutely need replacement at this time. Maybe in a year or two, probably within five, but not today. The right knee however is due. The right knee, after decades of service, with go wherever sometime n November 10th. This will allow me to keeping helping Kevin - who also has serious knee problems - in the sail loft and also run the launch for the yacht club. To help with the immediate pain problem, young Dr. Sean shot the right knee up with a cocktail of lidocain and cortisone. t was like getting a new knee. The pain went away, as did the stiffness and I could walk without looking like Long John Silver . . . . for about a week. This past Tuesday, at 10:37 AM, I was walking across the sail loft floor when the pain and stiffness came back like someone turned on a switch. Using too much ibuprofen or aspirin can me kidney problems or ulcers, so I am using this cream that I have to put on 4 times a day. Actually, it is pretty good, not as good as the "cocktail," but good enough for now. I only have to tough it out til November. I will be able to get a couple more "cocktails" between now and then, so with the cream I will make it. I can't wait. It was wonderful having a "new knee" even if only for a week.
Friend Fred and I have begun work on ABISHAG, not a lot, simply a beginning. The most difficult part so far was the uncovering. Covers as she was with blue-poly traps, the rains and snow of the winter past trapped good 30 gallons of water in the deck area. Since the traps were secured with an intricate lacing of lines holding them in place,all of which were secured underneath the boat, removing the tarps was something akin to a game where if you pulled the wrong line you got soaked. For the most part, I avoided a soaking but the same can not be said for my sneaks. But she is uncovered and the work can begin . . .at last. There will be sailing this summer.
. . . .but barely. I am falling apart piece by piece. Let's see, where to start?
March was pretty much n awful month. There was some type of plague going around that was particularly insidious. One did not get it but one time, rather one was subject to it three times. A "victim" got eh original strain - coughing, headache, fever, terminal post-nasal drip, gastrointestinal - which lasted about a week.It really knocked you down for a day or three but you felt miserable for the entire week.When you finally came alive again felling human enough to return to work, and you did, that lasted about three days and then the whole pattern started over again. And then again. 'round these parts here, everyone had it. I am not sure if we passed it from one to another or we all were afflicted independently, but everyone got it from somewhere somehow. Made the sail loft sound like a tubercular ward. Suffice it to say that it made March pretty much of a wash.
In addition, my regular dentist sent me to an Periodontics practitioner as the molar which resides in front of the spot formerly occupied by the departed impacted winsome tooth had been giving me trouble and she surmised that it would require root canal and crowning. As with the wisdom tooth extraction, prior to the visit I heard every horror story involving root canals know to the mind of man. After a "painless" visit, the dentist gave me the "good news/bad news." The good news was that he recommended strongly that I not have root canal done, for the simple reason I would need to have done all over again in a bout a year. The molar was split , the crack running below the gum line. The molar had already died and the nerves had gone to wherever nerves go when they shuffle of the mortal coil and the sensation I felt when I bit down was a developing abscess. Since there was really no way to repair the crack below the gum line, doing a root canal procedure would simple correct the problem for about a year when it would happen all over again. The molar, after long decades of service, simply had to go. And it will, on May 16th.
And then there are the knees. The left one, fitted as it is with an "off-loading brace" - don't ask - has some cartilage left and merely aches horribly. The right knee has no cartilage and the bone merely grind on each other. Any bending results in a grating, grinding an popping that can be heard as well as felt. The result is that I unconsciously try to walk without bending the knees and end up walking like a drunk man on stilts. Stairs are terrible in either direction but trying to maneuver around the sail loft floor covered with slippery sail cloth is the worst. One wrong step and I go ass-over-teakettle and, in the end, everything gets hurt, including my dignity. It got so bad that the day after Easter I called Dr. Sean for an appointment, after a number of X-rays and a lot of twisting and poking and prodding, the prognosis was the left knee was doing as well as could be expected considering the state it was in and didn't absolutely need replacement at this time. Maybe in a year or two, probably within five, but not today. The right knee however is due. The right knee, after decades of service, with go wherever sometime n November 10th. This will allow me to keeping helping Kevin - who also has serious knee problems - in the sail loft and also run the launch for the yacht club. To help with the immediate pain problem, young Dr. Sean shot the right knee up with a cocktail of lidocain and cortisone. t was like getting a new knee. The pain went away, as did the stiffness and I could walk without looking like Long John Silver . . . . for about a week. This past Tuesday, at 10:37 AM, I was walking across the sail loft floor when the pain and stiffness came back like someone turned on a switch. Using too much ibuprofen or aspirin can me kidney problems or ulcers, so I am using this cream that I have to put on 4 times a day. Actually, it is pretty good, not as good as the "cocktail," but good enough for now. I only have to tough it out til November. I will be able to get a couple more "cocktails" between now and then, so with the cream I will make it. I can't wait. It was wonderful having a "new knee" even if only for a week.
Friend Fred and I have begun work on ABISHAG, not a lot, simply a beginning. The most difficult part so far was the uncovering. Covers as she was with blue-poly traps, the rains and snow of the winter past trapped good 30 gallons of water in the deck area. Since the traps were secured with an intricate lacing of lines holding them in place,all of which were secured underneath the boat, removing the tarps was something akin to a game where if you pulled the wrong line you got soaked. For the most part, I avoided a soaking but the same can not be said for my sneaks. But she is uncovered and the work can begin . . .at last. There will be sailing this summer.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Winter Goes on
SHIP'S LOG:
Well, we really got whacked on Thursday, so much so that Kevin, owner of the sail loft, gave us a snow day. We got good foot-&-a-half and then another few inches last night. What is wired was that Wednesday last, the temp was in the high 50's! Ah New England!
My knees are still terrible. The "pop" every time I bend them which makes walking a cacophony of sound. It also causes me to to tend unconsciously to walk stiff-legged. When I become aware that I am doing it, it becomes snap,crackle and pop. And it is painful as well. It is a bitch to get old. I advise you to have nothing to do with it.
Well, we really got whacked on Thursday, so much so that Kevin, owner of the sail loft, gave us a snow day. We got good foot-&-a-half and then another few inches last night. What is wired was that Wednesday last, the temp was in the high 50's! Ah New England!
My knees are still terrible. The "pop" every time I bend them which makes walking a cacophony of sound. It also causes me to to tend unconsciously to walk stiff-legged. When I become aware that I am doing it, it becomes snap,crackle and pop. And it is painful as well. It is a bitch to get old. I advise you to have nothing to do with it.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Ouch!
SHIP'S LOG:
I wish there was something interesting to "blog" about but such is not the case. The days have become rather routine and boring. One can only wrestle with soggy Dacron sails so many times before it becomes a bore. Truth be told, doing it once will suffice.
And spending five hours or so standing is causing my knees to really ache. Getting up in the morning is tough as my knees tend "lock up" making it difficult to stand. I am definitely going to have to touch base with Dr. Sean. It might be time for "new knees" or a lidocane/cortisone cocktail injection. That's usually good for 2 weeks. It doesn't cure anything but it make the knees feel better for awhile.
I wish there was something interesting to "blog" about but such is not the case. The days have become rather routine and boring. One can only wrestle with soggy Dacron sails so many times before it becomes a bore. Truth be told, doing it once will suffice.
And spending five hours or so standing is causing my knees to really ache. Getting up in the morning is tough as my knees tend "lock up" making it difficult to stand. I am definitely going to have to touch base with Dr. Sean. It might be time for "new knees" or a lidocane/cortisone cocktail injection. That's usually good for 2 weeks. It doesn't cure anything but it make the knees feel better for awhile.
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Here Be Winter!
SHIP'S LOG:
Winter seems to be getting serious about showing up. Temps have been going down and today inches of snow is scheduled to show up. And I hate snow. Snow is fine in the mountains and hills but along the coast, well it makes no sense.Along the coast it should be the the 70's and humid. I hate snow!
It has been snowing since early morning and, while I am not sure just how much we already have, from mu perch high above the street, it looks significant and it is scheduled to keep right on snowing until tomorrow morning. I hate snow!
It wouldn't be so bad if it were say March but it is not March, no even February. It is bloody January, and while the days are getting longer, it is still winter time, astronomically as well as atmospherically. Basically that means that any snow we get is likely to stick around for more than awhile. I hate snow.
There supposed to be a little party for all the members of TYC who took their boats north to Portland for winter storage. It was (is?) going to be at Portland Riverside Marina, a simple affair of hot dogs and BYOB. Teddy Paulsen, who was "hosting" the event, sent out an email this morning that it was still on, but I decide that discretion is the better part of partying. Just the last quarter mile or so to the marina is downhill from route 66 to the riverside, on a road that certainly is high on Portland Street maintenance for snow removal at this time of the year. Getting to the party won't be as challenging as leaving it. I hate snow.
Kevin, the owner of the sail loft where I toil, wiped -out last weekend up at Sugarbush, where he does ski patrol. He tore up his "hammy" on his left leg. He will find out on Tuesday if he needs an operation so bad did he tear it. He is not a happy camper. His attendance at the loft has been limited to a few "painful" hours Thursday and Friday which were even more limited due to the meds. Actually important work got done as we actually were able to sync-up sails with work orders. The best part about that it the lack of demand for washing. Washing sails is an incredible pain in the butt. Imagine sewing all your sheets and bed linens together into one large structure and then washing it is a tub of cold water laced with bleach and Dawn. The after an hour or so, pulling that soggy mass out of the "cleaning solution" into the rising solution, another tub of cold water. And after another hour, hauling the clean soggy mass out of that tub and stinging over several lines that criss-cross the room so they might drip dry. There is no way to stay dry. Indeed there is no way to prevent yourself from getting soaked. If any of the owners of the sails had to do this, they would agree that we don't charge enough fore the service.
One las thought, not only do I hate snow, I hate winter itself. Spring can't come soon enough!
Winter seems to be getting serious about showing up. Temps have been going down and today inches of snow is scheduled to show up. And I hate snow. Snow is fine in the mountains and hills but along the coast, well it makes no sense.Along the coast it should be the the 70's and humid. I hate snow!
It has been snowing since early morning and, while I am not sure just how much we already have, from mu perch high above the street, it looks significant and it is scheduled to keep right on snowing until tomorrow morning. I hate snow!
It wouldn't be so bad if it were say March but it is not March, no even February. It is bloody January, and while the days are getting longer, it is still winter time, astronomically as well as atmospherically. Basically that means that any snow we get is likely to stick around for more than awhile. I hate snow.
There supposed to be a little party for all the members of TYC who took their boats north to Portland for winter storage. It was (is?) going to be at Portland Riverside Marina, a simple affair of hot dogs and BYOB. Teddy Paulsen, who was "hosting" the event, sent out an email this morning that it was still on, but I decide that discretion is the better part of partying. Just the last quarter mile or so to the marina is downhill from route 66 to the riverside, on a road that certainly is high on Portland Street maintenance for snow removal at this time of the year. Getting to the party won't be as challenging as leaving it. I hate snow.
Kevin, the owner of the sail loft where I toil, wiped -out last weekend up at Sugarbush, where he does ski patrol. He tore up his "hammy" on his left leg. He will find out on Tuesday if he needs an operation so bad did he tear it. He is not a happy camper. His attendance at the loft has been limited to a few "painful" hours Thursday and Friday which were even more limited due to the meds. Actually important work got done as we actually were able to sync-up sails with work orders. The best part about that it the lack of demand for washing. Washing sails is an incredible pain in the butt. Imagine sewing all your sheets and bed linens together into one large structure and then washing it is a tub of cold water laced with bleach and Dawn. The after an hour or so, pulling that soggy mass out of the "cleaning solution" into the rising solution, another tub of cold water. And after another hour, hauling the clean soggy mass out of that tub and stinging over several lines that criss-cross the room so they might drip dry. There is no way to stay dry. Indeed there is no way to prevent yourself from getting soaked. If any of the owners of the sails had to do this, they would agree that we don't charge enough fore the service.
One las thought, not only do I hate snow, I hate winter itself. Spring can't come soon enough!
Thursday, December 29, 2016
I HAve The Plague!
SHIP'S LOG:
ABISHAG sit nice and snug in Portland under her blue tarp. There has been a little wind, a little rain and even a little snow but nothing much of any of it. we are supposed to get a fair wallop today/tonight but we will just have to wait and see.
In the meantime, I have the plague. Not quite sure where I acquired this "Christmas gift," but it is now four days along and seemingly coming to an end. Aches and pains, a little fever and a little tummy trouble. Nothing major. Thank goodness that my body's reaction to a cold or flu or anything of the sort is to shut down. I take some OTC medicine and its off to bed. I basically sleep it off getting up only for food ( I even have some chicken soup!) and the occasional trip to the bathroom. It is all very peaceful and restful. This is the second cold this fall/winter season and that's a rare event. Usually one comes in January which puts me "on the hard" for a week and then leaves, but usually only one. I have had two so far and it is not even January yet. This does not bode well.
The Dismal Swamp is closed. Not the whole thing, just the sectional route of the ICW that passes through it. Evidently the storms and/or hurricanes that battered the area during the fall were responsible for a lot of detritus ending up in the channel making it impassible not that it was an easy passage to begin with.It is the oldest part of the ICW, going back to Colonial times, an it requires careful water monitoring to keep the depth deep enough for passage. The left water out of a lake to keep the water in the channel at a certain level. I was unable to travel it back in 2010/11 when I made my trap as they were experiencing a bit of a drought and the water level in the lake, hence in the channel, dropped below the level needed for a passage. Maybe next time.
O well, back to bed. I hate colds almost as much as I hate winters.
ABISHAG sit nice and snug in Portland under her blue tarp. There has been a little wind, a little rain and even a little snow but nothing much of any of it. we are supposed to get a fair wallop today/tonight but we will just have to wait and see.
In the meantime, I have the plague. Not quite sure where I acquired this "Christmas gift," but it is now four days along and seemingly coming to an end. Aches and pains, a little fever and a little tummy trouble. Nothing major. Thank goodness that my body's reaction to a cold or flu or anything of the sort is to shut down. I take some OTC medicine and its off to bed. I basically sleep it off getting up only for food ( I even have some chicken soup!) and the occasional trip to the bathroom. It is all very peaceful and restful. This is the second cold this fall/winter season and that's a rare event. Usually one comes in January which puts me "on the hard" for a week and then leaves, but usually only one. I have had two so far and it is not even January yet. This does not bode well.
The Dismal Swamp is closed. Not the whole thing, just the sectional route of the ICW that passes through it. Evidently the storms and/or hurricanes that battered the area during the fall were responsible for a lot of detritus ending up in the channel making it impassible not that it was an easy passage to begin with.It is the oldest part of the ICW, going back to Colonial times, an it requires careful water monitoring to keep the depth deep enough for passage. The left water out of a lake to keep the water in the channel at a certain level. I was unable to travel it back in 2010/11 when I made my trap as they were experiencing a bit of a drought and the water level in the lake, hence in the channel, dropped below the level needed for a passage. Maybe next time.
O well, back to bed. I hate colds almost as much as I hate winters.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Snow? Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!
SHIP'S LOG:
The weather has been a little crazy the last 24 hours. Yesterday, we got 3 inches of snow and it was bitterly cold, down in the high 20's. The roads were icy and even I had to turn up the heat! This morning it was in the mid 50's and the snow was all but gone. Very Bizarre!
According to NOAA, the rest of the week should be mild with more snow on Christmas! Everyone who believes that stand on your head! It would be nice to have a white Christmas, but I don't buy it. I have along history with NOAA tat is not pleasant. Truly, I wouldn't trust it if they claimed the Sun rose in the east! At least, I would take it with a grain of salt. But as I have learned over the years, it rally doesn't matter what is forecast, one has to deal with whatever weather shows up. So it is hope for the best, plan for the worst!
The weather has been a little crazy the last 24 hours. Yesterday, we got 3 inches of snow and it was bitterly cold, down in the high 20's. The roads were icy and even I had to turn up the heat! This morning it was in the mid 50's and the snow was all but gone. Very Bizarre!
According to NOAA, the rest of the week should be mild with more snow on Christmas! Everyone who believes that stand on your head! It would be nice to have a white Christmas, but I don't buy it. I have along history with NOAA tat is not pleasant. Truly, I wouldn't trust it if they claimed the Sun rose in the east! At least, I would take it with a grain of salt. But as I have learned over the years, it rally doesn't matter what is forecast, one has to deal with whatever weather shows up. So it is hope for the best, plan for the worst!
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