SHIP'S LOG:
Aside from yesterday(Thursday - Launch Duty) I have been able to get up to work on ABISHAG every day. Over the course of this week, I was able to get a portion of the teak deck re-caulked. Unfortunately, I ran out of caulk after getting the fore-deck and about 1/4 of the side decks completed. It was my plan to finish it up today and I was able to finish the port side deck and half of the starboard side deck done before the rains came. NOAA got it wrong again. The were supposed to be scattered showers, instead we got a downpour and the completion of the project will have to await the deck drying out. Caulk doesn't like wet decks.
It addition, during the week, all the blocks and winches got lubed-up. Friend Fred and I took down ceiling panels over the galley and in the aft cabin in a search for leaks. we found them, or at least we found potential leaks and repaired the. The starboard main winch had to be removed and the bolts holding it in place taken out, the bolt holes caulked and everything going back into place.Removing the winch from the combing, we discovered that there were more bolt holes than bolts. It appears that when the boat was built a different, small winch was going to be put in place. Someone decide that a bigger winch was needed (perhaps the owner?) and new bolt holes need to be cut. Unfortunately, the first set of bolt holes were no plugged and provided a perfect route for water to create a leak.
The second leak, the one in the aft compartment, turned out to be under the stanchion holding up the stern rail. Several years ago, on my return trip from Florida, a wave in the Delaware Bay "pooped" the boat and broke this stanchion. I had to have it welded but what I forgot to do was lift the stanchion to see if there was any damage to the deck below. The power to snap a stanchion could have caused it to do deck damage. And it did. It compressed the deck underneath and over the years since, had let water enter and soften the plywood allowing it to compress further, letting in more water and allowing further compression, yadada-yadada-yadada. The Stanchion had to be raised. That meant taking down the ceiling panel and unbolting it from underneath, forcing the stanchion up, cutting out the soft wood, caulking the hell out of it and forcing the stanchion back down and re-bolting it. All well that ends well. While it eliminated those leaks, it means that we have less leaks. More will be, indeed have been, discovered. It is a never ending job. Ah, the joy of boat ownership!!
Friday, June 16, 2017
Monday, June 12, 2017
A Week Of Work
SHIP'S LOG:
Last Saturday, I had the day off and had the chance to do some maintenance. I got to do maintenance on all 7 winches, which means dismantling them, cleaning all the parts, re-lubricating them and re-installing them. Then there was the the re-lubricating of the recently installed the furling system. And this was followed by lubricating all 32 of the blocks that control the sails when sailing ABISHAG. While it doesn't sound like all that much to do, it took all of seven(that is 5) hours. Then there was all the sanding that needed to be done on the toe rail, and those places n the interior that need to be re-varnished. It was a total pain in the butt as I had to assume some rather contorted positions in order to apply the sand to the wood. It was no fun whatsoever. All the detritus from the sanding came home with me and eventually got washed down the shower drain. It itched all the way home.
Today begins a week (almost) of real work. Today was easy in that most of the work was cleaning. This yard is a particularly "dirty" yard. Lots of sand and dirt gets blown around and. of course, ends up on the boats. I took the last of the tarps off and hosed down the whole topsides. Lots of dirt, lots of sand, lots of green mold. Lots of "Fantastic" and water. The topsides fairly sparkle now. Gone is the dirt. Gone is the sand. Gone is the mold. Gone are the bird droppings. The funny part about it is that even when ABISHAG is on here mooring, 200 yards from shore, the dust and dirt gets on the boat. where it comes from, I have no idea. In addition to the cleaning the boat, there was the cleaning of the cockpit floor under the grating in the cockpit which is where so much of the "dirt" ends up for some reason.
Once all the cleaning was done, I had to correct a problem with the lifelines. When the boat mast/tree landed on ABISHAG, Friend Fred and I did "a quick and dirty" repair of the crushed bow pulpit and ripping up the life line on the port side. It allowed us to sail for a good part of the season. But the life lines in particular needed to be repairs. I didn't have the cash to redo the life lines, as it it would have cost somewhere in the area of two and 1/2 Marine units. I had rigged a temporary fix with some line as some of the stanchions were bent and on the port side made the lifelines too long and the lifelines on the starboard side to short. The most economical fix was to use "U-shackles" to extend the lifeline reach to make them workable. The result was not perfect, but 110% better than it was.
The nasty part of the day was to open up the ceiling tiles over the sink in the galley and in the stern bunk. It was clear that there were leaks coming form somewhere over the winter even with the tarps wrapping up ABISHAG. Taking down the panel over the sink seemed to show that there was a leak coming form the boils that held the main winch in the cockpit in place. It means that the bolts need to be removed, new caulking put in place and screwing the whole thing down. The only problem may be that when the winch was installed, whoever did it cut of the bolts below the nuts which will make it difficult to remove the, will require either using a tap and die set to re-cut the threads or installing new nuts and bolts.
In the stern bunk area, along the transom/stern of the boat of the boat, it appears that the stern pulpit and the davit bases are leaking. It wouldn't be too big a job but again, it appears that the bolts were cut off and it will require a tap and die set to correct the problem . . . . if possible. Ah, thew joy of boat ownership!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last Saturday, I had the day off and had the chance to do some maintenance. I got to do maintenance on all 7 winches, which means dismantling them, cleaning all the parts, re-lubricating them and re-installing them. Then there was the the re-lubricating of the recently installed the furling system. And this was followed by lubricating all 32 of the blocks that control the sails when sailing ABISHAG. While it doesn't sound like all that much to do, it took all of seven(that is 5) hours. Then there was all the sanding that needed to be done on the toe rail, and those places n the interior that need to be re-varnished. It was a total pain in the butt as I had to assume some rather contorted positions in order to apply the sand to the wood. It was no fun whatsoever. All the detritus from the sanding came home with me and eventually got washed down the shower drain. It itched all the way home.
Today begins a week (almost) of real work. Today was easy in that most of the work was cleaning. This yard is a particularly "dirty" yard. Lots of sand and dirt gets blown around and. of course, ends up on the boats. I took the last of the tarps off and hosed down the whole topsides. Lots of dirt, lots of sand, lots of green mold. Lots of "Fantastic" and water. The topsides fairly sparkle now. Gone is the dirt. Gone is the sand. Gone is the mold. Gone are the bird droppings. The funny part about it is that even when ABISHAG is on here mooring, 200 yards from shore, the dust and dirt gets on the boat. where it comes from, I have no idea. In addition to the cleaning the boat, there was the cleaning of the cockpit floor under the grating in the cockpit which is where so much of the "dirt" ends up for some reason.
Once all the cleaning was done, I had to correct a problem with the lifelines. When the boat mast/tree landed on ABISHAG, Friend Fred and I did "a quick and dirty" repair of the crushed bow pulpit and ripping up the life line on the port side. It allowed us to sail for a good part of the season. But the life lines in particular needed to be repairs. I didn't have the cash to redo the life lines, as it it would have cost somewhere in the area of two and 1/2 Marine units. I had rigged a temporary fix with some line as some of the stanchions were bent and on the port side made the lifelines too long and the lifelines on the starboard side to short. The most economical fix was to use "U-shackles" to extend the lifeline reach to make them workable. The result was not perfect, but 110% better than it was.
The nasty part of the day was to open up the ceiling tiles over the sink in the galley and in the stern bunk. It was clear that there were leaks coming form somewhere over the winter even with the tarps wrapping up ABISHAG. Taking down the panel over the sink seemed to show that there was a leak coming form the boils that held the main winch in the cockpit in place. It means that the bolts need to be removed, new caulking put in place and screwing the whole thing down. The only problem may be that when the winch was installed, whoever did it cut of the bolts below the nuts which will make it difficult to remove the, will require either using a tap and die set to re-cut the threads or installing new nuts and bolts.
In the stern bunk area, along the transom/stern of the boat of the boat, it appears that the stern pulpit and the davit bases are leaking. It wouldn't be too big a job but again, it appears that the bolts were cut off and it will require a tap and die set to correct the problem . . . . if possible. Ah, thew joy of boat ownership!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, May 29, 2017
Mr. Clean
SHIP'S LOG:
I was able to spend all of Saturday past cleaning ABISHAG. There was dirt and dust. I really wonder where it comes from since she has been closed down and covered all winter. There was black mold but not a lot thank god. The was white mold on all the wood work and on ABISHAG that's a lot. In both instances, a spritz of bleach/water killed the mold and once dead, it got wiped off. The most interesting mold, aside from the black which can kill you if you are not careful, was the mushroom I found growing in a corner of the forepeak. That was a first. I really don't know how it made it into the boat but there is was. More bleach and a little scraping and it was gone.
I did a lot of sanding of the wood work as well. Doing so produced lots of dust and so there was also lots of vacuuming. Sounds simple, but like most maintenance jobs on a boat, it ain't. Maneuvering a shop-vac around the inside s an exercise in being a contortionist. It is amazing where that dust gets. Behind and under every cushion, under the edges of all the floor panels, adhering to every surface, horizontal or not. And to make everything more better, there is a tree near by which sends out seeds on these feathery parachute-like conveyances and they just float into every open space, read "every open hatch." And of course, they waited to "invade" until I had done all the vacuuming. The only good thing was that there was no wet varnish for them to land on.
I got to scrape off the few barnacles that remained on the hull and wire-brushed them off the prop. And lastly, I removed the zincs that have to be replaced. All in all it was a good first day. I'll get up this coming week to do maintenance on all the winches, blocks and other items that need de-greasing and re-greasing, Getting up to work on the boat has been difficult as when I was free to go , it rains and when it didn't rain, I wasn't free to go. Right now I am working i the sail loft and running the Launch. This is the time of year when the two jobs overlap and getting free for a third is a little difficult, but I am planning to take as much of next week off as I possibly can. Get ready for a deluge!
I was able to spend all of Saturday past cleaning ABISHAG. There was dirt and dust. I really wonder where it comes from since she has been closed down and covered all winter. There was black mold but not a lot thank god. The was white mold on all the wood work and on ABISHAG that's a lot. In both instances, a spritz of bleach/water killed the mold and once dead, it got wiped off. The most interesting mold, aside from the black which can kill you if you are not careful, was the mushroom I found growing in a corner of the forepeak. That was a first. I really don't know how it made it into the boat but there is was. More bleach and a little scraping and it was gone.
I did a lot of sanding of the wood work as well. Doing so produced lots of dust and so there was also lots of vacuuming. Sounds simple, but like most maintenance jobs on a boat, it ain't. Maneuvering a shop-vac around the inside s an exercise in being a contortionist. It is amazing where that dust gets. Behind and under every cushion, under the edges of all the floor panels, adhering to every surface, horizontal or not. And to make everything more better, there is a tree near by which sends out seeds on these feathery parachute-like conveyances and they just float into every open space, read "every open hatch." And of course, they waited to "invade" until I had done all the vacuuming. The only good thing was that there was no wet varnish for them to land on.
I got to scrape off the few barnacles that remained on the hull and wire-brushed them off the prop. And lastly, I removed the zincs that have to be replaced. All in all it was a good first day. I'll get up this coming week to do maintenance on all the winches, blocks and other items that need de-greasing and re-greasing, Getting up to work on the boat has been difficult as when I was free to go , it rains and when it didn't rain, I wasn't free to go. Right now I am working i the sail loft and running the Launch. This is the time of year when the two jobs overlap and getting free for a third is a little difficult, but I am planning to take as much of next week off as I possibly can. Get ready for a deluge!
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Latest Update . . . Nothing Really
SHIP'S LOG:
I haven't had a chance to get up to ABISHAG in over a week, Either the weather crapped out or I got delayed by work in the loft. So the Launching will be a couple of days/weeks later. It doesn't matter so long as it happens.
I was hoping that this weekend would be two good days of work but the weather is really deteriorating. We are supposed to get a northeaster with the typical rain( torrential) and wind (blowing like stink) which kinda puts the kibosh on that. Next week probably won't be much better. The owner of the loft underwent his second hamstring reattachment surgery Thursday last and he will be limping around badly for quite a while. He had the last one in February an it was awful. Once he was able to drive himself to the loft he showed up and was more of a hindrance than a help. In addition, he had so much therapy way out of town that he often was not there at all. He is a good guy but he will certainly try and tough it out and it won't be fun.
In addition to that, Willie G., my "oft mate, is off to Philly for a couple of weeks to help out a friend whose father is suffering with Alzheimer's. That means it is me and "the Boos" and often, at least to the end of the month, just me.
One good thing will be happening, I'll be getting paid. I haven't seen a checque since January/February sometime. "The Boss" really isn't as astute businessman as he is a sailor and sail maker. Aside from the initial deposits when the sails showed up in the fall, no one has paid a dime since even though the work on most is completed. Willie G & I have pushed "the Boss" to charge storage after the work is done in addition to the cost of the work. He didn't so the loft owes utilities, vendors and us. The good thing is sailing season is hear and it is tough to sail without sails. So over the next couple of weeks, cash should flow in figuratively speaking.
This weekend the Launch at TYC starts up. As is tradition, the weather will be crappy, but the club still has to pay. I have a 5 hour shift on Sunday. There is one boat already in the mooring field but I doubt it will go out this weekend. The only other traffic would be boats coming to the club after a long winter's nap, though I doubt there will be many if any. Sailing in the rain in New England in May is never, ever a pleasant experience so most avoid it. And so a new season starts!
I haven't had a chance to get up to ABISHAG in over a week, Either the weather crapped out or I got delayed by work in the loft. So the Launching will be a couple of days/weeks later. It doesn't matter so long as it happens.
I was hoping that this weekend would be two good days of work but the weather is really deteriorating. We are supposed to get a northeaster with the typical rain( torrential) and wind (blowing like stink) which kinda puts the kibosh on that. Next week probably won't be much better. The owner of the loft underwent his second hamstring reattachment surgery Thursday last and he will be limping around badly for quite a while. He had the last one in February an it was awful. Once he was able to drive himself to the loft he showed up and was more of a hindrance than a help. In addition, he had so much therapy way out of town that he often was not there at all. He is a good guy but he will certainly try and tough it out and it won't be fun.
In addition to that, Willie G., my "oft mate, is off to Philly for a couple of weeks to help out a friend whose father is suffering with Alzheimer's. That means it is me and "the Boos" and often, at least to the end of the month, just me.
One good thing will be happening, I'll be getting paid. I haven't seen a checque since January/February sometime. "The Boss" really isn't as astute businessman as he is a sailor and sail maker. Aside from the initial deposits when the sails showed up in the fall, no one has paid a dime since even though the work on most is completed. Willie G & I have pushed "the Boss" to charge storage after the work is done in addition to the cost of the work. He didn't so the loft owes utilities, vendors and us. The good thing is sailing season is hear and it is tough to sail without sails. So over the next couple of weeks, cash should flow in figuratively speaking.
This weekend the Launch at TYC starts up. As is tradition, the weather will be crappy, but the club still has to pay. I have a 5 hour shift on Sunday. There is one boat already in the mooring field but I doubt it will go out this weekend. The only other traffic would be boats coming to the club after a long winter's nap, though I doubt there will be many if any. Sailing in the rain in New England in May is never, ever a pleasant experience so most avoid it. And so a new season starts!
Saturday, May 6, 2017
The First Sunburn Of The Season!
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!
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, 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.
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