SHIP'S LOG:
Skip and his wife Nancy, along with their friend Tom the Vintner and I brought ABISHAG to her winter home in Mystic. The trip took about 2 hours and was a breeze! And there certainly was a breeze. The wind was out of the Southwest at 15 knots with gust to 20-25. Waves were about 3 feet and it would have been a champion of a day to sail . . .if it was say August and there was no particular destination, but such was not the case today. As a result we motored the whole way and it was actually a rather nice ride. The trip to the Mystic River held no real problems, the greatest merely being the need to dodge the lobster pot buoys. With the wind and the waves, most of the buoys were difficult to see as they were at the end of their lines and so rode just below the surface. As luck would have it though we tangled with none. It would have been a really crappy day for going overboard to get one off the prop. The only boats out in the sound were some lobster boats, the odd fisherman or two and the cross sound ferries. There were two sailboats that came out of the Mystic River. One motored down the sound toward Niantic and the other put up sails. That one went off like a shot and quickly shortened sail. No one was interested in getting green water over the deck. true, the temperature was in the 60's but it still didn't pay to get wet. There were lots of empty mooring balls off the yacht club and as we went up the Mystic River, it was more of the same.
Going up the Mystic River was interesting in that the wind was right on our back and was pushing us along. as we got to the Mystic Shipyard, I dropped the throttle to idle and we were still moving along at a good 3.5 knots. I threw her into reverse to bring here to a stop and then turned ABISHAG into the fairway between the docks. I slowly proceeded down the left side of the fairway and made a slow right turn toward the slip. I had read a couple of articles about maneuvering a boat using a boat's prop wash. The turning the prop will slew the heading of the boat one way or the other depending on whether you are in reverse or going forward. Moving between forward and reverse, I lined the bow up with the empty slip and proceeded in. IT was slightly hairy as the wind was directly from behind and moved us faster than I wanted to got, but with judicious application of revers, we slipped right in and I surprised even myself. We were just about to begin tying up when I noticed that I was in slip #11 and not slip O #7. &^#%$%$#!!!!! I had to back out and move down two slips. Actually it went pretty easily and by the time I was approaching the slip, we got a hand from one of the yard workers. ABISHAG got all tied down, safe and sound and we were home for the winter.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The trip was a snap and it went off without a hitch. Actually, I though God was fooling with me as when I turned the key to start the engine back at TYC nothing happened. However, I knew exactly what the problem was. One of the wires had slipped off the starting solenoid. I put it back on, turned the key and the engine roar to life. That was the biggest problem and was solved very easily. I know the boat well enough now that I can readily identify and fix most of the common problems. I guess that it means it is time to say goodbye. I'll be down readying the boat for the Monday Morning visit by the brokers and the reality of ABISHAG is up for sale will hit home. DAMN!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Winter Begins Tomorrow!
SHIP'S LOG:
Winter will begin tomorrow sometime around noon. At 10AM, I will start up the engine and motor toward Mystic and the Mystic Shipyard and there ABISHAG will slip into a slip and the process of readying her for the winter will begin. I will also begin readying her for a visit by the brokers on Monday as she goes up for sale.And no, I still haven't quite come up with a selling price.
Skip and a friend will help me move the boat. Actually, it is just the last 20 feet or so of the journey where I could use some help. It is bad form, as well as a great expense, to run into the dock at the end of a slip. I wouldn't expect much damage to ABISHAG so much as I would expect to do some serious damage to the dock. She is rather overbuilt as this past year has made abundantly clear.
The day is expected to be mostly cloudy but at least we will (should?) avoid having to make the trip in the rain(snow?). It will be a sad day. I should be closing in on the land of eternal sunshine not still here in New England!
I learned that Bruce, who with a friend had intended to go down the ICW with me before everything went into the crapper, has put his own boat up for sail. I guess there is a lot of that going around these days. It makes a dreary time of the year even more so.
Winter will begin tomorrow sometime around noon. At 10AM, I will start up the engine and motor toward Mystic and the Mystic Shipyard and there ABISHAG will slip into a slip and the process of readying her for the winter will begin. I will also begin readying her for a visit by the brokers on Monday as she goes up for sale.And no, I still haven't quite come up with a selling price.
Skip and a friend will help me move the boat. Actually, it is just the last 20 feet or so of the journey where I could use some help. It is bad form, as well as a great expense, to run into the dock at the end of a slip. I wouldn't expect much damage to ABISHAG so much as I would expect to do some serious damage to the dock. She is rather overbuilt as this past year has made abundantly clear.
The day is expected to be mostly cloudy but at least we will (should?) avoid having to make the trip in the rain(snow?). It will be a sad day. I should be closing in on the land of eternal sunshine not still here in New England!
I learned that Bruce, who with a friend had intended to go down the ICW with me before everything went into the crapper, has put his own boat up for sail. I guess there is a lot of that going around these days. It makes a dreary time of the year even more so.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
It's Like A Root Canal
SHIP'S LOG:
It was pouring rain so it was appropriate to go down to the Mystic Shipyard and begin the process of getting ABISHAG hauled. I went down and signed the contract and put down 1/2 of the cost. I decided that since the cost of hauling for storage on the bricks and storing in the water cost exactly the same that I would leave ABISHAG in her element. Doing so also saved me the cost of rent the boat stands(35 x 7), removing both masts ($500 x 2), power washing ($150), and several other items that had to be done if she were stored on land,so it turned out to be a no brainer, especially considering what I had to do to get the money I already have for storage. It will require a little more work on my part but it is worth it. It will also mean that being in the water makes her livable upon . . . once the weather gets warm in the spring. It will also mean that she will be more accessible for prospective buyers.
Hopefully I will be able to shanghai a warm body to help with the move on Saturday. It is not that it will be a difficult move. It will be a simple move. It is not the move where I will need the assistance, rather it will be the docking. Not having to have put the boat into a slip all season, my "expertise" in that manuever is a little suspect. It will be a good thing to have someone help with the last 20 feet or so of the trip, especially with the tie up.
After signing the contract with the yard, I went over to Mystic Shipyard Brokers and made arrangements to list ABISHAG for sale. Both of the brokers (two brothers no less) were very nice and very positive. To say that they were drooling is not much of an exaggeration. They were very upbeat and made it clear that "they thought" that selling her won't be that much of a problem.(Anyone who believes that, stand on your head!) They said the market was active and that they really felt that it will be done.
They gave me a copy of the "Listing Agreement." This document is a description of the boat and all of the equipment on it and the general condition of each piece, from sails to engine and everything in between. Looking at it, it was something akin to an obituary. It was unsettling to fill it out. Actually the toughest line to fill in, and one which I haven't done yet,
is the selling price. What is the price of a dream? Replacement value of the boat is $600,000. I paid $53,000. I put about $25,000 into her so far. What do I put down for the sell price( the broker's commission will be 10%)? I have to come up with a price by Monday. What do I pot done on the line "Selling Price"?
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It was good that it was a cold and rainy and miserable day. It was a perfect expression of exactly what I was feeling. I wanted to say the hell with it and just head south. Obviously that isn't possible. It would be a bad thing to go go through foreclosure, have my "credit" go into the toilet and then have the police after me. I need the money especially if the condo continues not selling. If it sells, then maybe, just maybe, selling ABISHAG won't be necessary. The whole situation just sucks. Even though I was able to raise money for this months bills and the angels came through for winter storage, there is still next month to worry about. And the month after that. And the month after that. Etc. Etc. Etc.
It was pouring rain so it was appropriate to go down to the Mystic Shipyard and begin the process of getting ABISHAG hauled. I went down and signed the contract and put down 1/2 of the cost. I decided that since the cost of hauling for storage on the bricks and storing in the water cost exactly the same that I would leave ABISHAG in her element. Doing so also saved me the cost of rent the boat stands(35 x 7), removing both masts ($500 x 2), power washing ($150), and several other items that had to be done if she were stored on land,so it turned out to be a no brainer, especially considering what I had to do to get the money I already have for storage. It will require a little more work on my part but it is worth it. It will also mean that being in the water makes her livable upon . . . once the weather gets warm in the spring. It will also mean that she will be more accessible for prospective buyers.
Hopefully I will be able to shanghai a warm body to help with the move on Saturday. It is not that it will be a difficult move. It will be a simple move. It is not the move where I will need the assistance, rather it will be the docking. Not having to have put the boat into a slip all season, my "expertise" in that manuever is a little suspect. It will be a good thing to have someone help with the last 20 feet or so of the trip, especially with the tie up.
After signing the contract with the yard, I went over to Mystic Shipyard Brokers and made arrangements to list ABISHAG for sale. Both of the brokers (two brothers no less) were very nice and very positive. To say that they were drooling is not much of an exaggeration. They were very upbeat and made it clear that "they thought" that selling her won't be that much of a problem.(Anyone who believes that, stand on your head!) They said the market was active and that they really felt that it will be done.
They gave me a copy of the "Listing Agreement." This document is a description of the boat and all of the equipment on it and the general condition of each piece, from sails to engine and everything in between. Looking at it, it was something akin to an obituary. It was unsettling to fill it out. Actually the toughest line to fill in, and one which I haven't done yet,
is the selling price. What is the price of a dream? Replacement value of the boat is $600,000. I paid $53,000. I put about $25,000 into her so far. What do I put down for the sell price( the broker's commission will be 10%)? I have to come up with a price by Monday. What do I pot done on the line "Selling Price"?
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It was good that it was a cold and rainy and miserable day. It was a perfect expression of exactly what I was feeling. I wanted to say the hell with it and just head south. Obviously that isn't possible. It would be a bad thing to go go through foreclosure, have my "credit" go into the toilet and then have the police after me. I need the money especially if the condo continues not selling. If it sells, then maybe, just maybe, selling ABISHAG won't be necessary. The whole situation just sucks. Even though I was able to raise money for this months bills and the angels came through for winter storage, there is still next month to worry about. And the month after that. And the month after that. Etc. Etc. Etc.
Monday, October 26, 2009
It Is Almost The End
SHIP'S LOG:
ABISHAG is all set to make the trip to Mystic to get hauled. The weather for the rest of the week is supposed to be less than perfect so it will probably be over the weekend. A couple of angels have come through and the cost will be covered making that concern not so much of a concern. When I get over to Mystic, after she is hauled and washed and blocked, I will stroll over to the Mystic Shipyard Brokers and put her up for sale. I think I am OK with it but then nothing has happened yet. It will probably be a whole different thing once the papers are signed and she goes on the block. Sometimes you just have to do tough things.
I have decide to write an article about this whole situation and shop it around to a bunch of sailing/boating/cruising magazines and see if any one of them may be willing to publish it. Writing the article will be a very good, cathartic process and, if it is published, I will actually get a little financial compensation to boot. No down side here. I have already come up with a tentative title, " A Dream Deferred." If I can't get it, I'll post it here.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I am a peace with the possibility of ABISHAG being sold. If things go well, there can be two scenarios: one she sells and one she doesn't. If she sells at a fair price, I'm out of debt and some money goes back into my retirement account. Of course, I could always forgo the retirement account and buy another, smaller, less expensive boat but probably not. Then again, you never know.
Of course, she might not sell as I might not be offered a fair price. Right now there are a lot, and I mean a LOT, of boats on the block. She is 32 years old; she is an uncommon boat for this side of the Atlantic being an English boat( at best guess, there are only four in the US); while sound and solid, she still needs some work to make her "Bristol." There is always the possibility that the condo will at last be sold and that would probably make it unnecessary to let her go. It may happen and it may not. I'll just deal with what comes. After all, she is really just a symbol and if growth, the maturity, the "taking control of my life" which she represents takes place, she will no longer be "absolutely" necessary. . . . . Still, I would like to make the sailing journey.
ABISHAG is all set to make the trip to Mystic to get hauled. The weather for the rest of the week is supposed to be less than perfect so it will probably be over the weekend. A couple of angels have come through and the cost will be covered making that concern not so much of a concern. When I get over to Mystic, after she is hauled and washed and blocked, I will stroll over to the Mystic Shipyard Brokers and put her up for sale. I think I am OK with it but then nothing has happened yet. It will probably be a whole different thing once the papers are signed and she goes on the block. Sometimes you just have to do tough things.
I have decide to write an article about this whole situation and shop it around to a bunch of sailing/boating/cruising magazines and see if any one of them may be willing to publish it. Writing the article will be a very good, cathartic process and, if it is published, I will actually get a little financial compensation to boot. No down side here. I have already come up with a tentative title, " A Dream Deferred." If I can't get it, I'll post it here.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I am a peace with the possibility of ABISHAG being sold. If things go well, there can be two scenarios: one she sells and one she doesn't. If she sells at a fair price, I'm out of debt and some money goes back into my retirement account. Of course, I could always forgo the retirement account and buy another, smaller, less expensive boat but probably not. Then again, you never know.
Of course, she might not sell as I might not be offered a fair price. Right now there are a lot, and I mean a LOT, of boats on the block. She is 32 years old; she is an uncommon boat for this side of the Atlantic being an English boat( at best guess, there are only four in the US); while sound and solid, she still needs some work to make her "Bristol." There is always the possibility that the condo will at last be sold and that would probably make it unnecessary to let her go. It may happen and it may not. I'll just deal with what comes. After all, she is really just a symbol and if growth, the maturity, the "taking control of my life" which she represents takes place, she will no longer be "absolutely" necessary. . . . . Still, I would like to make the sailing journey.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
I Did An Awful Thing Today . . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
I did an awful thing today. I talked with a broker about selling ABISHAG. It is not a done deal and it is not a sure thing, but it was awful making that phone call.
The idea is that I will haul-out in Mystic and have the brokers handle the sale of ABISHAG. I will work over the fall, winter and spring to get her ready for next season, but if someone comes along with a good offer, I am afraid that I will have to let her go. I haven't been able to sell the condo. I have too much credit card debt. My income has taken a serious nose dive. I haven't won Powerball (hell, I have had one right number in two years). I really don't see any way out.
I still have to pay for the winter haul-out and launching, the maintenance that needs doing, and the launching in the Spring. I don't have to pay for the insurance as no one will insure me or her. Then there is registration with Connecticut and the fee at the Yacht Club. The problem is that there is just too much month left at the end of the money these days.
Like I said, it is not a done deal. No one may want to pay the asking price. The market after all, despite what the broker would have you believe, is really non-existent and now is the worst time to sell. There are lots of people wanting to dump their boats and save themselves the cost of winter hauling and storage. But we shall see what we shall see. It is an awful thing.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The toughest thing about selling your boat is getting your head around the idea that you are selling your boat. I look at all the work and effort I have put in since I have owned ABISHAG and I don't want to sell it. If it sells it is the end of "The Dream." Not really, of course, but it will seem that way. After all, a major, major component of the dream will be gone . . .the boat. Tough to sail away anywhere without a boat. I really don't expect her to sell. If I price her high enough I can guarantee that will be the case, but I just have to come to terms that if a good and fair prices comes, she has to go. The good thing will be that she will go to someone else who will be living their sailing dream, someone who is going to travel and journey. Knowing that will ease the pain of parting, a little but not all that much. Then again, there are lots of boats out there, so who knows what the future may bring.
When I bring to boat to the yard, I will meet with the brokers and begin the process. It is going to be like having a root canal done anally!
I did an awful thing today. I talked with a broker about selling ABISHAG. It is not a done deal and it is not a sure thing, but it was awful making that phone call.
The idea is that I will haul-out in Mystic and have the brokers handle the sale of ABISHAG. I will work over the fall, winter and spring to get her ready for next season, but if someone comes along with a good offer, I am afraid that I will have to let her go. I haven't been able to sell the condo. I have too much credit card debt. My income has taken a serious nose dive. I haven't won Powerball (hell, I have had one right number in two years). I really don't see any way out.
I still have to pay for the winter haul-out and launching, the maintenance that needs doing, and the launching in the Spring. I don't have to pay for the insurance as no one will insure me or her. Then there is registration with Connecticut and the fee at the Yacht Club. The problem is that there is just too much month left at the end of the money these days.
Like I said, it is not a done deal. No one may want to pay the asking price. The market after all, despite what the broker would have you believe, is really non-existent and now is the worst time to sell. There are lots of people wanting to dump their boats and save themselves the cost of winter hauling and storage. But we shall see what we shall see. It is an awful thing.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The toughest thing about selling your boat is getting your head around the idea that you are selling your boat. I look at all the work and effort I have put in since I have owned ABISHAG and I don't want to sell it. If it sells it is the end of "The Dream." Not really, of course, but it will seem that way. After all, a major, major component of the dream will be gone . . .the boat. Tough to sail away anywhere without a boat. I really don't expect her to sell. If I price her high enough I can guarantee that will be the case, but I just have to come to terms that if a good and fair prices comes, she has to go. The good thing will be that she will go to someone else who will be living their sailing dream, someone who is going to travel and journey. Knowing that will ease the pain of parting, a little but not all that much. Then again, there are lots of boats out there, so who knows what the future may bring.
When I bring to boat to the yard, I will meet with the brokers and begin the process. It is going to be like having a root canal done anally!
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Price Is Right!
SHIP'S LOG:
The weather in New England this year has been more weird that usual. This past week, two, count'em two Nor'Easters in a row. And snow! Snow in the middle of October! I can't stand it. I have got to get the boat out of the water soon!
I have been scuttling around trying to make the coin to pay for hauling the boat. I have even been trying to make money on the Internet. Boy, talk about scam city! I have actually made a little money - emphasis on "little" - but it is a lot of work. for ever site that will pay you for taking surveys, there are hundreds, even thousands that are scams. Lots of pyramid schemes that "promise" thousands a week and deliver nothing. And you pay for the privilege of getting ripped off. Considering the number of scam sites, people must really be desperate for money. I guess the economy is worse than people reality realize.
I finally screwed up the courage to figure out the cost of hauling/launching for this year -$1,832! It doesn't sound like all that much unless you don't have the $1,832. I am going to see if the yard will let me work off the price or at least a part of the price working in the yard. Other than that, it will really take some fancy dancing to come up with that amount. I would need at least $1,000 before they will haul the boat. And I would like to do it before November as having once moved a boat to a yard for winter hauling during a snow storm, I have now desire to do so again.
MASTER PERSONAL LOG:
I may have to put ABISHAG up for sale. I hate to say it but it may become necessary. I can't keep her if I can't pay for her. It is as simple as that. Unfortunately, I doubt there is much of a market right now, at least not for the price she is worth. It would really be awful to let her go now as with her would go the dreams as well. I was looking at other boats online to see if there is a less expensive boat but nothing that really could keep the dream alive. There are some "project boat" available at good prices but when you go through the expense of fixing them up, there really isn't much if any savings. This really sucks. And if I put her up for sale, I still have to maintain her, haul and launch and have a place to keep her during the summer until someone buys her. No real savings there. I know that God has a plan but I haven't a clue as to what it might be and I am trying, trying really hard, just to take it one day at a time and trust that God will come through is someway somehow. It gets tough to hold on though.
The weather in New England this year has been more weird that usual. This past week, two, count'em two Nor'Easters in a row. And snow! Snow in the middle of October! I can't stand it. I have got to get the boat out of the water soon!
I have been scuttling around trying to make the coin to pay for hauling the boat. I have even been trying to make money on the Internet. Boy, talk about scam city! I have actually made a little money - emphasis on "little" - but it is a lot of work. for ever site that will pay you for taking surveys, there are hundreds, even thousands that are scams. Lots of pyramid schemes that "promise" thousands a week and deliver nothing. And you pay for the privilege of getting ripped off. Considering the number of scam sites, people must really be desperate for money. I guess the economy is worse than people reality realize.
I finally screwed up the courage to figure out the cost of hauling/launching for this year -$1,832! It doesn't sound like all that much unless you don't have the $1,832. I am going to see if the yard will let me work off the price or at least a part of the price working in the yard. Other than that, it will really take some fancy dancing to come up with that amount. I would need at least $1,000 before they will haul the boat. And I would like to do it before November as having once moved a boat to a yard for winter hauling during a snow storm, I have now desire to do so again.
MASTER PERSONAL LOG:
I may have to put ABISHAG up for sale. I hate to say it but it may become necessary. I can't keep her if I can't pay for her. It is as simple as that. Unfortunately, I doubt there is much of a market right now, at least not for the price she is worth. It would really be awful to let her go now as with her would go the dreams as well. I was looking at other boats online to see if there is a less expensive boat but nothing that really could keep the dream alive. There are some "project boat" available at good prices but when you go through the expense of fixing them up, there really isn't much if any savings. This really sucks. And if I put her up for sale, I still have to maintain her, haul and launch and have a place to keep her during the summer until someone buys her. No real savings there. I know that God has a plan but I haven't a clue as to what it might be and I am trying, trying really hard, just to take it one day at a time and trust that God will come through is someway somehow. It gets tough to hold on though.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A Whole New Nautical Community
SHIP'S LOG:
COLD doesn't begin to express what the temperature of the water was! If it was in the mid 50's I would be very surprised. Even more surprising was the condition of the prop. What a collection of sea creatures had set up housekeeping on it and the shaft. There were sponges. There were crabs. And of course there were barnacles. Boy, were there barnacles. Not only were they on every exposed surface of the prop and shaft, they were on the crabs as well. They were even on each other. Actually, they almost seemed as though they had been placed, lined up in rows so as to maximize the number of them that could be present. They were several layers deep wherever they were attached . And attached is the operative word! They resisted attempts to move them off. It was a question of scrape and go up for air. Scrape and go up for air again. Over and over again. The sponges were simple to remove and the crabs, once you touched them, vacated the area rather easily. But the barnacles, it was a real war. And even after all of the barnacles were removed, you still had to deal with the "glue" the left behind. Barnacles secrete something from their shells that they use to affix themselves to whatever surface they desire. Once you scrape the shells off, you have to scrape the "glue" off as well or else it acts like an invitation to other barnacles to come and attach themselves in place of those who were removed. And barnacle "glue" is something akin to crazy glue or super glue. Once in place it resists almost every attempt to remove it. You have to use a scraper and then bronze wool and lots of elbow grease. And it takes a lot, a lot of time. All of this done in cold, cold water. Does the term "hypothermia" mean anything to you.
And then there are the cuts! Barnacle shells have sharp edges and when you break them by trying to scrape them off, they develop more sharp edges. Every piece of unprotected skin, meaning every place you aren't wearing chain mail, Kevlar or any other type of armor, when it comes in contact with an edge, and no matter how careful you are they will, there will be a cut. It is something like rolling around in a bunch of rose bushes. No matter how careful, you will get cut. And then there is the fact that you are in salt water! Of course there is little chance that bleeding in the water will attract sharks, but it is a thought that enters your mind. And the odd fish that comes swimming by minding its own business sends a chill up and down your spine. You feel it even though you are already shivering from the cold water. Of course, the largest Great White Shark( remember from JAWS?) ever taken on rod and reel(23 feet), was taken off Montauk by Frank Mundus . . . a little over 10 miles away. Still, what are the chances? But the prop an shaft are clean and ABISHAG is ready for the eventual trip to Mystic for her winter slumber. I still haven't figured the cost yet.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Denial is more than a river in Egypt. I keep hoping that winter won't come but the last few days make it abundantly clear that it is coming and fast. The astronomical "winter" won't be here until December, but the atmospheric winter will be early this year. The Old Farmer's Almanac says that it is going to be cold and nasty with lots of snow. I was so hoping that all I was going to see of winter and cold and snow would be what was available in the Internet. I was planning to be deep in the South before the first flakes fell in God's Country, laughing at all of you stuck up here. I guess that God thought I was being unkind and decided that I should share your fate. So I will. Man, the thought of unloading the boat AGAIN is depressing. Going through the entire winterization process, even more depressing. The thought of not sailing in the sunshine and the hot weather in December, really depressing. C'est la vie!
COLD doesn't begin to express what the temperature of the water was! If it was in the mid 50's I would be very surprised. Even more surprising was the condition of the prop. What a collection of sea creatures had set up housekeeping on it and the shaft. There were sponges. There were crabs. And of course there were barnacles. Boy, were there barnacles. Not only were they on every exposed surface of the prop and shaft, they were on the crabs as well. They were even on each other. Actually, they almost seemed as though they had been placed, lined up in rows so as to maximize the number of them that could be present. They were several layers deep wherever they were attached . And attached is the operative word! They resisted attempts to move them off. It was a question of scrape and go up for air. Scrape and go up for air again. Over and over again. The sponges were simple to remove and the crabs, once you touched them, vacated the area rather easily. But the barnacles, it was a real war. And even after all of the barnacles were removed, you still had to deal with the "glue" the left behind. Barnacles secrete something from their shells that they use to affix themselves to whatever surface they desire. Once you scrape the shells off, you have to scrape the "glue" off as well or else it acts like an invitation to other barnacles to come and attach themselves in place of those who were removed. And barnacle "glue" is something akin to crazy glue or super glue. Once in place it resists almost every attempt to remove it. You have to use a scraper and then bronze wool and lots of elbow grease. And it takes a lot, a lot of time. All of this done in cold, cold water. Does the term "hypothermia" mean anything to you.
And then there are the cuts! Barnacle shells have sharp edges and when you break them by trying to scrape them off, they develop more sharp edges. Every piece of unprotected skin, meaning every place you aren't wearing chain mail, Kevlar or any other type of armor, when it comes in contact with an edge, and no matter how careful you are they will, there will be a cut. It is something like rolling around in a bunch of rose bushes. No matter how careful, you will get cut. And then there is the fact that you are in salt water! Of course there is little chance that bleeding in the water will attract sharks, but it is a thought that enters your mind. And the odd fish that comes swimming by minding its own business sends a chill up and down your spine. You feel it even though you are already shivering from the cold water. Of course, the largest Great White Shark( remember from JAWS?) ever taken on rod and reel(23 feet), was taken off Montauk by Frank Mundus . . . a little over 10 miles away. Still, what are the chances? But the prop an shaft are clean and ABISHAG is ready for the eventual trip to Mystic for her winter slumber. I still haven't figured the cost yet.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Denial is more than a river in Egypt. I keep hoping that winter won't come but the last few days make it abundantly clear that it is coming and fast. The astronomical "winter" won't be here until December, but the atmospheric winter will be early this year. The Old Farmer's Almanac says that it is going to be cold and nasty with lots of snow. I was so hoping that all I was going to see of winter and cold and snow would be what was available in the Internet. I was planning to be deep in the South before the first flakes fell in God's Country, laughing at all of you stuck up here. I guess that God thought I was being unkind and decided that I should share your fate. So I will. Man, the thought of unloading the boat AGAIN is depressing. Going through the entire winterization process, even more depressing. The thought of not sailing in the sunshine and the hot weather in December, really depressing. C'est la vie!
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