I haven't had the chance to get to ABISHAG to do any work, but it is not for lack of trying. Ever time over the last few weeks when I have planned to go ns do work aboard, it rained. In some cases, it stormed . . .lots of rain and some serious wind. The best days have been during the week and then I am at the loft. I can't blow off the loft as there is a ton of work and I also need the buckaroos. And spending all that time afoot is not the best for my bad knee or sciatica in my back. I am beginning suspect a conspiracy of some sort.
I haven't heard back from the National Maritime Document Center as of yet, except for the letter saying that I owed them another piece of info from my doctor that he forgot to include in the physical. I would expect that the Credential will come soon though my current on is good until July 31st. I also have a document from the Coast Guard, as a result of the government shutdown, that technically extends the Credential for a year, so I am not all that worried.
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Sunday, April 7, 2019
A Day Late
Yesterday, it was a perfect day and I was going to finally "undress" ABISHAG. The sun was out. It was warm. There was some wind, but not a lot. Noe of my teams were still alive in either of the NCAA Tourneys. But then, Jim Avery called. Jim Avery is 88 years old and these day looks it. Jim Avery needs help sailing his boat. Jim Avery has had his boat in the water since April 1st! Actually, that is not much of a surprise as every year Jim Avery has his boat launched on April 1st and I mean every year. And Jim Avery wanted to go for a sail. Who am I to deny my good friend such a request. SO rather than work on ABISHAG, I went sailing with the old man of the sea. We also took Mike Passero, mayor of New London and another member of TYC, who was introduced to sailing when he was 12 by Jim Avery, with us.
It was a short sail, a scant 2 hours but then as warm s it seemed ashore, out on the water the wind was rather chilly blowing as it was over the 45 +/- degree water. But it was wonderful. Spring is definitely here.
And yes, today I did unwrap ABISHAG and the work will soon begin in earnest.
It was a short sail, a scant 2 hours but then as warm s it seemed ashore, out on the water the wind was rather chilly blowing as it was over the 45 +/- degree water. But it was wonderful. Spring is definitely here.
And yes, today I did unwrap ABISHAG and the work will soon begin in earnest.
Saturday, March 23, 2019
I Cut It Three Times And It's Still Too Short!
ABISHAG is still underwraps. I was going to unwrap her today and don't you know it snowed last night. SIGH!
Things in the sail-loft continue to be "interesting." It is, after all, NOT just a sail-loft, it is also a armory an a baby sitting service. The owner has a hobby of target shooting and so has a small section of the loft dedicated to re-loading his own bullets. He and a friend spend times packing their own loads which is at least one thing I have not been asked to be involved with during my time there.
I the babysitting service has to do ith the owner's 22 month old daughter. Three days a week she in involved in a day care center program at Connecticut College which is just up the road. Unfortunately, she is only there until 1:30pm which means that she gets to spend the rest of the afternoon at the loft. And she gets into everything. She always wants her daddy to hold her but it is not possible and cries when she doesn't get her way, which means she cries a lot as there is just no way to hold her as much as she wants. There are toys and bottles and all sorts of baby stuff, included half eaten snacks, scattered around the loft. And she just loves playing with the sail cloth, sail hardware and, since the loft work area is on the second floor, always trying to open the door that leads to the stairs. As all parents know, whatever she can't have she wants. NOW! And won't take "NO!" for an answer.
Conn College was on spring break this week and so the day care programs was shut down and Alexandra was at the loft all day every day. Let's just say, that it was an "interesting" week.
Things in the sail-loft continue to be "interesting." It is, after all, NOT just a sail-loft, it is also a armory an a baby sitting service. The owner has a hobby of target shooting and so has a small section of the loft dedicated to re-loading his own bullets. He and a friend spend times packing their own loads which is at least one thing I have not been asked to be involved with during my time there.
I the babysitting service has to do ith the owner's 22 month old daughter. Three days a week she in involved in a day care center program at Connecticut College which is just up the road. Unfortunately, she is only there until 1:30pm which means that she gets to spend the rest of the afternoon at the loft. And she gets into everything. She always wants her daddy to hold her but it is not possible and cries when she doesn't get her way, which means she cries a lot as there is just no way to hold her as much as she wants. There are toys and bottles and all sorts of baby stuff, included half eaten snacks, scattered around the loft. And she just loves playing with the sail cloth, sail hardware and, since the loft work area is on the second floor, always trying to open the door that leads to the stairs. As all parents know, whatever she can't have she wants. NOW! And won't take "NO!" for an answer.
Conn College was on spring break this week and so the day care programs was shut down and Alexandra was at the loft all day every day. Let's just say, that it was an "interesting" week.
Monday, March 11, 2019
Well, It Finally Happened!
It is not that I am particularly attuned to the scammers on the NET, but I have so far avoided getting "scammed" for all the years I have been online.However, I got caught back in January and only found out today.
On the 31st of January, the Official Documentation for ABISHAG would expire and so I needed to renew it. I went on line to get the address for the National Vessel Documentation Center to go through the process of renewal. Not paying attention, I hit the first website that came up which had a similar name but, as it turns out, wasn't the real thing.
I was in the process of renewing my Merchant Mariner Credential with the National Maritime Center so that I could drive the launch at TYC, when I had then connect me with the National Document Center so that I could find out what the delay was in my receiving ABISHAG's new certificate. It was then that although I had paid $75, they had no paperwork. In addition, the documentation expired nd I would have to go through a brand new documentation process . . . . at the cost of $86. It seems that I actually had contacted a third-party service provider who was supposed to send the paperwork to the NDC for the $75, which it turns out was three times the actually cost I should incurred.
I got online to find the third party provider and while they had a phone number, they would only communicate via email. So I contacted my bank, as payment had been made with my debit card, and we will see if they can retrieve the money. It was bad enough that I paid three times the cost, but the provider didn't provide. They failed to send the paperwork in and the documentation expired.
I did send them an email telling them that I wanted a refund as they failed to provide the contracted service and that it would be a good thing before the bank and the lawyers got involved. Who knows what will happen. Talk about feeli g foolish.
On the 31st of January, the Official Documentation for ABISHAG would expire and so I needed to renew it. I went on line to get the address for the National Vessel Documentation Center to go through the process of renewal. Not paying attention, I hit the first website that came up which had a similar name but, as it turns out, wasn't the real thing.
I was in the process of renewing my Merchant Mariner Credential with the National Maritime Center so that I could drive the launch at TYC, when I had then connect me with the National Document Center so that I could find out what the delay was in my receiving ABISHAG's new certificate. It was then that although I had paid $75, they had no paperwork. In addition, the documentation expired nd I would have to go through a brand new documentation process . . . . at the cost of $86. It seems that I actually had contacted a third-party service provider who was supposed to send the paperwork to the NDC for the $75, which it turns out was three times the actually cost I should incurred.
I got online to find the third party provider and while they had a phone number, they would only communicate via email. So I contacted my bank, as payment had been made with my debit card, and we will see if they can retrieve the money. It was bad enough that I paid three times the cost, but the provider didn't provide. They failed to send the paperwork in and the documentation expired.
I did send them an email telling them that I wanted a refund as they failed to provide the contracted service and that it would be a good thing before the bank and the lawyers got involved. Who knows what will happen. Talk about feeli g foolish.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
And On It Goes
Got a chance to get away with some friends from college. We take a weekend in February each year to drink wine and play pinochle and lie about all the things we did in college. We've been doing this for 25 years now and I find it amazing how old THEY all got! They are all grandparents now. Very strange!
After the weekend, it was back to the salt mines, that is the wash room at the sail loft. Sadly, the sails are getting bigger and as spring approaches, their numbers also increase. This actually slows down the process as the bigger the sails the less space there is to hang and dry them. Well, at least I know what I am doing most days at the loft. On those days when I can't wash, I end up sticking patches together. This means using double-sided tape to stick together 7 to 10 little parts into a big patch hat get sewed together and then sewed onto a sail. I would like to say that it is easy but it's not. Each piece has to be fixed exactly or the next will be out of place, and then the next, and the next, and eventually you have to rip it all apart and start again. And that happens more often than I would like to admit. The really "fun"art is that the sailcloth is so stiff and the edges so precisely cut that they are sharp and not a day goes by that I don't cut myself a couple of times. And when I do, the most important this is, as the Boss says, "don't bleed on the sail!"
We got 6 inches of heavy wet snow Sunday night/Monday morning. It began to melt but then the temp dropped and it froze and then began to melt the next day, but froze again at night. I am so ready for Spring!
After the weekend, it was back to the salt mines, that is the wash room at the sail loft. Sadly, the sails are getting bigger and as spring approaches, their numbers also increase. This actually slows down the process as the bigger the sails the less space there is to hang and dry them. Well, at least I know what I am doing most days at the loft. On those days when I can't wash, I end up sticking patches together. This means using double-sided tape to stick together 7 to 10 little parts into a big patch hat get sewed together and then sewed onto a sail. I would like to say that it is easy but it's not. Each piece has to be fixed exactly or the next will be out of place, and then the next, and the next, and eventually you have to rip it all apart and start again. And that happens more often than I would like to admit. The really "fun"art is that the sailcloth is so stiff and the edges so precisely cut that they are sharp and not a day goes by that I don't cut myself a couple of times. And when I do, the most important this is, as the Boss says, "don't bleed on the sail!"
We got 6 inches of heavy wet snow Sunday night/Monday morning. It began to melt but then the temp dropped and it froze and then began to melt the next day, but froze again at night. I am so ready for Spring!
Monday, February 18, 2019
More Fun Than Is Legal!
There are two things I dislike about sailing and/or owning a sailboat, two tasks that I would love to never do again. The first is painting the bottom of the boat. It has gotten to the point where I no longer get the bottom paint as smooth as glass by launching. I no longer sand and scrape and chip as I no longer use bottom paint that dries to a hard finish. It was a yearly pain in the butt which never seemed to fulfill the promises made on the can. Several years ago, I moved on to "ablative" bottom paint. It is a "soft" paint and releases the "magical ingredients" by simply wearing away. As long as there is paint on the hull, it's working. No need to sand and remove the old paint after a year. Simply paint the bottom and you are done. Still, one has to get into all sorts of "gymnastic level" positions to do the job and I age, it gets more and more uncomfortable. But it would certainly be worse using the old style paint. Still, painting the bottom is a pain.
The second task is washing sails at the sail loft. This particular job is not just limited to my own sails but all the ones dropped off at the loft in the fall for pick-up in the spring.You have to wrestle the sails into the cleaning solution, as mix of bleach and DAWN and get them completely immersed and let them soak for at least 15 minutes. The water is cold and slops everywhere as we are talking about some rather large pieces of unyielding material. After it is cleaned, each sail must be moved from the cleaning solution into the rinsing tub, another small ocean of cold water in which it must be agitated for several minutes to wash out the cleaning solution. The the "clean" sail needs to be removed from that solution and hung up to drip dry. Water, water everywhere. It is why the whole process is done wearing foul-weather gear. Then again, all foul weather gear leaks so one is not completely dry when the process is over. It usually takes a day for a sail to dry. Then it must be taken down, folded, put into its bag and hauled upstairs to the loft work floor. At best, you can get get four to six sails done in a day, so it is a long process to get them all done. While that is going on, you have to keep the floor clean and dry. You have no idea how heavy and hard to handle those wet sails are and hoisting them up to dry . . . ugh! And of course, there is really no heat in the wash room and the whole process seems never ending. But of curse, it needs to be done. UGH!
I bring this up because that is what my days at the loft are made of. Where is the Publishers Clearing House Prize team when I could really use them!
The second task is washing sails at the sail loft. This particular job is not just limited to my own sails but all the ones dropped off at the loft in the fall for pick-up in the spring.You have to wrestle the sails into the cleaning solution, as mix of bleach and DAWN and get them completely immersed and let them soak for at least 15 minutes. The water is cold and slops everywhere as we are talking about some rather large pieces of unyielding material. After it is cleaned, each sail must be moved from the cleaning solution into the rinsing tub, another small ocean of cold water in which it must be agitated for several minutes to wash out the cleaning solution. The the "clean" sail needs to be removed from that solution and hung up to drip dry. Water, water everywhere. It is why the whole process is done wearing foul-weather gear. Then again, all foul weather gear leaks so one is not completely dry when the process is over. It usually takes a day for a sail to dry. Then it must be taken down, folded, put into its bag and hauled upstairs to the loft work floor. At best, you can get get four to six sails done in a day, so it is a long process to get them all done. While that is going on, you have to keep the floor clean and dry. You have no idea how heavy and hard to handle those wet sails are and hoisting them up to dry . . . ugh! And of course, there is really no heat in the wash room and the whole process seems never ending. But of curse, it needs to be done. UGH!
I bring this up because that is what my days at the loft are made of. Where is the Publishers Clearing House Prize team when I could really use them!
Thursday, February 7, 2019
. . . .Now For Something Different!
I hate computers. They are right up there winter and electrical problems on ABISHAG. And I guess they hate me back.
I have recently gotten an new computer and a new printer as the previous one have died. I am not sure why as they were only about 8 years old and have rarely been dropped. Perhaps I can chalk it up to planned obsolescence.
And due to the fact that I am so bad with things electronics, I have a maintenance service with Dell. Anything breaks or goes bad, they fix it. Forever. I make a one time payment and that's it. I get to talk with them operate my computer remotely ans just sit back and watch them do it. But ther is one problem, the minutes on the phone. Do you know how much time you spend on your phone a month? Well, with the regular phone calls I make and receive, add to it all the minutes it took talking with techs at Dell to get my new computer and printer up and running and talking with each other and the internet, today I hit the limit of my monthly plan: 700 MINUTES! I have a stupid phone, no text, not data, no pictures, no internet. It just makes phone calls and receives phone calls. But if I make a phone call now, it will be 40 cents a minute! The limit will reset, but not until Saturday midnight. I'll have to see about changing the plan again as I can't figure out how all those people I see with the "smart phones," on which they are seemingly all the time, can afford it. AH, such is life in the electronic age!
I have recently gotten an new computer and a new printer as the previous one have died. I am not sure why as they were only about 8 years old and have rarely been dropped. Perhaps I can chalk it up to planned obsolescence.
And due to the fact that I am so bad with things electronics, I have a maintenance service with Dell. Anything breaks or goes bad, they fix it. Forever. I make a one time payment and that's it. I get to talk with them operate my computer remotely ans just sit back and watch them do it. But ther is one problem, the minutes on the phone. Do you know how much time you spend on your phone a month? Well, with the regular phone calls I make and receive, add to it all the minutes it took talking with techs at Dell to get my new computer and printer up and running and talking with each other and the internet, today I hit the limit of my monthly plan: 700 MINUTES! I have a stupid phone, no text, not data, no pictures, no internet. It just makes phone calls and receives phone calls. But if I make a phone call now, it will be 40 cents a minute! The limit will reset, but not until Saturday midnight. I'll have to see about changing the plan again as I can't figure out how all those people I see with the "smart phones," on which they are seemingly all the time, can afford it. AH, such is life in the electronic age!
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