Perspective

Today was filled with rain showers with a couple of thunder storms thrown in for good measure. On one hand, it was relaxing because we found ourselves looking for little projects to do with some reading and playing games mixed in. But the lack of progress also made us feel a bit frustrated. Especially with Mehmet not being able to come and continue work on the dodger and roll bar. The afternoon did end pleasantly, the skies cleared and we shared some ouzo with the folks on ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’. They invited us aboard as we went to pick up their work table they were passing along since they are getting launched tomorrow. They also helped put some things in perspective. They built their own boat in the UK 25 years ago. They then spent 3 years sailing in the Med with their very young daughter (18 months to 4 years old) and talked about how different it was then from today. The sailing crowd was much younger, many with small children and people sailed on smaller and much simpler boats. A boat our size would have been pretty uncommon in those days. Now everyone has a big boat, fancy navigational equipment that they can’t leave the dock without in proper working order. And everyone is much older. It seems pretty obvious that this hobby has switched to the retired generation because of all of these expensive toys that people feel compelled to have. No longer are the days where you get your weather information from the radio broadcast in the local language and then spend your time trying to translate it. Or setting off across the Atlantic with only a sound boat and sextant. Now people abandon their boats in the middle of the Atlantic due to losing a rudder because they can get insurance instead of figuring a way to remedy the problem. Anyways, it was just a good reminder that we can get by with a lot less than we think and to get out there as quick as possible and let the wind fill our sails.
And…Happy Birthday Mom! I love you.

Yummy arugula salad...less peanuts, more greens!
And a happy birthday ouzo cheers to my mom!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

The ‘montage’ started today which is very exciting but means a lot of noise, grinding and metal dust. Since the boat has to be tarped off, including the companion way, it makes it difficult to come and go. So once again, I headed for the library for a little reprieve from the noise and dirt. Meanwhile, Mike decided this would be the time to pull our old windlass off, good idea since our metal worker was on board. And it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise to find a bunch of rusty metal! We are really glad that we didn’t decide to keep the windlass for another season because the anchor may have just ripped it from the deck. But fortunately Mehmet came to the rescue and is going to cut out a pretty large section at the bow and weld in a new plate. For the good news, by the end of the day we had our new dodger tacked in place and it looks great! But it definitely felt like one step forward and two steps back today because of a new project being added to the list. Also, even though the dodger is close to being in place, it will lead to many other jobs that have to happen. Grinding down welds, cleaning and painting, spot-filling/smoothing uneven surfaces, sanding and re-painting…
As the day was winding down, we were enjoying the peace and quiet in the cabin, making dinner and listening to Neko Case. The music just seemed so perfect and reminiscent of home and we found ourselves a little emotional. Again, missing our friends and family and finding it hard to be away during some important times. We seemed to ease the feelings a bit while creating another little Italy. This time watching a beautiful and funny Roberto Benigni film and eating some decadent lamb and eggplant pizza. Definitely not Seattle, but our home away from home is kinda nice too.

Lazy Sunday

Now this was a Sunday.
Sleeping in, laying in the sun, reading, swimming, eating cheeseburgers and drinking beers poolside, napping, watching a movie, taking a nice evening walk, the VHF turned off all day and absolutely no work done!

T-Minus Three Weeks and Counting

It’s official. We’ve submitted a launch date with the office. Saturday, June 5th. That’s 3 weeks from today! On paper it seems like we can get everything done by then, but we all know that reality often has its own ideas. We were thinking about launching the day before, but it was too much like starting a voyage on a Friday. I think we’re becoming superstitious. Other than that it was another routine day. Ishmail “finished” the floors, which is definitely a step forward, but of course there is still a lot to do to them before we’re done. Several coats of varnish, attaching the pull-rings, the ladder and table fixtures, and figuring out a way to secure them down in case of rough weather. We continued to prep the hull, with Mike applying primer in select places while I sanded the topsides. We even think that we can get on the bottom paint this coming week. Any visible progress is extremely motivating! Despite the occasional interruption (sander breaking down and a fire on the hillside) we had a long and productive day. So maybe a little stress at times but it seemed to fade when the work was coming to an end and we shared a beer and some peanuts with Ishmail. He is such a soft spoken, sweet man and we are happy to get to know him better. Also hoping to one day drive out to his shop where he has a ’59 Chevy truck. That is a picture I have to get! We celebrated Saturday night with a gin and tonic and then headed to bed with dreams of a quiet, restful Sunday.

Fire on the Mountain!

The 'bed' truck. I love it!

Calm Before the Storm

This was a busy day. It started off with a quick trip to the hospital so we could pay a doctor to tell us what we already knew. Mike has been having some PVCs in the morning which are mostly likely due to stress, caffeine, alcohol… but being nurses we felt that it was silly not to follow up. So we headed to the hospital where Mike had an EKG and everything (of course) looked good. 45 minutes later, seventy-five dollars poorer and an order of “No stress, be happy.” we were on our way. We then headed out to Mehmet’s shop where we got another look at our dodger and a first look at our roll bar!


They are both going to be dropped off tomorrow and then ‘montage’ starts on Monday. I think that is when the pace is going to pick up! So in order to savor this calm before the storm, we took a leisurely drive back down the mountain, and then took a dip in the pool to cool off before doing some more hull prepping. We also made sure to take advantage of the BBQ before it is temporarily out of commission and grilled up some more chicken and veggie kabobs. Mike has truly mastered his chicken marinade!

Day 46

I was pretty hesitant to get back to work this morning, I think because I was longing for some shade instead of the sun. But eventually, I headed to the pool and the cool water was rejuvenating and gave me some energy for more sanding of the hull in the afternoon. Also picking up our brand new windlass helped motivate me to get back to work! And again, Mike did his juggling of many different jobs, including wiring the new battery monitor with the help of a fellow cruiser/marine electrician, Steve from Palantir. But as a result, it was discovered that our fridge and maybe even electrical panel are wired to the starter battery, not a good thing and it needs some more delving into. Steve also gave us a great new list idea (we like lists)! It’s to make a list for everything that needs to happen before you go in the water and then another list for everything that can wait until you are in the water. It’s a simple concept but it is so easy to let everything jumble into one big overwhelming mess. On the bright side I think we may be starting to see the fog lifting. But that means the days for our haul out are getting numbered which only increases our stress and worrying if we can get everything accomplished!

R.I.P Poor Steel Boat

We got back to work today and a good day it was. Much better than this steel boat that we heard dropped (purposefully ) from its cradle this morning. I guess this is what happens when you leave your poor steel boats all alone. We then saw it a few days later while it was being taken a part by torch and hammer. It was actually a very sad sight to witness.




As for work, I had a busy day of finishing up sanding the starboard toe rail and starting the hull preparation.



Mike spent the day jumping from one project to the next…head, wiring, making a fairing block, back to wiring, up the mast, etc. All the while trying to stay out of Ishmail’s way while he continued to work on the floors.



Later in the day while on a walk to the bathroom we ran into a guy who has been hauled out on his catamaran for much longer than us. We spent a few minutes hiding in the shade and chatting. It was good to talk to someone with a similar reality as us. He has the same feelings of being overwhelmed, the same frustrations of living in a dirty boat yard. A nice change from the other cruisers we see who show up and launch their boat the next day after hiring workers to ready their boat for them. And another thing…why do some other male cruisers always feel the need to make comments to me such as “I hope he is paying you enough!” or “He sure has you working hard today!” I find it very condescending, and it is especially irritating when they have hired workers on their boat doing the same job as me. I need to come up with a good reply to shut them up…any suggestions are welcome!

And for Lance and his co-workers.... another speedo sighting!