Highs and Lows
First, the drama.
Wordpress dumped my post from last night. Ugh.
Rosy threw up on me twice today, in the parking lot of West Marine. It reminded me of Sophie’s stomach bug on the transatlantic flight back from Germany. When you’re so thrilled that somehow you have extra clothes, not only for the kid, but also for yourself. I think in Rosy’s case, it was brought on by too much party food. Let’s hope. Then, at dinner, Sophie spilled an enormous soda all over our table, cushions, and the library books under the table. I can’t decide which was the highlight of my day.
Speaking of highlights, my sister is engaged!!! Whoo-hooo! Sophie said, “Do you think I’ll be invited to the wedding? So I can wear a beautiful dress????!!!” Congratulations Corey and Su!
This week the mainsail went up and that means I need to get cracking on a sailcover. We’ve already had one dude flake out on our dodger project, so we’re off to recruit the next stoner in town. The Keys Disease is something we won’t miss.
John got most of the engine systems completed this week. Exhaust, vented loop, seawater intake, fuel tank, insanely-difficult-to-locate fuel filters. My grandfather would have had a laugh over the search for the German Mercedes-Benz filters we ended up putting in our Danish diesel. I’m not sure why, but he would have had something to say about the ordeal, appreciating the ridiculousness and the worldliness all at once. I miss that man.
We are at that stage I remember so well from our first boat. It was some night in August, 2004. John worked all day doing the last wiring and hose clamping. The sun had set by the time we got Rubi’s engine to start and we went puttering down the Chelsea Creek in Boston, never so thrilled to hear the chugging of a diesel engine. To be underway again. It’s just magic. It still amazes both of us that we put that engine in, top to bottom, beds and shaft and all, and it ran like a top for 1700 miles. If we can only be so lucky again.
So between the engine and the sails, this little boat may be taking a trip one day sooner than later! Fingers crossed, eh?
And this is our crew:
It’s nice to see somebody esle spending their weekend getting their fingers dirty on behalf of the boat. We spent the last 2 days rebedding the last 3 of the 22 opening hatches/ ports we’ve rebedded on this beast. I have caulk under my fingernails and on my laptop, but I am SOsoSO happy at the idea of NOT having to throw a towel over the book shelf every time it rains. Of course we still need to put in our main, get a new stack pack, fix the antannae for the SSB, re-string the tramp (again), trouble shoot the alternator, clean and wax the beast… wouldn’t life be boring without a boat?