A reservoir of creativity and inspiration.
5:30 and 74 degrees.
A typical weekend for sailboat aficionados.
One in which the vessel makes her needs known.
We needed to replace teak bungs (short teak dowels that cover the screws that hold down the deck).
First you drill the hole with the missing bung a bit bigger.
Next you take out the old screw (which many times involves mass force) and put in a shiny new one.
And finally you place a few drops of epoxy and pound in a new bung.
We had nearly 300 missing bung holes to fill
They stick out of the deck so when you accidently step on them in bare feet the pain is exquisite.
(A close up of the little darlings here)
The next day you go back and shave the tops off making them level with the deck.
It was such a thrill to finish. Gordon immediately took the wet dry vac and started vacuuming up the teak shavings and dust. Soon he started noticing bung holes he missed. One there...two here...
OH NO!!!!
The pressure of the vac was so strong it was sucking the loose old ones out!!!!
Back to work.
Then deck washing.
As the hose bathed the deck we noticed it wasn't flowing through the drain holes in the deck.
An hour later we are both upside down in the back Lazarette undoing hoses and poking a wire to try to free the blockage.
We inadvertently dislodged a part to the auto-pilot and had to stop and fix that.
Finally success.
Later that evening we went into the galley and noticed water on the floor.
Yikes!
The salt water pump under our sink was gushing sea water into our boat.
HYPER DRIVE!!!!!
We undid the hose and shoved a wooden plug into the end and clamped it shut.
Then mopped water up off the floor.
My jobs Monday:
Edit novel #2.
Call the fix-it guy about the funny noise the refrigerator compressor is making.
Call West Marine to see if I can order a new pump
Figure out again why I live on a boat.
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6 comments:
I need a muse like that. When I was a teenager I had a beautiful Himalayan female cat named 'Nike.' I was a varsity volleyplayer at the time! She used to perch up on any high place and look disdainfully down on all of us. But, she did love me. In fact, she loved me so much she gave birth to her kittens on my pillow next to me while I was sleeping. I woke up in a bit of a mess! I named her kittens Addidas, Converse, and...I can't remember. There were four, but the fourth died because he was a Manx and his non-tail was too short for his spine.
Kimber An
starcaptainsdaughter.blogspot.com
My pets find ways of distracting me, rather than encouraging my muse, LOL. Hard to concentrate when they're chewing the furniture, yanking your pant leg, or getting onto the table into the food....
I love my pets but they're currently driving me nuts!
Howdy, this is Betty Lou from Arkansas. My boyfriend
says you should close the through hull fitting.......cuz that stick you put in the hole is just temporary and can
work itself out....good luck partner..Betty Lou
Uh. Yeees.
We know to close the through hull but it was a bit problematic.
It was late at night and the hose goes in a circuitous path through the engine room.
Our plug is securely clamped to the hose. (I called it a dowel but it is a graduated wooden plug specifically made for the purpose.
Finding the correct through hull (there are MANY on a 50 ft boat! LOL) will be my fifth job today!
Heavy duty clamps on a boat are your FRIEND!!!
BTW
I do appreciate your boyfriends suggestion - you never know how much people know about their boats!!
Did you notice your kitty looks like a nautilus? As noticed by Lotus, aficionado of the deep. ;)
Also the child who told me she broke up the 'clots of ornaments' on our Christmas tree.
Gotta love her. :)
I hate blogger, lol. It just ate my comment.
My best friend lived on a boat - her parents and 4 kids on a 75 ft. wooden schooner.
When it went up on drydock, they discovered I was the only one not allergic to fiberglass sheets, and guess who got invited every weekend to help patch up the hull? LOL. I learned a lot about repairing boats that year, and how to live in very, very small spaces.
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