The optimist in all of us....

Getting Down to Business in your Head.....

"Oh my God!!! I'm flying...."

Well, it was hot, and we are still not rocking...in the water that is.  Another weekend passes with more boat work- but we are getting closer (1 month to launch....maybe- Optimistic Grin).  This past weekend, I concentrated my efforts on "the Head" (aka boat bathroom).  One of the things we discovered early on was that the head floor was not connected to the, sole floor (chin bones connected to the neck bone ..opps... sorry, I digress) which means that any water that was in the head (it has a shower) was running into the core of the fiberglass flooring both inside and outside of the head area.  In layman terms, what that means is a soggy floor with structural integrity issues.  We cut out the offending floor areas, and have been trying to finish fixing it for...well almost 2 years now.  Bigger issues got in the way, it was handy to have open so we could plug up the holes in the bilge (don't ask) and it wasn't a "have to fix" item at the moment.  Tom did a fantastic job replacing the floor, and created a whole new shower pan area using fiberglassing products from West System (http://www.westsystem.com/ss/) so it will drain appropriately.  Then it's my turn to take over and start painting.  It's a tedious process.  I had to sand and primer paint, then sand that primer off because it didn't lay right (my fault- not the product), then primer paint again.  This weekend I start the actual gloss coat of Perfection by Interlux (http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa/diy/ask-the-experts/video-perfection.aspx) which I highly recommend for any marine application.  3 coats of paint and then we can re-install the drain, the toilet and the sink!  Woo Hoo.  Progress baby!  Photo's and detailed "how to" instructions to follow in a upcoming DIY segment.

So, as you can imagine, while I'm spending hours sanding and re-sanding the head, I had a lot of time to get into my own "head".  I usually think a lot of  happy thoughts while working on the boat because it's better than entertaining the murderous ones that sometimes creep in during boat projects that never end.  I am an optimist by nature.  The Ying to Tom's Yang so to speak in critical moments.  But, every optimist can use a bit of help sometimes.  I recently read a great book by Gretchen Rubin called "The Happiness Project". (http://www.happiness-project.com/) It was a documentary of sorts about a 12 month project she undertook to see if it was possible to escalate your own level of happiness in an otherwise comfortable world.  It's interesting reading with some funny outcomes and good food for thought. Some of the tips she gives are wonderful and I've put a few into action in my own life.  Guess what?  They do make you happier- BONUS???  Give it a look- you might be surprised!   Life lesson:  Even when things seems "in the toilet:, anyone can find happiness if they just know where to look.  So, the next time you are doing doing something "shitty", get into your own head and find your happy place.  You'll be surprised what's in there.  

A little R&R (Rum Running) to soothe the soul......

God knows I love my life and I thank Him every night

But sometimes I feel the knife of responsibility.

And the struggle and the strife, what's wrong and what's right

Has got me searching for the light and my place of peace.  - kenny chesney

Last week we took a break from boat building to sit back and sample the sweet island life for a few days.  It was my Man's birthday over the holiday so we took off for a little Key West  Rum Running (R&R).  Part of me felt guilty not working on my Luna girl.  So much to do, so little time...gotta get it done, gotta get it done. But then, I got a potent reminder of why you need to take the time to savor life...  I received an e-mail from a dear friend telling me that she and her husband were selling their beloved 36' Gozzard Yacht s/v "Seaberry" because it was time to move on...I could tell from her words that she is feeling so sad and lost.  Health, family, and life all play a part in their difficult decision and, while it will turn out to be the right one, I know it doesn't feel like that to Stephanie.  See, she loves being on the water.  Loves to sail, loves the peacefulness and stillness of a beautiful calm sea and the craziness of a brisk breeze.  Sailing is in her blood.  It gets her through the winter, it soothes her soul, and now?  She's just lost.....  My heart is breaking for her and I miss them already.

Off to Key West.  I let myself enjoy.  We stayed true to the calling and ate only local fish for dinner, drank maybe too much Rum (is there such a thing?  Mohito's anyone?), stayed....yep, you guessed it- on a 41' catch for a hotel with a view and went sailing!  Figured if we aren't working on a boat, we might as well sail one.  That's what it's all about right?

So, the next time you feel the "knife of responsibility" make sure you take a moment to look around you and refocus on all you have to be thankful for.  Tools will sit quietly and life will rest for a brief moment while you catch up.  Just remember to savor each day....and drink a little rum!

Recent Photos:  

Spirit the wonder dog! 

He's a fan of the marina!

Tom & I sailing with our friends on "Windward" in the Bahamas- January 2013

If you make a plan, plan on having to change it! 

Forgotten but not lost..that's the theme of my blogging thus far.  So here we are, June 28, 2013.  Let's bring things up to date:

1) Luna Sole- STILL not done...sigh...planning to launch in 1 month (but we have seen how that has gone so far).  I'm projecting maybe Mid August.  More on this below. 

2) July 2012:  We lost our little girl Miss Buffett to cancer.  Such a sad time.  My heart broke.  She never got to sail on the boat she so patiently sat under for 3 summers while we worked away at the dream.  However, thanks to our wonderful marina friends who loved her too, she did get to sail on their boat.  She would have been a great boat dog.  RIP Buffett Girl.

3) October 2012:  We pulled Eclipse out of her slip, removed the mast and sent her down the road to Rewers Boat Works to have her bottom re-done.  She will stay put for many months while she is peeled, dried, re-fiberglassed & barrier coated.   While we were removing the Bow Pulpit so she would fit into the shop, Tom noticed that the Bow Sprit seems to be.......I don't even want to say it.....ok...here goes....Rotten!  What? Again?  Unbelievable that we could possess 2 boats and both have rotten Sprits.  Sigh...here we go again. 

4) We adopted a new golden boat dog named "Spirit".  He is about 2 so, god willing, he will be with us for a long time and be a happy boat dog.  I love my little boy, but miss my Buffett Girl every day.  :-( 

5) Winter came, and it was FREEZING up here in the great Northeast!!!  We spent about 6 weekends going back and forth to Rock Hall working on Eclipse (removing said bow pulpit and sprit, removing prop shaft, etc.) in preparation for her bottom job before it just got too cold to work.  After that we worked primarily at home on new cushions for Luna Sole.  This is a tougher project than I imagined and I've done a lot of ripping out/starting over.  I think they will be lovely though when finished! 

6) SPRING!  Ahhhhhhhh (Imagine Angels with trumpets playing overhead...)  Back to work on Luna Sole.  We had originally said "We're done- finished.  May 1st- whatever is done is done and we are putting her up for sale".  Then, as plans go, it was freezing all winter and we got at least 2 months behind.  So, May 1st is now sometime this summer.  Once we started working, and it was apparent that Eclipse was going to be out of commission for the summer with her bottom job & new rigging needs, we took a hard look at what $30K would buy as far as new equipment for Eclipse- Water Maker, Wind Generator, Solar Panels, Batteries - and decided to keep on keeping on.  What's a few more months right?  :-) 

So, here's the list of what is done thus far.  When you see the bottom paint go on, you'll know we are launching and pretty close to finished- keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer.  :-) 

Completed

Replace Bow Sprit & Bow Deck- Rotted Repair Deck to Hull Joint issue in Bow Re-varnish all existing teak- exterior Re-bedded handrails & made covers Re-caulked mast & new boot Re-bedded all chainplates Replaced missing tightener screws on all stantions Reinforced foresail with new fiberglass G-10 backing plate Rebuilt furler system Rebuilt cockpit winches Replaced eyebrow's with new teak strips Replaced existing plastic deck & scupper drains with Bronze fittings Replaced traveller deck with new teak piece- rotted & split Anodized traveller & cleats Replaced rubber durad vents with Stainless vents Removed & repaired cockpit floor with new Fiberglass platform Repainted cockpit floor Re-positioned steering mechanism to work more effectively Replaced cracked holding tank with new tank Repaired and cleaned water tank Painted Lazarette & locker areas Repaired all fiberglass cracks in the bilge area  Replaced Engine with new Beta Marine 25 HP Model Fabricated all new engine mounts Removed & repaired head floor & repainted head area Replaced Head floor drain Designed and installed new toilet mount Repaired & improved Propane Locker Ran new hose & replaced valve on Propane tank Changed out all gate valve thru hulls with Bronze Groco valves Changed out all wooden thru hull backing plates to Fiberglass G-10 plates Added proper lightening protection system (plate and wiring) Replaced aluminum Helm mount with Stainless mount Replaced aluminum chalks with new Stainless chalks Replaced exhaust thru-hull with new one and added fiberglass backing plate

Boats....Vessels of Freedom

Happy Thought:  "When the suns at his back and the winds in his face, it's just him and wheel...he wouldn't trade a million for the way it makes him feel!"

Guess what?  It's been a while since I filled in the blog...a long while.  I am re-inspired by many things.  A old high school friend who posts regularly on his blog, the need to document this crazy ride, and the desire to do something besides sell gas and worry about margins.  So, here we go. 

Ok, so 2011 was a summer of new adventures on Luna Sole.  As it is with old boats, you fix one thing, to find yet another surprise.  After we removed the engine, we found core rot in the cockpit floor.  Nothing terrible, but it had to be fixed.  We removed the helm and cut out a 18" square of the floor and replaced it with a big, thick, honking piece of this mystery stuff called "G-10".  I got to do more fiberglass work, in the middle of the summer (Fun Fun!) and spent a week getting expoy out of my hair.  (note to self- shower cap!).  Then, we decided to check the water tank out.  Removed the inspection port, only to see a myrid of black mold!  Get it out, get it out I yelled (running around with my hands on my head--ewwww!).  So, we removed that and all the plumbing that went with it.  We removed the wiring, the propane line, all the water lines, the hot water tank, etc...etc...   By August, we were left with not much more than a hull and Tom was working on designing the long awaited engine bearers (yes, August and still no engine).  Then, because he can't stop researching to save his life, Tom found "Eclipse". 

Eclipse is a 38' 1987 Cabo Rico with beautiful traditional lines, teak out the wazoo inside and out and a gently used history with one owner.  She sails like a dream, and surveyed equally as well.  The whole time that little voice in my head is saying "What the heck are you thinking?" but, as with this whole adventure, I decided to ignore it.  Long story short, the financial forces came together perfectly (as they always seem to do with this whole crazy plan which is one thing that makes me believe it's the right path) and by Labor Day we were ready to launch our new boat.  It was a beautiful sunny friday afternoon and the name wasn't even dry on the back when we finally, after 2 long years, celebrated the launch of a vessel (not the one we had planned, but our forever home none-the-less). 


Toasting the splash with friends

So, one thing that happens when you buy another boat is that everyone makes fun of you.  The second thing is that you suddenly do not work as dilligently on boat #1.  We kept Eclipse in the water, enjoyed being in the slip we had financed for 2 years and sailed her a few times with good friends. In November we put her to bed for the winter and went back to Luna Sole.   Our winter was spent grinding fiberglass and sanding down more teak for re-finishing.  Tom reached a big milestone a month or so ago though when he told the broker that Luna would be ready for sale/sail by early July. Finally, a date! 

It's April 17th.  There is still no engine bearers, or engine, or plumbing, or wiring on Luna Sole.  But, the teak is on it's 4th coat of varnish, the doors are half way re-finished and the tail pipe is re-fiberglassed & seated.  We are getting closer.  Eclipse got her yearly cleaning/waxing last weekend and we will launch her on Monday the 23rd for another great season.  It's challenging having two boats, but Tom and I are committed to getting Luna done and seeing it through to the end.  When she is done, someone is going to own a beautiful and nearly-new boat.  Hopefully it will be the beginning of someone else's dream! 

Isn't it interesting how dreams work out? I wanted a boat to sail.  I got one to fix instead.  But in fixing it, I learned a lot about my husband, challenged myself to do things I would have never thought I could do, and made a marina full of friends.  What did I learn the most?  That you should not put boundries around your dreams because, they can be so much more than you ever imagined if you let them run free...  Namaste!



How can it be Spring already?

For shame, for shame- I really need to keep up this blogging more regularly. Well, it's April and we worked on her throughout the winter. Sometimes only 1 day a weekend- it's pretty darn cold on the Chesapeake in January! Here's what's happened since our last chat.
Winter Project List Plan:
1) Remove old Thru-Hulls (goodbye old gate valves, hello new ball valves = no blowouts!)
2) Re-bed port windows (goodbye leaks & buckets to catch said leaks)
3) Re-bed chain plates (same as #2)
4) Make new cushions & curtains with fancy new Sailrite machine (I know- girly but hey!)
5) Service Cutlass bearing & Dripless seal on shaft (= no blowouts!)
Launch May 1 or before! Woo Hoo

Reality:
1) Removed old Thru Hulls (Yeah! Check off list- making progress- here we come May 1!)
2) Tried to service shaft- found it to be frozen into 6 inches of water...hum...problem...poured anti freeze on ice and went home- waited several weeks until all water frozen, sucked it out with shop vac, came down next weekend, found more water....hum....
3) Found head of shaft to be fused (no pun intended) to the motor mount with 30 years of rust...hum.....
4) Tom decides we also need a new engine. Gulp...oh boy...may day, may day...now looking more like June or July...sigh....hum...
5) Start to trace wires on the boat so that we can remove them from engine. Find multiple instances of red to black to orange to....nothing...hum....this is not going well. End up ripping 80% of all wires out and starting over. Patience...patience....
6) Cheryl is hanging out in starboard lazarette tracing wires and decides to "look around"- silly me. Unfortunately I find "SURPRISE" #10246 (or so it feels with this boat). There is rot in the cored floor around the emergency tiller opening. Shit...that's gonna have to be fixed...aaaahhhhhh!!!! I have to admit that I did play around with not telling Tom. After all, he can't fit under there- he would never know...hum....The next day "Randy" the fiberglass guy was up on our boat and we are awaiting his estimate. This should be interesting...

Fortunately, admist all the setbacks, we had the great pleasure of spending our heard earned Saturday nights in March & April with our Marina friends Lynn & Ian. They rented a cute little place on the Rock and welcomed us (and Buffett too) into their abode. It was great to spend time chatting with someone who has the same dream we do. They get it~!

April 15th- we have the motor removed- good news is that another Bayfield 32 (1981) owner purchases said motor from us and comes to the Rock to help remove it. Takes it away in his car- neat and tidy- nice!
April 16 & 17- I get to start the tedious and back breaking process of cleaning 30 years of grease, grime & just general dirt out of the bilge and engine area. Ewww...yuck....gross!!!....Why do I always get the cleaning jobs? Oh that's right- because I don't know how to do much else yet! At the end of a hard day though, it looks great! Bonus! Time to sand and paint and it will look like new.
April 24th- Easter weekend but no rest for the weary- Tom spends the day measuring for the new motor. After 7 hours, he still is not decided....Patience...patience.... It was a day with beautiful skies and big puffy clouds; and a massive thunderstorm around 5:30 pm. We stood under Lynn & Ian's boat (did I mention they are also on the hard right now as well doing some upgrades to their beautiful Figi yacht?) and watched it rain. The reward? A beautiful rainbow filled the sky and also our hearts with renewed hope- it's going to be a great boat!

So what about the plan? Well, let's just say, I'm learning to fiberglass this weekend and then we will see how it goes. :-)

Time Flies When your Having Fun!

Fast forward to October- so busy working on Luna Sole that I did not take time to blog until now. Progress on her is.....going. We were not ready to launch by the end of August, so we decided to save the launch chips, use them for a new holding tank and keep working. Some wonderful new friends and the marina took pity on us and would ask us to go sailing with them (Buffett got to come too!). From time to time, we took them up on the offer!
To update our work...I continued (and still am) working on the teak. I have re-finished from bare wood everything on the boat at this point except the taft rail, eyebrows, doors & hand rails. We are planning to remove all those pieces to make some repairs to leaks and cracked wood so they are a winter garage project. I removed the traveller and taft rail last weekend- why does something that should take an hour take 2 days in boat land and who knew I could actually fit in down inside both lazarettes?
Tom decided to remove the "zinc" from the outside of the hull a few months ago to replace it. When he took it off, water poured out from the keel. hum...thinking that's not supposed to happen. Sigh..here we go again. So, he drilled a bunch more holes to let everything drain, then "hooked her up to life support" with hoses all over and a shop vac. After hours spent online and with the Bayfield owners group, we determined that 1) the water probably came from our interior hose cleaning efforts (opps) and cracks in the bilge and 2) that the "zinc" was actually at one time a lightening system that had a long piece of copper or bronze on it. Opps again... We decided to work on fixing the bilge cracks first so that no future water can get down into our soon-to-be dry keel. Then, after sitting this winter with a vacum pump on her, we will seal up the outside holes and re-install the proper plates for the lightning system next spring before launch.
It took multiple weekends to get all the hardware re-installed back up on the new bow sprit. Just last weekend Tom was installing the anchor rollers. (Note: he is a messy one with the goopy, sticky white marine glue stuff (my technical name for 3M stuff) and needs constant supervision).
We, sadly, removed the sails from Luna at the beginning of October- she won't need them this year and found that the furlers were jammed- yet another boat piece in our garage that needs servicing- what a surprise!
We are going down again this weekend and for as long as we can work. The new launch date? May 1- on or before!