This summer I hate boating! In reality it’s not the boating I loathe, but the work
involved repairing, upgrading and preparing for one more year sailing off into
the sunset. In our experience
sailing off into the sunset should be rephrased to sailing into the sunrise, as
the crew of Imagine is usually up
before dawn ready to sail as soon as we can see the anchor in the predawn
murkiness. But that won’t be
happening for another month or more.
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| Working on head |
A detour with a torn meniscus followed by arthroscopic
surgery has slowed the summer’s refit progress. Days of rain, and days of rain, and more days of rain have
slowed it even more. As work commences I reminisce selling our perfectly good
and much newer 36-foot boat No Bad Days
for Imagine back in 2004. That decision eventually led to a
massive refit that lasted nearly three years as we tore up and put down new
decks, bow and cabin top on our leaky teaky.
At the time I didn’t want to spend the nearly $75,000 estimate to have professionals fix the boat. Neither
did my husband Ed, Mr. Frugal.
Both the price and principle drove us into a false sense of “it would be
a piece of cake.” NOT! Perseverance, a few cuss words, and
many hours later we began to see a light at the end of the tunnel. During the long process family and
friends dubbed the boat as the USS Neversail and Mr. Frugal became Captain Go
Nowhere. We did however save $69,000.
On the last day of October in 2009, Imagine sailed
away. Skies were heavy with gray,
spitting intermittent rain that followed us down the Chesapeake Bay for the
next three days. It didn’t dampen
our spirits as we began our travels on a road not paved. It would be a wet one marked with buoys,
day makers, waypoints and lighthouses.
This fall we begin our fifth year spending our time upon the water.
Living on a boat takes its toll. Maintenance is ongoing. Some things can be put off for a while, while others such as
a new bilge pump can mean life or death if a boat begins taking on water. We replaced the main bilge that
failed this spring as well as a shower bilge that failed a year ago. The shower drain was bypassed
into our main bilge that seemed to work until the odor began. A bilge pump does not remove a
hundred percent of standing water. Some shower water lingered and created a
stench of rotten meat. Dead skin
cells mixed with soap scum and salty water can get pungent overnight. That won’t be a problem anymore!
The head now has a new floor with ceramic tile, a new stand
for the head, a rebuilt head, new head hoses, a re-glassed holding tank, plus a
newly painted head and shower.
Both the previous head stand and floor was deteriorating. The old head
hoses were cemented with mineral deposits that adhered to the inside of the
hose over the years leaving less than a half inch of partly occluded space for
waste to pass.
The overhead has yet to be taken down so that the cabin top
deck hardware can be re-bedded.
The porthole frames are in the process of being removed and re-bedded as
well as the outer deck hardware.
And of course the bright work will need more varnish. Ed has been working on the shaft and
will be replacing a loose cutlass bearing.
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| Boat Blisters |
After much sanding, fairing and taping, two coats of primer
went on rather easily. Sanding
between coats did not. Did I say I
hate sanding? Unfortunately the priming highlighted several areas where shallow
bumps appear. The fairing wasn’t
perfect. In the interest of sailing again this millennium, we decided to move
on with the imperfections.
Did I mention that with marine paint you should only work between 9 and
4 a.m. on days when humidity is 85 percent or under? Also make sure there is no rain forecast for several hours
after painting.
In the midst of all I feel like a rope in a unending game of
tug of war being pulled from all directions. I want to spend time with grandchildren, friends and
family. I have to take care of
myself as well as work on the boat. I love sailing and the carefree
live we lead upon the water, the work to maintain that lifestyle, not so
much. Taking time for myself
and getting non boat stuff done has helped get me through a summer of feeling
angry that we have this level of boat work to do.
I’ll feel great when it is done. The money saved by doing the work ourselves will pay for at
least another year of cruising. It’s
about sacrifice and balance. Year
five looms and decisions will be made as to whether it will be our final year
or a jump off time to go back into a land based world of work and status
quo. Here’s to decisions, balance
and sunny days.
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