Being “on the hard” not only means one’s boat is blocked on dry land, it also means you have to climb a ladder to get to the main deck. For us, it’s seven steps up. Then cross the deck to step down two 12” steps to the cockpit and saloon. So, every time you need to visit the boat’s interior- …
Hauled and Blocked- Wednesday Sept 10th
Though my alarm was set for 7AM, it wasn’t needed. Diann had removed the canvas window cover two days earlier to clean it. As the sun began to brighten the sky, I woke to the sight of the window separation bar in the foreground, jib sail roller furling next, and clouds in the background. I can get used to this! …
Tuesday Sept 9th- Work Progresses
Yesterday was a good day. We bedded three hatches, and cleaned rain diverter “eyebrows” of the large windows, and cleaned more of the cockpit textured trim. The rain that later came was so intense I don’t know that I’ve heard a more steady flow. Wind blew off the Neuse River at about 2AM and was a driven mist which chilled …
Sunday Sept 7th
Diann was awake first and I followed her out of bed. It was 7AM. Zoey need to pee. Having made coffee, and checked emails, it was time for a bit of business catch up. That done, boat projects ensued. Two portside hatches were on my agenda for the day. Like the starboard saloon hatch, they were most recently bedded with …
Dinner Flamed Out Sept 6th
Let’s see…………..how much can we do today? The starboard saloon hatch was pulled; deck cleaned; screw holes enlarged with a ¼” bit; West System 610 epoxy (in a caulk style tube) injected into the minor balsa core damaged area and injected into the enlarged holes. What to do while it cures? Off to Village Storage to get the Alliance Dingy …
Boat Friends………Sept 5th
It truly is a wonderful benefit, of being on an extended cruise- you meet such gracious people along the way. Mike and Lori stopped by when Diann and I were tied up at Town Dock. They have a newer Gemini and indicated they’d like to have us over to compare boats, once we were settled at Deaton’s. Sure enough we …
Being On Boater Time
Back in the 1980’s and early 90’s I worked as a manager in the manufactured housing industry. The Oakwood Homes operation I ran in Hickory and Statesville, NC was consistently in the top five when I managed it. Our top year we closed, set-up, and serviced 222 homes+ warranty work on previous sales. It was a very busy time. In …
M&M’s Restaurant- Oriental, NC 9/3/14
M&M’s offers Killian’s and Bud Light on draft for $1.50 on Wednesdays! After a long hot day a cold beer, or three, seemed like a good idea. This blog needed updating, so Diann and I went to the bar area, of the restaurant, and did the WIFI thing. Two hours, two glasses of water, and two Killian’s later and I …
Wednesday- the move to Deaton’s
I awoke before the sun was truly up. Zoey had to pee and I was ready to begin my day. The Bean Coffee shop was already open. After Zoey wet the grass, I took my laptop and a client’s real estate file (yes I’m still doing a tad of brokerage—- from the boat) to The Bean. Hot coffee and an …
Tuesday September 2nd- Oriental Town Dock
Pulling the anchor at South River was about what I had imagined. Diann slowly motored as I pulled up the 5/8s inch nylon line to the point of the 20 feet of 3/8s chain. Then, I got most of the chain up by hand. Next I used a bowline tied into a link and used the mast winch to pull …