Saturday, February 19, 2011

Despair, or The Boatyard




Well, the Romantic Period with this new boat is officially over.  Starry-eyed dreams are a thing of the past, and we find ourselves immersed in a sea of inescapable practical details.

We're in the boat yard.

I don't know how other people handle being in the boat yard, but for me it's always been a scorched-earth experience.  I always do the work myself, which means twelve hour days, bashed knuckles, and plenty of time to reflect bitterly on the foolishness of dreaming about palm-fringed anchorages.

This time around is no different.  We've been on the hard since Tuesday.  Every day I work all day but conclusively finish few (or no) jobs.  The beautiful weather that we enjoyed in January has left us, to be replaced by a traditional California winter.  It's been pouring rain for days and the temperature has been topping out around 45/7 and so the boat sits unpainted.  Meanwhile we're staying in a hotel, so every day that we don't get back into the water adds to our boat-related money hemorrhage, and the forecast promises little relief.

And, well, you get the picture.  Luckily I have the experience of the Pelagic years to draw on, and the realization that even the darkest haul-outs eventually end.

2 comments:

  1. keep up the good spirit mike!
    if ever someone will survive yet another yard-episode it will be you guys! take care, best wishes from netherlands, paul anne and lali

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  2. I tell you what, we'll do a trade, give us some of your freezing rain and we'll pass over a few days of 35 degrees C, 99% humidity.

    And hey, since you can't paint, how about you update your blog...did you take her sailing??????????

    xxx Miles and Melissa

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