The Clock is Ticking

I’m still counting the days.

The wind vane installation is going slowly. The fabricator has delivered the mounting parts but the fellow I have preparing the transom is taking his time. Well, that, and the weather isn’t cooperating. The boarding ladder had to be removed in order to fit the mounting bracket. I called on the fiberglass guy to come fill the holes and clean up the paint and now I have one coat of gelcoat in place and am hoping for a clear weather window for him to finish the job.

Once done, it’s off to the races to get the steering gear set up and dialed in.

I am getting so much support from neighbors. Three have loaned me books and travel guides to help with the trip planning. One has given me a copy of his trip log to Florida to use as a guide. Everyone is really enthusiastic and cheering me on.

I, on the other hand, am feeling a bit unsure about this whole thing. I’m not sure why but I’m becoming apprehensive. I suppose it’s the whole “journey into the unknown” thing but it has me bugged. I’m putting it down to “normal jitters about big changes” and moving forward.

This is what I’m going with: Here I’m living in the known world and no longer happy with it. Out there I’ll be experiencing new things and seeing new stuff and people. I really do believe it will be for the best. And hey; If I don’t like it I can reinsert myself into this place and try something else.

But I’m really rooting for liking it and continuing the project. I don’t know how long I’ve got. Do you? 

The Boat is Ready. Me, Not Just Yet

The boat is ready. I am not. For once she’s ahead of me and I’ve got to play catch up.

The only big thing lacking right now is the wind vane mount and that’s in progress at the fabricator’s shop. The other project I want completed is the leak in the lens of the forward hatch over the V berth. I have the materials at hand and some time to pull the old cracked and crazed plastic lens out and trim up a new one to install.

The inaugural trip offshore into the Gulf of Mexico was a roaring success. The boat performed perfectly and all of that money spent wasn’t wasted. My mentor and captain friend, Eudell Jiles, went along for the ride and coached me on the correct way to manage traffic in the ship channel, talk to the ships’ pilots and in general how not to be a pain in the ass to the professionals that work the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) for a living.  

The weather was picture perfect for a newbie. The HSC was flat, the wind and the tide was in our favor. Traffic was light. The Gulf was reasonably calm with winds about 12kts and seas 2-3 feet. Nothing broke, the engine purred contentedly down below and kept her temperature steady. We turned south out of the jetties about eight miles offshore and set sail for Freeport, TX 40 miles south down the coast.

While the motion of the boat was extreme for me, he was in his element. I could tell this was his payment for all of the times he helped me on this project. This guy lives for this stuff; tiller in hand, wind in his face shouting encouragement as I hung over the back rail and fed the fish.

Yep. That sucked. Of all the details to leave unattended, I forgot to get the motion sickness pills. In my defense, I didn’t know if I’d be affected by it. Oh, well. Now I know.

After a brief discussion about this going on another nine hours, we turned around and headed to the Galveston Yacht Basin for the night. We dropped anchor just after sunset and discussed the events of the day and what I had learned.

Now my appetite is whetted. I'm looking at the calendar trying to figure out when I'll be able to get out there for more practice. I've got only 20 weeks or so before the planned departure so I need to make the time to get offshore again.  

Not Everyone Was Working That Day

Biding My Time

Two milestones are rapidly approaching; my 55^th birthday and the final task on the boat. The last big project is installing the Cape Horn steering system.  Once that’s in place it is the jog to the finish line.

That will be the fun part. I’ll have to spend time sailing and making minor adjustments to the boat.  I know, I know. Tis a tough job but you know, someone has to do it. I plan a couple trips to Freeport and maybe the Flower Gardens 100 miles off the coast. Those trips will give me the offshore experience I need to begin making open-water passages by myself. Now that the wind and water are becoming more favorable for my part of the coast, I can make plans more reliably.

I’m toying with the idea of moving the departure date up by four weeks or so. Still chewing on that idea. While I don’t want to cut my training period short I’m getting the itch to get gone.

This trip is gonna be soooo cool! The plan is one year off to shake off old memories and hurt feelings and gain a new perspective for the next 30 or 40 years. At the end of 12 months I’ll reconsider; should I keep going or come back and reinsert myself into the matrix. 

Sitting here I don’t know what person I’ll be when that decision time comes. It will be fun to see.

Rounding Third and Heading for Home!

As the to-do list grows shorter and the months zoom by I am both eager and nervous about leaving. Focusing on the many details of getting the boat ready leaves me little time to just daydream about what it will be like when I arrive.

White sand, salt air, clear water and the cry of seagulls overhead are what I have to keep in mind. Venturing ashore to visit the village taco cart and chit chat with the locals is what I’m looking forward to. That and mixing with other cruisers that are happy to be where they are.

For now I’ll have to satisfy myself with reading the blogs and looking at the pictures of those already there.

Sitting here doing the math I find I’ll have enough to complete the boat projects and if I play my cards right I’ll have a dollar or two extra to put into the cruising kitty. Postponing departure to make extra money is not an option. I’ll go with what I have and work it out later.

Inching Closer to the Finish Line

Well a lot has happened in the last few months.
Bonnie Lou is just about finished. The most recent project was to install the new propeller, inspect and repack the stuffing box, inspect the rudder for water and other damage and get the bottom painted. I contacted Captain Randy Pruitt to do the work. He had done the initial work on the boat when I bought her in 2010.

With the installation of the new motor last February the propeller was now in need of replacement. The old Volvo MD7A rotated counter clockwise and at a much lower speed than the new Yanmar 2GM20 that rotates clockwise at almost twice the RPMs.
I contacted Bauman Propellers here in Houston and answered their questions and had a new propeller a couple of days later. The engine installer had (unbeknownst to me) reversed the transmission link so when the shift handle was in the forward position, the boat moved forward while actually operating in reverse. A tip of the hat to the installer for a quick remedy but not a situation I want to live with.

This Will Do Nicely

So, all is well on the mechanical propulsion front. Everything, from the deck fill to the cotter pin on the propeller has either been replaced with new or refurbished professionally.
Now when I put the boat in gear she really moves.
The rudder checked out fine except for some minor fiberglass repair at the top near the post. A bit of glass, resin and some paint and back on the boat it went. The play in the tiller was gone and my fear of the whole thing dropping to the bottom of the bay has gone away.
The stuffing box was a non-event too (am I living right, or what?). Just an inspection and repack. The shaft and bearings looked good.
There were a few blisters to attend to and then two coats of bottom paint.
Earlier in her life, little Bonnie Lou got up against the piling and scuffed the hull up a bit. I’d guess it was during hurricane Ike. I had the rough spot repaired by a friend in the marina. The Randy agreed to compound and buff the hull and paint the repair. That bit of work took an extra day in the yard but I’m certainly not complaining. The boat looks great!


Before



After

Now I’m in the envious position of living on a refurbished 35-year-old boat that’s paid for.

Apologies for the Delay

Sorry for the delay. I've been busy saling and working out issues with the boat. I'll have a post here soon. Here's something I found while poking around that I keep on my desk to keep me focused. Perhaps it will do the same for you:
Where a brooding Buddha blinks,
Deeply graven is the message,
It’s later than you think.
The clock of time is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just where the hands will stop,
At late or early hour.
Now is all the time you own,
The past a golden link.
Live now my brothers,
It’s later than you think.
~On the ancient wall of China

Like I Need a Reason?

The reasons I’m doing this are:

To finally live my life on my terms. I’ve worked for others doing what they want me to do to produce things that benefit them in some way and reward me with money. What I want is to spend my time as I chose and be rewarded with life experiences that have meaning for me. Experiences like; seeing other places and cultures in their habitat and not the ‘Americanized’ version; live on my wits without comparison to others and the judgment that I’ve experience in those comparisons; I want to be in the company of others of a like mind that possessions are not the end goal; I want to do work that has meaning for me and gives me satisfaction;

I want to leave the routine of seeing the same people every day saying the same pre-programmed things. I’ve learned that we all have about five stories that we love to tell and to go beyond that requires thought, action and some risk. Thought and action require self-study and that can be unpleasant and require more than most are interested in actually doing. It’s far easier to wave our hands dismissively and say something like, “whatever. You know what I mean” instead of taking the time to think the topic through and explain the beliefs held. That short circuit of the thought process is, I believe, a result of our present ‘sound bite’, condensed-media-story life style. As a group we have convinced ourselves that differing opinions and discussion are passé and show some kind of weakness. We have become so concerned about offending someone or some group that we can’t say anything. On top of that there are the constant jokes about political correctness (PC). PC used to be just being polite. What’s wrong with being polite?

The risk comes from not wanting to take the chance that what you say may be unpopular. The presumed price would be the loss of friendship or maybe ridicule. None of us, regardless of how thick our skin is, want that.

And after some inward reflection we may find out that we don’t like what we see and that would take a decision to change and that would require some work on our part and that’s just not acceptable. It’s easier to wave our hands dismissively and turn back to listening to the talking head on the TV or radio.

So you see, I’ve done the 9-5 thing in the office and the field work in the heat; I’ve done the self-employment thing and the corporate drone act; I’ve done the single and married things. I’ve been so immersed in the American way and lifestyle that I really would like to try something else.

Having been showered every day of my life with the deluge of images, sounds and information messages that each of us is subjected to I am looking forward to the almost depravation-chamber quiet I expect on a days-long passage. I really wonder how I will respond. Will it take me a week to acclimate? A month? Will it be an easy transition? Will I grab the first person I see upon landfall and start talking nonstop just to hear another voice?

I hope to re-learn the trick of creating a complete thought in my head. I’m sure there was a time in my life when I could do that. It’s just been so long ago. I’ve always had a touch of ADD and the fast-forward society I live in doesn’t help at all.

The thought of slowing down to the pace of the boat and the waves is a bit daunting. I admit at times crossing the lake at 4 knots is a bit dull. But then I’m still living the 70+mph world of commuting to work every day. Once I make the change to a life at a walking pace I’ll know better how to deal with it.

I hope for a great cleansing; a new start. A reset, if you will. After the year is up I’ll make up my mind to continue or head back to civilization to pick up where I left off. I know I’ll never be the same.