Up early again to get to Napa by about 8 am. Contrary to the forecast, it was drizzly, so I wasn't going to be able to do the electrical work on the mast as I had hoped. Instead, I checked inside for leaks and smells. I rejoiced in the odor-free atmosphere of the main cabin. My purging of the head and cleansing of the fridge had done the trick. The plastic sheeting had also worked. The only leak was, naturally, above a berth. It was most likely coming from imperfect sealing of the hole left by removal of the portlight above the berth. Because everything was wet outside, there was no way to cover it with plastic and duct tape. If it ever stops raining, I'll give it a try.
I spent the next hour or so off-loading sails and doors, making measurements for other projects and checking out what I could on the mast. I also met a fellow boat-restorer named Chris. He's got a little Flicka on the hard near Circadian as well an Alberg in Sausalito that he restored. My first sailboat was a Flicka, so it was fun to go onboard his and wax nostalgic. I gave him a tour of Circadian too, of course. He's a very knowledgable engineer, and seems to be a nice guy too. Imagine that!
I decided I might as well make it a short day, grab lunch and head home so I could do some work in the shop. I drove around town a bit looking for a little Mexican dive I remembered from my last Napa boat yard marathon 10 years ago. After one false start, I found it pretty easily. It was pretty much as I remembered: good cheap food, which is not easy to find in chi-chi Napa!
With more than 3 hours of driving behind me, by the time I had gotten home and unloaded everything my ambition had significantly diminished. Besides, I told myself, it was getting late and I needed to do laundry. So, all I did was a little grinding on the new fiberglass windlass base and put a fairing layer of glass on the top.
About Me
- George
- "If a man must be obsessed by something, I suppose a boat is as good as anything, perhaps a bit better than most." E.B. White. I had my first sailing experience when I was just nine or ten years old. It was a complete disaster. My father, who had absolutely no sailing training or experience, decided to try renting a little sailboat at a nearby lagoon. Of course we were totally out of control and ended up getting blown into the mud on the downwind side of the lagoon. I don’t remember how we managed to extricate ourselves and get back to the dock. He must have dropped the sail and rowed us back. Thirty years later, it was a very different experience when I took him out on my own sailboat. He was never one to talk about his feelings much, so when he got the look on his face that told me he was surprised at something he was feeling, I asked him about it. He hesitated a moment, and with a bit of uncertainty said, “You know, this is actually kind of relaxing!” Some twenty years of training and experience made the difference between disaster and a relaxing afternoon sail. Now as I begin to approach retirement, I’m looking forward to a fulltime cruising life.
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