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Victory is Ours!

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What does this look like to you?

Loyal readers, if you think this looks like three happy men doing a drug deal, you are wrong. This is three happy men doing a boat deal! Andrew is now the proud owner of  S/V ‘we don’t know yet’ and he is a mighty happy young man. After everyone’s prayers, good wishes, crossed fingers with spitting, and walking widdershins, Andrew awoke this morning to a phone call from Steve, the boat’s previous owner. Apparently the man who had been thinking of buying this little 1976 Ericson 25 doesn’t yet know how to sail and though he obviously knew a good deal when he saw it, he was really on the fence about buying. So that allowed Steve to encourage the man to take sailing lessons, and then to sell this boat to Andrew with a relieved conscience, knowing he was doing the right thing by all parties. You have to admire a man like that, for sure.

The atmosphere was one of jubilation and celebration as we drove out to the marina to make the deal. Frankly, this was the men’s day. I was an unnecessary accessory. Oh, except I wrote the check. There is that little detail. But if I sound sullen about this, I’m not at all. The men all bonded over the engine and the meticulous notebook of boat information. After hearing words like ‘fuel mix’, ‘battery’, and ‘choke’  my mind began to wander and their voices faded into the distance. I began to take photos, explore the boat, and admire the men at their best. Believe me when I say I enjoy watching men do manly things.

Each page is encased in its own plastic sleeve in this meticulously kept notebook of information about this boat.

This is the cleanest little boat you can imagine, both inside and out! It’s hard to believe this boat was built the year I graduated from high school. Steve said the original owner had it in fresh water. It’s only been in salt water for a few years. Maybe that has something to do with how completely turn-key it is.  Did I mention that the previous owner is a retired Navy officer? Well, the owner before him was a Navy commander. ‘Ship shape’ is a term which accurately describes everything about this boat. Unlike all the other boats we looked at, there is absolutely nothing that has to be done to this boat before Andrew can begin enjoying it.

A naming ceremony is in the near future for this little vessel.

Things to love about this boat start with the centerboard, which allows the boat to be beached onto the mud (just like the twin keel of the Westerly Nomad would have done). The benefit here is the money savings in terms of having the boat hauled out to clean the bottom. Cool!  Also, the roller furling is very cool. Not only does this boat HAVE furling on the jib, but it’s a kind we’ve not seen before. The furling unit is integral to the sail, allowing the forestay to be available for another head sail. Andrew can drop the jib and hank on a storm sail if necessary, or fly two head sails wing on wing. The rig is pretty standard with the traveler on the cabin top and the jib sheets within easy reach of the helmsman. This boat should be easy to sail.

In addition, the centerboard allows this boat to be trailerable. I believe it is the largest boat that is considered a trailor sailor. We can store this boat at home in the winter if we get a trailer for it. We will think about that later.

The versatile cabin

The original 1976 upholstery is in excellent condition, and is actually attractive! This settee easily, in 30 seconds, converts to a double berth. Fantastic! Yellow pillows and a bright blanket will make this cabin feel like home. And take a look below at the table. It, too, is mulifunctional. Set it up for one person, or extend it for two or more. The V berth is perfect for one person, and plenty long enough. The cushions are in excellent condition throughout the boat. I don’t even need to clean them!

Andrew enjoys his first meal on board, and ponders future travels.

The tiny galley.

Another amenity is the fully enclosed marine head with holding tank. Not many small boats can boast this and it’s one of the things we loved about the Westerlies. Andrew was pretty set on having this on the boat, especially after I mentioned in passing that most girls do not appreciate having to use a porta pottie. Sometimes he DOES listen to me!

The galley is small. There is a small sink covered with a cutting board, and an icebox. There is no stove, but we have a nice Coleman white gas stove that will serve just fine. Other amenities include a good sized hanging locker, nice lazerettes, and a nice complement of sails. We will have to find a light air sail for him, but all in good time. The only down side to the boat is the engine is a bit of a gas hog at 3 gallons/hour. That’s going to add up fast, so maybe we better rethink finding the light air sail sooner rather than later.

In terms of electronics, this boat has a stereo system, a VHF radio that looks like new, and a Garmin fish finder. They all work perfectly. What more does a guy need? We have a handheld GPS that will work fine, and he has a Samsung Galaxy tablet computer that he can use to download marine charts, etc.  Sweet! There is even a navigation area below, with storage!

After doing the boat deal for Andrew, we left him on his new baby to bond with it and traveled up to Poulsbo to look at a Cal 39 that just came on the market. During our visit in Poulsbo we discovered just how dangerous it’s going to be for Andrew to have a boat of his own. We came across this place:

This is a dangerous, dangerous store.

It’s a marine exchange, which means it sells second hand marine goods.

A veritable wonderland. Uh oh.

We left 40$ poorer, but Andrew now has a hiking stick for his tiller. We bypassed the little gimbaled brass lanterns for 44$ each rather than 100$ each. They would have looked extra salty on his teak bulkheads, but we have to draw the line somewhere!

Heading home after a long afternoon of boat bonding.

 

 

Spam Spam Spam Spam, Lovely Spam, Wonderful Spam!*

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While we’re awaiting the outcome of the boat haul out, I thought I’d comment on the experience of being a blogger. This is the most entertainment I’ve had in years, and the most appreciated I’ve ever felt! Is it the readers who engender these feelings in me? Is it my beloved spouse and the togetherness this blog has created between us? Alas, no, it is not. As much as I appreciate both the readers and my spouse, and I really DO, nobody strokes my massive ego like those destructive darklings of Google rankings, those roving robots of racy rhetoric. I speak, of course, of comment spammers.

Is this what a comment spammer looks like? Probably.

Hoping to slip through our rock-solid defensive wall of spam filters, these ‘beings’ come up with the most hysterical and creative use of the English language. At least, I think it’s English.  And they love us! They really do! According to the comment spammers, we are ‘insightful’,’admired’, and ‘kind-hearted’. Our posts are ‘splendid’ and ‘illuminating’. Plus, we have ‘expert fashion’. (I’m sure they must be talking about me, but I have never in my life had anything close to ‘expert fashion’. And Mike’s fashion is certainly not even close to ‘expert’. Just ask my daughter.)

In case you don’t have a blog of your own so that you, too, can enjoy the self-esteem benefits of comment spam, here are some of my favorites from the last couple of days. That’s right! We will share them with you so that you, too, can feel the glow of success! We get a ton of these each and every day. We can afford to share!

Palmer Pomilla posted “I wish to get across my admiration for your kind-heartedness for men and women that actually need help on this subject. Your very own commitment to passing the message all around was astonishingly invaluable and has continuously enabled those much like me to arrive at their aims. This insightful key points denotes this much a person like me and substantially more to my mates. Many thanks; from each one of us.”      It was nothing, Palmer! Literally! Glad to be of service.

Alejandro Desroberts noted “I precisely wished to appreciate you once again. I do not know the things I might have taken care of without these recommendations shared by you directly on such a question. It seemed to be a depressing condition in my circumstances, however , looking at a new expert fashion you solved the issue made me to leap over contentment. Now i’m grateful for the guidance and even hope you recognize what an amazing job your are undertaking teaching men and women via your websites. I am certain you haven’t met any of us.”     I am almost completely certain you are correct, Alejandro. And I probably never will. Be careful with all the contentment-leaping.

According to Brock Heidelburg, “Just saying thanks will not just be sufficient, for the tremendous lucidity in your writing. I will right away grab your rss feed to stay abreast of any updates.”     Brock, if saying thanks is not sufficient, a check with lots of 0’s will do. Please be careful grabbing my ‘rss’. It’s very delicate and I don’t generally allow strangers to touch it. 

American Airways (Wow!) notes, “I am extremely impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the nice quality writing, it is rare to see a nice blog like this one these days..”   Just think! We’ve only been live a few months and already a big corporation has noticed our blog! I wonder if they will be sending us any free tickets. I know they really like us because we got three spam comments from them in one day! 

True Religion Jeans loves us, too: ” It’s strange for me to locate something online that’s as enjoyable and stimulating as exactly what you’ve got the following. Your web page is sweet, the graphics are usually outstanding, along with what’s more, you employ source that are relevant to that which you are saying. You happen to be certainly one inch a million, great job!”   True Religion, I hardly know what to say! I’m blushing!

And, one more, from Louis Vuitton Bags (Really? They stoop to this?), ” Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the internet the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get irked while people think about worries that they just do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks.”   Sorry, Louis, I don’t give much of a thought to either you or your bags, or whether you’ll be back for more. Because someone already told me I have ‘expert fashion’ and that’s about all I can tolerate. 

*Monty Python, of course!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ADD Brain and Boat Maintenance Reading

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Great literature!

Hi there blog readers. So earlier this week Mike posted about the kinds of books one needs in a good boat maintenance library: the kind my husband likes to read. Books like [amazon_link id=”0071475354″ target=”_blank” ]Marine Diesel Engines[/amazon_link] by Nigel Calder are light reading for Mike. He loves to snuggle down on a rainy day with a good book, and since he’s already read the entire Oxford English Dictionary, fine print edition,  this book on diesel engines will do.

This is where we part company. Unlike Mike, I did not grow up reading the dictionary for entertainment. No, I grew up reading Nancy Drew, like all red-blooded American women my age. If my husband had read The Hardy Boys rather than the dictionary and various other reference materials, we’d probably be on the same proverbial page about good literature and what constitutes reading entertainment.

Good reading!

There are two basic problems here. First, Mike has the kind of brain that can pick up a book like Marine Diesel Engines and understand what the bloody hell the author is talking about. He can see it in his mind as Nigel waxes poetic about tracing fuel lines, Pneumatic Sensors, and Flexible-Impeller Pumps. When Mike reads about ‘four-cycle’ engines, he knows the author is not talking about permanent press, delicate, pre-wash, or soak.  The term ‘planetary transmissions’ does not, to him, mean that Mercury is retrograde until August 2012.

Now, I don’t want to be accused of stereotyping here (a crime that never goes unpunished in our household), but I submit to you that part of the reason we are different this way is that Mike grew up a boy in Tennessee. He carried a knife because it’s a useful item. He cut his teeth on screwdrivers, pliers, hammers, and their ilk.  While he was busy taking things apart, I was busy putting things together in artsy craftsy ways. My tools tended toward needles, thread, scissors, and glue with the occasional wood thrown in as a test.  I think you know what I’m saying here without getting into the whole ridiculous nature/nuture argument, as if there is a way to separate those things. In a nutshell, Nigel speaks Mike’s native tongue. I, however, am from a different planet altogether.

Here’s the other reason I will never be able to get cozy with a book on diesel engines. My brain cannot cope with it.  I believe this issue is more closely related to the whole ‘native tongue’ issue than to my ‘native intelligence’, but regardless of that it’s a good thing I have a rather decent amount of self-esteem or I’d be pretty upset. I mean, who wouldn’t like to think they could get cozy with diesel engines at any time, any place?

Rather than try to explain, let me illustrate the difference between what goes on in my head when I’m reading such a book and what goes on in Mike’s head while reading the same passage. I use a passage on page 36 of the book, under the heading ‘Wet and Dry Exhausts’ ( It certainly does!).

Mike’s brain:

“Noise is a rather complicated business, but one of its major causes is the velocity with which gases exit an engine. Another is the sudden pressure changes created as each cylinder discharges its exhaust gases. Decreasing the volume of the gases or expanding them into a larger area reduces velocity. A certain amount of back pressure in the exhaust system smoothes out pressure changes.”

My brain:

“Noise is a rather complicated business,……. I need to think of something to take to the brunch on Sunday. It shouldn’t be egg based… Shit! What did I just read? Focus, Melissa, Focus!….Noise is a rather complicated business, but one of its major causes is the velocity with which gases exit an engine. Another is the sudden pressure…..I forgot to take the clothes out of the dryer. Damn! Now I’m going to have to get out the iron. No, I’ll just run them through the dryer again…. A certain amount of back pressure in the exhaust system smoothes out pressure changes. I need to add coffee to the shopping list. And I need to make sure the long underwear is on the boat. I think I left my sailing jacket there, but better check the closet to be sure. Crap!  Noise is a rather complicated business….”

No, Nigel. Noise is really rather simple. But reading this book is a VERY complicated business for me. I think I will go makes some dolls.