April 5th, 2014 Boot Key, FL Heading over to the marina just after sunrise because I wanted to bike up to hardware store, but also I was thinking of having dinghy lifted out of the water at the marina. Tying up at the dock I dropped off a bag of trash before heading over to the bike rack. I’d brought along a plastic bin that I thought I might attach to the handle bars of the bike. After several attempts to position the bin I finely gave up on the idea. The handle bars and the box just were not compatible. Walking back to the dock I deposited the bin back in the dinghy and then walked back towards the bike. Along the way I stopped and visited with a couple of sailors, to discuss aspects of life on the water. I still don’t feel fully comfortable riding the bike, I seem to be quite shaky and wobbly as I peddle along. I suspect that I’ll get better with practice. Arriving at Home Depot, I locked the bike up and went inside where I found a chair in a display and parked my butt to catch my breath and cool off some. After a while I went to find the plastic paint scrapers I think I need to safely clean the barnacles off the hull. Plastic will be less destructive to the paint then metal. The second reason I was at the hardware store was to find a bolt that I could use to attach the adjustment rod for the hatch in the forward cabin. I had bolt that I could match so it was a matter of finding one with similar diameter and thread size. They have a template that you can use to find a match so in just a few moments I had acquired a couple bolts that I figured might work. The whole purchase was less than four dollars. Peddling back to the marina I locked the bike to the rack and strolled up to the office to inquire about the procedure with using the lift crane. The wanted $5 to hoist my dink out of the water and I had to provide a tarp to catch any of the scrapings. However, the lad at the desk suggested that I considered taking it around the point to a little beach that cruisers regularly use to clean their boats. I figured I’d check it out on the way back to Kittiwake. Stopping by the mail boxes, not really expecting anything, but surprise, surprise, I had a letter and a package waiting for me. The letter was from Kevin, my former brother in law, and the package was from Verizon. I haven’t gotten a hand written letter from anyone for a couple of decades. Email, Face Book and cell phones have all but eliminated written letters in my experience. At any rate, it was a complete joy to read his letter in which Kevin express a desire to get together when he comes to visit with another friend of his. Kevin and I had some great times sailing the islands off the California coast. Heading back to Kittiwake I got busy attaching the hatch brace using one of the bolts I’d bought at the hardware store. Everything went together pretty easy and once all bolted up I used the newly healed brace to prop the hatch open for the first time in three years using something other than a shoe or can of soda. To celebrate I got busy sorting out the mess I’d made of the forward cabin. I took two bags of sails and stuffed them up on a shelf above the bunk and then stacked the clothing storage bags I keep things other than shorts and Hawaiian shirts in. Things like long pants, sweatshirts, socks, long sleeved shirts, and my kilt. I should keep the kilt out I think; maybe some other time. Once everything was sorted out and re-stowed I felt particularly accomplish so I took a nap. Getting up later in the afternoon I took a cigar, a cold drink, and my sunglasses to the foredeck. Setting up the chair on deck I positioned it to take advantage of the sun. While sitting there enjoying the play of sunshine on the water, the slow movement of the shadows cast by the mast and rigging across the deck and my body, a sailboat that had been moored next to me rounded up into the wind preparing to pick up the ball. I sat up a little straighter as I saw an attractive young woman in a string bikini make her way forward with a boat hook in hand. She was joined by a second equally stunning specimen a moment later. The two of them did a fine job of retrieving the mooring buoy pendent and with only a modest amount of difficulty got the lines all attached. The show, consisting of lots of bending over and such, held my attention better than a good book. The vessel’s Captain came forward to inspect their handy work and apparently found it good enough. I was feeling a little envious of him at that moment. A little while later I saw him go into the water with mask and fins on and it looked to me that he was cleaning the bottom of his boat. About a half hour later he climbed out of the water and the women had all put on cover ups so I figured the show was over. Sitting on deck I listen to the radio and played with Gandalf when I saw the fellow get in his dinghy and head my way. Coming along side he introduced himself and we began to discuss our barnacle problems. He was appalled, as I was, how much the bottom had fouled so quickly. He said that his boat would normally do seven knots, but had been slowed to five or less. We talked for some time and he told me that they were heading out in the morning. I wished him fair winds as he pushed off to return to his boat. As the sun set I went below and fried up a pork chop for supper. Finishing half the chop I put the other half in the fridge and fired up the laptop to finish up my Firefly marathon. It was after midnight when I finished the whole series. Doing a quick walk around the boat to satisfy myself that all was well I finely went to bed. Thank you for joining me on this voyage.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Apr 2014 21:30:20 +0000
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