things to do on the boat
We listened to the Furled Sails podcast interview with Lin and Larry Pardey, and it's got me thinking about things we really should do to improve the boat before we leave.
First of all, I think we should get too ambitious with our improvements, so there will be money left over for living expenses, and also time. Easy items to overlook until it is too late.
We need a haulout and paint job. Yes it will cost more to hire it out, yes we should try to do ourselves what we can, but we need to be realistic about how much time we can spend there (leaving the kids at grandparents' house only is good for so long). Also it has been years and years since we painted the bottom, it might be wise to have someone look it over who knows what they are seeing. While that is going on we can clean the mold and paint the inside, paint our name on back, and install things like lifeline netting.
The L & L interview was a good reality check. I think we're making the right decision not setting too much of a goal (if we make it only as far as New Orleans, it will still be the adventure of a lifetime). They make a good argument against having a shower which is fine with me. I think that we'll probably just plan on visiting shore showers while the weather is cold, and using our galvanized tub for baths when it is warm.
The thing that impressed me about them, that always impresses me when meeting or reading about long term cruising people, is their calm attitude. We're trying to get better at moving slowly, acting rationally, being civil to each other. You've seen the crusty old people who shuffle down the pier to wind a line around a cleat, never raising their voices or getting agitated. It's much easier to adopt the clever stragegy of "When In Danger, Or In Doubt, Run In Circles, Scream and Shout". I probably think of this phrase every time we pull into a slip. Our boat is so heavy that it is hard to slow when started. I worry as much about plowing through the middle of someone's sparkling new Beneteau, as I used to feel pulling onto the Interstate when I was first driving. So it will be great to get a lot of practice maneuvering Contrail around channels, buoys, and other moored objects.
The Pardeys expressed a wish that people would focus more on the sailing capabilities of their boats (as opposed to floating RVs) When we had the Capri and went out every weekend I had a good feel for how to make the boat go the right way, I have forgotten most of it. But I suppose it's a riding-the-bicycle kind of thing.
One more week and then we'll have a more formidable issue to tackle. Friends and relatives trying to attach a number of anchors to keep us on the homeland. If we can brave this passage the next one will be a snap.
Oh yeah, and it's Par-dee. And Tal-iss-en. They really ought to change the spelling of their name and so many people wouldn't be confused. Ha ha.
First of all, I think we should get too ambitious with our improvements, so there will be money left over for living expenses, and also time. Easy items to overlook until it is too late.
We need a haulout and paint job. Yes it will cost more to hire it out, yes we should try to do ourselves what we can, but we need to be realistic about how much time we can spend there (leaving the kids at grandparents' house only is good for so long). Also it has been years and years since we painted the bottom, it might be wise to have someone look it over who knows what they are seeing. While that is going on we can clean the mold and paint the inside, paint our name on back, and install things like lifeline netting.
The L & L interview was a good reality check. I think we're making the right decision not setting too much of a goal (if we make it only as far as New Orleans, it will still be the adventure of a lifetime). They make a good argument against having a shower which is fine with me. I think that we'll probably just plan on visiting shore showers while the weather is cold, and using our galvanized tub for baths when it is warm.
The thing that impressed me about them, that always impresses me when meeting or reading about long term cruising people, is their calm attitude. We're trying to get better at moving slowly, acting rationally, being civil to each other. You've seen the crusty old people who shuffle down the pier to wind a line around a cleat, never raising their voices or getting agitated. It's much easier to adopt the clever stragegy of "When In Danger, Or In Doubt, Run In Circles, Scream and Shout". I probably think of this phrase every time we pull into a slip. Our boat is so heavy that it is hard to slow when started. I worry as much about plowing through the middle of someone's sparkling new Beneteau, as I used to feel pulling onto the Interstate when I was first driving. So it will be great to get a lot of practice maneuvering Contrail around channels, buoys, and other moored objects.
The Pardeys expressed a wish that people would focus more on the sailing capabilities of their boats (as opposed to floating RVs) When we had the Capri and went out every weekend I had a good feel for how to make the boat go the right way, I have forgotten most of it. But I suppose it's a riding-the-bicycle kind of thing.
One more week and then we'll have a more formidable issue to tackle. Friends and relatives trying to attach a number of anchors to keep us on the homeland. If we can brave this passage the next one will be a snap.
Oh yeah, and it's Par-dee. And Tal-iss-en. They really ought to change the spelling of their name and so many people wouldn't be confused. Ha ha.
posted by contrail at 11:54 pm
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