Next please . . .

I can still feel the undulating rhythm; the random thud into the trough of a wave.  Standing at the forestay, tiller tied amidship, Sarasota Bay a slate grey color in the waning sunshine of early evening.  As I leaned against the stay, the water split below me at the cutwater, dolphins raced at the bow wave and I was in my element.  There was nothing else but the rush of my breath and the hiss of water against the hull.  And there was peace.  I've been waiting for that peace again.

Yet another part of that long wait is over.  The dearth of boatwork, caused by my Pharmacy Technician Course, is nearly over.  The coursework is done and I'd be certified now if it weren't for a slightly overwelmed Workplace Training Office at GRCC.  There are days I've considered that another factory job might have gotten me farther along. . . in the short term.  Can you get farther along in the short term? I don't know, but 6 months just above minimum wage was way longer than I originally planned. Builds character I hear.

I decided that, in order to do my career change well, I had to concentrate on what I was doing.  During the class, we memorized nearly 300 pairs of Generic/Brand drug names, learned about pharmacy operations, the requisite legal and procedural stuff, and a little about pharmacology.  The class went very well.

I currently have three hospitals and a big box retail pharmacy on a string.  Interviews and background checks abound.  The CPhT certification exam will get scheduled just as soon as all the necessary paperwork gets done.  Then I'll take a deep breath and do some boatwork.

The overall plan remains the same.  I need to get back to my boat.  She's been patiently waiting for me.  It's been hard to maintain the vision, to keep my sanity and my enthusiasm.  Its still here inside me, buried under flash cards and textbooks and pharmaceutical nomenclature.  I am chomping at the bit to get started again on the boat.  I'll go see her this week.  I won't be doing much real work until my certification exam, but, if I close my eyes, I can almost feel the sway of her deck.

Fancy Catch Up

Not the Heinz 57 variety, but a good old fashioned bring you up to speed "catch up."  Rather than continue the slog to provide content for two blogs and two websites, I have decided to consolidate. I was paying for more cyber real estate than I was really using anyway.

So welcome to BubbaThePirate.com!  This is where you will find my boat related blog posts. My non-boat writing blog is found here.  In case you have just arrived, this will catch you up.

In April 2007, I quit a nine year office job and bought an old sailboat. Not a romantic OLD wooden ship, but a fiberglass sloop just old enough, and just neglected enough, to be in my price range. She is a 28 foot Cape Dory; a wonderful little ship that I found in Bay City, Mi.

There was, however, a lot of work to be done; more than I thought. When I cashed in and checked out in Indiana, I felt like I was loaded. Comparatively so, I was more loaded than I had ever been, but that really wasn't saying much. I was quickly caught in the tarpit of "Bigger Project and Less Budget."

I was two steps past broke when I left Bay City and hit the road as a long haul truck driver.  In the beginning, home time was rare, but I worked on the boat when I could. As I moved up the ladder at various trucking companies, I was able to spend a little more time with my baby. In 2009, I moved the boat to a marina on the westside of Michigan. Now that she was only about 30 minutes away, I got a lot more done that summer.

This last Summer, I worked part time for four months and got even more done! Of course, working part time while refitting an old sailboat is a perfect way to go broke. So last Fall, I went back to driving full time and delivered office furniture all over the Eastern United States. It was a good little company, and a good job, but I was not able to dedicate much time to my writing.  Also, I was dead sick of Winter Driving.  Life is too short not to like what you're doing.

So, I'm entered a new phase in January. I quit my commercial driving career to enter a job training program. The program was subsequently delayed, and delayed again, so I looked at other options. I am now about halfway through a course that will lead to a national certification as a Pharmacy Technician. The cert should travel well once I'm sailing.

For now, I'm working part time, going to school and working on the boat.  My recent boatwork was in planning out what all needs to be done before she is launched again. It appears that I have more manhours, and more money, to spend than will be available this Summer. Hopefully, next summer she'll be in the water. She'll let me know when she's ready.

Off Route!

The road undulates over the hills. Pastures, farms and patches of forest alternately flys by just over the ditch on either side of the highway. A hawk soars in lazy arcs over the right-of-way fence. And on the dash, the GPS flickers every quarter mile or so to update the perspective of its little map. The sad fact is that many drivers are paying more attention to the 4" LCD screen on their dash than they are to the hawk, the trees and the landscape.

As a salacious billboard crests the hill, the driver is suddenly hungry and takes the next exit. The drive-thru window is a half mile down the side road. Halfway there, the GPS starts to blink "OFF ROUTE . . . OFF ROUTE . . . " Off Route is how this last week went for me.

I resigned my Commercial Driver job, the whole career actually, to get off the road, out of the snow and ice, and to devote more of my time to writing. It was a solid plan supplemented by a training program, that would lead, most likely, to a new job. The new skills would not only help with my own boat project, but could easily be applied to future work in and around marinas and boats. Though I had almost enough cash to make it through the training period, I was halfheartedly some kind of part time work to keep me out of trouble. Perfect!

The last two weeks have been great. I've been working hard to "detox" myself from the dust and diesel of the road. I've been meditating, exercising, eating well, working on my music stuff, and writing. I set up an rigorous hourly schedule; like Summer Camp in January.

On Wednesday, I got a call from the Community College doing the training. Due to "modified hiring projections" at the sponsoring employers, the start of the training would be delayed for a month. A MONTH!! I've been unemployed for two weeks already. Much as I'd like to, I cannot go 10 or 12 weeks without any income.

Like a jab from the twin tines of a meat fork, my frustration at the disruption and the necessity of amping up my job search had blown my rigorous schedule to pieces. I've got some good job leads, though, and I can afford to be picky. The Bubba the Pirate Motto has always been "Eat when you're hungry, work when you're broke." It wouldn't be nearly as poetic if I had said "go back to work just before your broke."

Don't wait for the Lottery

Back in 2006, I was working with a Life Coach on my career options. She was very good and we dug deep. Despite working on a career transition, I ended up realizing that what I really wanted to do was to take off on a sailboat. Early in 2007, I started doing just that. I bought a boat that I could afford because it needed some work and set out on my path toward sailing off. One of the coaching tools we used was the question: What would you do if you won the lottery?

What would you do, after you paid your bills, after you gave money to friends and family, and after you had partied your ass off? Consider this a serious philosophical question. What would you do if money was no object? What would you do if any of your dreams could come true? Hands down, no question, my answer was: Voyaging by Sail. I would take off on a boat and chase the horizon, visiting remote and unspoiled places.

So the next even more serious question is: why aren't you working toward that goal now? If you really want to do something, not having enough money is just a cop out. There are versions of your dream that are attainable. Perhaps, your current priorities are just not focused properly.

There are many ways to pursue the course you would choose. If you map out, intricately, the choices you have, and the choices you've made, you can find a way to walk the path you dream of. It will not likely be a straight line. It will be difficult, gut wrenching hard work. Nevertheless, it is possible to pursue some version of the life you wish you had. Why on Earth would you do anything else?

In Finance, there is a concept called the "present value of money." Its a bit like what J. Wellington Wimpy meant when he said "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." Wimpy wants a burger today but the price is too low for the cook if he has to wait until Tuesday for the money. Wikipedia says Present Value "is the value on a given date of a future payment or series of future payments, discounted to reflect the time value of money and other factors such as investment risk. Present value calculations are widely used in business and economics . . ." Blah, blah, blah your present value of winning the lottery is ZERO. It is such an incalculably small probability that it just ain't gonna happen.

Moving yourself toward your goal, by whatever baby steps you can, creates forward motion. Without motion your dream's present value is also basically zero. With coordinated action, however, there is a life changing space that opens up in your heart when you are working toward something meaningful, something that you really want to do. Your feet no longer shuffle aimlessly down an indiscriminate trail. You are walking the path that leads to your dream. It is not possible to calculate the positivity. Your life is your own and you have moved the present value calculation of your dream to priceless.

The way the lottery works, NOT winning does not affect our lives at all. With 14 Million to One odds, we can't really expect to win. The odds cannot be improved no matter how we play. Winning would certainly change anyone's life, but there is little chance of that happening. Yet when you begin your own work toward your own goal, you are improving your odds at every step. The only downside to going your own way is that the gut wrenching work is going to take longer than you expected. You'll have heartache and pain, travails and tribulations, delays and dead ends. Nothing good comes easy. This is true whether you want to escape the "system" like I did or if you want to chase a promotion at work or if you want to start your own business or any other option you can think of. The gist of my argument applies across the board. 

Byron Katy, says "Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don't have to like it... it's just easier if you do."

I understand that not everyone is able to make the same choices that I made. Further, no one's dream will be just like mine or anyone else's. I don't think that defeats the argument. If you focus on what you want, you can find a way to get closer. And just like the unexpected twist of my coaching experience, you may pursue something long enough to find out it isn't what you want. You may stumble upon something better. Keep trying! Those people shuffling aimlessly, staring at the dust kicked up by their shoes are not going to get anywhere. They are not going to be happy. If you look to the horizon and concentrate, you will find your way.

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Postscript 2014/10/30
I'm still in Michigan just until next summer. I have a different boat than the one I was working on here. See the beginning of the new boat series here. 
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Postscript 2016/01/30
There's this thing about mice and men and their plans. Anyway, I helped deliver a Westsail 42 from Stony Point, NY to Florida in early 2015. After that, I joined the cult. I didn't want any other boat. Find the start of that here. I found a neglected Westsail 32 floating on a mooring in Miami and bought her. The refit will likely take into the Spring/Summer of 2018. That story starts here.
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Postscript 2018/11/29
I am in Michigan for several months, helping the family. Emma is about half way to being back in the water. When I get back to Fort Pierce, she'll be waiting. I figure I have about 6 months of work to get her launched again. Stay Tuned.

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Postscript 2020/09/18

I was actually in Michigan for almost a year and a half. In the meantime, I sold poor Emma and subsequently ran into an older gentleman who wanted to find a good home for his Bayfield 29. I'm on the road, making some money, and semi-quarantined. In February, 2021, I plan to get back to that boat and get her in the water. 

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Postscript 2023/05/17

I launched the Bayfield, sv Ruth Ann, the first week of December. I have finally been living the life I was striving toward. I wtite this from a free dock at a City Marina in Jacksonville, FL. Life is good. I won my lottery. 

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Postscript 2024/03/10

I've been on the water for about 16 months. Ruth Ann and I have been down to Florida from Wilmington, back up into the Carolinas for the summer, and back to Florida for the cold weather. I'm hoping to get to the Bahamas soon, but it might be next winter. Life is still good. I won my lottery. 

Creative Deconstruction

I'm starting to think that they built this boat without even considering that someday someone would take it apart. All the deck hardware, save for a few items at each end, has been removed.

The removal of the stanchion bases just about killed me yesterday. Contorting into spaces and positions that my old muscles were not intended for. At several points I was holding on to a ratchet that was slipped on to a nut I could no longer see, while reaching outside as far as I could strain against the porthole, holding a screwdriver in a pair of Vice Grips so I could reach the slot on a bolt that was six inches beyond the reach of just my arm. I didn't do any boatwork today. Tomorrow, if it doesn't rain too long, I'll begin grinding a small radius all along the sheer for glassing the Hull/Deck joint.

End of Summer Wrap Up

Whoever thought that my Trucker Tools would come in handy while working on the boat? The Rub Rail and the Toe Rail have been removed from the gunwale. Some of that work was with a crowbar. The deck is the current big project. I am working on backing the deck hardware [backing plates from previous post], patching some defects, replacing the cockpit floor and glassing in the Hull/Deck Joint - though not necessarily in that order.

Since early June, I've been driving part time and working on the boat full time. It turned out to be a great Summer to be a part-timer. I had the privilege of being able to pitch in and help with some family things that came up as well. There were several projects needing more time than money that I completed and scratched off my list. The list is still long, but the time spent this Summer will help to increase the possibility of getting the boat wet next year [the sound you hear is me rapping on the nearest wood].



There were, of course, some surprises along the way. The damp core in the Aft Starboard Quarter, while still small, was about twice what I had thought [pictured right]. Other surprises were simply added to the To Do List. The cabinetry in the galley came out to reach the port side jib car track bolts. The main cabin actually seems roomier without it. So now, I have new plans formulating for the galley.








The portlights are in and are quite nice. They were worth the trials and tribulations of the the install. The cabin is much more watertight. In the Spring I'll have to finish by replacing the two larger ports.

Backing Plate Factory

I haven't been on an assembly line in a long time. This week I set up to epoxy coat each side of the backing plate parts I had made. The backing plates are two layers, one of plywood and another of tempered hardboard. The plywood is the strength, and the hardboard is the hard surface. We've all seen screwheads or washers bite into the soft surface of plywood, the hardboard will prevent this. There will be plenty of stress on the various deck hardware from wind gusts or while tacking. I was shocked at the lack of backing of the winches, padeyes, etc. There are plenty of signs of hard use on the boat, the hull especially, its amazing that no hardware was yanked out of the deck.

The backing plate parts are epoxied and now need to be laminated together. In the meantime, I finished epoxying [see a trend here] the spacers for my opening ports. The ports I ordered should come in this week. The backing plate project is my fill work. The Port Installation is going to be a large, yet tedious, project. Hopefully I can get it done in 3 or 4 weekends. I'll keep you posted.

Call of Ports :: Ports of Call

In the last couple weeks, I decided to bite the bullet and get new ports. I knew I had to, really. In an effort to hit a price point in the 1970's, Cape Dory installed plastic ports rather than bronze on their 28 footer; my model boat. After a couple years, with the plastic ports somewhat unpopular and likely making little difference on the overall price, Cape Dory went back to bronze. My ports were showing their age and one was damaged. For a water tight cabin, in the rain or in a storm at sea, I needed to replace the ports.

I removed the old ports and began replacing some soggy wooden spacers with epoxy. This week, I ordered three car payments worth of new ports. Bronze was out of the question because of the cost. I ordered six 5" x 12" Tri Matrix ports from New Found Metals in Port Townsend, WA. The company rents out a drill template and sells the appropriate counterbore. The ports are reinforced composite with stainless steel hardware. It will be nice to have bristol looking ports with fresh screens. I still have to replace two larger ports but I'm having trouble finding something the same size. This may require some fiberglass work on the cabin to accomodate ports that are smaller in one or the other dimension.

Also last week, I mapped out all the backing plates I need for deck hardware. Cape Dory has a good reputation for building very solid boats. I have not, however, been impressed with the way my deck hardware is attached. In almost all cases, backing of deck hardware was either inadequate or nonexistent. It was this latter that concerned me the most. I have cut out plywood and hardboard blanks that will be epoxy coated and then laminated together for proper backing.

In other small news, I ripped out the cabinetry in the head. The sink countertop was rotten from one of those leaky ports, and the medicine cabinet was in the way of getting at the chainplate bolts. The face of the hanging locker may be next. It, like the other cabinetry, is in teak-ish paneling and is kind of dark. I may add some white panels here and also in the main cabin to brighten up the place.

Here's keeping my fingers crossed for good weather on Thursdays and Fridays.

Hangin' In the Hanging Locker

Some days you just have to take the good with the bad and keeping going. Besides, its still April. I shouldn't even be able to work on the boat yet - in Michigan. So I had a frustrating and stupid day at the boat on last Friday. Bad Boat Karma.

In order to let the Sun come up for a while before we arrived, Dad and I waited until mid morning to head down to Douglas. I had a couple things to check on. And, though it is never hard to convince Dad to come along, I especially needed him this week to hold a screwdriver on several bolts on deck while I contorted myself into the hanging locker [closet to you landlubbers] and remove the nuts on the other end. The bolts are those that hold the chainplates, and ultimately my mast. Cape Dory employed a unique system that avoided some of the disadvantages of modern chainplates jutting through the deck or cabin of a sailboat. The system, of course, has a few compromises and disadvantages too.

The first problem I encountered, and should have anticipated, was the length of the bolt. Once I climbed into the locker, I realized that my sockets weren't deep enough to reach the nut. To get into the locker, I had to hang from two door jambs, put my feet inside [put left foot in and the left foot out . . . ] and twist my hips and then my shoulders to fit inside the opening. Spare tools were on the shelf above the closet, so I was often blindly reaching out and over my head to retrieve some other wrench.

The boat is only a half hour from home. Why we didn't just head back to go through Dad's extensive collection of deep sockets, I don't know. It was my decision and I decided to go look at the local hardware; five minutes away. The town of Douglas is small, the hardware store is an appropriate size for the given population. The only deep sockets the store had were a couple spark plug sockets; neither the right size for my bolt.

The Hardware store did, however, have a set of wrenches with ratchets on the box end. I decided to buy the $25 ratchet wrench set rather than looking somewhere else for a $4 single deep socket. Or, for that matter, heading to Hudsonville and borrow one of Dad's. My cruising kitty is doomed to bankruptcy.

Back at the boat and back in the closet, I was reaching up into the small space near the hull and deck joint. The wrench was flat like a typical wrench. The ratchet on the box end tightened from one side and, flipped over, it loosened from the other. The package claimed that it could work with as little as 5 degrees of swing. A good thing, because that is about all I could muster in the small space where my hands were. Clicking back and twisting in a small swing, I began to realize that taking these nuts off was going to be an arduous task. Just then, the wrench flipped out my fingers, up in the space I can't see, and tumbled between the hull and the closet liner; down toward the keel.

One of my most often used tools is a shop mirror. The extending handle allows me to peak into all kinds of spaces. I reached blindly above my head and felt around for the mirror. Deploying the mirror with my safety light, and with a flashlight, from all angles and contortions, I could not see the wrench. I tapped around on the liner but couldn't really decide if I heard any sounds a lost wrench might make. I tried laying on the floor and shining the light up from the bilge. No wrench.

An unused new toy, I mean tool, came to mind. On inspiration, I grabbed the cheap knock off Multi Cutter, a vibrating blade tool that cuts through all manner of things. I lined off a rectangle with a pen and straight edge and cut a whole in the closet wall. No wrench. I tapped some more and cut another hole in the vicinity of a wrench-sounding tap echo. Nothing. Two more small holes and twice more - no wrench. The hull is really close to the liner where I was cutting. The wrench must not be this low, I decided to make a long cut a bit higher. And . . . no wrench. In a surreal game like Whack-A-Mole in reverse, I tried spying with the mirror from the large holes while stabbing the flashlight randomly in the other holes. Um, no wrench.

You just don't know what a purely hateful feeling it is to be standing in a boat, pissed off, with a wrench just inches from your toes yet inaccessible. Not only that, I can put up with a lot to be on a boat. The nature of boating is mechanical frustration in beautiful settings. However, I'm pissed off with a lost and brand new wrench in a boat that is sitting on the solid ground, fifty yards from the nearest water. My next poorly conceived management decision was to call Lunch. My intention was to drive up into Holland, get something to eat and go to Menards for a deep socket. Once again, I can't tell you why I didn't call lunch in the vicinity of Dad's toolbox.

We drove up to Holland and I got my 9/16" deep socket. I ignored this odd feeling that I should buy 1/2" and 5/8" as well. From Menards, Dad and I found some lunch at Wendy's and headed back to the boat.

To top the day off, I had Dad holding the wrong bolt! I crawled and contorted my way back into the hanging locker. With my brand new deep socket, I called out to Dad, "OK, the forward bolt of the forward fitting." I started turning. At times, Dad was trying to turn the head of the bolt with a large slot head screwdriver. I got the nut off of each of the two bolts and tried pushing them up and out. Luckily, the previous person to touch the bolts had used a lot of sealer. When I went up to see if we could turn the bolts or pry the fitting up, I stopped to look at the slope of the coach roof and the placement of the ports near where Dad was sitting. I jumped back down the companionway and peaked out at the fitting near Dad's feet. All that time, he had been holding the bolts on the fitting I told him to, but I was loosening the nuts on the next fitting aft. I called Supper.

2010.04.02

A new year begins! Another belated post, but two weeks ago, it was a beautiful sunny day. I went running down to Douglas and uncovered my baby. It was beautiful and sunny and . . . I hadn't had near enough sleep. I tried to kill myself Thursday came off the road and headed to the boat on 1.5 hour of sleep. However, I got some rest and put in a great day on Friday.

There is now only ten or twelve feet of wire left on the entire boat! It all had to come out. My philosophy is that in order to know exactly what I have, I have to replace all the wiring. If there were any corrosion or damaged wire anywhere aboard, I wouldn't know it until something quit working. And even then I wouldn't necessarily know the location of the problem; better to start fresh. In order to start fresh, all the old had to come out. I left a few stray bits to trace a few wire runs I couldn't figure out.

After I got started, I was increasingly comfortable with the choice I had made. Behind the fuse panel was a mess, but I didn't realize HOW MUCH of a mess until I started tearing it out. She'll have a couple new electrical panels and LOTS of new wiring when I get done. Also, a couple new house batteries and a new starting battery. As I do more research and make preliminary choices about equipment, the battery budget, in Amp-Hours not in Money, is coming together. Later are choices about heavy duty alternators, solar panels, wind generators and other fun expensive stuff. "Stuff" being a nautical term, of course.

Belated Year End Wrap Up for 2009

This is a belated Year End Wrap for 2009. The most important event of the year was the moving of the boat. I'm saying "the boat" now because I am in the midst of negotiating the renaming with myself.

Dad had been accompanying me to Bay City to do boatwork. After being driving all week, Dad and I drove 3.5 hours over to Saginaw Bay to work. It was difficult, at best, to get the gumption up to do anything significant. Dad was inspired, after speaking to Mom, to front me the funds to move the boat. The first quote I got, three years ago, was outrageous and I never considered moving the boat. With the backing, I searched anew and found a company out of Holland that was amazingly reasonable.

We got an early start last year. I had finished stripping the bottom paint and started sanding off the last blush of it. This was quite a job; a 28' foot hull to a depth of 4 feet with a palm sander.

The boat was loaded on to a very cool adjustable trailer and hauled from Bay City to Douglas, near Saugatuck. There she was dropped onto a cradle and began enjoying her new surroundings. The trip had turned out to be less than I imagined and the new marina actually charged a little less for yard storage!

Her new home is Tower Marine on Kalamazoo Lake

I was in paradise, the boat was now only 30 minutes away from home. If I forgot a tool or something, I can just run home and get it. Amazing. And the work began. The Hull Sanding was finished and work began to fix some issues on the hull itself.

There were typical dings and gouges that only needed filled, but there were also a few places where I wanted to grind out some major surface crazing and reglass. It had been quite a while since I had dipped my hands in polyester. The first patch was a little thick, but like the Tin Man, the rusty skills I had earned in the back of a boat plant in Florida, came back with a little oiling. I was quite happy with the results.

I worked into Late October until the weather began to threaten. With a new backbone built, I covered her up on the last weekend before the first snow flew.

Welcome to Version 2

Thanks for stopping by. Content is not yet flowing.

I've been blogging at Sailorbum.blogspot.com. In building a potential future brand, I found that sailorbum.com has already been taken. Since my nieces and half of their schoolmates already know me as Bubba the Pirate, it seemed natural. Almost seems better too.

I have purchased BubbathePirate.com and am rebuilding the brand concept.


Stay Tuned!

In Trucking, As in Sailing ...

In Trucking, as in Sailing, Fearless and Stupid are first cousins. ~ Cap'n Bubba

Career Changer

I have made another change. I switched companies and am driving for a regional carrier. The deal is that I'll be out 5 days and back for two; every week; the same two days. I won't even know how to act.

This will grant me the freedom to work on the boat many, rather than few, weekends this summer. In my previous 'Over The Road' positions, I was out 3-5 weeks and home for 2 or 3 days. I wasn't going to have much time to accomplish much this summer. That has all changed.

I am very excited! This could take several months off my potential departure date next year. Thanks for your support!

In A Mist is tucked in for the winter.

The same night that storms raged across Michigan, including the one that tossed a baby out with the rain water, Dad and I were driving up to Bay City to cover up my boat.

We headed to the marina towing Mom and Dad's 24' Jayco Trailer. We pulled around behind the building closest to S/V "In A Mist," set up the camper and plugged it in. Mom had us all stocked up with grub. Chili Friday Night and Waffles Saturday Morning. The chili hit the spot, along with some Suisse Mocha later in the evening. It was windy and spitting a bit of rain, so we hunkered down. Two geeks in a trailer back in the bone yard of a marina; each with a nose in a book.

The night was windy enough that it was like a Harbor Simulator. Around my boat are 10 or 12 other sailboats "on the hard." I fell asleep listening to the halyards rattling on the masts and a bit of wind in the rigging. It was as if I was already in some quaint harbor somewhere surrounded by vagabond neighbors and other boats swinging from their moorings. I'm sure I appreciated it more than Dad did.

Saturday morning we were up before 7:00. Dad started the coffee and made the waffles. We measured up the boat and went into to town. At Home Depot, I bought a couple tarps, some 2x4's, cinderblocks and rope [a real sailor would say 'line']. While I scoped around and checked the boat, Dad pumped the bilge. We wrapped the big tarp around the mast and spread it aft; the smaller one forward. My two main leak sources are the main hatch and the cockpit floor. Each will be replaced next summer. There may be some leaking from the deck hardware. I will know in the spring. :o)

Seeing the boat again was like a lovers' reunion. It was so important to rejuvenate my hopes and dreams for next summer and beyond. Occasionally, because I am so far removed from the boat, I just grind through my days on the road. I felt refreshed. I really am moving forward. I talked with a friend about "steerage." A boat, especially a sailboat, cannot turn [change course] unless it is moving forward first. An analogy for life. In a similar way, sometimes sailing is so peaceful that you have to look at the water gently gurgling past the rudder to make sure that you are actually moving. I can't wait to have that peace again. "Staring at the full moon like a lover . . . " Everybody sing! "Time for . . . a Cool Change!"

We made short work of covering the boat and then checked on my storage unit; sails, cushions, docklines and other junk. By early afternoon, we were headed back to Hudsonville.

In Hudsonville, we had a Mini Family Reunion. We are actually all full size but there weren't very many of us there. My cousins Steve and Kelly, Sister Amy and her Todd and their girls were there with Mom and Dad and I. Mom stuffed us all with a big brunch spread. Feta and Spinach Cheese Strata to die for!

Chuck and Deb have graciously stored my truck for a lot longer than they imagined; I'm sure. They are great and put me up in the school bus at the beginning and the end of my weekend home. Chuck and I managed to have a beer Sunday evening. Monday AM things fell apart. I got sent back on the road a day sooner than I had planned. Thanks again for the ride, Deb!! I missed several important people. Shout out to Jimbo, Emily and my adopted family in Dowagiac. Jim is ready to hit the WWF Circuit with his new move the Half K[censored]y. I can't wait to see him in a unitard and tights crashing down on his opponents like the Mighty Sword of Crom! OK, the last two sentences are a delicious inside joke and a literary allusion. Wherever Jim is, he just laughed out loud while the rest of you just furroughed your brow. See, he just did it again.

Have Fun!

Keep On Truckin'

Well, I hit the wall in Bay City trying to find work to fill in the Boat Refit. It was spooky the way the economy in Michigan $%^&-canned the job search. I've had to drop the Vagabond Hero stuff. I'm back in the working world for a while. I've spent the last couple weeks at CDL Truck Driving School. It is company sponsored so as long as I drive for a year, I won't owe anything for the school.

I passed the State Exam this morning. There is no stopping me now I suppose. I should be out on the road with a trainer next week.

The silver lining is that now I'll have some time and some good cash flow to refit In A Mist. She'll be a bit better equipped and I'll definitely have more cash in the kitty when I go. I'll post some of my adventures here. Thanks for all the moral support you've given me. Have Fun.

Happy Birthday to Me, a Clean Bilge.

Monday and Tuesday, I was on my belly reaching as far as I could, forward and aft, scooping black mayonaise out of the bilges. The PO had an issue with a diesel tank. That probably contribluted to the half inch of sludge. I found a light bulb, a jeweler's screwdriver, some wire [connected and not], and a weird piece of fiberglass.

It got to almost 90 in Bay City yesterday. It was a hot job but needed to be done. The bilges can actually add to my storage space now. After sweating my guts out, I took my first shower aboard. Well, you're right there is now shower in the head. In A Mist and I are way out in the boneyard in the back of the marina. I looked around and listened. Then I stripped down and dumped a couple buckets of water over my head in the cockpit. The buckets are darkish blue and had been sitting in the sun for a couple hours. It was very nice. Then I went out to Quanicassee and resigned as a Boat Broker. That job was a lot of fun, but it wasn't matching my goals for In A Mist and I. I should have some job news next week. I am working on a hot lead.

Life in Bay City

I have been in Bay City for a week or so. The place I found is an big old house near downtown with an interesting cast of characters. I've been practicing my guitar at the storage unit. Hence, the studio picture. I've located a place that has a Wednesday Night Open Mic Night.

That same place hosted a very cool gig last Thursday. It seems that a local singer/songwriter named Scott Baker met and befriended Adam Levy, who plays guitar for Norah Jones. Norah was playing the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor friday. Adam made the trek to Bay City to play a night with Scott on Thursday. The Arlington on Linn St., in Bay City is either a 104 or 140 year old building. For $3 cover! I saw these guys playing for three hours or more! Scott played some of his stuff; Adam played some of his; then they played together.

Scott Baker is a talented local singer. He tells the story of helping Adam hold a box of CDs while he signed autographs after a concert. They became good friends. Scott has a few CDs out; and a new one coming out this month. I really liked Scott's easy manner and strong voice. He reminds me a bit of Greg Brown; another Michigan singer/songwriter. I would highly recommend the new CD. I liked the songs Your Turn and Color My Life.

Adam Levy is a hugely talented guitarist. He is a jazzy, bluesy, funky player fond of filling textures and color with tight licks. He played for Tracy Chapman before Norah Jones. The bluesy funk behind "Give Me One Reason" is Adam. He is also a guitar player's guitar player; check the interviews on his site of other guitarists. Adam was playing a Randy Newman song 'Marie' to warm up. Someone shouted "Play that one!" Adam says alright and jumped right in.

I loved his song with the tag line "She's a little like Sunday Morning on Saturday Night." Also, "Unsay Goodbye" "Last Payphone Call" and "Spanish Moss and Angel Wings." Adam has a quirky song talent. I loved his view of the world. Imagine if Lyle Lovett and Chris Isaac had a child, but sent it to New York to be raised by Bill Frisell and Willie Nelson. I think my favorite song of Adam's was "Washing Day." He channelled Bill Frisell during the song.

When Scott joined Adam for the third set, they played Norah's "Nightingale." What a great night!! Two guys who were multitalented and just plain at ease with their music. They looked like they were having fun and were as natural as if they were just breathing. I was inspired.

No Matter Where You Go ...

Sometimes, even for an atheist, the universe seems to be sending a message. Either that or you just need to be good where ever you go. I had the weirdest revelation this evening.

I found a boat on the internet this February, bought it, quit my job and moved to Bay City, Mi where the boat is. Earlier I had commented to people that it was a little eery that I found this boat straight across the river from where I found a boat 10 or 12 years ago. I thought that boat was THEE boat, but it wasn't for a variety of reasons; not the least of which is that I had even less money then than I do now.

I found who I think was the previous owner. I even poked around and found out some details about the guy. I'll not reveal him, until I've discussed that with him. Last summer, while ushering at the Elkhart Jazz Festival, I stood no more than 20 feet from the very person who used to own my boat!!! I believe that he played there the year before as well. When I saw the band's website a couple months ago, it did not occur to me.

I was trying to find an email to send a note to the previous owner. As I cruised around the website again tonight something hit me. I hadn't even finished reading about the places they'd been. I looked at the previous owner's picture again and I could see the whole band in the tent by the river in Elkhart! What a great show too. I'm just dumbstruck.

There is some info that I can share with you. I suspected that the boat's name, In A Mist, was derived from the 1927 Bix Beiderbecke jazz piano composition. The band has actually played a Bix Beiderbecke festival out in Iowa. I love it! I am leaving the name just as it is. I will, however, add "Bay City, Mi" on the stern in celebration of where my adventure started. For all intents and purposes, my home port.

Just remember, be good no matter where you are!

Arrived in Bay City.

After a long drive last night, I made it to Bay City. It was a psychological victory to just put my head down and keep going. It wasn't too bad a drive. This morning it was pouring rain. I got a storage unit and checked on In A Mist over at Bay Harbor. She hasn't moved. I was soaked by the time I emptied the truck.

I found a really inexpensive place to live; it is populated by misfits and malcontents. I guess I'll get along just fine. The doors lock so it must be OK. The house is four or five blocks from downtown. In better weather, it will be a nice walk to some nightlife. The boat is about 4 miles away. In better weather, a nice bike ride. The weather is getting me down; can you tell.

I found a cool little coffeehouse downtown. The bluegrass band didn't show up, so some guy is playing the piano. A promising jazzy tune, followed by the Marine Hymn or somethi

Signs of Spring

Damn, April Snow!

I went to the store Monday with no socks in my shoes; I got the last six snaps on my tonneau cover snapped again; and I have no funiture. Well, that last is only about spring with regard to spring cleaning. And besides, today, there is snow on the ground again. Spring in Indiana.

I put up handbills in the building to sell my furniture and it was gone in 30 hours or so. Should have waited a week, I guess. :o) Beside books, my worldly possessions include four TV trays and an office chair; my guitar too.


It looks like it has snowed a fair amount up in Bay City. I have one foot in South Bend, one in Hudsonville and a mental one in Bay City. There sits "In A Mist." I can't wait to start working on her. The first project list is bottom paint and general clean up; along with an inventory. I am hoping that the existing sails will last this summer anyway. There will need to be some updated instruments, etc. I plan on using a sextan; not GPS. I would really rather use some alternative fuel stove rather than propane but I will use my propane campstove first. The alcohol stove is coming out regardless. The wind speed, direction, etc gauges may not work. There is a compass and an old VHF radio.


The throughulls and tankage need to be checked out as do the electrical and plumbing systems. I hope to make a list of phases. She needs to get back in the water so that I can get some sailing in. :o) I need to get my sea legs back.


I'm mostly packed. I have another trip to Hudsonville to add to the Garage Sale stuff there. Then, I need to get some stuff to Bay City and find some work and a place to live. I will likely be in South Bend until the 21st. So far emailing resumes has not been very successful.

Fair Winds,

TrT

It Must Be Right.

This morning, the beginning of the first week of my new adventure, birds were singing and the sun was up. It was an awakening of a new sort. Things are working quickly and according to plan. I will keep you posted.

My last day in the rat race was friday! It took three guys and four parties to get rid of me.

Last Saturday night, Junior and the Igniters were playing at the venerable Midway Tavern. 6 or 8 of my closest friends were celebrating bon voyage with all attending, including several of my blues show phone bank friends from WVPE.

Wednesday night, I had sushi and beer with a wonderful woman and great friend. We must have been the talk of the bar; laughing and carrying on. A true friend, we talked for a couple hours, I think.

Thursday night, Mouldings Division people, plus Jeff D. and Bill, went to Hacienda. Chuck's Deb was there too. It was fun. Pete and I traded bad puns for hours. Somehow, I talked to Tony F. for three or four hours and we closed the place.

Friday night after work, my old friends from Industrial, Roxi and Ralph [with wife Cathy], Emily and Suzy, and Elaine and her husband Mike feted at Between the Buns. Food and Friends. Thank you all.

My coach Kathy got to BTB just in time, she and I tried to talk over the din; moved to the Mishawaka Brewing Company. Then, the MBC band Jazzy Grass showed up. I lost my voice about 11:30. Kathy and I will try again. I owe all this to her help. Jazzy Grass sound pretty good. I don't think the grass referred to bluegrass. :o)


Saturday, I helped Albert celebrate his birthday; 37, what a pup. 6 of us joked with Randy, all star bartender and harassed his compatriot, Charlotte. The waitresses were probably sick of us and we sat at the bar! The food was good, the beer was better. Albert had is Blazin' wings and several Guinness. I had Mango Habanero and Newcastle. The rest of the guys were whimps!

I was in sad shape and went to Barnes and Noble for coffee afterward. A couple hours of cruising the web did me good. I went home and slept the rest of the day away.


Hopefully, all that, except the good friends, is out of my system.

The Beginning of a Dream ...

I never really gave up on getting back on the water. I have plotted and planned, wished and dreamed, fixed and schemed for many years.

Last Saturday, I found a boat that matched almost all my criteria. "In A Mist" a Cape Dory 28 is on the hard in Bay City, MI. I had four boats on a string and was wondering how close I actually was to leaving. That friday afternoon before, my fate was sealed. In the ongoing crap at my current job, my last hope was a new boss. When he gave me a review, taking wholesale from corporate management, I decided I was done.

So Monday, I resigned my job of 9 years as of April 1, 2007. Yeah, I know that's a Sunday, but it was close enough I couldn't resist. Of course, March 30 is my last day. Later Monday afternoon, the seller took my offer and I knew I was Bay City bound.

The boat needs some paint and some cleaning. I will update the systems as needed. Depending on what kind of work I find when I get there, I will be headed south by late summer or fall. Otherwise, I will winter over in Bay City and leave the following summer.

I've got some work to do to get my sea legs back. I can't wait.

Stay tuned!