Well, Saturday was not the best day working on Akupara. Not a lot was accomplished even though the weather was fantastic and the yard was abuzz with lots of activity.
The day got off to a good start at about 8:30 in the morning when I arrived and I immediately set to work on a few items I needed to take care of.
They are going to be moving Akupara one stall over so that they can get a bigger boat in the spot where we are now and the one in front of it, so I needed to cut the chain that was attaching the dinghy to the jack stand and clean up the chain that was half hanging from the bow and piled in a not so neat pile on the ground.
I began by cutting the lock on the dinghy which of course was one of those high security locks, read harder to cut, and then moved on to the pile of chain on the ground. If you remember the chain in the locker was a partial ball of rust but about half of it was actually in pretty good shape. So I decided that if I cut the rusty section away, I would have a good backup or secondary partial rope partial chain rode.
In order to cut the chain I had to take one handle of the bolt cutters and place it against my hip and use both hands to pull on the other handle. The chain is tough that’s for damn sure. Of course in order to hold the one handle against my inner hip, I had to bend over into a crouched position.
Everything went fine and I made the 6 cuts (2 per link) as planned. I then climbed up the ladder onto Akupara, took one step down the ladder and froze. I stayed there for a little bit trying to decide if it was safer to back up, or to try to go down the rest of the way. I decided it would be easier for the emergency crews to get me off of the deck than it would be if I was also down below.
I managed to get the rest of the chain pulled up on deck and half of the rode into the chain locker before I had to stop completely. In hindsight I should not have continued of course but hey, I never claimed to be smart.
So by the time the Admiral and the crew arrived, I was ready to pretty much call it a day and had no intentions of trying to do anything else. Paige and August did get the anchor into the back of my truck and we spent a bit of time cleaning up the area around Akupara but I guess the biggest accomplishment was Paige started removing the previous owners hailing port from the stern. We are still deciding if we are going to change the font and colour of the name.
It is now Monday evening and I have not left the house since Saturday morning when I got home. I am pretty much confined to the couch and the bed but I am trying to get up and walk around a bit as much as possible. Hopefully I recover fast as I leave for Mexico in 6 days. If nothing else, maybe the Tequila will fix it 😉
FYI – when they say lift with your legs, they also mean pull with your legs. Your arms are a lot stronger than your lower back!
As we slowly get closer to completing the v berth, I am beginning to turn my thoughts and research towards the foreward head.
We have been looking at many different ideas as to how to cover, change, update, repair the white plastic laminate on the walls, new taps for the sink and shower and of course now I am starting to research marine heads, or toilets, for those who don’t speak pirate.
It absolutely amazes me that there are so many choices. Manual vs electric, macerating vs not etc etc. Don’t even get me going on marine sanitation hose and the myriad of choices (read costs) there. It doesn’t seem to matter which brand we decide to go with as all of the reviews, yes people post reviews about their marine toilets, have both good and bad comments.
For those who are not in the know, marine toilets are extremely sensitive little marvels of technology. They suck water in from outside the boat through a special hole that you have drilled, at the same time as not sinking your boat. They have a bewildering network of hoses and valves and fittings and pumps and many different ways of disposing of the contents.
The major rule of law is, if you have not eaten it, it does not go in the head. The second rule of law, at least on my boat, is if you plug it, you fix it. I am adamant about this one and so far it has worked in my favor as I have yet to have to unclog any of our marine heads.
I worry about installing the right heads as, since we will be living aboard eventually, it will be subjected to a lot more use than a weekend boat and the last thing I want to do is spend my days repairing heads.
So in my search for the best of the best, most reliable, non clogging, easy to repair, simple to operate, easy to clean, quiet, non smelly marine sanitation system, I have finally found the PERFECT solution!
Akupara is the third boat we have owned that has had a wooden ceiling on the hullsides. I love the look of the wood and how it brings a feeling of warmth to the cabin. Akupara is also the third boat we have owned that it is obvious that none of the previous owners have ever removed the ceiling to clean behind it.
The ceiling in Akupara’s v-berth is like a lot of other boats in that it is comprised of approx. 4 inch wide strips of wood that are screwed to the side of the boat in one fashion or another. Of course there are tiny gaps between each of these slats where detritus from past years will accumulate. I realize we all like to think we are clean but in reality it is impossible to be spotless and eventually the empty space behind your lovely wood ceiling will begin to take on a life of its own. If you own a boat with nice wooden slats running down the interior of your cabin, take a Saturday morning and remove them just for fun. Typically there are only a few screws holding each slat so it isn’t a huge endeavour. You may be surprised at what you find.
https://youtu.be/Za2llAwM1oo
The weather in Vancouver has been great the last two weeks and yesterday it was a true spring day. We made it to Akupara shortly after nine, with a full crew plus one and by midday we were working outside in the sun and the solar panels were actually putting a bit of juice into the battery bank.
Graeme, August’s boyfriend, came along after graciously offering his help and my accepting. We have known Graeme for a couple of months now and he is a great kid! It was a very nice change having a young man aboard and I took the opportunity to use his strength to assist with a few things that I had been putting off. I made my way into the engine room and Graeme followed. We tried to trace the water maker plumbing and eventually gave up and just started cutting the hoses. After many contortions and maneuvers we successfully removed the entire system and one of the old starting batteries that was slowly self destructing. Now with me being the farthest into the engine room and Graeme basically blocking the door, there was no way that I would be able to lend a hand to the ladies without having Graeme move, climbing out of the engine room and making my way to wherever the issue was, so Graeme took up the role and did a great job. As we were removing bits and pieces we could of course hear the goings on in the rest of Akupara and the feigned attempts at removing difficult screws and what have you. After what seemed like an eternity, I asked Graeme to go see if he could help and off he went. Within 30 seconds he was back and the issue was resolved. Hmmm, I might need to keep this guy around!! 🙂
I am teasing of course, a lot of times the issues do boil down to strength, however, normally speaking the Admiral and the crew manage to successfully perform any task they take up and perhaps at times they may try a little harder than I would just to make the point. Of course it does help to prod them along with “girl” comments 😉
So anyway back to my story. August is a lot like myself and when she attacks something, she is either 100% or not at all. The last couple of weeks she has been extremely helpful and accomplished a lot of work. As we have been stripping the wiring, this is what the ladies did while Graeme and I were in the engine room.
Before we started yesterday I basically gave everyone a primer that went something to the effect of cut and remove any wire that is not grey (part of the auto pilot), or the larger white ones(GPS antenna wires) the rest are fair game including the AC wires as I specifically had not plugged in the shore power.
Occasionally there would be a call of “Dad, what about the green/blue/black/purple one that goes into/under/over this “thingy”?
Now, I have looked at every wire and every square inch of Akupara so far and I will say that I have a pretty good idea already of what is where, but when I am sitting inside the engine room beside the port fuel tank the only point of reference I have is to listen to where the voice is coming from, and based on that plot a line of position to where the individual is. From that estimated position, I then try to ascertain what said “thingy” is and thereby deduce which wire is currently confusing them. I am pretty good at it after 19 years of marriage and 16 years of having kids, so the majority of the time my answers were a precise yes or no and this system worked very well, or so it seemed. It also helps that there were only 3 different wires that I actually wanted to keep but there is no need to tell anyone that.
At the end of what I thought was a very fruitful day, I was making my rounds through Akupara prior to locking up and identified two little points of miscommunication. The port solar panel wire, which I do admit is black and red had been cleanly severed and to my amusement so had the main shore power cable from the back of the receptacle to the panel. The answer given when the question was asked was, “You said to cut all the black wires!” Damn.
I also recall the exact moment that the shore power line was cut and I also recall giving a firm yes when asked the question as it went something like this. Dad, what about the big black wire that goes through the cupboard. Based on my plotting I ascertained that August was at the starboard dressing table, which may have been a degree or two off. I also recall Graeme going to help with the big wire cutters. I also recall not clearly explaining that I wanted to keep the shore power available so that I could charge the batteries. 🙂
Oh well, it was going to come out sooner or later anyway.
Summary of yesterdays work:
Water maker removed (identified another area of rotten plywood between the engine room and the aft head)
All electrical wiring from fore and aft of engine room removed. Rudder gudgeon removed and cleaned (appears to be okay to reuse, corrosion was isolated to the nuts and bolts)
I firmly believe that there is a common misconception out there that stainless steel is a miracle material that will never stain, never rust, and never corrode.
After removing every screw, bolt, nut and washer from Akupara’s decks I can assure you that this is not true. Every single screw, bolt, nut and most washers was either rust stained, partially rusted, or completed corroded all the way through. We broke as many screws as we managed to successfully remove, when trying to get them out.
Some of them we were able to remove after they broke, but some of them still need to be removed. Almost all of the corrosion starts approximately 1/16th of an inch below the deck. So it isn’t on any visible part, and if you could remove whatever fitting it is without removing the screw, you would not be able to see anything wrong. However, back the screw out 1/16th and the issues start to appear.
When we begin reinstalling things, we hope to avoid some of these issues with the way that we will countersink the deck and add little rings of butyl tape around the bottom of each screw. When the time comes, we will document the process on the sight for everyone to see.
Take this as a warning to anyone who doesn’t re-bed their fittings on a regular basis, perhaps it is time to check all of that stuff?
We had our first fellow Whitby 42 owners onboard Akupara today! Denis and Rosario from “Counting Stars”. They are new owners as well and what a pleasure meeting and spending the afternoon with like minded people! It seems that most people who pursue and eventually purchase a boat of this pedigree have somewhat similar dreams, and no matter the specific destination, they all involve bluewater.
Their Whitby is in much better condition than ours is currently but they were extremely gracious and were able to see beyond the dirt and mold and see Akupara in her eventual glory. We eventually went out and had lunch and a beer together and swapped stories of adventures past, both offshore and onshore and our dreams of adventures still to come. Of course it wasn’t long before talk turned to “Blue” jobs and “Pink” jobs, but we had a lot of fun! 🙂
This is what it is all about. Meeting interesting people who share a common goal. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what your background is, whether you are a doctor, lawyer or an Indian Chief, all that matters is that you share a passion.
A lot of us may never realize upon seeing ours dreams fulfilled. It is a sad truth. But ultimately, is it the completion of, or the adventures to get there, and who you get to share it with, that makes for a successful passage?
And since I am being sappy, I want to share my favourite quote.
“To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea… “cruising” it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.
“I’ve always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can’t afford it.” What these men can’t afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of “security.” And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine – and before we know it our lives are gone.
What does a man need – really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all – in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade.
The years thunder by, The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.
Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life? ”
― Sterling Hayden, Wanderer
The last six months or so have been extremely busy for both Andrea and I at work and at home, not to mention our purchasing Akupara and the beginning of the restoration. The next six months will be just as busy if not worse so we both decided a quick getaway was in order.
We went to our agent, picked something reasonably inexpensive and 7 days later were on a plane to de-stress in the sun and the sand. Of course this means that in effect we lost 2 weekends of work time, but it was well needed.
We actually did not talk a lot about Akupara during our trip which was nice, although when we did, it was interesting how both of us were thinking along the same lines. We talked briefly about how important it is going to be to get the watermaker working properly. This was reinforced by the fact that we were in the Dominican Republic which is known for bad water and a lot of people on the resort were feeling the results of that. Even though they had not directly drank the water, they had still been exposed through the ice in their drinks. Which led of course to a brief discussion on the importance of ensuring the refrigeration and freezer needs to be 100% as well.
By day 3 the admiral actually made the statement “I don’t think I can stay in the sun any longer, I need to find some shade.” Tada – the dodger and bimini is going to have to be well constructed to allow for lots of airflow and yet provide for privacy as well. At night in the hotel room, we eventually gave up on the air conditioning as it was way too loud, but that also brought up the question of, as we grow older, are we going to need air conditioning to sleep. At this point we can manage just fine but it also seems to help with the humidity as well so perhaps we should investigate it.
We rented a little speed boat and went on a guided trip up a local river to experience the “true” island life. It was a lot of fun to be blasting around and seeing the jungle from the river side. Almost felt like we were in the movie Apocalypse Now, parts of which were apparently filmed in the DR, without all of the shooting of course. Hmmm, maybe we need to upsize the dinghy and outboard. Our RIB is 9 feet with an 8hp motor, but would it ever be nice to have a steering wheel as opposed to a tiller on the outboard.
As our eventual goal is to retire aboard Akupara, all of these little things are actually extremely important to us and the wrong decision now, when we have the time to make the right one, could possibly come back to haunt us, and I know for a fact that I am not going to want to start major repair projects or modifications in 31 degree Celsius heat.
Most of the week there were local fisherman performing their daily activities in the bay in front of our hotel and I commented several times to Andrea how simple their life seems to be. Not easy by any means, but simple. All of them were in old boats with peeling paint and leaking seams, some without engines, none with watermakers, refridgeration, freezers, air conditioning, dodgers or bimini’s, high speed outboards or any of the rest of the fancy stuff we “need” and yet they get by. Our plan is to eventually make Akupara our home as I have said, and part of the reasoning for that is to make life more simple and therefore more enjoyable, and yet all of our needs seem to do the exact opposite. This planning process as we refurbish Akupara is going to be a balancing act of need versus want and complexity versus simplicity. It is hard to make a conscious decision to give up something, but then again, if it makes life too complicated in the first place, is it even worth it?
I guess this trip actually had a lot more to do with Akupara and her refit than I thought! I wonder if I can claim it as research? 😉
I have read a lot of articles about cruising with dogs seeing as how we have two of them, and I am somewhat confused as to what kind of dogs the people who write these articles have. Not what kind as in breed of dog, but what kind as in personality of dog. The kind that would resemble a good afternoon spent with a valium or two or the real kind that most of us have.
Let me back up by introducing you to our two dogs. Firstly we have Ashta.
The “Perfect” German Shepherd Dog
Ashta is a noble, gorgeous German Shepherd Dog. She is 8 years old and she is absolutely beautiful. Her colouring is perfect, her saddle is just right and her stance is as it should be, before the dog fanatics over exaggerated the slope of the hind end. When we are at the boat, Ashta is the picture of perfect. She commonly can be found surveying her kingdom as she lays on the cabintop guarding her keepers and her lands. Her lands by the way include the entire dock, all of the neighbours boats and typically speaking the parking lot as well.
Secondly, we have Wilson.
Yes, he is named after the Volleyball in the movie Castaway, and he has grown to strike quite the resemblance to his namesake, that is, as he appeared near the end of the movie, dishevelled would be an accurate description. Wilson is 2 years old and he is the comedian of the family. He attempts to be as noble as his big sister, but quite commonly gets things not quite right. An example would be if Ashta is laying on the cabintop and someone dares to intrude upon her kingdom, she has been known on occasion to tell said intruder exactly what it is she is thinking. Upon hearing Ashta begin to bark, Wilson who is usually sound asleep, will jump up to gain a better vantage point and immediately join in on telling off the scoundrels. Unfortunately, most of the time Wilson is pointed in the opposite direction and for all intents and purposes, has no idea what it is he is barking at. But we love him just the same.
So now that you have met our two lovely dogs, let me tell you how it is to be on a boat with two of them.
Hmm where should I start?
Well, remember the last time you were in that peaceful anchorage, sitting in your cockpit enjoying the sunset with a cool drink in hand, and you jumped up to see exactly where the fire truck was coming from? Ya that was probably us! See, German Shepherds are known to be vocal dogs and in all of her glory, Ashta is the most vocal German Shepherd out there! From the moment she gets into the dinghy, which is a whole other story, she begins to howl. It doesn’t matter if you go fast, or if you go slow. If you row or motor, sail or get out and push the dinghy by swimming. No matter what, she will howl. And trust me I know, I have tried everything! Typically we send the kids to shore with the dogs so that we can hide in the cabin cowardly. Ashta is so loud, that we have had people we don’t know, video tape us as we went by, as either they could not believe what they were seeing/hearing or they were determined to have evidence when they reported us, I’m not sure. I have tried making her swim to shore, okay I was so embarrassed I pushed her overboard, but even then, the damn dog manages to howl and bark as she is swimming! Once we finally arrive at shore, she is typically quiet. If you don’t count the barks echoing off of the surrounding mountains. She likes to hear herself, because then she can answer herself. Now I know what you are thinking. He is exaggerating. Well let me tell you I am actually playing it down. You would also think that the return trip from shore back to the boat would be quiet, seeing as how she has played herself out, done her business and is usually cold. Not a chance. Yup, she is just as loud on the way back as she is on the way there!
Now Ashta is approximately 70 pounds in weight, which means that the only person in the family who can lift her is me. I am highly suspect about this but anyway I will continue to believe it for now. What this does mean though is that I am the one who has to lift our noble German Shepherd Dog, who by now is soaking wet, stinks like seaweed and mud, up out of the dinghy, and onto the nice clean deck. Well, nice “was” clean deck. This also means that I am now soaked in a lovely mixture of seaweed, mud, sand, and of course dog hair. Lovely, is all I can say, because by this point, I am usually all ready for bed.
Speaking of doing her business. There is another dark side to cruising with dogs that I have read countless suggestions on how to deal with it, yes, I am going to talk about bodily functions, but I am hear to tell you that everything you have read about training your dog to go on a green piece of indoor/outdoor carpeting, or how bringing the dog to shore is so easy is all a load of bull shit. Okay in this case it isn’t “bull” but you get the point. The truth of the matter is as follows. Dogs like to chase sticks. People like to throw sticks. Dogs like to splash in the water. Dogs also pick up said sticks with their mouths. This means that said dog is picking up said stick in said water, which in our case means salt water. Salt water isn’t really that good for you. I can’t speak from experience of course, but I can speak from observing the affect it has on a dog from what I have witnessed.
So let me play the scenario out for you and you decide if cruising with dogs is the way you want to spend your holidays.
Your beautiful (insert breed) dog has played in the ocean all day. It is getting close to evening and the beach where all of the other cruising families have congregated is the only possible place to land your dinghy. Suddenly, (insert your dogs name) gets that look in their eyes and you know that your life is about to change forever. You jump to action, like any good dog owner does, and jump into the dinghy, frantically trying to beat (insert your dogs name) so as to avoid the inevitable dunking that will occur in the mayhem. You pull the starter on the outboard for dear life, praying that it will start on the first try, (insert your dogs name) eyes are beginning to cross and they are panting like they just ran a marathon. Your partner has contorted themselves into the oddest shape, trying to avoid being seen as they know what is coming. Till death do us part my behind! The engine starts, thank god, you know there is no alternative, for heavens sake man, you don’t want that in your dinghy, but to roar through the anchorage at full throttle while (insert your dogs name) howls prolifically waking even the dead, so that all eyes in the anchorage are upon you. People are yelling “Slow down” but you know you only have seconds so you persist. Your patience are done, you are near shore, you “accidentally” let (insert your dogs name here) jump into the water, and as you kill the engine and lift it out of the water, the dinghy scrapes bottom on the beach and you look over only to discover that (insert your dogs name here) has been unable to hold it, and has contaminated all the water where all the families are playing, with explosive diarrhea!
Yup, everything you read about cruising with dogs is true!
I should tell you about the time she vomited in the cockpit when we were sailing and how I found out when I stepped in it……
If I allow myself to stop and think about the size of this project, I can easily get distracted and discouraged. The only way I can manage it is to break it down into easily digestible pieces.
To me, it is a matter of hull, deck, interior, electrical, mechanical and rig. See, that was easy. It is manageable. Anyone can wrap their head around 6 things.
So, as I have mentioned before, we will start with deck as it currently leaks at most of the fittings, so to prevent further damage, we need to fix it.
And what does that entail? Remove all deck fittings, fill all the holes, fix the wet core, strip the existing paint, prime with an epoxy sealer and paint. See, that was easy as well. Only 6 steps.
Okay but removing all of the fittings is a big job. Sure it is but it is only 6 easy steps. Remove the fasteners holding the fitting in place, gently pry the fitting loose, clean all of the existing caulk off the deck and the fitting, bring the fitting home, perform any repair or renovation required and finally, store it away until it is ready to be re-installed. Again, only 6 steps! Are you seeing a pattern yet? 😉
I can go on indefinitely until I have broken it down microscopically, if I need to, but as long as I keep to the 6 step process, I will be fine.
There are times when I do break it down to that level of detail, typically when I am tackling something that I do not know well, like mechanics or electrical, but usually my written to do lists are somewhere in between the first 2 levels of 6. However, I do try to think things down to the microscopic level but I seldom record it.
I do most of my thinking when I go to bed. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I start running through the details of my next job. I break it down into 6, and then again each of those steps into 6 and on and on. When I do run into a stumbling block, I do some research whether that be on the net in a book, and then I incorporate the new knowledge into that evenings rehearsal. I will sometimes tackle the same project for weeks at a time in my head, before I actually start it.
The admiral regularly asks me, “How the hell do you know how to do that? ” My common response is because I am a guy, and guys know stuff. This response usually is not met with a kind response but it is fun none the less. I don’t think she would actually believe me if I told her the truth.
Now that I stop and read what I have written, I guess it is a form of self visualization similar to what athletes use, mixed with a deep meditative state induced from repetitive zen like thought patterns and deep breathing.
Not entirely true, I’ve also pretended to understand “guy speak.”
For several years I have listened to the men around me talk about maintaining stuff, repairing things and a number of boring male subjects entailing steps required to do this or that or whatever it is they do in their spare time. When I need a picture hung– it happens, a wall painted–done, my car oil changed–taken care of.
The other evening Derrick was outlining the process involved around sanding Akupara’s decks. I sat quietly, nodded, smiled and made affirming knowing comments. Anyone watching this “conversation” take place without a shadow of a doubt would have been left with the impression that I knew all about what he was talking about. And then, he mentioned the word countersink.
I have heard the term countersink a thousand times from the men around me. I have always pretended (convincingly I may add) to know and care what countersink means. As Derrick spoke about countersinking I smiled, nodded, maintained eye contact and then realized with a horrible drop in my stomach that I will actually have to countersink something.
As the horror of this began to sink in I concluded silently that I would have to Google this term, Countersink.
That is exactly what I did the moment the Captain turned his attention to relaxing in front of the TV. I put my ear buds in, grabbed my phone and Googled away with the air of someone who is listening to a great song on their headphones. I even watched a step by step tutorial on countersinking.
When the time comes to countersink during the deck repairs I will still smile, nod and maintain eye contact but! I will actually know what the heck it means.
I have been poking a lot of fun at the previous owners, and that includes all of the previous owners, of Akupara in regards to the amount of stuff we have found hidden away in the dark recesses of her hull. For those of you who do not know, let me explain the difference between a cruising boat and a sail boat.
A modern sail boat, is a floating status symbol. It costs ridiculous amounts of money to buy, (we recently looked at a brand new Hanse 44, asking price $350000 plus commissioning, and that was on sale) It is made of lots of shiny materials, and high tech self tending sails with electric winches and bow thrusters and built in cappuccino machines. They feel as wide and spacious inside as a comfortable condominium. They are stunning and most sailors drool every time they see one at the boat show. I mean the lines of people all standing with their shoes removed, and socks with one or possibly two toes sticking through, just to be able to go inside and pretend that they could afford one, proves their appeal. And besides, all of the magazines tell you that you must have one. Those fortunate enough to be able to purchase one, are easily identifiable. They typically come screaming into the marina parking lot in the latest BMW/Porsche/Mercedes/Lexus sportamachine thingy, with the top down and the long blond hair flowing from the passenger side. When they manage to stop and park the sportamachine thingy, out step the 2 most beautiful people in the world with her clutching a pocket dog. You know, a pocket dog. The one that somewhere in ancient history was a member of the canine family, but has long since been removed and is now closer to the rodent (rat) family. It hates everyone, refuses to walk, and is usually named Cuddles or something just as ridiculous. The perfect pair make their way down to the “Yacht” and typically spend the rest of the day drinking red wine in crystal glasses, her in the bikini and him in the latest board shorts, while Cuddles pees in the lazarette. Except on Wednesday and Saturday. That’s when Mr Perfect arrives with all of his buddies, who I might add, are typically not as affluent as he is, all of whom are decked out in the latest matching racing gear, and Cuddles’ pee platform turns into the latest and greatest racing machine! As soon as the engine starts, the Captain transforms from Mr Perfect to Mr Jeckle. The sreaming starts, the insults, the putdowns, the lack of accountability for his own inability to steer. And as soon as they make it back to the dock, the excuses and the cheques start flowing. Well, the reason we only made 3rd place, is that my high tech spectra cross stiched with kryptonite headsail is 3 months old, I am going to replace it with a brand new one for next week and then watch out! They all jump into their sportamachines and tear off in a cloud of dust and expensive cologne.
All the while this is going on with Mr Perfect, quietly working on a 40 year old boat in the slip beside him, are the cruisers. She is sporting callouses as opposed to manicured nails like Mrs Perfect, her blonde locks are more a result of sun bleaching than salons and his belly more closely resembles a keg than a six pack. Their dog has a strange self assurance in its eyes, that only comes from knowing that it can hold it’s pee for 18 days on long crossings, while drinking water that tastes somewhat as good as stale plastic. Their boat doesn’t look exactly rundown, more well used like. It typically sports a self steering windvane, solar panels, and at least one home made contraption that makes their life easier. They drink rum and it definitely is not in crystal glasses. Their clothes are somewhat faded from all of the hand washing at sea, but they could sail their boat into, out of, beside, or on top of, if they so chose, any slip, port or harbour in the world without so much as a slightly elevated voice. When something goes wrong, they don’t whip out the chequebook, they go down into the dark recesses of the boat and pull out one of the spares that they have carried for years because they knew one day they would need it and where the hell are you going to get it when you are 800 miles from the nearest port? They have saved, skimped, bartered, and sometimes stole their way to where they are now. They fix their own sails, perform their own diesel maintenance, change their own watermaker filters, talk on the single side band radio and climb up and down their own mast like monkeys. They do not have loads of money in the bank earning interest faster than they can spend it, but they also don’t work 90 hours a week in order to have it, which is exactly why they have been able to take the time, learn the skills, and travel to those exotic places you see in all of the sailing/cruising magazines.
So to summarize the difference between a cruising boat and a sailing boat. A sailing boat is never more than a phone call away from the nearest sea towing service and a phone call is all that is needed along with a large credit card. A cruising boat needs to be self sufficient as it isn’t a matter of if something is going to break, it is a matter of when, and when it does happen, you better have the knowledge, parts, pieces, or stuff needed to fix it.
So to all of the cruisers out there, keep on hoarding, even though I have made light of you, I understand and respect you. And when the shit hits the fan, you are who I want to be at sea with, not Mr and Mrs Perfect along with peeing cuddles in their floating chequebook!!
