Post Boat School School

I have been enrolled in a month long continuing Ed program in Tennessee and Baltimore. Fortunately the tuition was free as was room and board, but the class supplies cost about 2000K. I just spent the last 4ish weeks working on my boat in preparation for my Eastern Shore liveaboard situation. I coerced my entire family into assisting me in this endeavor, and i can't thank them enough for their help.

sanding bottom paint SUCKS

bottom paint done

Quite an endeavor it was. Momster and I drove across the country, bought boat parts in Baltimore, carried some to Erwin, mailed some to Erwin, bought the wrong parts, bought more parts online and had them mailed to Erwin (2nd day for only $20!!!) picked up others in Knoxville, and somehow managed to get the right ones installed in 10 days while the boat was still on the hard in TN.

Momster painting "Eel"

sailmaking in the Clinchfield Avenue Sail Loft

Oh, and the Momster and i cut a sail for the dinghy that she sanded every inch of and painted for me. And my brother added bling to the aforementioned awesome woodstove. And my pal Brenden and my dad helped me wire the mast. Dad also fabricated a fitting for the gin pole that lowers and raises the mast. Oh, and he kind of pulled the Boat to Baltimore for me as well. The list goes on. I really can't believe how much we got done, and how little they got paid for their help. Nan even watched Commander Wiggleberry during the day so i could focus on tasks at hand.

curing the stove "black"

After returning to Balty, we splashed the boat at Tidewater marina, and held our breath hoping she wouldn't leak. All dry, and the engine even ran! I drove the garbage scow (as she had now lovingly been named) around Fort McHenry and tucked her into our new slip in Fell's point. She floated and ran, and that was about it. She absolutely looked like crap. Filthy hull, dingy boot printed decks, chipped topside paint, peeling varnish: a catastrophe. My slip neighbor Captain Tom said,"When you brought that thing up here...I'm not gonna lie...I said to myself--what the hell is thiiiis?"

You're gonna live in THERE?

I took half a day off and napped with Sarah and the dogs, and then phase 2 began. Sarah and i scrubbed the crap out of everything, i wired the mast and installed the VHF radio,(thanks to my brother's patient friend Mike who gave me a 12v 101 class in TN,) installed locks on the hatches, installed the stove (minus the flue,)scraped ALL of the varnish off and applied boat sauce, and sanded, painted, and caulked the topsides. Wait. That only took 5 seconds to write, and 10 or so days to do.

gin pole mast raising dress rehearsal

Phase 3 starts on Friday. I bought all of the standard yearly maintenance items for the engine. Fuel filters, air filter, fungicide treatment, and impeller kit. I also inquired as to whether or not Tidewater makes inner harbor house calls. They do. At 105 bucks an hour. Lets hope bleeding the fuel system is as easy as the book makes it sound. We'll see.

off to the Bay

All in all, the whole endeavor, complicated as it was, went incredibly smoothly. We pulled it off and I'm only a few days away from plying the waters of the Chesapeake Bay in my brand new looking 30 year old boat. I realized the other day when i took half a day off to go sailing that the bay is BIG. I saw 4 foot waves before i even got to the Key Bridge. I actually have to re-learn how to navigate--cause there are lots of things--like container ships--to hit. I also have to get her across the bay to my new job. At least now I'm sure she's up to it.

We'll see if i am!