Saturday, June 11, 2011

Mack Packer

Spent all day getting a Mack Pack installed. I realize the mainsail is not going to fall fully flaked into a bag I can just zip up. I'm not that gullible, but I am hoping I can pound that crispy sheet of Dacron into some shape that will fit in the bag. The sail cover method doesn't work for me, especially on this boat. The boom is too high, and my legs are too short.  As long as we've had this boat, I have been climbing the mast on those pop out footholds, and hugging it while I tie up the sailcover with one hand. I was an accident waiting to happen. 
While at the boat show in 2009, Deb noticed this Mack Pack, or the guy standing next to it. Eight hundred dollars later, and I had some canvas and line in a box, with a CD that showed how easy it was to install. The guy in the video said it would take about two hours. Two years later, and we've got it done. We're a little slow.

Sails are on, the canvas is up, and I think we're going sailing tomorrow!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Blogging from the water

Friday they put our mast up, parked her in our slip, and left her for us to clean and rig. The only reason I knew the boat was ready, was I saw from the web cam a tall mast at the end of the docks. Customer relations, a concept untested in many places.

Spent Friday night under the stars, on a clear and cool night, thinking how an un-rigged, cluttered, dirty boat, can make all the stress of the week just melt away.  It's good to be back.