Left to Right

Left to Right. The left side of my brain (logic, common sense) has a talk with the right side (goofy, creative).

Left: Why didn't you reef the mainsail knowing a squall was coming?
Right: It was scary up there on deck.
L: Wasn't it scarier to have a full sail up in heavy air?
R: She handled it.
L: A sail slide pulled out of the track!
R: I know. WTF right?!
L: Deb ok? Her eyes were like golf balls.
R: She's tough. I almost shit myself.
L: You deserved a pant load for that stunt.
R: Dude, Did you see how fast we were going?
L: How do we even coexist?

L: What about the beer explosion?
R: That sucked.
L: What made you think a locker with no latches was going to hold back 24 bottles of beer?
R: I guess I got so excited about another case I failed to think it through. Isn't that where you come in?
L: I was busy getting the boat systems in order.
R: Major part of prep is securing stores Bro. Think you failed on this one.
L: So what's the solution here?
R: Drink from cans.
L: How about securing the locker doors.
R: I could just drink the beer and not have to worry about it.
L: You could help to create a lock for the doors and maybe drink less.
R: I could drink a lot and you would completely disappear.
L: I want an eye roll, help me out here.
R: Which one we doing?
L: We have to do both you idiot.


Cheers!
PJB


Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.

Spanked for being stupid

We are now sitting at anchor in Marsh Harbor Abacos drying out after a 33.5 hour adventure at sea. The forecast was SE winds around 10-15 knots and “benign” conditions. Pretty sure “benign” means nothing to worry about. So we didn’t. Now, don’t go thinking that we just blindly sail off into the Gulf Stream without checking the weather for ourselves. We are smarter than that. We knew that our window to cross was getting smaller but the grib files, Parker and other sources pretty much indicated it would be a relatively easy ride. We also knew there could be some squalls to deal with. So if we make tracks and get there in the proper amount of time we’ll be OK. Well, here starts the stupid section of the story.

Calm after the storm

Looking at the wind we were going to have I realized we would be close hauled if we left from Fort Pierce. My brain at the time was debating the merits of trying to fight the Gulf Stream and the wind to make the Little Bahama Banks. The wave heights predicted were 3-4 ft and typically we run the engine until we get through the stream. No sense screwing around in the stream. We were also expecting a bigger wind shift to the south which would get us more speed and more comfort.

For some reason I thought this would be a good scenario. Dumb. Don’t ever plan on going somewhere close hauled, especially crossing the Gulf Stream. The current, the waves and an unfavorable wind shift can leave you clawing against it all to make your waypoint.

So while we clawed against it all, this shit happened:

Under a full main and a reefed headsail we were scooting along at about 7 knots. Sometimes we would take a gust and pop up to almost 8 knots. We were flying. So was the sea. Right over our bow. “Why are the waves so huge?!” The wind got stronger. We went faster. The waves went higher. At one point I heard the anchor clang hard after a wave broke over the bow. Oh shit! The Mantus anchor came loose and was just held by the chain. I had to scramble up on the pitching deck to secure it. Of course as soon as I got up there I received the saltwater enema. Damn it! I was clipped in so I basically had to crab along the deck to get back while more water slapped me in the ass. I flopped into the cockpit and took a little rest while I drip dried.

While under way I check on boat systems every hour just to make sure things are hunky dory. It was time to go below. Before I could hop down we heard a crash after a particularly bad ass wave rolled us. I looked in the companionway and didn’t see anything. It sounded like silverware or pots and pans but then there was some tinkling sound to it. I told Deb I had better check it out.

I get below and I see the floor is soaked with water. What the hell?! I look around for the source and I notice a port was left open. Damn it all! I scramble to close it and we pitch into another wave and I get a face full of ocean. Now I’ve taken it at both ends. I’m now soaked and looking around and slipping in the water. Saltwater is slippery in case you didn’t know. I’m standing in the salon assessing the tossed about cabin and water pours down my neck and back as another wave comes down the deck. Our normally leak free hatches are raining ocean on my head and everything else we have! Aarrgh! Are you kidding me! They never leak! Not much I can do about that all now so I look into the aft cabin to see what’s going on back there.

HOLY SHIT! MY BEER!

One of the aft cabin lockers was used to store a few cases of bottled beer (my idea). Stupid me decided to fill it up as much as I could never thinking that the locker that doesn't have a lock might open up at some point.

When a big wave rolled us the bottles burst out of that cabinet like black Friday shoppers pressing the doors at Walmart and spilled out onto the cabin floor. Some bottles broke while others just spun around and fizzed out of their twist off caps. When I got to the scene it was just an orgy of bottles rolling around in their own fluids. Carrie Nation couldn’t have done a better job. I should have taken a picture but I had feet and hands braced to prevent me from joining the brew fest. I stared in wonder. Unbelievable. Deb is going to shoot me.

I retrieved a bucket and started to remove the broken glass and bag the bottles while keeping myself upright. Eventually I felt I would need the bucket to hurl into. The worst thing you can do to me in rough seas is to send me down below and the worst thing that can happen right now would be for me to puke all over this mess. I finally got it all cleaned up and mopped up the floor as best as I could. I poured some vinegar over the floor and mopped that up too in hopes of reducing the smell of stale beer later. When I went below later the aft cabin smelled like a dive bar and a side salad. All the best beers were in that cabinet too with the exception of the Shiner Bock. Those assholes at Shiner better learn how to cap bottles. Every one of them leaked. That was Deb’s beer :)

I broke the bad news to Debra whose shoulders sunk and then she told me the kayak on the bow broke loose. Son of a bitch! I clipped in again and went forward to re-tie the kayak. I get back to the cockpit and I notice after the next big wave on the bow that the snubber I laid on the bow was now washing down the deck. Son of a bitch! I clipped in and secured that as well. Two minutes later the other kayak broke loose. Balls! Can’t anyone on this ship tie a friggin knot! I really should have worn a bathing suit.

Now it's starting to get dark and I take another look forward because I don’t want to be up there in the dark if I can avoid it. Don’t I notice the bow line we had tied to the pulpit has come loose and is dragging alongside the boat. Shoot me! Please!*

I clip in for another salty shower. I’m so water wrinkled now that I could ask for the senior discount at Dunkin Donuts and get it without question.

I’m now secure in the cockpit and we are moving along despite the waves. The wind has steadily increased to 15-20 and the sea is confused. We would take one on the bow, then get rolled by another. Crazy. I eventually roll up the headsail to level the boat. Still a full main. Darkness falls. I turn on the nav lights. No nav lights. Son of a whore! I clip in and go to the bow to give the lights a good whack. Sometimes the bulb is loose. By the way all the lights were checked the night before we left. I pocketed the dinghy nav light to duct tape it to the bow should I not get the lights to come on. It’s my backup. I got to the bow, whacked the lights. Nothing. I get out the tape, the towel to dry off the pulpit with, and as I was about to peel off a strip of duct tape a wave rolls over me. That’s it! I’ve had it! I march back to the cockpit. Actually I crab along on my wet ass. Screw the lights!

We were still making fantastic time and then a squall hit. Bam! Full mainsail and we heeled over pretty good. Rail was still off the water so not too bad. I looked at Deb and her eyes said she was not amused. I eased the sheet. The squall passed and it's relatively calmer at this point. I look at the radar for more rain. Aww shit. Big squall coming. Deb looks at me and says, “The mainsail! It should be down!” Well it won’t be as fun but sure, I’ll clip in and go forward again. By now I’m so soaked it doesn’t matter. I just hope I don’t get diaper rash.

Deb now tells me she has a freighter on a collision course. How far away? A mile and a half. Ah what a pain in the ass. What’s next? Coast Guard boarding? Submarine pop up under us? We needed nav lights. I clipped in, grabbed a bungee cord and strapped the stupid light to the mast. There you go. Screw you MacGyver! We now have nav lights.

The wind shifted to the south because we were almost done sailing and mother nature thinks she’s hilarious. We are now pointing at the cut into the Little Bahamas Bank where we have previous tracks. When traveling in the dark over shallow water it’s always nice to be able to go where you’ve been. To follow our bread crumb trail. We decided to do just that. You can’t just flop into the Little Bahamas Bank. It has shoals and coral heads so you pick your spots on the chart that look good and pray that some asswipe didn’t sink his ship somewhere along that route for you to slam into.

Oh yeah, Deb wanted the mainsail down.  I take down the main. No I don’t because it’s stuck. It will not budge. At this point I consider inflating my life vest, unclipping and jumping overboard. I can drift in the warm water of the gulf stream all the way to England where I will find a pub and tell them of my adventures by the fireplace wearing my lifejacket while enjoying  beer at slightly below room temperature.

I mounted the first three steps on the mast to reach the mainsail (I’m short) and gave it a good yank. It budged. I then hung all 145 pounds of me off the main and it broke free. Thank you Neptune! I pull the main down and stuffed it in the bag. That’s when I noticed that the top slug that rides the track is not in the track. Hahahaha (maniacal laughter). All the time it was stuck I was plotting the destruction Mack Snails for not replacing the frozen sheave.

We were now motoring and I was calling the freighter on the radio. No response. We have AIS and so does he so they must know we are out here. We ended up almost coming to a dead stop to let the beast lumber by. That's when the big squall hit. Holy shit that was a kick in the face! The wind pushed 40 knots and the rain streamed down while we watched the freighter on AIS. Deb and I just looked at each other wide eyed and probably thinking how lucky we are to have that mainsail down. After the squall we entered the banks and followed our tracks. The seas calmed and the wind slowed the further onto the banks we travelled.

By being chicken and following our previous track we delayed our arrival by almost an hour but we seemed to have avoided the biggest portion of the squall. When I looked at radar I saw we just caught the southern tip of the squall. Finally we catch some luck. It almost looked like we intentionally moved to evade the storm.

We were totally relaxed at this point

The banks were easy peasy and we traveled all night in peace. We were only about an hour from the rest of the folks who left Fort Pierce way before us. We were kicking ass there for a while. By 2PM we passed through the Whale cut, also famous for ass kickings but the wind had blown itself out at that point. We motored our way to Marsh Harbor and dropped the hook. Beers were had.

This whole mess could have been avoided had we been better prepared and used our sailing experience that we have stored in our aging heads. Sailing close hauled is better left for the race course, not trying to cross a raging Gulf Stream. We should have departed from Lake Worth like we planned but we got lazy and didn’t want to bother with the bridges on the way. We would have been on a reach and taking the waves properly. We would have been there much quicker and in splendid fashion. I might have sported a blue blazer and a pipe had we entered the banks that way. Bravo I'd say.

Reef or strike the mainsail in squalls you fool! Imagine the horror had that mainsail not come down.

Securing the deck was going to happen on our lazy down the ICW run towards Fort Pierce. Again, lazy. We know better.

Beer. What can I say? I paid for that stupid move didn’t I? I am now working on getting those cabinet doors to lock closed. I could store less beer? Hahahahaha you funny.

We should know to go with our gut but I for one didn’t listen. The weather was deteriorating and we needed to move fast to get across else we could be waiting weeks or months from getting another shot. The fact we were on a mooring didn't help as we were eager to shed that expense but if I had to do it over again I would not unless we were further south.

Hatch seals. Who knew they leaked! Rain doesn't come in but a foot of water will put enough pressure on it to open the poor seal. Not sure what to do about this other than order new seals. Getting new seals in the Bahamas is like getting Canadian maple syrup. Sure they can get it but its going to cost you. Canadian Syrup is about $45 for a small jar.

Why all the water on the deck? Our boats bow usually rises up quickly with the waves and we maybe get some water down the toe rail is all. When we were in Vero I noticed the bow was so low in the water because of all the stores we have up there. She needs to be balanced. I think this is why we got so soaked. Were the waves really that big or was it because we were so bow heavy that they seemed larger?

After dropping the hook Debra noticed the V-berth was soaked as well. All the bedding had seawater soaked in and a lot of goods got hosed. Thought she was going to cry. Debra was kind of out of it for a few days while we tried to clean it all up. The kicker was the iron skillet she plopped onto the settee cushion so she could get at the oven. This quickly left a rusty ring on the seat. I thought she was going to just toss everything over and go back to the kids. I managed to remove the rust with barkeepers friend mixed into a paste and brushing it over the stain. I’m such a Suzy Homemaker.

Right now we are dried out and smelling wonderful. Like most kids we learned our lesson after getting spanked. I almost turned in my sailing card after this one. Sheesh.

While we were out there having things go wrong we always maintained a good attitude. After a while it was just funny. Pretty much chuckled every time I had to clip in to go get douched by the sea. The only really scary part was the mainsail as that could have been real trouble. We have been in worse seas in Lake Ontario. This was uncomfortable and somewhat unpredictable with the squalls so it had its own level of anxiety but nothing where we felt we were in danger. My knees were never knocking on this ride like they were that day in the Great lakes.

We got a little rusty after sitting on our asses all summer. The cabin and deck are better organized and the systems are all back in order minus the lights and mainsail slug which will be handled soon. Deb is her smiling quiet self and I’m still walking around with that stupid smirk on my face. Next time we get ready to go out there we will shift from happy go lucky cruisers to steely eyed professionals. At least until it becomes second nature again.

Cheers from paradise!

PJJB

Not sure of all the things that hapened and when because we were so tired after all that. It's actually hard to put it all together. We are not people who can just pop below and go to sleep when in the wash cycle. One of us should have slept while on the calm banks but it was such a relief at that point that we were both a bit giddy.

That's all folks!

*Don't really shoot me you crazy assholes

GO!

I forgive Iridium for not having a user friendly app and poor customer service because we were able to phone our daughter on her birthday and then receive photos of our grandson through email. I think we surprised Kelly. She probably thought something was wrong if her cheap parents were using the sat phone. It was nice to wish her happy birthday by voice instead of a text. Chris Parker weather reports and Grib files also come to us via email.

So Iridium, you have a long way to go before your GO! is suitable for the average sailor but we forgive you for your clumsiness because it works and if we can get cute pictures of our grandsons every week without an internet connection then we are happy campers.

We are sitting in Marsh Harbor riding out the big winds at anchor. Holding is excellent and the waves are nothing to speak of. Doing well. I'm working on a post about the horrible crossing. I would have had it out by now but we were too busy drying the boat out.

Cheers!
PJ


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The time has come

Just a quick post before we leave the US.

It's looking like we are crossing over to the Abacos on Wednesday morning and working our way to Marsh Harbor, where we will sit out some bad weather before continuing south. This route was not in our original plans but we knew the weather might dictate where we go so we will take it and run.

For those that have not been following us on Facebook there are some links that might be useful in finding out where we are. First off, I tweet. This is different from I toot. I will use Twitter more often when we are out there because its one of the functions the Iridium Go still has that actually works. The tweets are sent to Facebook so if you don't have a Twitter account you can see them there.

We also have a Spot device that gives our location when we want it to which is usually when we are at anchor or crossing big water.

http://www.findmespot.com/mylocation/?id=SOaXN

I will most likely be emailing the blog posts so they will not include too many photos. That will have to wait until we have Wifi. I tend to get too caught up in the scenery to be bothered with taking photos and writing blog posts but Debra loves to take photos so there will be plenty to share at some point. I also promise to take more photos and write more. However, there is a perfectly good Fender Stratocaster waiting for me to strum some tunes and I WILL be learning guitar along the way. My brain needs the exercise.

This should be a fun and interesting trip. Notice I didn't say stressful? Trying to be more positive here. Travelling is always stressful for me but there is also a ton of fun mixed in so it's all good. I'm sure there will be times when I go full Woody Allen (minus the creepy part) and Debra will eye roll me to death but lets hope it's minimal. We have eliminated some points of anxiety on this ship. New rudder and rigging helps immensely. A backup depth sounder is way cool too. Happy voyage ahead.

We met some old friends and new friends while at Vero Beach. We are totally sick of the place now but it is a convenient place to stop. Meeting people who have followed the blog was kind of interesting. Maybe a bit creepy. They were so nice that I found it hard to believe they followed the blog. I imagine for them it was like seeing a movie of a book you read. "He's nothing like I imagined. Thought he'd be taller. What does she see in him? What a knob! He's kind of quiet actually. How many beers did he have?"

We enjoyed Velcro Beach...again. Now it's time to say goodbye. Unless the weather changes we will head south on the ICW to Fort Pierce and make a left. I'm sure we will post to FB as we head out. We appear to be in good company for the crossing. Many boats are ready to go at the same time. Marsh harbor may be a bit crowded. See, there I go again with the negative. I guess it's unstoppable.

Cheers!
PJJB

Mack Snails

The summer we had in Brunswick was total fun and we met some very nice people. We made friends. We saw family. We had a good time. Maybe we had too good a time because there was plenty of work to get done that didn't, but that's OK. We are retired after all. The people we met at Brunswick Landing Marina are the best. There were some who will bust your balls for a good laugh but are there in a flash to help you out when you need it. My kind of peeps. The social hours were some of the best around and the marina made sure you were as happy as can be with the free wine and beer. If we come back to the states again next year I can't imagine there will be any slips available now that word has got out about the place. Good for them. Hopefully the old man gives the staff a good raise as well. They deserve it. 

We did have a list of items that we really needed to happen before we took off for the Bahamas and beyond. Free beer and wine slowed some of the progress on that list but we managed to knock off a few items while we were there.

1. Bottom Paint
2. Rigging inspected
3. New head plumbing
4. Provision
5. Re-bed ports

We looked at several places to get the bottom painted including the marina we were at. We got some pricing and decided on Titusville. We figured we would get it done on our way south. We installed two new toilets and re-plumbed the aft head. This was not something I enjoyed but I think it worked out fairly well as we no longer have any odor. I also reinstalled some of our ports with Butyl tape and they are now leak free. So the only thing left to deal with was the rigging. 

We found a guy to inspect the old stays and install the new rigging if needed and he came highly recommended. He was also highly expensive. He had a slight British accent even though when asked he came from Alabama. All Americans love that accent when getting lectured or sold something don't they? American Idol or Dancing with the stars - British accent guy declares you unfit to even sing a bedtime song to your child, or dance at your wedding. It must be true, he’s a smart British guy. Then there’s the Dyson vacuum that must be better than anything else because that British guy says so. So when our rigger came down and said in a Brit accent, “This is the part of my job I don’t like”, I knew we were fucked. It was like the British guy on that talent show on TV telling me my singing sounds like pulling a cat through a chain link fence.  “I condemn your rigging. My report will be emailed. Don’t sail in any wind stronger then a gentle breeze. Pleasant day. Carry on then.” The Jolly Good Rigger then charged me $250 and said he didn’t have time to do the actual rigging. Off he went down the dock. Cheerio old salt!

Well now what? After I stopped imagining myself beating people with a British accent we looked around the web for reliable riggers and settled on Mack Sails. They came highly recommended by several people and despite what happened these people are still our friends. I googled Mack Sails and received mostly positive feedback. After contacting them and getting a price quote over the phone that very minute I got a small but noticeable twitch in my brain that as I look back on now was probably my intuition saying “Run away!!” I mean, you have not even seen my boat or its rigging and you just casually lay a price on me that's not only reasonable but then you schedule a date for removal and tell me it will be done in two weeks! The only way I would have accepted that deal any faster would be someone giving me that price with a British accent. In hindsight the conversation just seemed too fast and casual without very many questions or details. It also seemed like nothing was being written down. It's like I called when everyone was out to a lunch party and I got the janitor who was pretending to take an order.

With Mack doing the rigging in Fort Pierce at Cracker Boy Boat Works we decided to let Cracker Boy do the bottom paint as well. We even got a better price than the others. So here’s how the procedure was going to go.

1. Leave Vero for haul out at Cracker Boy
2. Haul, drop mast, paint bottom
3. Launch and go back to Vero
4. Two weeks later go back to Cracker Boy and get the mast installed and celebrate. Cheers!

What actually happened.

1. Leave Vero for Haul out at Cracker Boy
2. Hauled. Dropped Mast.
3. “Hey Cap! Look at your rudder!” WTF.
4. Get quotes on rudder repair.
5. Order new rudder
6. Remove old rudder
7. Deliver old rudder to Foss Foam
8. Sit in yard
9. Sit in yard
10. Curse everyone in the yard
11. Get new rudder. Drink Beer. Cheers!
12. Mast arrives and placed next to the boat. Incomplete. WTF.
13. Curse Mack Sails!
14. Install new rudder. Drink beer. Cheers!
15. Sit in yard
16. Curse Mack Sails.
17. Bottom Painted. Drink Beer. Cheers!
18. Launch boat without mast. WTF
19. Curse Mack Sails.
20. Sit in Vero without mast. “We’re not a derelict boat!”
21. Curse Mack Sails.
22. Mack Sails finishes the mast. Drink Beer. Cheers!
23. Leave Vero for Cracker Boy
24. Install Mast. Radar not centered. Pin holes on chainplates too small. Hole for wires too small and the best for last…. NO BACKSTAY! They forgot.
25. Shoot Mack no better not, Curse Mack Sails!
26. Leave Cracker Boy for Vero with halyards for backstays.
27. Curse Mack Sails!
28. Mack sails installs backstay and two of the spreader boots. All they had.
29. Drink beer. Curse Mack sails!
30. Waiting on spreader boots.
31. Drinking beer. Cursing Mack Sails.

The mast was quoted as taking about two weeks. It's been five. Four of those weeks were spent in a dusty noisy boat yard where we had to climb a ladder to get home. They charged us an additional $10 as a liveaboard fee for use of the amenities. The amenities consisted of a one hole bathroom and shower. The shower had no curtain but if you opened the stall door all the way it would block anyone from seeing your bright white ass.

Sitting and cursing with our incomplete mast

We are not vagabonds! We  have sails!

Our finished rudder at Foss Foam

Barrier coat on the rudder

We thoroughly enjoyed this posh resort we were dropped into. The best moment was having the shower nozzle pop off and shoot out into the room sending a stream of water all over the chair holding my once dry clothes. Imagine walking in on a soapy naked fifty something gray hair bent over in the middle of the bathroom. “Oh holy Geezus! Man I’m sorry! I'll come back later.”  No worries. Just grabbing my nozzle!

Dog in the stall comes in second best. I was doing some waste management when a guy walks in with his dog on a leash. He’s at the urinal and the dog decided I was pretty interesting so he crawls under the stall and wants me to pet him. Talk about ruining the moment. “Nice dog pal, but could you reel him in please!” No apologies either. Asshole. I should have strung some toilet paper under the dog’s collar.

So there you have it for amenities. We did use the water and some of the power so I guess the ten dollars is warranted. No, it’s not. We hardly used any of it. Bastards.

Four weeks in a busy boatyard is not fun but we endured. The crew at Cracker Boy was good. They knew what they were doing but they are not cheap. Neither was the rudder but it could have been worse. Al at Foss Foam really came through for us. Good people there.

I look like I'm leaning with the mast

Hands on hips does not mean I'm
about to do the river dance. It means...
 somethings fucked up

Yep. Somethings definitely fucked up.

There was a moment in the yard when they were pulling the old rudder. I mentioned that a sling might be a good idea when dropping the rudder into the hole you just dug. "Nah, we’ll just hold it. This isn't our first day on the job you know." As they finally got the gudgeon plate removed the rudder slipped through their hands and fell into the hole. All three just looked over at me and I just shook my head. Good thing that's the old rudder boys.

Some of the new chainplates

The mast sat beside our boat for a week with nobody doing anything to it. I had to call Mack about every other day to get things moving. A crew finally showed up to re-wire the mast. They mentioned us getting a new tri color masthead light. No. I didn't ask for that. I asked for a deck light, a new sheave, radar mounted and all wiring replaced. I checked on them later and they said they didn't have a deck light and the sheave was OK. No its not! "Yes it is. We put some oil on it and it is fine." Um, no. Come with me junior. We looked at it and I asked them to remove it. I showed them how to remove the pin and then showed them the bushing pushed out of the sheave. "Oh! That's not good." No shit. You really have to watch the people working on your boat. If we weren't there I would have a non functioning oily sheave.

So here we sit in Vero waiting on Spreader booties. You believe this shit? I’m not going to lie and say this was all just a bit of fun and adventure. The truly positive people out there would turn this post into a delightful romp through the trials and tribulations of the cruising life. No, it sucked. It truly did. We were pissed off and angry and depressed at times but I have to say we mostly handled it well and with some laughter. A tear or two has been shed over our accounts but what can you do? It’s all part of this life we are chasing in a twenty five year old boat. Shits just gonna happen. 

We have had some fun moments while sitting on the dirt.

• Walking to the bar too far. It was just across the creek!
• Having the train blow the whistle for us as we walked the 10 miles to the pub.
• Getting to the bar only to find zero craft brews and only grilled cheese for veg heads.
• Visiting with Deb's Mom and Chuck. Miss you Mom!
• Seeing old friends from Western NY. You guys have not changed! Good times.
• Laughing as the train rocked the boat on the jack stands.
• Playing tunes and enjoying some brews in the boatyard.

While we were sulking in Vero some friends showed up on SV Odin. Bonnie and not Clyde (Craig) pulled in for some laughs. Thanks guys! You really eased the pain. I should probably stop saying “not Clyde” but it amuses me.

If I could describe Mack Sails I would say they are skilled at what they do, they just do it slow and disorganized. It really only takes a bit of communication with the customer and your personnel. You assign a customer a job number and a worksheet is entered into your database. The worksheet has the tasks and the materials required. Your people sign off when completed. Each job has a due date. This date may change due to material availability, staffing, etc. But you have the info for your customer and you can track your work. Its not that freaking hard these days. C'Mon Mack get with it!

So we were thinking this little string of bad luck was finally getting behind us and then don’t I lose my wallet overboard on the dinghy ride back to the boat one night! Son of a bitch.

What the hell will I do without my AARP card!

Cheers!

PJ

So I got this new keyboard for my 7 inch tablet. I squint to see the screen and my hands are close together while I'm hunched over the whole thing. I pretty much look like vermin.  But hey, blog posts.