1.29.11 Saturday
I’ve stripped all the cushion covers off to wash out the salt and wiping all surfaces for the same purpose. Emptying out lockers and reorganizing to accommodate more stores I find, yet again, more wet shit and condense a myriad of parts and tools jammed in every which way upon leaving. It’s starting to come together and when I finally get the watermaker installed, quite a few more boxes and parts will be assembled in a useful order freeing up a bit more space. When Joe arrives we tackle the “Spartite” mast collar that has been on “The List “ for 2 years, kit purchased then. A bit involved as it’s a 2 part pourable polyurethane that forms a collar around the mast to fill the space between that and the partners in the deck, replacing the normal array of wedges. We and paper and tape the area surrounding in preparation for the ‘pour’ and build a clay dam underneath to contain the compound. As they’re no wedges to keep the mast from moving, a few lines are run in various directions to lock the mast in the desired position. Once everything is set, the 2 part mix is concocted and the pour begins. All goes according to plan except for a little spillage, to be expected, hence the involved paper and tape job. After checking that we have no leaks we find that a trickle is running down the sail track groove and into the mast step, oh shit. A fast jamb of more clay with the aid of a chop stick stops it up and return to deck to pour more only to find the left over in the bucket has already started to kick and the process is done; oh well, plenty of stuff in the space but no lip on top. Now it’s time for the Tiki Bar at the marina. Very nice spot, with excellent rum drinks as we pass an hour or so of the afternoon with Joe enthralling the waitress with his wit and repertoire of jokes; very entertaining. Back to the boat to admire our work, we strip off the paper and rerig the centerboard pennant to get the board off the bottom in the falling tide; nice job with no leaks through the paper. We’ll wait until tomorrow to take off the stabilizing lines and reattach the boot and vang fitting. Joe and I head back up to the restaurant for dinner where he provides the wine (with an uncorking charge of course), and a very nice selection it is. A good day with lots of items checked off “The List” with the cushion covers laundered and dried, it’s an all evening affair fitting them back on the cushions, what a pain in the ass. Finally fall into bed at about 1 am, but I am here in South Florida and wearing shorts, no shoes. Ohhh baby, no heater tonight.
1.30.11 Sunday
And another day begins with a much more stuff to do, major item being replacing the busted engine mounts. Fred shows up with the parts I had shipped to him in Stuart and we shoot the shit for a while. He wants to come along but can’t get free until Thursday so I guess it’s just me and Charlie who is due tonight around 10 pm. The mount replacement entails lifting the engine high enough on one side to replace the mounts, no easy task as it’s a 500 pound hunk of iron. I devise a way of doing it with the aid of straps, halyard, various lines and winches; it goes off pretty well after much winching but when I let it down the forward mount hangs up on the threads of the stud and finally crashes down on the bed. No damage but a little deformation of the threaded stud making the nut a bit stiff to turn down, no big deal. Engine is realigned in no time as I don’t have to deal with the port mounts at all; within 2 thousands of an inch at the coupling, all good. With everything all bolted back together, run in gear (after another spring line rigged) and no problems. Big check mark on “The List”. The day goes on with a few stops to chat with my neighbors about adventures in cruising and other boat related issues. I’m getting used to the Florida weather, easily I might add. The marina next door, Cracker Boy Boatyard, is home to an array of high end race boats. The biggest one is Rambler at 100 feet with a 200 foot mast and 20 foot keel, all carbon fiber. What a sight! The smaller ones including ‘Titan’ come in at around 70 feet and look like outsized J-80s, all with twin rudders. They’re gearing up for the Ft. Lauderdale to Jamaica race; 800 miles and they complete it in 2-3 days, now we’re talking FAST. And so it goes for the remainder of the day, back to the Tiki Bar for a sundowner (sun being down for a while) and meet up with a prospect for additional crew. Randy seems a promising guy with enthusiasm, he builds golf courses for a living all over the country and beyond, lives in the Keys and has a boat of his own. The finals in golf are on the tube and near the end. Other patrons are enthralled as Mickelson has his caddy ready to lift the flag on a highly unlikely last shot but he misses; second is nice but not a win. After more golf stories I retire to Yawateg to await Charlie’s arrival which he does at around 10. Restaurant is closed so I raid the galley for a nosh. Yet another day at the dock.
1.31.11 Monday
More stuff to move as today we do the big provisioning and Randy has wheels so no car rental is required. We’re talking a month's worth of stuff. Beer is expensive in the Bahamas at $50-60 a case so that’s going to take up some space. Paper goods are also expensive and this will take up quite a bit more space. After a morning of little projects and shifting yet more stuff around, we decide on lunch at the bar while we wait for Randy’s arrival. Randy finally shows up and we pile into his truck (club cab thankfully) and stop at the marine supply store, the liquor store and finally Winn Dixie where we fill three carts with stuff, one is just beer, soda and water. I’m talking full carts here and the bill hits $600, Yikes! We get to the truck and totally fill the bed. OK, this is good but when we get back to the boat, all this has to go aboard and I work up quite a sweat lugging and stowing with Randy and Charlie shuffling the goods down in the only rickety cart available. Hey, I’ve got it all away; time for a cold one. Randy takes off to hit his bank for some money and is never heard from again. Charlie and I decide on dinner right there and the prime rib special is selected by both of us; good meal as we plan on leaving at 10 or so for our crossing at night. This will put us at West End in the morning for entry into the harbor. Repeated calls and texts to Randy produce no results, hope the guy is OK. He did contribute to the stores and I wouldn’t think he would just walk away from a gallon of rum. We finally slip the dock lines and head out at 11 pm, into the ocean through Lake Worth inlet, dark with no moon and a light ESE breeze. But that’s another chapter in the continuing adventures of the mighty Yawateg.
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