Rants & Musings, Maintenance & Refits
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Laying-Up, A Break From Vigilence
Death by a Thousand Details
Laying-Up, A Break From Vigilence (John, 11/2009)
Phyllis and I just finished laying-up Morgan’s Cloud for the winter at Billings Diesel and Marine in Maine, where we will be replacing the engine. As always, we are sad to move off the boat, which, over the last 18 years, has become more our home than any place else.
But you know, there is a silver lining to this and that is the break from the constant vigilance that taking care of a boat in commission requires: What will the weather be tonight? Are we securely anchored? How secure is this floating dock we are tied to? Does that guy in the big motor boat coming in to dock just ahead of us know what he is doing? Is that a new noise I hear coming from the engine? Looks like a nasty gale the day after tomorrow, where should we anchor to ride it out?
Don’t get me wrong, I would still rather live afloat than on land, but there is no denying the lightness that I feel once Morgan’s Cloud is securely put away in a shed.
Yes, life on land has its uncertainties too, but somehow they don’t seem that immediate or frequent when living in a house securely attached to Terra Firma. On the other hand, issues that we have to deal with living on a voyaging boat are a lot more “real” than the plethora of details that living on land always hands out. After all, how worried can you get about choosing between a Blackberry and an iPhone when it’s blowing near gale and it’s time to reef?
So sure, I’m enjoying the break from vigilance, but it won’t be long before the benefits of land life pall. That is, other than long showers, front loading fridges, and toilets that magically flush when you push the cute little handle.
( You can view these
images larger, as well as some others from the lay-up here.)
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Death by a Thousand Details (John, 05/2007)
Over the last 35 years of offshore boat ownership (there were dinghies before that) I have done four major refits and a complete rebuild—I’m beginning to think that this may be seriously sick behavior. But, be that as it may, at this point in the process, with the launch date looming large, we have entered the phase that I call 'death by a thousand details'.
Have we got enough Spartite to chock the mast? no—make a note to order more; critical parts for the fuel system are on backorder, chase them up—that part won’t be available in time, modify the plan to use a different part; the dealer sent the wrong bilge pump rebuild kits—send them back, order the correct ones; check with the machine shop on the stove mounts; check with the welding shop on the fuel tank lids; pick up the sails…
Of course, while all this is happening, it would be a really good thing if we actually did some work on the boat.
I think what makes it all so stressful
is that we are acutely aware that one missed detail can delay, by a surprising
amount of time, actually getting to sail the boat, which I seem to remember,
albeit dimly, is the idea behind all this work.
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