by Judy Handley | Aug 22, 2015 | Cape Cod, Sailing Logs Year 10 |
Day 316, Year 10: Boat Work and Cooking
Date: Saturday, August 22, 2015
Weather: Overcast with Heavy Early Morning Rain, Cooling Down
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, MA
Note: I need to correct a couple of things I said in last night’s log. I said that the repairs had been completed on Windbird’s split ‘keel’. Sure glad the keel wasn’t split! What I meant was split ‘rudder’. I also said the new strap to protect the prop goes from the back of the bottom of the keel to the rudder. If that were true, the rudder would have trouble moving. What I meant to say was that it goes from the keel to the skeg that holds the rudder. Sorry for the confusion.
Now to today. It was raining so hard this morning at 7 am that there was no way I could sleep with the rain pounding on the hatch above me. So I got up, went out in the cockpit, and put the rubber mats that we step on when getting into the boat on top of the hatch. That stopped the terrible noise, but now I was soaked and there was no way I was going back to sleep. So I left Mark (alias ‘Sleeping Beauty’) in bed and headed straight for Heather and Jed’s. I ate breakfast there and got the Chicken Magic Mineral Broth burbling on the stove. On Thursday I made the veggie version and we roasted an organic chicken for dinner. Today I used the carcass of that chicken to make the chicken broth version of Magic Mineral Broth. I canned the veggie version, but will have to wait until tomorrow to can the chicken broth as I have to let it sit overnight so I can skim off the fat. I have no idea if this broth is worth all the trouble it is to make and can, but I know that in the spring of 2012 when Mark was going through his first chemo treatments, things were going downhill until I bought Rebecca Katz’s cookbook, “The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen” and started using her magic broth. Mark’s blood chemistry made a u-turn and his doctors have been amazed ever since at his ability to just keep on going. I haven’t made broth since last winter and I ran out of the canned supply in early summer. So making the broth is long over-due. I really think it makes a difference, so I’ll keep on making it.
Mark actually got up soon after I left and he worked on boat projects all morning. So I totally failed at getting him to rest today. He had taken the two small winches that sit on the cockpit cap rail apart so I could easily varnish around the edges. So this morning he put them back together. He also worked on cleaning and polishing the outside of the cockpit coaming. Around noon I went out to pick him up and bring him to the Heather and Jed’s. So he got a little rest this afternoon but then he went out and packed all of our books that didn’t sell at last week’s yard sale into the wine boxes I picked up at the liquor store this morning. The books were in plastic bins, but in order to drop them off at the library as a donation for their annual book sale, we needed to transfer them to the boxes so we could keep the plastic bins. Later this afternoon we delivered the boxes to the library. So that job is done.
When we got back to Heather and Jed’s I continued working on my cooking projects. I cooked dinner for tonight, so we stayed and ate there. We are now back on the boat but will return to Heather’s to can the chicken broth late tomorrow morning. At 11 am we will drive Heather’s car and our car to Quissett. We’ll leave Heather’s car there so we’ll have something to drive when we arrive back in Quissett by boat on Monday. Then we will pick up friends from the Concord Yacht Club, Beth and Bob Lux, and take them into Falmouth to a rental car agency. They sailed their boat from New Hampshire to here this week and are going to leave the boat on a mooring in Quissett for the fall. But they need to get back to work on Monday morning, thus they are renting the car to get home. We are so glad they called us and that we are going to be able to help out. After we deliver them to the rental car agency, we’ll head to H & J’s to can the chicken broth. Then it is back to Fiddler’s Cove. We invited Bruce and Jane Wooden to dinner tomorrow night. We’ll cook and eat in the club house as climbing the ladder to get onboard Windbird is not something you want to ask guests to do!
by Judy Handley | Aug 21, 2015 | Cape Cod, Sailing Logs Year 10 |
Day 315, Year 10: Day Trip to Boston
Date: Friday, August 21, 2015
Weather: Mostly Overcast with Rain in the Evening
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, MA
The short story is that we spent the day driving to and from Boston and sitting in the waiting room at Mass General Hospital. The longer story is that Mark had a CT scan today and this means arriving an hour early at Mass General to drink Barium ‘cocktails’ and then waiting for at least an hour for the scan. So two hours driving to Boston, two hours in the hospital, and two hours home—plus a little for a couple of stops along the way. Mark’s appointment was at 12:50 pm for ‘cocktails’ and 1:30 pm for the scan. But we didn’t leave the hospital until 3 pm. There was a longer wait today than usual. We were absolutely shocked that there was very little traffic all the way home—not even a Friday evening back-up of cars trying to get onto the Cape. We crossed the Bourne Bridge at 5:15 pm with no delay. Unbelievably lucky. We’ll find out the results of the scan on Wednesday when we drive back to Boston to meet with Mark’s oncologists there. Once we know the results, we can make plans for the winter. If the results are great we might sail to Culebra, Puerto Rico, for the winter. If they are mediocre, we might sail to South Carolina and on to Florida. If the results are not good, we’ll have to make some tough decisions.
The bottom repairs on Windbird were completed this morning and we will go back in the water on Monday. The split rudder has been epoxied back together, wrapped in fiberglass with more epoxy applied, given three coats of InterProtect and then has bottom paint applied. The bottom of the keel just needed epoxy and InterProtect—no fiberglass. And a new strap has been installed going from the back of the keel to the skeg that holds the rudder. This is to protect the prop from catching crab or lobster pots or fish nets. The idea is that the line from the pots of the net will just run along under the strap. After sailing through the crab pot infested waters from Marathon in the Keys to Fort Myers Beach this winter, we swore we would get that strap installed. So now it is. As I mentioned in last night’s log, further varnishing has to be delayed due to the weather. So we installed the dodger this morning and put up the bimini tonight. Windbird’s cockpit is once again covered so Mark can be protected from the sun.
Tomorrow will be another cooking day. We will head to Heather and Jed’s in the morning to continue the Magic Mineral Broth process. I made the veggie broth yesterday but just left it in the pot in the frig. Tomorrow I will make the chicken bone broth and on Sunday I’ll can the lot. I also have some other cooking projects for tomorrow, so that will be my day. I’m going to sit Mark in front of a fan and make him rest. That is not an easy thing to do, but I’ll give it my best effort.
And last, but certainly not least, we send happy birthday greetings to Mark’s sister, Mary Ellen. ME, we hope you had a wonderful day!
by Judy Handley | Aug 20, 2015 | Cape Cod, Sailing Logs Year 10 |
Day 314, Year 10: No Time to Relax Today
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2015
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Hot and Humid
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, MA
Today was a busy one with no time to relax. So much for vacation!
I started my day by sanding the cap rail and prepping it for the first coat of Epifanes Clear Varnish. I stopped long enough to drive Mark to the oncology center for his treatment and hurried back to get the varnish on before it got too hot. When we left, Scott was applying another coat of InterProtect Epoxy Primer on the rudder and the paint crew was delivering supplies they would need to paint the bottom. Scott explained that they would paint everything except the areas where he still needs to apply one more coat of epoxy. So the bottom work might really be completed tomorrow.
When I returned from the oncology center, I applied the coat of varnish to the cap rail and was just getting ready to climb down the ladder when Mark called. He had just met with Dr. Aviles and the doctor made the decision to not have Mark get a treatment today. Mark has so many different issues, most of them skin-related side effects due to the treatment, that Dr. Aviles decided his body needs a rest. This is the first time this has ever happened, but since he is getting a scan tomorrow, Dr. Aviles thought it was a good time for a break. So I drove to pick Mark up and then he went with me to Hyannis to Whole Foods. It is the only store on the Cape that has all the different ingredients I need to make Magic Mineral Broth, and I really needed to make the broth. About $200 later, we headed back to Falmouth to Heather and Jed’s where I spent the rest of the day cooking—making broth, roasting chicken, beets, acorn squash, and tiny tomatoes, washing various greens, and on and on. I could do all of this on the boat, but it would take much, much longer. Thankfully we had the availability of Heather and Jed’s kitchen this afternoon. We ate dinner there and got back to the boat after dark.
I had really hoped to be able to apply another coat of varnish before we leave for Boston in the morning, but the weather report calls for rain. And rain and varnish don’t mix. So once we returned tonight, we took the tape off from around the edges. There is rain in the forecast every day through next Wednesday. Since there’s no way to know if we’ll really get the rain, I have to assume that we will and put off additional coats of varnish until late next week. In the meantime, we have to sail the boat back to Quissett on Monday and Mark really should not be out in the sun. So we’ll put the dodger and bimini back up on Saturday. Some sunny week in September, we’ll take it all down again and I’ll put on more coats of varnish.
by Judy Handley | Aug 19, 2015 | Cape Cod, Sailing Logs Year 10 |
Day 313, Year 10: Working Vacation
Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Weather: Partly Sunny and Hot—No Wind
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, MA
There was no Camp Oma today since Heather, Jed, and boys left for a week’s vacation in Maine. So things were very quiet here without three little boys. It’s like a vacation except that we have so much boat work to be done. So I’m calling it our working vacation. I applied the last two coats of Rapidclear varnish today and will sand and apply the first coat of what Mark calls ‘real varnish’ in the morning. It looks like the fiberglass work on the rudder is completed, so the work projects are going well.
After I applied the first coat of varnish this morning, we drove to Heather and Jed’s and packed all of the boxes of books that didn’t sell at Saturday’s yard sale into the car along with a table that we needed to take back to storage. The books will either go to a used book store in Hyannis or to the Falmouth Library as a donation for next year’s big library sale. We took the table to storage and then went home to Windbird so I could apply another coat of varnish. While I did that, Mark went over to the club house to take a shower and then sit in the air conditioned recreation room to read. After I finished the varnish job, I went over to join him. I took my computer so I could work on naming photos that have never been posted. I don’t think we’ve had time to sit and relax like that all summer, so it did feel like we are on vacation. Then on Facebook we saw a photo of Heather in Maine relaxing with a glass of wine and book. I’m sure she hasn’t had time to relax like that all summer. So let the vacation continue!
by Judy Handley | Aug 18, 2015 | Cape Cod, Sailing Logs Year 10 |
Day 312, Year 10: Two More Coats of Varnish
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Weather: Partly Sunny and Windy
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, MA
Today was a two coat varnish day . . . and fiberglass cloth was applied to the bottom of the rudder. So the boat work is getting done, bit by bit.
About varnish: I use a 5 + 5 system with five coats of Epifanes Rapidclear (can be applied with only 4 hours between coats with no sanding needed) followed by a minimum of five coats of Epifanes Clear Varnish. At least this is the goal. But the current weather report indicates that this won’t happen this year. I will complete the five coats of Rapid Clear tomorrow and get one coat of Clear Varnish applied on Thursday. Then the forecast calls for possible rain on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and on into next week. So it is not the best forecast for varnishing. Hopefully the forecast changes.
About the bottom repairs: Yesterday epoxy was applied to the bottom of the keel and rudder. Today fiberglass cloth was applied to the bottom of the rudder. I’m not sure if this finishes off the applications or if more cloth and epoxy will be needed. But hopefully the repairs are completed by Thursday so that the bottom can be painted on Friday. If that happens, we should be back in the water on Monday. We shall see.
Today was out last day with Sam, Jonah, and Ollie until Friday a week from now when they return from visiting Grammy Goldstone in Maine. While they are gone we will continue the boat work, but Mark also has three of the days tied up with doctor visits. He has a treatment on Thursday of this week, a CT scan in Boston on Friday, and a follow-up appointment with his doctors at Mass General next Wednesday. The results of the scan will be shared and decisions will be made on whether we can travel this winter or whether we need to stay put here on the Cape. So next Wednesday’s appointment is a biggie. Today I felt bad that I had to spend part of the morning and part of the afternoon varnishing as it cut into my time with the boys. But Granddad pitched in and we managed to have a good day despite the work times. Ollie really wanted to go to the playground at Goodwill Park to practice hanging from the bars, so we decided to go swimming in next door Grews Pond instead of going to an ocean beach. In the past couple of years, we often spent days at Grews Pond, but this was our first visit this year. A little boy from Sam’s soccer team was there and all of the boys had a great time playing together.
I’m sure going to miss those little Goldpebbles, but when they return we have planned a sailing trip together. So we’ll make up for missed time then. In the meantime, work, work, work.
PS–Totally forgot to mention our stop at the cranberry bogs this morning. The cranberries won’t be ready until October, but this morning the work crews were cleaning out the canals that run between the fields. The boys could have spent the entire day just watching the machinery at work.
by Judy Handley | Aug 17, 2015 | Cape Cod, Sailing Logs Year 10 |
Day 311, Year 10: First Coat of Varnish On . . . Hurray
Date: Monday, August 17, 2015
Weather: Another Hot and Sunny Day
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, MA
Today was a much better day than yesterday. The boys and I went to the beach that is about two miles from Heather and Jed’s this morning and played there with Molly and Joey from next door. It took us a while to get out of the door and on our way to the beach because Sam couldn’t find his shoes. He was already quite upset about this when I arrived and it took another hour and a half of settling down before we were on our way . . . with Sam wearing Heather’s flip-flops. He has dress shoes and sneakers, but it was the beach shoes we were missing. But it all worked out as the boys all had a good time playing at home before we headed to the beach. We have had perfect beach weather all summer and today was no exception. But when all three boys said they were hungry for lunch, I called ahead to order a pizza and we headed for Fiddler’s Cove. We picked up the pizza on the way and found Granddad in the club house enjoying the air conditioning. He had finished prepping the cap rail this morning and it was now time for him to have lunch and play a game of pool with the boy so that I could escape to Windbird to do the first coat of varnish. I was almost finished when they walked over to check on me, so the timing was perfect. And I felt like shouting, “Hurray.” Having that first coat on was today’s goal and we made it. Then it was time to head home so that Ollie could have his nap. I had planned on taking Sam and Jonah back to the beach while Mark stayed at home with a sleeping Ollie, but Heather was home when we got there and Sam and Jonah decided that they would just like to stay at home. Sam and I did duck out for a bit to go shopping for a pair of Crocs for him. We never did find the missing Croc sandal and his new toed-shoes (yes, shoes with toes like gloves for your feet) were still drying from a much needed wash. We were successful in quickly finding a pair of Crocs to fit him, so hopefully we won’t have another shoe emergency before the boys leave for Maine.
Tomorrow I’ll go pick the boys up and bring them here to Fiddler’s Cove. They would like to kayak and paddle about in the dinghy. And while they are doing that with Granddad, I’ll get another coat of varnish on the cap rail. We’ll have lunch in the air-conditioned club house, play another game of pool, and then head home for Ollie’s nap. On Wednesday, the Goldstones head to Maine for a week, so Oma and Granddad will focus full-time on completing the work on Windbird. We found out today that she will probably not be ready to go back in the water until next Monday, and that is fine with us. It actually gives us more time to get the many coats of varnish on the cap rail and complete some other jobs that need to be done. When the boys return from vacation in Maine, we will have one more week of Camp Oma before school starts. Jonah and Sam got their teacher assignments for the coming year in the mail today—a sure sign that summer is winding down.
