Day 319, Year 8: Dinghy Decision Made
Date: Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Weather: Sunny Day, Warmer Than Yesterday
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
We did it. We ordered the West Marine RIB-310. It meets 3 of our 4 ‘bottom line’ criteria for the perfect dinghy for us and the price was right.
+Number 1—rigid inflatable (hard bottom) versus a dinghy that can be rolled-up
+Number 2—light enough for us to handle but heavy enough to carry our 15-horse motor
+Number 3—made of hypalon (UV resilient) versus PVC (not UV resilient)
–Number 4—16-inch tubes versus 17-inch tubes (provides a more stable, drier ride)
We got Numbers 1, 2, and 3, but not Number 4. Later in the day after we had placed our order, we got a call from a friend who could get us the Caribe that would meet all the criteria at the wholesale price, but that was still twice what we are going to pay for the West Marine dinghy. It was a hard deal to pass up, but ye old budget said to stay with the West Marine RIB (rigid inflatable dinghy). If I get a little wet going to and from shore in rough seas, I’ll just have to remember that sailing is a watersport and grin and bear it.
The rebuilding of the aft cabin floor is completed. This just involved the floor on either side of the entry way leading from the aft cabin to the aft head. We thought we were going to strip the varnish off the entire head floor and a section of the aft cabin and then apply epoxy and varnish. But in the rebuilding process, where epoxy got on the unfinished wood, it matches the rest of the floor just fine. So Mark will epoxy the top of the boards that need refinishing, lightly hand-sand the varnished floor boards surrounding those boards, then put a coat or two of varnish on all. This is a two to three-day job rather than a week-long job, so that is good.
Mark spent his morning going to a chiropractor for a neck and shoulder issue and I went to Heather’s to continue our Wednesday house cleaning frenzy. In theory, I am supposed to get to spend time with Ollie while Heather cleans, but when momma is at home, Ollie prefers momma. So we switch off spending time with Ollie and cleaning. This is our third Wednesday with three to go, but somehow we don’t seem to be making the progress we had hoped. The old saying that something will not get done, not even in a “month of Sundays” applies here. All of the projects we had hoped to accomplish will never get done in a “month or even six-weeks of Wednesdays”—but we’ll make a dent. Today we got the tomato sauce canned, the last of the kitchen cabinets that are used for food storage cleaned, and one of the two downstairs closets cleaned out. Inch-by-inch, we’ll get there.
Tomorrow it is my turn to go to the chiropractor. The neck issues that I had last winter in South Carolina have not returned, but I want to check-out the chiropractor here just in case I might need him at some point. I should have made this appointment back in July after my last appointment at the Spine Clinic at Mass General, but it has taken me two months to find the time to make the call.
In one month from today, we should be headed south—weather permitting. Mark has a routine CT scan on October 15 and an appointment on the 16th with his oncologist in Boston. We will then head back to Windbird and make our departure as soon as the weather looks good. October 18 is a full moon, so that sounds like a great time to start the passage to the Chesapeake Bay. But that means that we have just one month left to get ourselves ready. Windbird is always ready to sail, but we have that list of boat jobs that we hope to get accomplished between now and then. Time to get busy!
