another day in the boatyard

Another day in the boat yard…

I’ll blog about my day and then I might not blog everyday if it is the same kind of thing but different project. So here was my boring day as a news worthy blog. They are all like this – blah-bloggably-boring for most of you but exciting full of learning for me and Ben.

Well today was not typical cuz we were a bit more lazy than normal. I woke up my usual way… thinking about work and how to improve it or what kind of a webinar I want to teach.  I have my full Deaf mentor webinar finished in my head now I just have to video it.

It is cold here so getting out from a warm down sleeping bag is tough… very tough! Especially when your hubby is snoring away in slumber. He stays up later than me and I get up earlier than him.

I got out easier than normal cuz I got a hot flash and then it is easy to get dressed in a cold place. (48 degrees this morning)

I made coffee as usual. Now it is essential to make something warm to drink. Then I perused through the sailing maintenance handbook. Thought I would learn something… seacock’s came to me since they need to be lubed and exercised.  I read 3 pages of how it is important to make sure your seacock’s are in good working order. Blah blah blah but never once did it say what to use? WD40? Grease? Silicone? Vegtable oil? Nothing? But I can tell you it is important.  So I asked the local boatyard guru everyday boater, Ken, and he said just work them and if you need use vegetable oil. All that reading for nothing.

Then I went to bilge pumps a full chapter was on where to put it, how to hook it up but no where is there how to service your “manual” bilge pump. Crazy again! My philosophy in life is… if someone can teach you why read about it!

I next read about diesel fuel polishing. Diesel fuel gets micro bacterial stuff in the fuel and makes it gunky.  So I perused the internet and found a youtube video.

Ben then woke up and I said we can do this. He asked where do we rent a polishing unit? No clue.

I went to the boatyard bathroom which by the way is one shower and one toilet for about 25-30 people! The toilet is often plugged and 50% of the time there is no toilet paper! Annoying! There was Mabel the best character ever! She’s got your back. She is the sister of the person that owns the place. I asked her where to rent a diesel polisher and she points to the shed and says, ‘Oh Rocky (that is her nephew that runs the boatyard) he rents a polisher” SWEET!

So all my researching was for naught! Ben says I could have stayed in bed!

Ben and I biked to Woody’s house, a local sailor that we meet at the st mary’s yacht club. He and his wife are very sweet and made us lunch.

Then Ben worked really hard at hooking up our shore power as we popped the circuit breaker last night. We networked in the yard with people about various items on our list that we don’t know what to do. 

Then it was time to go to the st marys yacht club meeting. Which is on a houseboat on the river. You walk to the public dock and wave your hands and they will come and dinghy you out to the boat.  There we ate brats, and hamburgers and the reason why we went was so Ben could have a brownie. But while there we networked and got a name of a woman who just was at the Galapagos! We will give her a call when we have time or an email. Exciting and we have gathered more important information for our journey. People are our biggest resource! The boating community is so amazing! They are welcoming and knowledgeable, caring and sweet!