Falcon's Log 12
May 26, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The shock of Barbara's passing has brought a quiet solemnity over the marina. I will keep going on the boat, having made
some fair headway yesterday and feel confident I will continue today. I will remember to takes pictures today.

I have a fairly substantial collection of Classical music on the computer and have decided to let it play through so I can
separate out those tunes I like. Yesterday I listened to Bach. I found it muted, repetitive, and unimpressive. It seemed every
tune was intended for little girls in tutu's to be dancing around flower beds. Boo. Hiss. Get off the stage. Today I'll try the end
of the Bach stuff and as far into the Beethoven as I can get. I'm more hopeful with Beethoven.
May 27, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The last of the Bach stuff was better than the first, but most of what I have to say is that it was louder. One of them was a
'Mass', which I believe was a Catholic church service, and it was certainly loud and filled with a sense of doom. I never got to
the Beethoven. Maybe today.
I got the seat hatch support cleats all installed yesterday, as well as making the very detailed and troublesome cut in the
double-thick cockpit sole hatch to accommodate the pedestal socket. All in all, I'm pleased with the results and it was worth
the work. The pedestal is firm and steady. When I make the top unit, it will hold the compass, the GPS, and possibly, two or
three drink holders. I know that sounds pretty darn hopeful of me as far as having guests aboard, but it could happen.

It poured last evening. A thunderstorm arrived like Thor's Hammer. A wall of violent wind accompanied by a torrential
downpour. It was an hour before I could get out of the boat to get water for this mornings coffee.

I have plenty to do today, so it's time I got out and got busy. Later.

I'm back. Did okay today. Got the cockpit sole hatch secured, which included drilling and tapping 11 holes right up against the
walls around the hatch, which meant only being able to turn the tap 1/2 revolution, the slide the 'T' handle through the tap
driver and turn the next half revolution. All the way through 11 taps and all the way back out. I also sank seven  2 1/2 inch
screws into the aft edge. All it needs now is sealer and it'll be done until I paint the whole cockpit.
The hatch is two thicknesses of 3/4 inch plywood epoxied and fiberglassed. After I caulk it with Acrylic sealer, I'll scratch up
the surface with 80 grit paper and prime it with Awlgrip, then paint with the Ice Blue Awlgrip enamel. I also made up some
thickened West epoxy and filled in the little dents and irregularities on the ship's wheel. When that hardens good, I'll sand it
smooth and do that wrap. Oh, wait. First, I'll need to prime and paint the hub and spokes. While I'm at it, I should sand, prime
and paint the console. Hmmm. Maybe it's time I addressed the two little curved gear covers on the sides of the console, so I
can actually finish that whole section for good. I DID get the stainless ready to cut the other day by drilling out all the rivets
and removing all the extra stuff. It's going to be another one of those real dicey pains in the ass to get all the weirdly shaped
parts made right and secured properly so it doesn't look like an extra nose on one of my temples. I can do it.

One of the little joys of my life is that today I first had to get everything all dried out and wiped down from last nights rain. And
my precious sun cover is torn, so I'll have to fix that as soon as I can. It's done well, all in all, and I can't expect it to last much
longer.

Eddie gave me a small sheet of tinted Lexan to use for my compass/GPS/drink holder table for the center of the cockpit. I
think if I use my head I can make that work out pretty good.
May 28, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Donny and Barb returned last night, just before sunset. We went into the Seafood Shack to eat and got caught up. They
have a lot of little problems on the boat that need attention and Donny and I will probably have that kind of thing filling our
conversations for the next few weeks. His leg looks much better than I expected, but he says it doesn't feel so good. He
seems concerned about the internal healing, not sure it's going as good as it could.

I've been up since 4 AM. A nasty thunder cell came through and forced me to close up the boat, then it didn't rain. The cell
passed and I opened the boat back up. It's surprising how hot it gets in the closed up boat. We're talking 4 AM, now, and in
20 minutes it's stuffy and stifling. That is an issue I will discover how to address before I leave the dock. Well, okay . . . one
thing is, I can't leave a dinghy and two sheets of foam insulation over my main cabin hatch. I get that. I WILL need to be able
to open the main hatch under the rain/sun cover to allow cabin ventilation.
May 29, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

For the second day in a row, a single, small, violent thunder cell targeted and hit Cortez. It's a tiny little settlement and you
have to wonder what the odds are of such a thing. It's over now and the sun is coming out.

I lost my secret cheat sheets with all my passwords to everything I use. Naturally, I tore the boat apart until I found them. It
was a close call. It's time for me to change all my passwords again anyway, so I'll start doing that right away - and come up
with a better way to store them. A way that won't result in my having to tear the boat apart to find them again.

Had a good long chat with my son Matt on the phone yesterday. I miss the folks up north. I've got to get out of here. I'm now
busily involved in tossing out all extra clothes. I have way too many. My father gave me all sorts of jackets, sweatshirts and
gloves and every last one of them just went into the trash. I kept them out of a misplaced sense of loyalty, you know, he
treated them as 'gifts', when in truth, I was just closer than the trash bin. I told my kids they have to make believe they're
pleased with anything I give them, then toss it the minute I'm out of sight, just so they don't develop the same defects that
have twisted my life. They haven't. They're awesome, and normal.
May 30, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Yesterday was a bit of a train wreck, but I did get the cockpit hatch caulked and finally got a bright idea to correct the rudder
post situation on the lazarette deck. It shouldn't be too hard and will work for me. I also need to get the dock sun shade
repaired and back up. I need to do the modifications to the cockpit cushions and install the Velcro that will hold them in place,
then paint the cockpit and aft deck and call THAT portion of the boat DONE.

As soon as the bilge gets it's last coat of paint and the engine room sound deadening insulation dries out, I can get back to
that area and re-install the engine. Jimmy Sparksalot (I don't know his real last name) the local fishing electrician has offered
me 5 feet of 2/0 cable to use as the ground for my 2500 watt inverter. That's cool. I need to finish the heavy electrical cabling
so I can dispose of the excess copper wiring I've been carrying around with me for 25 years. Oh, you just don't know how
happy I am each time I get to unload the excess salvaged material for each area. Of course, without it, I couldn't possibly
have built the boat, but it sure is good to select out the last needed items and say goodbye to the rest. 2/0 copper cable at
West Marine is now listed at about $15 or $16 per foot. It's ridiculous. Counting the two 30 foot pieces that power my
windlass at the bow, Falcon has somewhere between 120 and 150 feet of heavy cabling aboard. Split the difference at 135
feet and by West Marine prices, that's over $2000 in battery cable alone, not counting the lugs and heavy duty shrink tubing.
Admittedly, I have an awesome system - yes, awesome - I said it - but still . . . . that's a lot of money for one small part of the
boat.

I'm going outside to get started. Be back later.
May 31, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Okay, it's much later. Tomorrow actually, or today if you're one of those who insist on 'keeping it in the moment'. I got the
sunshade repaired and re-installed on the dock and did all the cushion work. The cushion work took much longer than I'd
hoped - mainly because I had to take the first one apart after finishing it and do it over. It was being obstinate and insisted on
curling up a little, like a potato chip, and had a nasty patch of wrinkles as well. Cushions require more attention to detail than I
am willing to apply at first. Well, what do you expect - it's a rare, rare thing to be doing cushion work and people my age
forget the learning curve every time we go to the bathroom.
The foam inside also had to
be cut down and the job isn't
perfect, but it works fine and I
don't have to lift the cushions
any more to open the battery
switch locker/step lid. The
seats are also in need of a
scrubbing, but that can wait a
little longer.

Today I intend to address the
rudder post problem and get
that taken care of. Once it is,
I can paint the whole cockpit
and deck and make Falcon
look a whole lot better. Hmm.
I should REALLY finish
tarring the rigging before
painting the deck, but, well,
maybe not. The rigging can
wait and I'll come up with a
good drop-cloth system to
protect the deck at that time.
Yes, that's right, that's right. I forgot about the covers to enclose the ends of the steering rack quadrant. Maybe I'll be able to
finish those today as well. It could happen. It's another day for you and me in paradise. Phil Collins. I don't care how much I
have left to do as long as I can keep getting some done every day. Sooner or later I'll reach a level of completion that will
allow me to leave the dock and continue the work while on the move. It will also allow me periods of undisturbed time that I
can apply entirely to the writing. I need two to three weeks at a time to edit each manuscript into final form.
It's noon and I've made good headway on the rudder post, which is above left, completely covered in a slurry of West epoxy
and graphite. I cut and hammered into position a small mahogany block, then epoxied it in place. Next, I scraped and cleaned
the stainless rudder post and coated it with WD40, then made up the graphite slurry and troweled and vibrated it into
position, filling the entire void all the way down to the Teflon bearing block. I went to work on the console wings and fairing
and filling any voids in preparation for the last two little sections of the console that will enclose the exposed steering gear,
including cutting out the two stainless sheet covers I intend to use. That's not really carved in stone just yet, though. Just
before coming in to get something to eat, I tried the steering and ou-la, the WD40 worked! The graphite set up and the post
rotated freely inside. Too cool. Now, the graphite simply acts like more bearing surface at the top of the rudder post. To finish
that item, I'll smooth the deck surface and install a small inspection port that will give me access for an emergency tiller. How I
accomplish the emergency tiller is still a matter of some speculation. I have some ideas but haven't settled on anything just
yet. After lunch, the epoxy outside will all be cured and I'll be able to cut and install the last pieces for the wings.
June 1, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Today is the first day of hurricane season, so . . . . here I am again . . . . still here . . . . still not able to leave. No big deal. I'm
getting closer. Made good progress yesterday. Turned the aft deck filthy when I ground the graphite down - black powder
everywhere. I just took the hose and hosed it off. Got the two upper plates for the wings made and installed and this morning I
plan on epoxying them and maybe fiberglassing them - yes, yes, okay, I'll fiberglass them. I'll also final fair the area around
the rudder post and touch up a few other areas on the deck/cockpit that could use a bit of smoothing prior to getting a good
dose of Awlgrip primer and paint. When I'm done with this phase, it will be the very first time since I started the project in 1985
that the deck and cabin could be called 'finished'. I'll probably takes some pictures.

I've also sorted out the final configuration and location of the inverter and the cables. Yesterday I had a talk with Randy about
a vibration problem on Lil' Toot since he's had the transmission repaired. I obligated myself to do an alignment on the boat for
him on Tuesday or Wednesday, but it's mostly to show him how the job is done correctly. A lot of people think they know what
the job entails, but still wind up with vibration. I did it professionally for years and consequently know the truth - there is only
one 'right' way to do it and a properly aligned engine does not have an alignment vibration, period.
It's only 11 AM and I've already gotten a lot done. The wing tops
are epoxied and glassed, the deck around the rudder post is
faired, the line for serving the wheel is washed and is drying, the
small vacuum cleaner is cleaned and dried, the entire cockpit has
been sanded and vacuumed, and the Velcro for the cushions is
glued and stapled to the cockpit seats. Oh, and the cockpit drains
are opened up with a grinder. When I was taking a shot of the
drying line, a couple of dolphins started playing right at the end of
the dock, so I asked them to pose for me. They mooned me.
AS I was taking a break before coming in here, it occurred to me that I have a couple of irritating little leaks at the aft end of
the anchor davits on the foredeck, and if I'm going to take down all the canvas and clear the deck, prep and tape everything
and paint the entire deck, cabin and cockpit, I should fix those damn leaks. Nothing is ever simple. There's always something
in the way that needs doing first. Well, there's no cure for it except to do it. I can't allow the leak to start rotting the decking on
the foredeck. Or the huge cross-beam the threaded rod is secured through.
June 2, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Had a good day yesterday as far as making progress on Falcon. Today may be another story as I've promised Randy an
engine alignment and, as it turns out, we'll be having a bit of a dock party tonight before Eddie and Sandy take off for a three
week cruise to points south. Got an early start today, though. The sun is just rising and I've been up for almost two hours. I've
done my mail and surfed through the web sites and cruising logs I follow. I swear, there are some very questionable
individuals out there banging about on boats. I'm going to have to try to keep my head down so as not to be counted among
them. Unless I already am. I mean, that's possible. Well, what are you gonna do?

I got a lot done yesterday and should go right out there and slather on some primer outside and middle blue inside today.
That way, it will dry while I'm on Lil' Toot and I won't have to be here smelling it all day.
The color of the wheel looks darker than it is as the sun has not yet risen high enough to light it up. With the freshly washed
white 3-strand served on the outer ring, it should look pretty good - and feel good on the hands. The dawn is calm but
overcast with predictions of rain today. We'll see what happens.
Randy must be busy at school. He's been running the organization
since Barbara got sick and passed. He said he might not be able to
make it on Tuesday. Anyway, I got the cockpit cleaned and primed. I
also went up onto the rear deck around the rudder post and did the
entire console, including inside the bottom of it. I will be mounting the
cockpit VHF radio there - I think. I really need to get those wings
finished. They only need the covers made and installed.
June 3, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

We had a nice dock party last night with Eddie, Sandy, George, Henry, Donny, Barbara, Richard, Angie and me. Too much
food and plenty of time to eat as much as we could of it. Eddie and Sandy left on Tarquin a few minutes ago (7 AM) for a
three week cruise south. It's supposed to rain pretty good today, so they are staying inside and heading down the ICW
toward Boca Grande. I've already cleaned up the boat and secured the tools on the dock and whatever else in preparation for
the rain, so I'm pretty much ready for the day. Randy may or may not show up for the engine alignment today. My feeling is -
why get everything all taken apart just to get rained on? - so we might postpone until we get a better weather window.
June 4, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Another day of threatened rain without a drop landing anywhere near Cortez. I got a little done one the business cards, which
I do have some fun doing, and I just returned from a "boat stuff" shopping trip with Donny. I got a small inspection port to
cover the remains of the rudder post on the aft deck, some lightweight reading glasses for this computer work, some ant
poison to address the problem of those tiny sugar ants that has invaded every boat in the marina, and a roll of that spectra
core super fishing line to use to repair the thin brass covers on the bottom of the compass I got from Randy. The covers are
all split down the sides from being over tightened. I like to wrap them with the spectra line, epoxy over the line, then use a
high UV resistant varnish over that. It makes for a good look and a secure fix and has no effect on the magnetic properties of
the compass.

Well, just here to keep in touch today. Need that weather window to get the engine alignment done as well as painting on the
deck and cockpit. Still need to fix those little deck leaks way up forward, too.
June 5, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Another day of dire predictions concerning rain blah blah blah. I'm pretty sick of it. I'm working anyway - I just won't get all
scattered with exposed tools and materials, so I can pick up and run for shelter if I have to. So far this morning I've been
working on the compass Randy gave me. It's a 1947 Wilfrid O. White 5 inch Constellation made by Danforth, and it's a pretty
good compass. My other compass is also a Danforth Constellation with a slightly smaller card and profile, but when I looked
at them both side by side, I decided the White had a much clearer and easier to read card and opted for it, even though I love
the old style overly complex card. I might install it somewhere below just because I'm too lame to give it up. I believe it is a
Kelvin White model. Both items are equiped with compensators.
The pan and compensator on the Wilfrid White version are larger than on the Kelvin White, so I was unable to swap out the
undamaged items and have a good unit. Consequently, I had to come up with a viable fix that I could live with. While many of
the more critical internal parts are still available online, these are not.
The cracks in the compensator pan were more severe than those in the diaphragm pan, but each pan had about 8 to 10
cracks. These occurred when the mount screws were over-tightened. The compass is also of the 'Pintle and Gudgeon' mount
variety, which I am obliged to remove because I simply can't find a way to use it in my application. I tried - believe me. It's all
brass so those will have to be cut off and polished smooth.

What I finally did to fix the thin brass pans was to wrap them with Power Pro Superline fishing braid. First, I wrapped them
tightly with 10 pound mono filament in order to compress the splayed tops, then applied the super braid and removed the
mono. Later, I'll epoxy the braid and paint the entire compass Largo blue - like the hull - oh, yeah - I'm not restoring antiques
here - I'm building my boat. People will be all, like, "Yo, Dude! Where'd you get the blue compass?" And I'll be all like, "Oh,
umm, yeah! I found it in a Goodwill for $1.59 and painted the boat to match." Because I'm like that.

I went out to get new, non-magnetic hardware to attach the brass pan and compensator back onto the compass and had to
settle for what I could get. It'll work fine. Next I went to the county Tax Office and renewed my truck registration, then off to
Goodwill for a new supply of work T shirts. $1.59 each. How do you beat that? While waiting in line to pay for them, the skies
opened up and we've been getting deluged for an hour now. I'm glad I closed up the boat 'just in case'. It's tapering off now.

I tried out that new ant poison last night before bed. The instructions were all filled with dire warnings about how to use it and
keep it away from food prep areas (how do I do that when the tiny critters are all over the galley?) but I took the warnings
under advisement and applied the liquid where I thought I should to get the best effect. So far today, there are no ants. And I
mean, NO ANTS ANYWHERE? Good grief! This stuff is awesome! Truly, I have only found like 3 toes up dead ants. The rest
are either dead or have moved out in disgust. I will never be without a bottle of this stuff on the boat again. You know, little
tiny sugar ants WALK ON YOUR FACE AT NIGHT when you're trying to sleep, the little cold-footed creeps. They should
wear warm slippers when scampering around at night. You know, those huge Palmetto Bug cockroaches will run right over
your bare skin at night, too. They move fast. I take care of them the minute they show up. They come in over the docklines.
June 6, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

An old and close friend from Massachusetts, Tony Harling, just wrote and reminded me of an incident that happened back
when I worked for Wally Rogers at 'Wally World', (his yacht service) in Winthrop. Wally leased a brand new Toyota pickup
truck for the company and I was using it on a Saturday night to go to a meeting in town. Right after the meeting Christine and
I returned to my own shop at the north end of the building so I could retrieve the keys for Wally's shop at the south end of the
building and put the new truck inside Wally's shop.

I left Christine sitting in the truck and had a slight 'space' moment when I turned off the truck and put the gear shifter into
neutral. You see, I meant to either put it in neutral and set the emergency brake, OR, turn it off and leave it in gear. Yeah. I
couldn't find the keys right away and in a minute or so, Christine came in looking for me, just as I happened to be coming with
the keys. We went outside and the truck was gone.

"What the hell?" I remember saying, "How the f*** could anyone steal it that fast?"

Then I heard voices down on the dock. A woman was saying, "Is there anyone inside it?"

Christine and I went to the edge of the embankment leading down into the harbor water and saw the two red tail lights, still
on, glowing below the surface. Bummer. I sank the new truck. It had about 100 miles on it. To tell the truth, the thing that
bothered me most was the box of my tools and my two expensive grinders in the back.

Thinking I would jump in and attach a tow cable to the bumper, I called the police and asked them to send a tow truck over to
pull it out. Well, it was a Saturday night and there must not have been anything else going on in Hooterville, which is a town
so closely identified with Winthrop that the two are politically interchangeable, because every cop car, fire engine, rescue
vehicle, ambulance and tow truck in town showed up. In fifteen minutes, the entire street was clogged with flashing light
vehicles and the uniformed men who manned them. At least four different guys, who I at first just saw as 'close talkers',
interviewed me as to what happened. It was only when the last one turned to another after speaking to me and said, "No, I
don't smell no booze," that I realized they were just checking to see if I was drunk. The head cop informed me that there was
no way they could allow me to hook up the tow truck cable - that the situation now - as it should be - was that only a certified
State Police diver could assume the risk of getting below a sunk vehicle to attach the cable.

We waited for over an hour for the diver to arrive. In the quiet and dark, at least fifteen cops, firemen, and other official
personnel lined the edge of slope looking down at the glowing lights below the water. One of the firemen asked, "When did
this go in?", and I told him an hour and a half ago.

"What a great battery," he said, "what a shame to lose that." We all laughed and the diver finally got there and the truck was
hauled out. Unbelievably, there was not a drop of fuel or oil that escaped from the truck. The cops checked the controls to
verify that they were exactly as I said. I took my soggy tools out of the back and the truck was towed off. Wally never forgave
me. What are you gonna do?
Yesterday when I got back, I forgot to mention that the
beloved and much ballyhooed dock sun shade was hanging
in tatters on the dock, as forlorn a stormy remnant as might
ever be seen. Yeah, yeah, I know about the dialogue, but I'm
practicing for a novel I'm working on. Anyway, the thing is
scrap and I'm going to toss it. I just went to Ace Hardware
and got a 9 x 12 cheapy tarp to fill in until I can make my
break. I'm not willing to fix the old played out sail, but it's still
too brutal to sew on the dock without shade.

To the left is the compass, now with the spectra braid fishing
line wrapped on the cracked pans and the pintles cut off. I
did them with a 10 inch blade held in my bare hand while
trying to watch a stupid movie on TV last night. I'm pretty
sure it took over an hour, though the movie made it feel
much longer. I'll smooth the spots on the compass and prep
it for paint and polish the plastic dome. Right now, the light is
an awesome original incandescent unit with a red filter, but I
expect eventually to replace it with a variable brightness LED
inside the holder. Sweet.

The closer I get to mounting the compass and GPS, the
more I'm thinking that I should mount the post somehow
semi-permanently, or come up with a way to seal the post in
the socket better. Right now, the fluted texture of the post
allows water to flow right into the socket. If I bring a 12V feed
up through the bottom of the socket, then I'll have water
flowing into the bilge any time it gets into the cockpit, and
that is something I have an aversion to. I don't like cockpit
leaks into the bilge. They are bad.
I used this way oversize line to serve the wheel.
When I started, it was a huge wad of loose 1/4"
three-strand and it was so difficult to pass
through the wheel for every wrap that I stopped
and wound it into a large ball. That worked
much better.

Like so many other one-time events in the
building of the boat, I got this wrapping down
just about as I was finishing. Consequently, I will
go over it, tightening it up a little better, before I
tie it off, leaving a few extra wraps down the
kingspoke, as it is now. I like the feel of the
much larger diameter tube and I think it looks
pretty good. This finishing of the outside of
Falcon is a huge achievement in the completion
of the boat. It means the end is near.

I got the headache with a vengeance this
afternoon and finally threw in the towel and took
the pills.
June 7, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

In 5 days the broadcast TV signal will go full digital and I can't wait. I'm a little tired of watching the signals come and go
during shows I'd really like to be able to see. Today, the Formula One race in Turkey is being broadcast and that would be
good to see, but it's on Fox 13, one of the weakest and most unreliable stations on the air, so we'll see.

I tried out the new tarp yesterday and it fits okay. Well, sort of okay. I can live with it. But it's very light and snaps all over the
place with just a hint of breeze. I might have to toss something over it or come up with another solution. The nice thing about
the old sail was that it was extremely rugged and strong and could take a huge beating. I have alternatives.
June 8, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Once again I awake with a crippling headache. I hate starting the day with a pill, but it's either that or get nothing done. At
least the new, lighter version of the Benadryl seems to work without making me weak and groggy. I really need to get more
work done on the boat. Really. One way or another, I need to make good headway today or risk feeling once again that I'm
getting nothing done. Even though I AM getting little done here and there, it's not enough. Got to see the chips fly.
June 9, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The headache yesterday was really, really bad and didn't ease off until I went out and got more intensive pain killers. Even
then, it lingered some until I went to sleep. Gratefully, it is gone this morning and I did accomplish a little yesterday. For a
couple of months or so I've been intending to try and slip 'Date Years' into the 'Building Falcon' section and I got most of that
done. Oh, yeah . . . . it rained yesterday. I also managed to epoxy over the spectra braid and the brass pans on the bottom of
the compass. I should really try to get the coat of Ice Blue on the cockpit and the aft deck today. It looks like we might get a
good weather window for it.
Finally finished the console wings today. Yes, yes, I know that up close the boat looks like Fred Flintstone carved it out of a
rock, but that particular kind of 'finishing' can be done easily, a little at a time, once I'm off the dock and moving. It's strong,
water-tight and looks just fine. Once the sealer cures, I'll prime it and get on with the painting. The cosmetic covers that
belong on the shift and throttle mounts will be painted Largo Blue before being re-installed, and I think I'll paint the shift ball
blue and the throttle ball red, just because why not. I need to make a final decision on the mounting of the compass and get
that done, as well as the GPS and a power socket for the big mega CP spotlight that every obnoxious yachtsman needs to
keep in his cockpit to annoy other boaters with.
June 11, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I worked on getting the aft area of the boat ready to paint yesterday, cleaning, organizing, scraping and sanding. I also primed
the stainless sheet steel covers I made and installed on the console wings, then rethought the entire process, trying to
anticipate any glitches that might sour the job, like something I couldn't do after already mixing the paint and consequently,
losing the expensive paint. I decided to make one more run to Home Depot for steel paint trays (these epoxy pints dissolve
the plastic ones) as well as more chip brushes, small foam brushes, masking tape and mixing sticks. I did that this morning,
so I'm just about ready to get started painting this big area. Be back later.

Okay, I'm back. I worked on the aft deck and cockpit some more, taped everything off that I'm going to, vacuumed the whole
area and applied the first coat of Ice Blue. It's about a million degrees outside, so it should dry fast. I did the entire rear deck
from the aft cabin bulkhead to the transom and everything in the cockpit except the seat tops and the battery switch hatch.
The sun is so bright outside right now that the camera was unable to adjust enough to get better pictures under the Bimini.
It needs another coat, plus some non-skid on certain areas, and I will also paint the tops of the seats. I ran out of paint on the
first coat. I'm pretty pleased. It looks good.
June 12, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida
Making hay while the sun shines. Got the second coat on over the aft deck and the cockpit, as well as coating the tops of the
seats for good measure. I still have a bunch of little shards of masking tape to cut off and some tiny touch-ups with the Ice
Blue, but this section is done. I used an old salt shaker to get the non-skid compound distributed wherever I wanted it. I also
got the primer areas on the cabin sides and side decks coated once, as shown below. Tomorrow, I'll do whatever prep needs
doing on the cabin roof and forward areas and tape what needs taping - oh, crap - I forgot - I still need to seal those bolts on
the anchor davits - okay, I'll do that, too. THEN I'll finish the Ice Blue painting.
I'll need to install the wheel and pulpit and compass and radio, blah, blah, but that should all be fairly quick and
straightforward. From that point, the outside will be good to go off the dock and all that will be left are certain essentials
inside, most of which are also fairly straightforward. I'm getting closer to leaving.
June 13, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I stripped off some more of the tape shards and painted the throttle and shift balls red and blue respectively. I also painted the
lever cover plates Largo Blue and installed them with the wheel and level balls.

Earlier in the day I removed the dinghy and panels from the cabin roof and hung the foredeck anchor rodes off the anchors to
clear the deck for painting. I also removed the four long - 12 inches each - leaking anchor davit bolts and did a good job (this
time) of sealing the areas and re-installing them, this time, tightening them up properly. It's impossible to guess how or why I
did that bit wrong the first time. It's possible that I was thinking about coming back and completing their installation later, then
just plain forgot. Who knows. Maybe I thought the first job was good enough. It wasn't. Anyway, ,it's done right now.
I'm pleased with the way the brightly painted and shiny lever balls came out. I used clear automotive spray paint over the red
engine paint on the throttle, and just a single coat of Largo Blue on the shift. Still, I'm wondering if I've left myself open to odd
comments around the marina about my brightly colored shiny balls. We'll have to wait and see.
The dinghy is a huge pain in the ass to manhandle on and off the cabin roof, so I'm putting together a system of using the
foresail gaff and an old boom vang to raise and lower the unit. I will still have to turn it over and place it in position on the
cabin roof, but now I can easily move it from the boat to the dock or the water and back again without difficulty.