Falcon's Log 15
July 14, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida (Cont.)

When these dry good and hard I'll burn off the flaky Volan with a palm sander and 220 grit paper. It comes off very easily.
Then hand sand the surface very gently and apply whatever else is needed, as far as Volan, until the blocks are completely
covered and smooth. The coating is only to protect the delicate foam from errant feet and other little things. It provides a
pretty tough film of skin with not much weight. The thick layer of 1708 across the top is really to provide a seriously tough and
strong backbone to keep the blocks attached to the foam and the foam attached to the seats. It's coming along good.
The Layer of Volan REALLY toughens up the surface, though I have to stipulate that I will NOT be suckered into trying to fair
the surfaces flat or artistic or many other such nonsense. This project has already taken much longer than I would have liked
- but, like so many other things, I will only know how to do it once it's done - and I have to be sure it's done right so I never
have any trouble with it. I'm in the 'home stretch' now anyway.
July 15, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The heat and the long work day conspired to make me just lazy enough to not completely clean up last night, so I started at
about 7 AM this morning and got the dock shipshape bright and early. I also started early with the sitting down and yakking
with folks and before you could shake a stick there was me, Eddie, Henry, Sparky Jim, Walt, and Donny all under the shade
and talking about a dozen things at the same time. Eventually, it moved down to the restaurant area and Gene joined us -
he's back from Arkansas - and he was also working on his engine cooling pump, like Eddie, and that sparked another round
of 'Who shot John', and I sauntered off to Falcon and finally got some work done.
I cut and sanded the flash off the flotation blocks, then added the finishing layer to the bottoms and over the ends. As you can
see, these will need very little, and only light, hand sanding to be ready for paint. I still have to do the final cut for clearance
for the bilge pump, but a little at a time, I have finally settled on a fine solution for the mounting of the pump and the location
of the discharge tube. I picked up the supplies today at Ace Hardware and will do the pump installation tomorrow, taking a
couple of pictures, naturally.

Once the pump is installed, I'll cut out the necessary foam for clearance, seal the foam inside the cutout and the mast
penetration, then paint the mast step, the bilge pump pipe, the flotation, and anything else that needs to be Ice Blue (Like one
or two areas of Falcons deck that could use 'just a tad more'.)

The last thing will be to increase the seat fasteners and epoxy the holes for the screws, and if I get nervous enough, I may
add a few screws from the outside of the hull into the seat cleats, just to be SURE they can't come loose. Final assembly, a
little varnish, and splash. I hope it stays warm because the first thing I intend to do is sink it. I have to see how it is to turn it
over, then right it, get into it full of water, and bail it out. Practice makes perfect, and makes sure it works. In case you're
wondering, it is not my intention to do this with Falcon when she is done.
July 16, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

After much internal concern about the mounting of the dinghy bilge pump, the flotation, the security of it all and the
appearance, all issues are settled satisfactorily in my mind and I can't wait to complete this dragging project and put it behind
me. It stands firmly in the way of finishing Falcon and getting out of here, but it has to be done.

We all got together to watch the launch of the Shuttle last night at 6:03 PM and stared in amazement at the Eastern sky
where we saw nothing at all. Not a thing. Not a glimmer, a shadow, a smoke trail or a spark. It was inspiring. We all agreed to
do it again sometime.
Drilling the hole for the upper fitting prove more
difficult than anticipated because I'd forgotten
about the stainless steel screws I'd used to
assemble the dagger-board trunk. A little Dremel
work fixed that and the tiny PCV outlet was
quickly fashioned and put in place. I will seal and
screw this tube into position, then use something
like 3M 5200 to attach the bilge pump into the
tube and down to the deck. I have high
confidence.

Below, you can see how completely hidden the
bilge pump is, so I'm sure it will fail almost
immediately and be a real pain in the ass to
change. All the flotation has been sanded and
the last spots and areas (where clearance for the
pump was made) were coated with epoxy. Once
dry, I'll paint and install them.
Today has been another stifling, sweltering day where even short stints in direct sunlight sucked the energy out of you. It is
just after nine PM now and the first coolish breezes off the water are bringing the temperature down to a bearable level.

This afternoon I took a drive up Cortez Street to get brake fluid for the truck - the 'ABS System' and 'Rear Brakes' lights were
glowing on the dash - and got fuel for the truck. The brake fluid cured the lights and the diesel was only $2.53 a gallon. I fuel
up about once every 2 months when it gets down to half a tank. I don't use the truck much.

Next I stopped into Home Depot and got a new propane torch, some 5200 Fast Cure (small tube for the dinghy bilge pump
mounting), some more chip brushes, foam paint rollers and small, plastic tubing hanging clamps to help secure the bilge
pump discharge line.

Tonight I liberated a pair of tubing ends for Donny from a small stockpile of such stuff, to help mount his radar mast.
July 17, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I woke up a bit late this morning, but started working almost immediately. I sanded and primed the flotation blocks, drilled the
extra screw holes in the seats, finished fitting the bilge pump and installed it. The primer I used is the Awlgrip 'Eat Maximum
Foam' variety of white 545 primer. It only ate away at two tiny spots on the foam, one on the center piece and one on the front
piece. I'll have to make up a bit of epoxy filler and fix the tiny holes. Fortunately, it only dissolved a small bit on each and didn't
go 'China Syndrome' on me, boring a hole all the way through. You can see the worst one below on the center block, which is
actually the forward block on the boat. It's a small divot right on the closest upper corner.
The PVC pipe is properly glued together, the secured to the boat and in the upper hole with only 5200. I used an 'O' ring and
5200 to seal the pump to the pipe, and 5200 to secure the pump down to the deck. The cords only provide clamping pressure
and will be removed tomorrow after the 5200 Fast Cure is completely cured. I also used a bit of that super sticky aluminum
insulation tape to seal off the tops of all four water inlet grills at the bottom of the pump. This will allow the pump to remove a
lot more water before sucking air. I don't think it will throttle down the volume because I left plenty of grill for water to get in.

I just got back from having lunch with Randy in the Seafood Shack. He bought and it was goooood. He is on his way out
sailing now with Carol Ann - note proper spelling, she told me today. I'm about done with the dinghy work today. That primer
needs some serious overnight drying time. I also fixed the two little holes with Donny and Randy watching and all three of us
wondering why I was fussing over such little specs that no-one will ever see anyway. I referred to my disturbing mental
condition that has led me down this never ending trail in the first place and we were all satisfied that we understood.

I spent the afternoon talking with Carol Ann, doing laundry, and discovering that I have also been misspelling Jeff Holloway's
name. Jeff Holloway. There. Now, remember, Ben.
July 18, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Today promises rain, though I'm not sure if any will fall right on the Seafood Shack Marina. One particularly nasty thunder cell
just passed to the close North, probably dropping some rain on Anna Maria Island, but so far, we are dry. It's hot and steamy,
though and the close proximity of storms bring cool breezes that are most welcome. Not much breeze going on inside the
boat just now, however.
I started right off by removing the strings holding the bilge pump in position so the 5200 could cure. It worked excellent and
the pump is solid. In short order, I mixed up some of the Ice Blue and touched up inside the dinghy and applied the only coat
that will be happening to the top of the flotation. The sides and bottoms will get extra coats, but the surface that will be
screwed solidly to the bottom of the seats doesn't really need any more than one coat. It probably didn't even need that, but I
couldn't help myself.
The day was hot and rain-free enough for me to get three coats of the
Awlgrip on the flotation, two on the bilge pump pipe, mast step and tow
bolt nuts, and one on the entire sole and bow so I could apply non-skid
compound to the floor of the dinghy. Perfect. Now it's pouring outside
and our 50% chance of rain has just become a 100% shot at a tropical
downpour. The inside of the boat is now hot and stuffy.
July 19, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I'll be putting the flotation and seats in the dinghy today and wiring up the bilge pump. I'll also need to do something about the
little spray blocking plate that goes over the top of the centerboard trunk when the centerboard isn't in use.

I just came back in after heading up to the heads. Walt and his Mom are gone. I talked with them in the laundry room for a
while and was pretty impressed with them both, but Mom especially. She is very intelligent and sharp and hasn't lost a step.
She knew all about many authors and they're writings and had definite and intellectual opinions about all of them. Wish I
could have spent more time with her. She's 84 years old.

Just to get ready for the days work, before I came back onboard I set up the sun shade and dried the table and the next thing
I knew I had all the flotation attached to the seats and sitting in the dinghy. I might have to made a tad more clearance for the
pump under the middle block, but I'm not sure yet. I'm pretty committed to getting this done and In the water today, which
means I'll probably use whatever temporary connectors I have in the electrical box for now and upgrade later on down the
road. I just know you will be so sorry to see the endless string of dinghy flotation logs come to and end, but that's what is
about to happen.
I went over to Dulcinea for a couple of minutes to help
Donny hold his radar mast up while he made marks
and measurements for the supporting braces, then
came back and secured the seats in the dinghy, plus
made a bit more clearance for the pump, sanded the
rear rudder-mount panel and put a coat of varnish over
all the brightwork. Originally, there were a total of 16
fasteners holding in the seats, including the two on the
center seat that secure the centerboard trunk. Now
there are 34, and six are larger than previous. Now that
the seats have flotation, I don't want them to part
company when the boat gets flooded.

The small fore and aft strip of Mahogany in the middle
is a splash shield that is meant to prevent seawater
from coming up through the trunk when not in use.
That still needs a bit of 'fixing' before it's done. I also
found exactly the plug and socket I need to finish the
bilge pump wiring perfectly - right in my spare stock.
It is 3:41 PM and a violent squall line that extends almost 100 miles along the coast is passing over us right now with high
winds, thunder and lightning, and plenty of rain. The line seems narrow and moving fast, so I'm hoping it will be over with
soon.

I rigged the mast and boom, then took them off to make the boat easier to launch tomorrow morning. I can finish the last
details in the water. One other thing I noticed is that the tiller handle that attach's to the rudder to steer the boat, is missing.
Maybe it's lost inside the truck somewhere, or maybe I never had it. Either way, I'll have to make a new one. As I write, the
storm is easing and the weather outside is going calm again. Sweet line of fire, that. There's still some rain and thunder, but
at least I can open the hatch again and let some cool air pass through the boat. Ahhhhhh. Better. Anyway, the dinghy is
rapidly wrapping up and I need to fix my leaking hatch problem on Falcon. Not the cabin-roof deck hatch, but the
companionway sliding hatch. I got the stuff to do it, then got sidetracked by the dinghy. These daily storms are supposed to
be the 'regular seasonal' weather around here, but they're full of crap. I've been here for 12 years and the regular seasonal
stuff has been morphing into an extreme abstraction of regular records in all directions on an almost daily basis due to global
warming. But there IS NO global warming, you know, the Oil Companies say, so it can't be happening. I'm not sure they
believe that in New Mexico right now, where it's 115 degrees.
July 20, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

A nicely nasty front stomped through this morning at about 7 AM with high winds and lots of rain. I've been catching up on
email and surfing the net and watching the Weather Underground for signs of clearing. It's 10 AM now and still overcast and
sprinkling. Yes, yes, that's right - this is NOTHING like the 'normal' pattern of beautiful mornings and afternoon thunderstorms
typical of this time of year in Florida. I'm thinking about getting some land in New Hampshire. Okay, probably not. Not yet.

I'm going to get the bilge pump wiring finished and the centerboard trunk cover and put the dinghy in the water and move on. I
need to dig the props out of the van as well as the Interlux 2000 and the West red bottom paint and get the props ready for
installation. I'll only be using one, but the other will be a spare ready for instant use, if need be.

I will also drill the holes in the forward rode lockers and get the anchor rodes stowed, clear the decks and clean out the
cockpit. I need to finalize the compass/GPS mount, re-install the engine and get serious about wiring up as much stuff as I
can. Which brings me to the much delayed electrical panel. I have most of the materials, ready and waiting, and I will build
and install my own electrical distribution panel.

Rats - I forgot - I've got to install my two main bilge pumps and fix that damn hatch leak, before anything else. Maybe I should
make another list somewhere. Right now, I'm cleaning up outside and getting ready for the day and cleaning out the cockpit.
It's 2 PM and I have finished the dinghy pump wiring - it's the socket in the second picture above - and the centerboard cap -
it needs a bit more varnish, then installation - and the boat is in the water. Any remaining details can be taken care of there,
for now. The oars, below right, are a bit of a mess and I was almost ready to sand and varnish them, but I just decided to
paint them instead. I think I'll use the medium blue. Why not, it'll look fine, and be easier to keep up than varnish.
I drilled the holes through the bottom of the forward rode lockers and vacuumed them out for the first time since I built the
boat, then finished both of the nylon rode splices and rove the rodes through the holes and tied them off. I just managed to
get the entire 165 feet of 5/8 inch rode and 200 feet of chain into the port rode locker and secured the chain to the 35 pound
Delta anchor. For the 45 pound Spade anchor on the starboard side, I spliced a stainless thimble to the free end of the 215
feet of 5/8 inch nylon rode and installed a shackle to allow easy connection to the 200 feet of chain. I'll paint the last 10 or 20
feet of chain bright red so I can see when the end is near. That will give me time to cleat off the chain and attach the nylon,
for a total of 415 feet on the primary anchor.
July 21, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I will be doing some things today, but it's hard to say what. I have a few items staring right at me and I think I will start right on
them to get going, but will then put together a more organized sequential approach to the jobs that will most quickly prepare
Falcon for travel. I mean, for the dinghy, I can strip and paint the oars, make the electrical extension for the pump, attach the
centerboard cap, rig the mast and take it for a sail. Though, honestly, I don't like the shrouds. They are too stretchy and put
too much strain on the forward seat and mast step. I will be replacing them with SS wire, so the sail is probably out. I haven't
done this much work to start destroying it by being too lazy to replace the shrouds. The thing is, I HAVE the wire - I jusat need
to use it to size the jibs before I go cutting it up.

I have already cut most of the 1/2 inch silver-backed sheet insulation into the proper width to fit between the roof carlings in
the cabin, so all that's left there to get that installation going is to cut down the 100 or so bolts that extend down from the
cabin deck where all the hardware above is bolted on. Let's get an accurate count here. . . . . Okay, there are 96 of them,
ranging in size from 3/8 inch down to #10. That'll be fun!  <--- Sarcasm.

I also need to get going on the installation of the 2 1/2 inches of main deck insulation (same stuff as the flotation with a layer
of the 1/2 inch silver-back added) so I can use up the big chunk of that I have left over and get all the insulation jobs out of
the way. The sooner they are done, the sooner I can apply the huge rolls of material I've been carrying around forever to the
interior of the boat. Yeah, okay, that's enough thinking. Time to get moving and get some of this done.
I cut the blade and palm grip off an old canoe paddle, slotted
it, drilled it, sanded it and had a tiller. Next, I sanded down the
oars for the dinghy and slapped a coat of Volan on the blades
because they were starting to come apart. It blistered some in
the midday heat, but it will still do the job just fine.

I got the two props out of the van, along with a gallon of
Interprotect 2000 and a gallon of West red bottom paint. The
props got a light sanding and will get primed and painted,
ready for installation.

I also helped Donny get his radar up and Carol Ann get her
foredeck prepped and painted.

Eddie and Sandy are back and there was a good-sized
gathering on the dock at sunset. To the right is John
Crismore's restored wooden trawler at anchor.
July 22, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The no-see-um's are out on force recently and this morning is no exception. We had an extremely low tide last evening and
have been having very high tides as well, combining to make almost a 5 foot tidal swing here, which is HUGE for an area that
usually has no more than a 3 foot swing from high to low. There will be a gathering/dock party tonight because Warren and
Laurie are coming up to visit from Fort Myers. It's so sad that Espin isn't here. He hasn't seen them since they crashed into
his boat and I'm just SURE he misses them.

I will try hard to get more work done today. We'll see how it goes by tonight.
By the way, I also made the bilge pump cable for the
dinghy yesterday. So far this morning, I have helped
Carol Ann get started, looked over a couple of things for
Gene in his Irwin, wiped down and primed the props,
sanded and painted two coats on the tiller and oars.
The props will need a bit of touch-up sanding before
bottom paint. This primer tends to made drips.

The dock party is going and I'm in here to get the
camera and post this last work picture of the day.
I have a new grandson. He is four days old and mother and child are doing fine. I now have 3 granddaughters and two
grandsons. I REALLY need to get back up north to my family.

The dock party to welcome Warren and Laurie back (for a quick visit - their boat is in Fort Myers Beach and they have been
in Venice for the past 2 months caring for Laurie's ailing mother) was crowded and good. There was cheesecake. And the
sunset was totally no big deal, but serene and pleasant.
July 23, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Having a little trouble getting much of anything done today, though I have been busy. I managed to paint the second coat of
bottom paint on the props, make and install a trick little piece on the bottom of the centerboard trunk cap, dug out a bolt for
the tiller to rudder joint, cut the rest of the 2 inch foam into 15 1/8 inch wide blanks to see if they would be a nice press-fit up
between the deck beams. Oh, yeah, noticed that the anchor windlass has started leaking a bit of gear oil onto the foredeck.
That's because there is no seal around the top of the gearbox, so it is possible for water to get down into the gearbox, and
when it gets full, oil seeps out of the top. The oil in the gearbox is supposed to be changed every year. I haven't changed it
for about 6 years - because I haven't used it. I drained the oil and will re-fill it later on. Right now, it's drooling for a while
July 24, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I got an early start on the dock today, putting Carol Ann's Jon boat back into the water, taking down and stowing the Bimini
front sun shade, removing the sliding hatch, and modifying the deck mounted sliders for the hatch. I have tried a number of
cures for the water that comes in over the front edge of the deck hatch opening when it really pours. Finally, I decided to try
something that I hope will be satisfactory. I have cut two clearance gutters, one on either side of the hatch opening, right
through the hatch track. I first added four new screws to secure what would now be the new loose ends of two tracks on each
side. I have a bit of damage to treat as a result of my earlier, failed efforts at relieving the problem, then a bit of painting to
finish up the track work. Next, I'm putting soft, round weatherstripping on the outside of the small hatch flange, and a nice big
squeegee-type rubber scraper on the inside. I think that should stop the torrential downpours from running right into the boat.
I'm going to take a ride with Geoff up to West Marine and get a new halyard for the dinghy. It'll also be nice just to get out of
here for an hour or so. (I actually thought we were going over the Skyway to St. Pete, but no such luck - thank God I brought
my camera to go across the street.)

It has been hot and extremely muggy again and the only comfortable times start very near sunset. The nights are great. I
keep forgetting to pick up the large round weatherstripping to advance the hatch project, but I will tomorrow. The heat and the
constant helping of Carol Ann have sapped the productivity a bit, but it is what is supposed to be happening. I am getting
back into real progress and feeling fine.
July 25, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I'm getting a late start today as far as the log. I woke up this morning at 3:30 AM with a terrible sore throat and knew almost
immediately that I'd contracted the evil disease Henry brought back from New York, or (shudder) New Jersey. I've tried to
keep moving and get some stuff going, but most of it has been easy, out of the sun, computer work or very minor stuff outside.

I went over the Home Page for the site once again. Someday I'll be satisfied with the look. The last 'weaving path' effect never
did much for me. I suppose it's to be expected - this is a fairly new science and I'm not sure anyone has any clear idea about
the 'do's' and 'don't's' of specific website home page designs. I'm SURE there are legions of self-appointed experts who will
say otherwise, but my experience with people and science is that the vast majority of those people fir in line with those who
said, "The world is flat.", "If man were meant to fly he would have been born with wings.", and "Steam trains can never go
faster than 20 MPH or all the air will be sucked out the windows and everyone will suffocate." And, yes, that is a true scientific
determination made in the beginning of trains. Anyway, I'll keep muddling along until I either meet with success and am afraid
to change it, or get bored with failure and begin breeding Alpaca's.

It really stinks to have a Northeast cold in the stifling heat of Florida. Already my lungs hurt and breathing is increasingly
difficult. I will design a tiny little machine gun that plugs germs and leaves them to squirm and die on the ground, then we'll
see who suffers.

I have to get outside and sand down the filler I put on the hatch slider tracks yesterday so I can get the hatch back on. It's
scheduled to rain today and I have a wide open hole in my deck. Be back later.

I went outside and put the covers on the cushions Donny gave me from Dulcinea - they were her old cockpit cushions and
Carol Ann just brought back the covers for them that she'd brought home to wash. With the foam stuffed back inside and
zipped up, I set them up in her cockpit to get rid of them. Done there. Then I sanded down the deck repair under the main
hatch on Falcon and installed the hatch in case of rain. Now, I'm pretty sure it won't rain - Murphy's Law, Section 104,
Revision 62a, Paragraph 3. "If you make your boat safe for rain, it will not rain. Here. It will rain somewhere else."

I also found that some of the pictures on 'Building Falcon, Page 6' were somehow clipped. I didn't know how it happened, or
when, but I fixed them. Now I have to go through the entire site to see if it's okay.

Alrighty, then. The site is okay, but I'm dog sick. I now have the allergy headache on top of the evil East coast disease and
have no sure way of knowing if I'll survive. I'd guess by the way I'm sitting here writing, however, that my survival is probably
quite possible. Still, I'm convinced that I at least LOOK like death, and that'll have to do until death comes along. I'll probably
go to bed now and be back tomorrow. Todays progress on the boat has been disappointingly low.
July 26, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

There was an incident yesterday when a drive-by shutterbug shot a picture of me feeling sick, but, umm, but, well, he must
have gotten someone else because I don't look that old, do I?
The second shot is Carol Ann and Jamie in the little sloop I've been helping her with. I'm just about done with that, for sure.

I also got a couple of sunset shots. Even with three distinct and varied levels of clouds, the sunset views have been fairly
bland. Still, it is a sunset and the steamy, oppressive days turn to cool, fantastic evenings. I can't wait to be away from the city
lights so I can see the whole Milky Way. The winter constellation, Orion, is now gone, so I look for Scorpio and Libra instead.
The evil disease of uncleanness (snot, sputum) has slithered into my lungs and has already gone from a dry cough to a wet
one, indicating the beginning of the end of the Wizards Foul Curse. Well, if I didn't call it that I'd have to call it the New Jersey
State Song. Apologies to New Jersey.

I'm not ready to make plans to work today. It's apt to be a rest and recuperate day, possibly with early rain.
July 27, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Yesterday was a sick day and last night was not good. I kept waking up to go through fits of coughing. It is once again a dry,
painful cough and not showing signs of clearing up. I probably have the Swine Flu. Hope I don't die. I wonder, if you get it
once, are you immune after that? Well, I can't complain - I hardly ever get sick. I never get the Flu shots because I usually
don't get the flu when it comes around. I am coughing and laboring to breath right now, so I really hope this passes soon.
I got a call from Donny last night to tell me the
sunset wasn't bad if I was going to take a shot or
two. It was the first time I got to tell him to stay
away because I have the Bubonic Plague and will
wipe out half of Florida if I don't keep it contained. I
did go out and get a couple of shots, though.
Here's the best one.

It's 3 am. I've been up since 2 AM, wide awake and
staring. It looks like the disease is passing and now
I'm a tad over-rested from 3 days of very little
activity. Oh, well. I gave me time to investigate
some investment opportunities online. I'm not
seeing the big opportunities, to tell the truth. Fees
are high, yields are low, bonds and funds are a
joke. I gotta say, people that offer you 1 and 2
percent for your money so they can loan it out at 18
and 20 percent are crooks - straight out crooks. It'll
be a while before I consider investing anywhere.
You know, all my millions.
July 28, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

It's still just 3 AM. I just finished a bit of yesterdays log before starting todays. The cough is decreasing and the sore throat is
almost gone and I'll be getting back to work in earnest today.

I went back to bed at 4:30 AM and slept until almost 8. My chest and throat hurt and I am tired and sore from coughing, still, it
feels like it's breaking up and going away.

I had long calls yesterday from both Christine, in Pennsylvania, and Chris, in New Mexico. Hmmm. Until I wrote it down, it
didn't occur to me that they were both, well, Christine prefers 'Cris', and Chris prefers 'Jammer', but still, a pair of like
sounding names.

Yesterday Gene talked to me about his prop, feeling that there was something wrong with it. My head was foggy and I was
tired and watched it turn as he started the engine and put it in gear. Only then did I notice it was a ball of barnacles. Should
have thought of that before. Last I heard he was going in to scrape it. Haven't seen him since.

RJ came back last night and stopped by. He went to the Reservation for a Powwow and 2 week visit with friends and family.
He looks like he's gained ten pounds, so I would venture to say he ate well.

Gene is gone. All docklines and personal effects have vanished with him and the boat. He didn't mention that he'd be leaving
so it's possible he just went down to the Mar Vista anchorage, where Geoff is right now, to clean off his bottom.

I got the 85/140 gear oil and refilled the Ideal Windlass gear case, but now I have to design a water separator for the unit so I
can drain the condensation before it becomes a problem. I'll kit-bash a sediment bowl with a water drain off an in-line fuel
filter. That's a job for later on. I also cleaned out the cockpit and now have to vacuum it out and make hatch handles for the
under-seat storage lockers.

It's hot and muggy and I'm still weak from the flu, or whatever. I did write to a book printer and already got a response. More
to come on that subject. Pretty soon, most of my 'anchor' time will be dedicated to writing.
July 29, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I had a hard time getting anything done today, but there were people over all day and I was content to sit and talk and allow
things to happen as they did. I did get some work done on the compass pedestal, going first a bit overboard in it's
construction, but now settling back into the 'less is more' stage. At one point, I was considering having two layers of the 3/4
inch gray starboard - on as the top plate and another below the compass as the bottom plate - and include two drink holders
and two cigarette lighter sockets. Now that I have it sitting mounted in the cockpit, I'm leaning toward trimming it as small as
possible and having it a single layer of starboard with only the compass and the GPS, period. One last add-on MIGHT be a
fire extinguisher attached to the forward side of the post, but only if it looks like I won't constantly curse it's shin-banging
location.
We had a last little dock gathering because Donny and Barb are
scheduled to leave any day now. They will be heading for the
Chesapeake Bay to do some cruising there, but will eventually come
back to Cortez to sort out the last of their storage locker issues.

George Pappas was here and looked and seemed great, you know,
except that the Chemo has stripped him of body hair (no eyebrows).
Fortunately, he still has head hair, which helps a lot.
Kim was not feeling well - a tooth problem they will be addressing tomorrow - so she didn't come. We had a good time until
we were chased indoors by clouds of voracious no-see-um's.