Falcon's Log 21
October 5, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

George never showed up yesterday or called. He probably just forgot or wasn't feeling well enough to travel. He's said he
was still recovering from the stint removal on Friday.

Drew was here yesterday diving, so he decided to remove my old prop and install my new one. The old prop presented a bit
of a problem, but the new puller he made worked beautifully and the prop came off with a loud "SNAP"! The larger 18 inch
prop I had him put on was a bit of a tight fit, but it worked. I knew it would - I've used 18" props before and like the effect. The
16 by 16 inch unit that came off was still in surprisingly good shape and I'm going to sand it off and paint it and keep it for a
spare. I like it. I actually thought it would be almost dead by now. Well, maybe it is - I haven't seen the color yet. It could be
red as a tomato.

When Randy said there was no cotter pin in the prop nut, I didn't know what could have happened, but I KNEW I'd put one in
there. It turns out he just didn't see it and forced the nut off over it, destroying the $57 special prop nut that holds the zinc
anode. Drew was able to get the destroyed cotter pin out, but the nut was far too damaged to go back on. My first order of
business this morning was to find a cheaper way to get it than West Marines $56.49 price. I found it at Defender for $40
delivered. Another unexpected expense that I really had no choice about. It has to be done. I thought the prop change would
be quick and easy. I've always done them myself before and NEVER had a problem. Oh, well.

I started sorting through my extended array of hand tools to separate those I should keep and those I should let go of. For
right now, I only intend to hold onto all the power tools so I can ship the extras there to the kids. They are basically too
expensive to just give away. The hand tools however, sockets, screwdrivers, wrenches and pliers, are not worth their weight
for shipping, so I'm putting the extras in Randy's dock box for him to pick through and move what he doesn't want on to
others. I have to minimize the size and weight of my on board tool kit. I got a lot of that done yesterday and should finish it up
today.

I took a chance and left some stuff out last night because the forecast was for little to no rain. It was true. There was only one
tiny little cloud in all of Florida. I saw it on the news. It was RIGHT OVER MY FREAKIN' HEAD. I couldn't believe it. It came up
the Gulf from below Naples, stayed offshore until it reached Cortez, then came straight over us and dropped all it's rain before
reaching the Skyway Bridge. I don't know why I even waste my time thinking I could possibly win a lottery. With my luck, on
the very day I would win, I'd be run over by a garbage truck and a Paramedic would steal the ticket, but I'd survive so I could
spend the rest of my life whining about it.

My brother Mike sent me this joke and it's so funny I have to include it here.

How I learned to mind my own business.

I was walking past the mental hospital the other day,
and all the patients were shouting, '13....13....13.'
The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a
little gap in the planks, so I looked through to see
what was going on.....
Some bastard poked me in the eye with a stick!
Then they all started shouting '14....14....14'...

It's just so familiar that it cracks me up. All I have to do is think "14 . . . 14 . . . 14 . . ." and I start laughing. Good medicine.

I hope the rain washed off the boat good. I have everything off the deck and out of the cockpit and on the dock. It's not much,
but I have to clean it all up immediately this morning. I got the vacuum cleaner emptied and cleaned up yesterday, so I can get
more boat cleaning done and start putting down some floor in the aft section.

It's noon and things are moving along. The day is incredibly hot and humid. I've fixed the last of the spots by the
companionway and inside walls that needed filling and moved all the tools and things on the dock and neatened everything
up. I still need to do more emptying of the boat and cleaning up in here, then I can start painting. I have also finally conceived
of a good AC hot buss feature that I can trust. It will take some fancy fabrication, but it will be good. On with the show. ( Damn
prop nut. )
I modified the mount for the raw water pump to get a
little better position for the hoses as well as more
adjustment and better belt tension. I think I should
also drill the holes for the companionway door before
I vacuum out the bilges.

I just drilled out the new holes through Frankenwall
and re-installed the companionway door.

I did get more stuff done today and got the dock and
dock boxes cleaned up as well, but there seems to
be a bit too much activity out on the docks to allow
me to really get into some projects. I've been getting
continually interrupted and it might be starting to
annoy me. Who knows. It doesn't matter. I just have
to keep on and get these projects done. That damn
Master List is intimidating. I may have to mark some
items to be done at a later date, after I get out of here
and am on the hook in various locations.
October 6, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I'm fairly happy with what I got done yesterday, but I've got to get more done today to really move forward with the projects.
There are things that I am halfway done with that need to be cleaned up and finished off so I can feel easier about making
daily lists and concentrating on those projects.

The prop nut is shipped and on the way. There is wood on the deck outside that I need to just mark and rip into battens for
both ceiling and floor edge supports and that will be my first job this morning. All that is really required is that I cut in straight
lines. Actually, once those are cut I can start installing them and using any extras to make the electric panel temporary seat
and counter. Once the ceiling edging is in, all the cabin roof insulation - that is already cut and waiting - can go in. I will still
have to complete the fairly complex curved laminations on the inside of the forward deckhouse sides, though.

I'm starting my regimen of vitamins and minerals again. It's something I sort of set up some years ago to supplement my
haphazard diet, but don't attend to religiously. I have a compartmented tray with 18 slots, so I fill it, plus one extra, and take
them for 19 days. Then I lay off for a month or so to avoid overworking my liver. It's already lived through enough abuse.

I have the aft cabin area all cleaned up and ready for paint and flooring. I also pulled the bolts out of the pulleys one at a time
and put form-a-gasket on as thread sealer. I also dug out the long, thin teak battens to be varnished and used on the main
cabin ceiling and the four teak donuts that were once crappy lights but will not be magnet hiders for the four cabin speakers.

I have the headache today but have been taking a little aspirin and trying to work through it - with some success, and some
not. I also think I might have found a tiny oil leak at the very end of the engine oil drain hose. It's nothing to worry about at all,
though, and probably only needs a slight tightening. Worst case scenario, I shorten the hose and install a standard barb and
common pipe plug - bingo.
October 7, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Yesterday I started with getting the inside edging up on the deck hatch in the main saloon. It's sort of the worst of the edging
work on the ceiling and required using a piece of scrap wood someone left in the 'free' rack. I started by just measuring out
the wood for cutting, but one thing led to another and the first thing you know, the four corner pieces were made and
installed. I'll need to trim off the excess gorilla glue and cut and install the little filler pieces, but after I round the sharp corners
on the inside edge, I think I'll be able to upholster right up into the spigot and get a nice, neat finished appearance. I'm going
to get more of this trimming and other woodworking projects done on the overhead areas before starting to bring the 12 foot
planks down from the truck and laying the sole. And I once again have such a mess in the cockpit - I did it yesterday - that I
want to get more of that cleared up before I start painting. I don't want to be climbing over piles of tools and supplies with
open paint containers.

Espin just called and he'll be here around 10:30 and 11 AM with the new boat. Carol Ann called and went over her recent
hard times with Jamie.

It's 10:15 and I've just finished with the fill blocks around the hatch. Once it all cures up solid I'll trim off the expanded glue and
smooth it out, then - - - Espin just called - - gotta go. Be back.

The bridge fuses blew and Espin couldn't get through. He's going to anchor on the other side and get a ride over with Geoff,
who is presently running a dolphin cruise on Lil Toot. By the way, Eddie and Sandy came in last night and almost immediately
set off for a little cruising. They'll be back Thursday.

Went to lunch with Espin and Geoff and we ate at Capalbo's Pizza. It was good. Espin paid. When we got here we hung
around and jawed for an hour, then the bridge got fixed, so Espin brought his boat over and we all took the grand tour and
jawed lots more about boats and sailing. Espin is pretty pleased with his new boat and very much enjoys the sparling
performance that the old Southern Cross 31 lacked desperately. It will slow up a bit when he loads it down with most of his
worldly possessions, but not that much. It is a Vega 27 that was built in 1979.

I got a lot done on the aft section overhead with the trim pieces, cutting and installing 16 out of 19 of them. I'll do the other
three as soon as I can and move on to the main saloon. Once these pieces are in I can grind the proud ones back a bit and
install the overhead insulation. Things are moving on.

The Master List is intimidating. So far, after three days, I've only got one item red. Red means dead, and dead is done. It is
hot and humid again today and it started with the headache for me. It's gone now. I took aspirin early on and it went away, but
I still feel tired. It's just the heat, though, and that's all. This was another day in the 90's with brutal humidity.

I think I'm going to try making a paper template for the forward cabin side laminations and see how that goes.
October 8, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I just noticed that I hadn't updated the date on the postings for the past 2 or three days, so I did. I've been up since 5 AM and
it is hot, incredibly humid and the weather people say we're in for a record-breaking day of heat and humidity. It is now 6:30
AM and what should be the coolest part of the day, and I am sitting here sweating in the dark. This reminds me of Viet Nam.

On with the show today. I'll continue to install the overhead edge cleats and fillers and try to get something done about those
forward cabin sides. Thats still something of a question mark. I wonder if I really need to build it up to the full 3/4 of an inch, or
if 3/8 of an inch might be enough? After all, the boat has done alright without it for 24 years now. Still, it isn't the right place to
take shortcuts.

Once again, another very busy morning with visitors and dock talk. Mostly with Espin, who has some issues he wants to
address on the boat. A lot of wild wakes this morning. I don't know why. When I AM working on the boat, I'm mostly below and
never see what kind of boats are making them - cruisers or fishing boats - not that it matters, really.

I'm still cutting and adding pieces to the overhead. I discovered 4 more that I needed in the aft cabin area, so I'm doing those
right now. . . . . . . . Okay, done. I now have to start using drop cloths as I start working over the computer desk and the bunk.
This glue is less than forgiving if it drips onto something, and it drips onto everything.

I got all of the aft area done and one full side of the main saloon. Then I went up Espin's mast to reeve a topping lift for the
boom through the sheave at the masthead and down the inside of the spar, where he fished it out. We removed the internal
function of the spinnaker halyard to free up an exit on the mast and transferred the spinnaker pole topping lift to the starboard
side to avoid crossing the main halyard with the new boom topping lift. It didn't take more than an hour to do everything.

I'm working on a new food thing and I'm thinking I like it. I mixed a little oatmeal and oat bran with hot water and a bit of brown
sugar ( that I will eliminate next time ), let it thicken up some, then made pancakes and fried them in olive oil with garlic salt -
and I mean, cooked them pretty crunchy. Yummy. I was so full I could hardly work, so I didn't for a while, but then I've had
excellent energy all day. I'm going to work on that recipe some until I can make cookie-like crunchy food that I can keep in a
ziplock bag and eat any time.
October 9, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Espin is due to leave early this morning. Oh, yeah, and he has a 'real' girlfriend now. Sounds very serious. Barbara. I hope to
meet her once I start moving around. Speaking of which, I need to get moving early today.

Lots of visitations this morning but they seem to be over now and I'm starting serious work. I'm going to have to shut down the
computer and cover it up so I can finish installing the cleats in this section and start grinding the other cleats into submission
so I can start installing the insulation. Yeah, baby. And the milestones just keep on dropping. It'll be much later when I get
back to here again.

It's 4 PM and I got a lot done. I finished putting the cleats in the main saloon and then trimmed off all the excess glue all
around the two areas. I also ground the wood back where it needed to be and smoothed the edging around the overhead
hatch spigot. I ground a lot of the problem areas on the cabin sides and repaired one loose plank. When I remounted the TV I
moved it over 1 inch and up 2 inches. It looks like I could have gone more -  like another inch in each direction - but I'm good
with where it is now.

I retrieved the prop nut from Angela's office and found Drew working on another boat. He came over a little while ago and put
the new nut and zinc on, so the new prop is all mounted and ready to try out. Unfortunately, the cockpit is stuffed like a
Christmas goose, so It will have to wait a bit.

One thing about creating such a dust storm inside the boat is that I now know where every single strand of spiderweb is. That
stuff has to go and I might just have to take measures to eliminate the spiders. I'll start a rumor among them that Rush
Limbaugh is moving in and they'll all leave so they don't have to hear him rant and rave all day. Yeah, that's the ticket.

I made more of the oatmeal salty crackers today and they were great, but just a bit too garlic salty and a bit too much olive oil.
I'm getting it, though. They taste great and do the 'fuel up' thing awesomely.
October 10, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The mess inside the boat is legendary. I'm talking about the dust from grinding the cleats even. I still have so much dust to
vacuum out of the boat. Oh, well. It's moving. I'm going to get as much of the overhead insulation installed as I can today, and
see about insulating the deck area above the electrical panel as well. I think I have just enough of the 2 inch foam to make
headway there as well. I also feel good about starting to lay down some of the cabin sole. The whole notion of having a real
floor in the boat after so many years is exhilarating. First thing you know I'll have real storage on board and won't have
everything I own stacked in piles around the bilges. I might also have a real, on board head as well. Things are moving along
pretty well now and I like it.
October 11, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I got about two thirds of the insulation up yesterday and also got an idea to help seal it all around. I have some of that
ultra-sticky aluminum tape and I'm going to use it all around the edges and over the seams. I'll probably end up having to get
some more to finish it up, but as a way to prevent tiny bug condos above the headliner, I like it.

I emptied the cockpit out and want to clean up the whole area out there this morning, both on the dock and the boat itself. I
ran the engine several times and tried out the new prop. It MOVES some water!! I mean, it creates a HUGE propwash and
looks like a raging river behind the boat when the throttle is turned up some. I started laughing. It might have to be dialed
back a bit. The old 16 by 16 that was on there was fine, though admittedly a little to 'tall' for the boat. By 'tall' I mean the 16
inch pitch should have been cut back a little. Ideally, I thought I should go for an 18 by 14. Eighteen inches of wheel diameter
is what the boat is designed for and the bigger the wheel, the more effectively the boat slows in back-gear while docking. Of
course, the more severe the back-gear prop walk is as well, but there are trade-offs in this and I prefer not crashing into
docks with my bobstay and dolphin striker and having the rig crash down on my head ( though I have taken extra measures to
prevent that anyway ).

When I started looking for a replacement prop a while back, I checked at General Propeller here in Bradenton, by far the best
prop people I've found in all of Florida, and they wanted about $700 for the unit - an 18 by 14 three-blade right hand prop. Not
a bad price, but more than I was hoping to spend. Randy had just found and won a good item for MoonDream on Ebay, so I
started looking there as well. I forget how long it took - it might have been six months or so - until I found this brand, spanking
new 18 by 15 right hand three blade unit with key and nuts. I won it for $201.59, beating out the next highest bidder by only
59 cents. That's what comes from having enough Ebay experience. I KNEW someone was lurking intending to bid the $201,
so I lurked with my $201.59 bid and got the item. $25 for shipping and I own the prop for $226.59. What a deal.

Since it was at least a little shorter than the 16 inch pitch, I decided to try it out just as it is. After cruising with it for a while and
calculating fuel economy and other engine related issues, I'll decide if it should be dial back a bit. Meanwhile, all I need right
now to leave the slip is a good bottom cleaning and to get my essential lights and things connected electrically to pass a
Coast Guard inspection.

Jim came over yesterday and was pretty impressed with the Volkswagen diesel engine. I understand that because I'm pretty
impressed with it myself. Of course, I have also been working with them for years now and, with the new pulleys and raw
water pump, have improved both the performance and the cooling. It's a good item and I might open a new section to the
website dedicated to the engine, providing all the information I've collected as well as the manuals, schematics, and drawings
for the instruments I use and the new pulleys I designed. Jim was also pretty impressed with the pulleys, but then, they are
awesome.

I will continue with the overhead today and find my stash of fresh batteries for the camera so I can take some pictures and
post them here. I know I've been a little weak with the pictures recently. I didn't even get any of Espin's new boat or any of the
recent sunsets. I have to get back on the pogo stick here and hop to it. Oh, yeah, MOST of what I did yesterday was to watch
the Presidents Cup. There was a lot of excellent golf from both sides.
The pictures above are the first steps in bringing down the edges of the hatch spigot and how it looks when it's almost
finished. I still need to sand and smooth it some more - I only roughly ground it back to even with the roof beams - and I'l ease
the inside edges a little to make the material easier to stretch around the corner as I staple it in. Eventually, I'll have to come
up with a treatment for the inside edge. . . . . . I HAVE IT! Never mind, I'll tell you later.

Below are the processes of installing the overhead insulation, shot 1, and taping the edges all around, shot 2.
I got the rest of the foam up in the main saloon and taped all the seams and edges in the aft section, but between the golf and
the talk breaks on the dock, didn't get the main cabin taped off. That will have to be tomorrow.
I didn't notice until I was taping that I installed a few pieces white side down, but since I have no clear confidence that foil has
any effect beyond marketing the product, I can't rally the interest to be concerned. See you tomorrow.
October 12, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

We got rained on again last night but I can't complain. This is supposed to be winter - the dry season when it doesn't rain
every day - but the weather pattern has just been strange almost everywhere in the world, so why should it be different here?
At least here it's only hot and muggy with occasional rain - sort of like Tahiti - so, you know what I'm saying: it could be a lot
worse. Actually, this would be great if I was cruising and didn't have an endless stream of work waiting to be done. Speaking
of which, I'll finish the taping of the overhead insulation first and start sanding and varnishing some stuff, like the overhead
battens and the speaker rings. I'll also do the teak around the panel and get the companionway ladder apart, trimmed, and
sanded, then varnish the components before rebuilding it with a backplate. The backplate for the ladder is the beginning of
sealing off the engine room. I also have to remember to mix up some batches of thickened epoxy for making fillets in a
number of corners that will soon require fiberglassing.
I got most of the overhead insulation taped before
running out of tape, but not all. I'll take a run down and
get another roll. I'll need more for the forward sections
anyway, but I want to finish these two areas because I
might just install the material and the battens and call
the overhead done. It's just such a huge thing to start
having an interior after living in the equivalent of a bad
backyard shed all these years.

I got the tape and some WD40 and while I was paying
for it, I remembered that I HAVE some WD40
somewhere but haven't seen it in a while. Hmmm.
Anyway, the taping is done. Now it's time to clean up
again and prepare for the next stage. I'm not quite sure
what that's going to be.

I sanded and varnished the 4 speaker rings and the 4
long battens for the main saloon overhead. After I get
the material installed, I'll cut the battens one at a time
and fit them, then bring them all outside and align them
and mark and drill the screw holes so they are all
arranged in neat lines. If you don't get them right, they
remind you just before you close your eyes every night
when you're lying in the bunk.

I made the pattern for the port forward area of the cabin
side that needs to be finished. It's in the galley. I'm also
thinking I might just roll out  some of the overhead material
and see how that's going to be to install. The roll is a big
heavy lump that is a foot in diameter and 5 feet tall and
weighs about 60 pounds. Just getting the two aft sections
of the cabin overhead covered will shrink it considerably.

More and more the thoughts of dropping from the
overhead to the bulkheads circulate in my head. And next,
of course, starting to get the floor in. I will be making
special hatches in the floor for storage access.
October 13, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Yesterday George Carter offered me a free table at the October 31st Marine Flea Market he puts on every year in the parking
lot across the street. I'm just hoping to have very little left to get rid of by that time. We'll see what happens. The very minute I
get started on the floor, I'll empty the truck and see what I can put on a table to sell. I have at least one big jib I don't need,
and several fishing rods, some charts and cruising guides, some extra dive gear and foul weather gear, and some tools.
Hmmm. Maybe I do have enough stuff to sell. I should be sure to start putting stuff aside early. The FIRST thing is however, I
have to get those dozen 12 foot planks out of the truck and put down on the floor of the boat!

It's going to be another record breaking day here in paradise with high temperatures and higher humidity. The air is so thick
and wet that eggs float in it and poach in no time at all. It's fun. I'm going to go back to my old 'starshine' days of going to bed
at 8 to 9 AM and getting up around 2 or 3 PM, then staying up all night with pauses to watch the stars. It's how I spent most of
the first two years of building Falcon and I liked it very much. Hardly anyone comes to visit at 3 AM and it tends to be much
cooler.

I have the overhead material out on the dock and I'll have to wash it up a bit before installing it. Damp sponge stuff - nothing
serious - shelf wear. I also added a second coat of varnish to the battens and a first coat to the panel trim. Oh, yeah, and
taped up the cabin side pattern and pulled it off. That's going to be interesting. I strung the GPS antenna lead through the
Bimini top and dropped it straight down to the GPS, storing the extra cable in the zipper pouch already incorporated in the
Bimini. I may just do that bit on the windlass remote cable so I can stay out of the sun for a few more minutes. It is hot out
there and it's only 10 AM.

I did the windlass connector and cut and scrubbed the first piece of headliner and that is hanging over me right now. The
thing is, I only have a half dozen or so staples in it and need to blast in about 100 more. It is totally working for me. I went
through my electric stapler and lubed it with WD40 and loaded it with a full clip of new stainless staples, then went below and
plugged it in. After about thirty seconds of just sitting there looking around with it's shifty, sinister little eyes, the stapler went
"BRRRRRRRRRTT!" and I just turned in time to see a full clip of staples in a tight little chain fly into the bow area. It was the
coolest thing I have ever seen a stapler do. I reloaded it and it hasn't repeated the performance.
Here is the first - and largest single piece - of headliner up. It
starts right off as a huge pain in the ass, then backs off to a
minor nuisance, then is as easy as making a tight bunk in
boot camp. That one dirty mark is the extra oil that comes out
of the stapler. I wiped it off when I noticed it on the picture.
The staple that was there is now gone and the spot will be
beneath a batten, so the tiny holes won't show. I need to take
a bit of a breather before tackling the next section.
3:45 PM and the second piece is in. It's incredibly hot working
in here without a breeze or a fan. I had the fan hanging from a
nail in the ceiling. No way no ding dong nails go in my new
ceiling. Know what I'm saying? The battens are good to go
out on the dock and I'll start measuring and cutting them to
size. Then I'll have to align them on the table and tape them
and mark them for the fastener holes. I'm still completely
undecided about the edge treatment and know it will have to
wait until I get the cabin side finish on. I'm having a good time now.

I believe I'll take a break and move the sails out of the truck so I get to walk around outside in the mild breeze. This hot work
is probably kicking mass butt on whatever cholesterol I have. That and the oatmeal.
October 14, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Today I will start by putting a second coat of varnish on the panel trim and getting the headliner up in the aft cabin area. I will
also cut the battens to size and number them on the back side. I'll need to tighten up the main cabin headliner a bit so the
seam staples in the middle are hidden by the battens there, But that shouldn't be too difficult. I'm also going to move the floor
planks to the boat and the sails. In fact, I might just start moving everything I'm going to keep to the boat and leave only the
stuff I'm getting rid of in the truck. That might make some things a bit more difficult right now, but it should only inspire me to
get the most annoying things done soon. Or throw a bunch of crap away. Either way, moving forward. Know what I mean?

It's only 9:45 and I have the varnish on the panel trim, the two fabric guards made for the cockpit seats, and most of the whole
load in the truck over here at the boat. I am also finding a lot more things to sell at the flea market.

I tore apart the two dock boxes and tossed out a full dock cart of old sail fragments and used canvas that I could not see ever
using. I also put a bunch of new and used canvas bags of various types on the recycle rack along with a partial roll of
mosquito netting. I drilled and installed the little fabric guards for the cockpit seats/battery switch hatch. Now the hatch opens
and closes without touching the seat fabric, so it won't wear it out. It's just noon and time for me to eat, but right now there is a
nasty thunder cell trampling the area just about five miles south of us and I'm watching it on Wunderground, hoping it spares
me a drenching. I mean, after a year tucked safely inside the truck, I JUST took the floor planks out and the skies blacken -
one cloud actually curled it's lip and sneered at me - and threaten to soak and warp and split them . . . . and give them swine
flu. So I've got my best Popeye squint-eye glare going trying to hold them off. It's working. After I eat I'll start cutting and
installing the flooring.

The first plank is being a minor pain, but it's getting close. I have to keep going back and forth from boat to dock, cut here,
grind there, trial fit, grind, grind, etc. Once this one is in, however, the rest start going zip-bang.

Okay, there is more 'bang' than 'zip', but it is slowly moving forward. It's 4:45 PM though, and I'm feeling like a little relaxation,
so that's what I'll do. So far, so good. The floor is coming.
October 15, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

By the end of the day yesterday I was exhausted - in a good way - and I have to start right off by thrashing some today. The
sails need to be moved to the foredeck and the dock areas need to be completely cleaned up. I also need to cut the battens
to size and roll on a coat of Kilz on some stuff. Once everything is in order, it'll be time to make small planks out of big planks
and get the floor down inside the boat. Even if I just tack in most of the planks temporarily, it needs to get done NOW. I also
need to come up with some palatable way to make access hatches that are both strong ( for the walking on ), flat, and secure
( not popping up if the boat gets knocked down, spilling the contents into the cabin ). I am fond of fitted carpets held in place
by Velcro patches - especially in winter - and I don't want big lumps under the carpet to make me stumble. One of my favorite
things about these carpets is that the big scrap bins behind carpet dealers readily give up new carpets every few months or
year or so, and each change gives a whole new look to the inside of the boat.

The truck is getting very close to being emptied and from there, I will give it a good vacuuming and begin arranging the things
I'll be offering for sale at the flea market. This is getting to be exciting - 'cleansing', you might say. Since soon after I got back
from Viet Nam, I've been collecting books and manuals on boat design and boat building, cruising and sailing, and charts,
materials, supplies and tools. Every place I've gone, through everything that's happened, I moved these tons of 'essentials'
time and time again, without complaint or regret, always knowing that someday I would be all done carrying them around. I
have endured the jokes and behind my back name-calling, the thinly veiled derision and contempt, and the scorn of
'experienced' sailors who all think they have a better way for me to live my life. It is almost over and it makes me smile inside
all day long.

The flea market might turn some of the extra into cash, but how much is another story. Quick, sure sales mean low prices,
which is not a problem for me - there is a part of me that is willing to just give it all away. But there is another part of me that
gets a little impatient with people who see a low price on something, then try to beat you down some more, as if you're stupid.
That makes me raise prices right in their face. I can't help it. I'd rather give it to a friend for free than allow a stranger to screw
me. What's the financial difference? Ten dollars? Twenty dollars? Who wants to let someone get over for less than the cost
of a mediocre meal? The meal will be long gone while you still remember the price beatdown years later. Not a chance.
The two main planks that surround the bottom of the
compression post are the most difficult, requiring quite
a bit of fitting. In this picture, the only one that is
secured has the bronze ring-nails in it. The next one
on this side is just sitting there and will not be installed
as it is. The one forward in the main cabin is now
fitted, but I need to add two cleats beneath it on the
bulkhead to secure it to. Then I'll need to fit and
secure the small filler piece at the threshold.

There will be very few full-width planks installed
because I need hatches over the batteries and other
storage areas below the cabin sole. I will also be
installing small boxes and partitions below for
additional storage and to control shifting of the items
below. Full planks will be installed over these
partitions to increase strength and give purchase to
the floor hatch latches. And that's the name of that
tune.
The battens are cut and the sails are all on the foredeck. The plank and threshold are installed. I did a few other little things
too, mostly in cleaning up and sorting out. Right now, I'm hungry and about to do something about that.
For some reason I was unusually sluggish and tired
after eating lunch and spent about three hours
lying down and listening to nonsense TV while I
tried to doze. Eventually I got up and cleaned up
the aft floor section and vacuumed it all out, then
started cutting and fitting more planks for the sole.
The two primary planks and the threshold between
them are the only ones fastened down at this point.
I need to trim a couple of minor spots on the next
nine planks, Then I'll need to paint the bilges that
they'll cover and add any small panels to prevent
stowed items from migrating out of the storage
areas, and only then can I glue them up and seal
them down permanently. The sole in this area
continues aft another two feet on either side of the
engine bilge, but I have to narrow the
companionway ladder about two inches first. That
makes it time to take the ladder apart, rebuild and
narrow it and varnish it. I'll also add a soundproofed
back panel to it to start sealing the engine room.
October 17, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I didn't do a log yesterday because we had the 'big front' come through and it took all day and all night, so far. I cleaned up
the dock and cockpit and stowed all the tools and things, then closed up the boat as one wave of wind and rain after another
rolled past. None of it was bad, only bad enough to making working impossible. Instead, I worked on the Linux Ubuntu some
more. I'm getting more comfortable with it, but it truly is a colossal pain in the ass to work with. It will not allow me to load a
good video driver because I am 'not the owner', or so it says. I may have to strip it all out and start again. Meanwhile, I'm
trying tons of other stuff, and except for being painfully slow in the graphics department and only allowing itself to play with
orphaned software, it's not too bad. There is a weird element about it however, that greatly impedes it's development and
implementation: The hard core clique of users are either marginally proficient in their own narrow spectrum, ( i.e. the only
software and hardware they are remotely familiar with is the stuff they are presently using ), or, they believe the only real
security in Linux is based on preventing others from being able to use it, like monks in a cloister. It is the true geeks black belt
in geekdom. Also, the stuff is as buggy as Grandma's cellar.

This version is the best I've used so far. It is Ubuntu 9.04. The one serious problem I have so far is that it will not allow me to
load the Nvidia 185.18.36 video driver to optimize the card in my machine. I tried to get a little information from Jammer, as he
is the only other person I know who uses the stuff, but he doesn't use it any more and I may have already eclipsed his
expertise in the area. Like I said, users are only familiar with exactly what they use, and not the rest of the field.

It's still before dawn. I got up at 5 AM and am anxiously waiting to see what the day holds for me. Yesterday afternoon, while
transferring huge files from archives to the Linux disc, I watched a couple of long movies and went to bed early. Today I need
to tear the companionway ladder apart and paint the bilges under the new floors and blast some Kilz on the areas that are
waiting. Hmmm. Sounds like a plan. They said 'no rain', 'cooling' and 'windy', so that'll work for me.

I'm getting good stuff done. The ladder is apart, cut down, sanded, and back together. When I go outside, I'll be cleaning off
the excess glue and blasting on a first coat of varnish. After that, I'll probably get the Kilz rolled on inside here, then prep for
the bilge paint. Be back later.
October 18, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

It got pretty cold yesterday afternoon and the varnish never fully dried. I had to keep the boat closed up to be comfortable and
finally brought the sticky ladder inside near sunset. Naturally, I was not about to fill the closed up boat with paint fumes -
especially since the paint was not apt to dry for days - so I didn't paint inside. It was bad enough when I brought the still
uncured ladder inside.

It's much colder this morning and I am going to have to put on more clothes - and socks - and a warm hat. I have no idea what
I'll be able to accomplish today, but we'll see. Laundry? Computer stuff? Who knows? There are penguins outside.
October 19, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez,
Florida

Will you look at that? I just made a big zig-zag blue daily
separation line which means I no longer have to find a way to
come out even across the bottom of each daily posting.
Amazing.

It is beginning to warm up here and it looks like tomorrow I will
be able to get back to work on the boat. The truth is, for the
past couple of days I have been fighting alien invaders from
another planet in Roswell, New Mexico and . . . . . . Okay,
that's not true. Actually, there was this sea monster . . . . . okay,
I've been lying around watching movies or out talking with
people on the dock about anything at all and not doing much of
anything else. It's been like a vacation and I love it. But the
changing weather will get me back to work and I'll love that, too.

One thing though, is that I have finally figured how to finish up
the ladder and I'm good with it. I'm going to soft foam and
upholster it for sound deadening and keep it fairly light so it
isn't a pain to move around. I'm pretty sure I'll supply pictures. I
always do.

I emptied all my clothes out of the truck and it's getting close to
cleaned out. Just a little more and I'll vacuum it. As a bonus, it
looks like there's a small digital clock that will work perfect in
my new electrical panel on the boat.
October 20, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I have invested another 20 or so diligent hours into tuning up the new Ubuntu 9.04 in the past 3 or 4 days and it's time to
throw in the towel. It's a piece of crap. I happen to have a very good Nvidia GForce 8800 video card with dual outputs for my
dual LCD monitors. I like the equipment and want to use it. The single biggest roadblock to Linux is it's complete inability to
cope with something as simple as installing the readily available driver and configuring it. Endless hours of online research
only shows that EVERYBODY has the exact same problem, and most people state that it simply can't be done. Whatever the
strengths of Linux are supposed to be, it is crippled by huge flaws that most reasonable people will not bother to wade
through. Today, Ubuntu dies a tragic and painful death. I have been buying and installing Linux since the very first distribution
of Red Hat, trying Mandrake and many other releases, and this recent attempt has been the closest I've come to having a
reasonable facsimile of an operating system up and running. However, when I buy a car, I want to drive it. I don't want to build
it, then, after three weeks of work discover it was never meant to have wheels on it - your just supposed to sit in it and play
the very poor radio in the driveway. No wonder Jammer finally gunned down his own Linux Ubuntu.

I have been running my old Windows XP without automatic updates for a while now and it has operated flawlessly. In
preparation for Windows 7, I turned on Automatic Updates to see what would happen. The updates from Microsoft have all
but crippled the system. It now takes about 5 times as long to boot up and it delays for about 3 or 4 minutes alone just
repeatedly warning me that if I don't turn automatic updates back on, the world will end and intergalactic aliens will land and
eat our brains. Closing these warning windows only results in their regeneration until Microsoft is satisfied that you have been
annoyed enough for today, but tomorrow, the dire predictions will last longer. The delays seem to extend with each reboot.
The updates that were loaded have not altered XP in the SLIGHTEST degree to make it better - they have only added
Microsoft Spyware and  - for some reason, I think they turn on remote control of my computer. I've turned it off several times,
but it seems to reset to allow Microsoft remote control all by itself. Microsoft describes this as an aid for ME so they can help
me troubleshoot the OS, but I think they are lying. I think it gives Big Brother the means to search everywhere and anywhere
every time I accidentally walk away and leave the unit connected to the Internet. I've also come to discover that my Virus
protection software, Bit Defender, is a Microsoft product that has one function - to protect Microsoft and it's Spyware - so I
won't be loading it up again.

It's still a little cold this morning, but not bad - about 60. I'll get another coat of varnish on the ladder today and probably get
the bilge painted and get some Kilz on. I might also make a run to Walmart and pick up a cheap one of those egg carton foam
mattress toppers to use as sound insulation for the back of the ladder.

The east wind has brought new waves of pollen and mold and I woke up with the headache this morning. I've taken the
aspirin but it hasn't worked yet.

It is after 11 AM and I am practically incapacitated by this headache. Just walking on the dock I have had to stop and sit down
to wait out a wave of nausea. I'm puttering around getting a little done here and there, but I'm not feeling well enough to start
varnishing or painting yet.
October 22, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Yesterday I spent a day in endless headache agony, finding no way to get comfortable and no way to alleviate the pain.
Finally, at about 7 PM, it started backing off a bit and I went to the Circle K and got some different pain killer and a Klondike
bar and a sandwich. By this morning, I have only a vague remainder of the headache with a few occasional shooting pains
behind my eyes. Compared to the past couple of days, not bad at all.

So far, I have been resting and eating. Like a pig. Apparently, a few days - I would have thought '2', but looking back, it's more
like '3' - of not eating will run you down pretty good. I mean, I ate a little here and there, but nothing like I usually eat. Anyway,
I'm getting up and around and getting more into it. I do still feel a bit like Bilbo Baggins, "Like butter scraped across too much
bread." Good one, Bilbo. You should speak more. It is 1 PM and I'm not yet convinced I should start thrashing around, but I
am getting antsy to get back at it. Maybe just another hour or two.
October 24, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I've tried everything I'm going to try with alternative software for a while. It took me three days to completely get the Windows
7 (Vista Redux) out of all the hard drives and off the motherboard and get a clean, non-silly version of XP up and running
again. I've also stopped loading the XP service pack 3 because I can't find anything it does that is good for the user. Good for
Microsoft and the Federal government, sure, but not so good for the average user.

Early tomorrow morning I'm following Geoff all the way down to Flamingo, Florida, on the southern shore of the Everglades
national Park. He starts a new job there as soon as he can get both his truck and boat down there. Tomorrow, we're dropping
off his truck and I'm driving him back up here so he can leave with the boat. Someday I'll be leaving with my boat. You just
wait.

I went to bed at 9 last night and have been up since 3 AM. Tomorrow is supposed to hold 12 hours of driving. We'll see how
that goes.

I got the non-skid and the last of the varnish on the companionway ladder and now I need to go straighten up the truck a little
for a long drive. Probably see you when I get back. I'll take pictures.
October 26, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The trip south yesterday was pretty cool. I got up at 4:30 AM and was sitting at the mess that was my computer at 5 AM when
Geoff called. We were on the road in about ten minutes and didn't stop until we hit the Marco Island/RT 41 intersection about
two hours later. A quick snack and then non-stop to Flamingo in the Everglades National Park. Pretty impressive place. Lots
of big Raptors.
These are some shots around Flamingo and the Everglades. There were MANY LARGE predatory birds like hawks and
crows and vultures and more road kill for them to clean up than we could scrape up cook ourselves. For a road with not much
traffic - the main road in is 50 or 60 miles through the Glades - there seemed to be at least one dead critter for every mile,
and those big birds were making quick work of them.

The Everglades themselves went from endless wet grasslands to absolutely impenetrable jungle. And we saw hundreds of
gators, many of them very big, and countless other critters.

I didn't get back to the boat until around 5:30 PM. Over 600 miles, but a good trip and we had a good time. Geoff drove my
truck all the way back, giving me a great chance to take pictures and really enjoy the ride. He left this morning and is now
almost down to Useppa Island where he's anchored and walking Sam.

When we were just coming back and approaching Marco Island from the south, I got a call from Donny and Barb, who were
presently anchored at Marco Island. Funny coincidence. We were none of us in a position to do a visit, but we had a nice talk
and I'm looking forward to seeing Don and Barb before the end of the week. Meanwhile, they are staged to meet Geoff as
they are now coming north on the same path that he is going south on. It'll be interesting to know if the do meet and what they
do. I mean, it would seem polite to stop and talk a bit, but they are both racing to opposite ends. Don wants to get up here in
time to dig some stuff out of the storage locker to sell at the flea market, and Geoff wants to get to Flamingo to start work by
Thursday. I predict some hearty arm waving and broad grins, then high elbows and grim foreheads as they press on.

I'm still working on getting the computer set up the way I want. It's taking a bit more effort than usual, but I'm getting older and
dumber, so it's expected. I also got two more loads emptied out of the truck and it's getting closer and closer to empty. I also
got the stuck seat fixed - - - - - OH! The Stuck Seat!! I didn't tell you about the stuck seat! Yeah, the electric drivers seat in
my truck stuck. I sprayed it with WD-40 and kicked it and now it's fixed. Interesting, huh? Yeah, the stuck seat. Wow, huh?