Falcon's Log 23
November 14, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I haven't heard back from Yahoo yet, but it is Saturday and they may not deal with Email questions during 'off hours'. I know I
wouldn't. Wait - - I don't have any off hours. Oh, wait! ALL my hours are off hours. Yeah. I just like to rub that in whenever I
can. It's one of the few real benefits of getting older.

I'm hoping for some real warmth and windless sunshine today so I can lubricate the Sailrite Sewing machine and do some
sewing fir RJ. It's actually a Bimini top that has all the thread rotting out from sunlight and needs to be re-sewn, so it's a
short-time piece of cake that will help the Sailrite shake of the cobwebs of storage. That sewing machine weighs about 60
pounds and it feels like it when loading it on and off the boat.

I called Geoff last night and left a message and he called back a little later and we caught up for about half an hour. He says
that Sam is not so happy there because he is ALWAYS required to be on a leash. Some of it because of park rules, for sure,
but mostly because the place is crawling with huge crocodiles that will eat Sam in two gulps if he rushes up and tries to bark
at them. Not because the crocs are afraid of him - because they see that kind of activity as 'home delivery fast food'.

I still have the headache, but it's very minor and will probably vanish once I start working, so I might as well get going.
The main cabin is all insulated and there is only a little
of the taping left to do. The piles of foam inside the
boat are getting considerably smaller. There are, of
course, lots of 'bits' of foam lying on the floor waiting to
be vacuumed up.

I went up to the Island Publix and ordered a
Thanksgiving Turkey dinner. I'll be splitting it with Angie
and Richard as our contribution to the docks group
Thanksgiving Dinner on the docks. It looks like there's
going to be plenty of food - now all we need is to have
a good weather day - and an early meal. I hate waiting
to eat until the mosquitoes and no-see-ums come out.

I was fairly weak and under the weather all day and
didn't start coming out of it until late in the afternoon. I
still managed to get some work done, though, and will
push more today to get this cabin insulation completed.
Then what I can do in the forward area.
November 15, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I went to sleep at about 8:30 PM last night, so I woke up at 2:30 AM this morning and have been awake ever since. There is
really very little to watch on TV between 2:30 and 5 AM. Very little. I am trying a straight vegetable soup thing in the crock pot
today with a little instant potatoes to thicken it up.

It is now 10 AM and I've been up for a while. It seems like I need a nap. Once I get to that place where I am on the mooring
and working on the writing, I will probably transition to sleeping during the day and staying up all night. I enjoy those hours
immensely as they allow me to get deeply involved in the writing and to do so without interruption. The 'crock pot cooking'
thing will also allow me to go straight at the work without long breaks for meal preparation. I like being able to place a bowl of
good gruel beside me and work between bites.

In case anyone is wondering, I am also working on the writing all the while as well as the boat. It doesn't take a lot of thought
to complete much of the work once the design and process has been worked out, only concentration and attention to detail.
Truthfully, the times when that lapses and I make a mistake or pork something into a two-holed pretzel, I either fix it or live
with it - for now.
November 16, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Yesterday I forgot that I hadn't completed, saved, or closed out this program, and turned off the computer without doing so.
Naturally, this morning the computer was quick to point and me and snicker.

I finished RJ's Bimini yesterday and tore apart the boat and dock boxes, searching for three Teak rings I KNOW I had
somewhere. The search came up empty, but now everything is completely disorganized. Naturally, I'll have to just about
empty the boat and the dock boxes to, once again, sort out, weed out and toss out unneeded crap and neaten up everything
else. Ought to be a fun day. At least the weather is scheduled to be good. Watch there be a tornado at the worst possible
time. (I'm sure that isn't really a sentence but you know what I mean.)

I have another little piece of equipment that is trying to die - the tiny antenna amplifier that came with the Shakespear TV
antenna - but I'm not sure if I should be concerned or not. I suppose I could check online for improved alternatives, just in
case.

One box is empty, about to be vacuumed and then refilled with different stuff. I know this is horribly boring and uneventful. I
suppose I could make some stuff up to liven it up, but then the normal stuff when I start cruising will sound blasé and
mundane. The only excuse I can offer is that whenever someone asks what I've been up to, well, there it is. Later on, when I
can safely reveal that I'm really a secret agent in an underground . . . . . but wait, maybe I've said too much already.

I got a lot done today and now have much less 'not to be used right now' stuff hanging around. It's all packed neatly away in
the dock boxes with just a little bit of 'I might need this before I pull out' stuff on top. I also repaired part of the colored sun
shade and removed both forward and middle deck covers from the boat and stowed them as well. Richard helped me get the
200 or so pounds of old wire into the truck. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go down to Home Depot or Lowe's and get the last
sheet stock I need for the inside structures. Right now, I'm thinking 1 sheet of 3/4 inch and 2 sheets of 1/2 inch should be
enough. I'd better do a bit more measuring and design to be sure. My track record concerning the disposal of extra materials
is a long and sticky story that resembles Fred Sanford's back yard. Plus, there are surprisingly few places aboard this boat to
store a 4 x 8 foot sheet of plywood. Tomorrow I will measure and layout at least 9 or 10 panels I already know I need on the
computer to be sure I make this the last 'big item' run across town.
November 17, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Eddie and Sandy went to the Moffitt Center in Tampa yesterday for the appointment concerning her cancer. They usually
show up on Tuesday evenings so maybe we'll know something tonight. Paul's wife Susan went through the same thing a few
years ago and she has been cancer-free ever since. Still, it's nothing to take lightly.

I am very close to ordering Gore-Tex thread from Sailrite. The thing is, it costs about $150 per 8 ounce spool. For right now, I
suppose all I can do is make use of the stock I have and later on, get the Gore-Tex thread and make repairs with it as they
come up. A 1 pound spool costs almost $300. Ouch. Of course, it lasts forever and doesn't rot in the sun, which is the big
deal.

I am also getting very close to making the final measurements for my sails and cutting them to shape. There will be
considerable sewing at that time as well. I will just use what thread I have for now. It is a little disappointing that my center
canvas is already showing signs of aging. Time flies. It's already 3 years old. I think.
Yes, there is the first trial fit of the first sail: the jib. It needs
about 4 feet taken off the luff, which I will do from the top.
First, I have to re-hoist it with the foot tacked and check the
situation a little better.
I like the looks much better with the full foot, as Donny
suggested. That way, I can draw a line from a point about 18
inches above where the halyard is attached in this photo,
down to a spot about a foot above the clew, cut it off there
and install a headboard and a leech tape and line. I think that
will work fine. Once I get that one done, I'll move to the
foresail.

Eddie and Sandy showed up and were very happy about the
experience at Moffitt. The fact that the center is closely
associated with the student training of the University ( I don't
know if it's USF or what ) and the Thanksgiving holiday is
almost upon us means that Sandy's treatment won't be
happening until the kids return from vacation. But the entire
experience feels good for them and they are presently hopeful.

It is late and I'm winding down for the night. The new beans
and rice is done and VERY good and I'm so full I could bust.
Get a load of this - I am now eating A LOT, and I'm serious,
and I'm apparently not putting on an ounce. It's a good way to
be. I was afraid age would pack the pounds on me.
November 18, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I started this morning by stripping everything off my bunk and getting ready to finally glue all the foam blocks together and
make a mattress cover and a cushion cover for it. Not only because it's overdue, but also because some of the rolls of
material and other supplies I keep moving around the boat are intended for this job. Also, the bunk structure is the only one
inside the boat that is done - installed and fiberglassed - and if I finish the mattress, I can safely store the computer stuff on
the bunk and complete the computer desk, the underdeck overhead on the computer desk, and the shelving beneath the
desk.

Tom came and asked me about the truck last evening and said we would talk about it today. He also said two other things.
One, that he would not have the money until after Thanksgiving, and two, that he would give me my asking price for the truck.
Alone, both of those statements are innocuous and give no alarm, but together they might mean, "Give me the truck now and
I'll pay your full price later."  That will not be happening. You see, if the truck gets totalled or burned or stolen while he has it,
all he has to do to me is say "Oops", and I'm out a truck and the money and there is no court in the land that will support me.
My only possible recourse would be Civil Court and their only possible solution MIGHT be that he has a duty to return the
truck to me as he received it or pay a Blue Book minimum some day when he gets around to it. None of those scenarios fit
into my future plans.

I just came back from Scrap All where I got $132 for the 168 pounds of insulated wire. Awesome. So I stopped into Home
Depot and picked up 2 sheets of 3/4 inch 4 x 8 plywood and 4 ten foot 1 x 4's to mount the 110 volt outlets in the boat. That
cost $76 so I'm doing okay as far as cash in pocket. I also stopped in at the Post Office and got my mail and Espin's. I have
an appointment at the VA on Friday and they want my next yearly fee for my Post Office Box. That would actually make it time
for me to find out EXACTLY what date would be the END of the box, so I can start up my mail service with St Brendan's Isle. I
may end up doing it today. I just got back here and haven't really gone through the mail yet.
I also have a huge stack of stuff for Espin
that he wants me to ship up to him. Once I
finish this section of today's post and finish
my bowl of superior gruel, I'll need to call
him and get the address, then pack
everything up and ship it to him.

The mattress in my bunk is now glued into
one large foam pad, from nine oddly shaped
pieces. As soon as I can - maybe tomorrow
- I'll sew up a mattress pad and a tight cover
and put them on it, then properly fit sheets
and blankets. I should probably also paint
these exposed surfaces, as I will not be
finishing them until I reach Marathon. I mean
the fiberglass. All the wooden areas will be
properly finished soon.

Tom didn't come and speak to me today, as
he said he would. Not much of a surprise. I
have a fasting lab appointment at the VA at
Bay Pines on Friday morning.
November 19, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The bunk must have been exceptionally comfortable last night because I went to bed at 9 PM and didn't wake up until 7 AM
this morning - with a minor 'too long in bed' headache.

My Post Office Box expires on the 30th of the month, so I will initiate the St Brendan's Isle service on about the - - wait, I
should go to their site and see if it makes a difference - be right back. Okay, I'm back. It apparently doesn't make much
difference there, so I'll switch over near the end of the month.

There is so much going on right now, so many things 'under way' on the boat and in my life, that I am occasionally a little
stymied on exactly what I should be doing next. It doesn't help that so much of the boat is filled with so much stuff. Before I
can work on some areas, I have to transfer everything in them to somewhere else. Where else? Well, right now, the only
clear space aboard is my bunk, so there you go - fill the bunk with stuff, work in that area, then move everything back. Not
many options.
November 20, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I got up at 7:04 AM this morning, hurriedly dressed and ran for the truck. I'd figured last night that I should be on the road by 7
AM to be sure to be on time for the 8:30 AM Lab work appointment at the VA. As it was, I walked into the lab at exactly 8:30
and dropped off my I.D. That's how they get ready for you. Fifteen minutes later I was heading to the front desk to make an
appointment with my Primary Care Physician, with no luck - all booked up for now.

I stopped by Regatta Point Marina and visited with George for a while. He looks good and it was good to see him, but the
specialist he went to see yesterday says the tiny tumors in his lungs are growing and it's time to get him back on
Chemotherapy. They gave him Oxycontin, or something that sounds like that, and he says it's much better than whatever he
was using before. It's 'cleaner', somehow, than the Morphine and other things.

The appointment was a 'fasting' situation, so once I was out, I stopped at a McDonald's and poisoned myself good, and it was
GuuuuuuD! Yeah, I know. It's back to gruel tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it.

I DID start up my account with St Brendan's Isle yesterday and now must make sure I transfer my new address to all my
relevant accounts. Apparently, I can make this my legal address for Voter Registration, my Driver's Licence, Vehicle
Registration, Vessel Documentation and probably, weapons.

It is now almost 4 PM and I have to go outside and hover around and see if I can now plot out a direction to throw myself into
tomorrow. I have a couple of ideas. Hmmm.
November 21, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I got up a little early this morning and have started the crock pot cooking. I'm going to get some more of the insulation
installed and shrink the stack a bit more, and I might get a bit aggressive up forward and get some serious work done there. It
is a nightmare inside the boat now and I have the wood in the truck to build these structures, so I'll have to force it through,
the sooner the better. I need the storage space to allow more work to proceed. I wanted to get the mattress cover made and
the bunk painted, but it's too windy outside to try to sew on the dock and I'm not going to paint inside the boat and then have
to stay in here and work.

Tom spoke to me yesterday and still wants the truck but doesn't expect me to hand it over prior to getting paid for it. That
works for me. I still might need to make a quick run to Home Depot for Liquid Nails to do that laminating up forward. That's
one of those things that I think will go real fast once I start it. Mainly because you can't stop in the middle of one of those jobs.

It's just 6 AM now - well, so, okay - I may as well get started.

I got the entire front cleared out and the last two cleats made and installed, all the epoxy drips cleaned off and the first of the
thick insulation installed. I also did laundry for three hours. And finished a fine beans and rice crock pot stew. I overdid it this
time with the volume. I had to eat some to bring it down to 'just full'. Everything is moving along and I feel fine.
November 22, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I have done a little 'changing' in the Bookshelf section but haven't settled on anything yet. I have decided that several of the
stories - now that they are really fleshed out - would not make 'novel length' reading, so I'm working on a method of weaving
them together into something broader than the individual themes. The more I think about it, the more I like it.

It is a REAL SERIOUS PAIN IN THE ASS to have to shift TOO MUCH CRAP from one spot to another just to sit down or
make dinner or go to bed. Okay, now I'm over it. There just isn't any option but to do it. The closer I get to pulling out, the
more stuff I can get rid of, but for right now, I have to be careful what I 'move along'.

The work forward is proceeding well and I should finish it up today, then start blasting some Kilz around the boat. I can do
that if it doesn't rain, but if it does, I probably won't paint inside. The head, the holding tank and under the sink all need
structural woodwork installed so I can finish those areas and store some stuff as well. I also think I need to get the 2 sheets of
3/4 inch plywood in the truck cut to shape and installed as the reefer and cooking counter. Those are two more areas that will
absorb a lot of the stuff that is 'hanging around' the cabin - like my food and condiment stores.

The thick insulation forward is done and now I'm working in the thin. These areas were the worst of the insulating and I'm
glad to be putting them behind me. I've also added some more garlic, olive oil and sea salt to the gruel and it's right tasty now.
The skies are threatening but have yet to rain on us, though there has been rain to the north.

All the thin insulation is done and half the forward taping. I only have the taping over the sink counter and the computer desk
to finish, then vacuum up the boat and get the insulated areas covered with the vinyl/naugahyde stuff.
November 23, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

A cold front is rumored to be coming through just in time for our outside Thanksgiving Day feast. I have warm clothes, so I'm
convinced I'll eat well. Below is a picture of the under-deck insulation in the head. It's just good enough to remind me that I still
have to get the fiberglass epoxied over the bulkhead to hull fillet. Amazing. That's only been waiting to get done since 1988.
Anyone would think that if the boat has survived this long without, why do it now? Because it needs doing for my own peace
of mind. Besides, the boat has never been at full weight with a full set of sails in rough weather yet, and those are the
conditions where these details pay off.
At this forward part of the hull, the deck is
arching upwards pretty good, but the big main
beam athwartships is plumb, making for some
interesting junctions at the shear and some
minor difficulties in fitting the insulation, but a
good, solid, vertical plane upon which to fasten
the forward head bulkhead.

At the top left corner of the picture you can see
the small, tapered planks that I used to shape
the forward section of the cabins deckhouse.
The sides of the deckhouse were first
laminated with one-piece horizontal strips, then
the inside was done with vertical strips - all
epoxied and screwed - to make for an
enormously strong panel. As I reached the
forward end of the deckhouse, I realized that
two courses of vertical laminations would not
provide the strength I was hoping for in an area
that may have to shunt continual waves over
the bow. I paused there, hoping to come up with
a brilliant and revolutionary cure. It has not arrived. Time to finish this somehow. I've decided to laminate in some thin
plywood panels and be done with it. I no longer believe I can conceive a cure for every ill, but I can fill an empty hole and step
over it.

The giant pile of insulation in the cabin is much smaller. After another day of feverish thrashing in the cabin where I move
things to and fro ( Devil talk ) and get things done, I'll be cutting 3/4 inch plywood and assembling structures inside the boat.
Once they are done, a very messy day or so of fiberglass and epoxy work should provide a huge selection of storage areas
available for use. Oh, yeah. I should also get the holding tank done and the hot water heater hung. And the head installed.
Good grief, Charlie Brown! A toilet on the boat after only 25 years! Yeah, yeah, I know - any man who owns a bucket already
has a toilet. Yeah, well, you know what I mean.

The sun is up and I need to get to work. See you later.

Work is going good and I've only had to stop and dig one splinter out of my finger so far. One of my jobs this morning has
been to scrub stuff clean as I go, so you can expect to see a picture of the clean sink counter soon. I'm very tempted to do
some Kilz work today, but we'll see. I still need to evacuate the computer desk and get some taping done here. Naturally, the
computer will be off and out of commission, so I'll upload this post now, not knowing when I'll be able to do anything again.
I actually made that counter out of two pieces of
scrap 3/4 inch plywood and an odd Oak 1 x 4
plank. I sealed it with epoxy, filled any dings or
seams and painted it with white Awlgrip. It works
excellent and my only future plans include a few
more coats of Awlgrip and shelves and cabinet
doors below. One of the odd phenomenons on
Falcon is that the Oak plank at the forward end
that appears to be seriously cattywhompus is
actually vertical, straight and square. It is the boat
itself in that area that does not have another plumb
or level line in it. Well, the counter is level and flat.

I'll be back when the computer is back together.

I finished taping all the underdeck insulation and
prepping the desk for fiberglass tabbing, but will
have to wait a bit for that. I can't believe how much
dust is on everything. It's amazing the stuff still
works.
November 24, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I'm back. It's a day later at almost exactly 4 PM and I just popped the computer back together so I could do an update and
feed my need for monitor face-time. I really want to hook up some speakers and listen to music, but I think I'll refrain and let
that go for a few days. I have to take the computer back apart and fiberglass in this desk.
Tom bought the truck today and I went over it with him and emptied the wood out of it. That took a little time out of the day. I
had to dig out some waterproof little tarps and tie them over the new wood outside to try to protect them from the approaching
rain. It wouldn't be a disaster if the wood got wet, but I'd prefer that it didn't.

I just took the two shots above as I put the computer together and fired it up. It's in a sort of 'bareboat charter' mode. It's so
weird to have it on such a clean tabletop. When I finish this interior, I will SO make sure the whole boat stays neat and clean.
There is no measure as to how sick I am of living in a bombed out sewer. I will have proper closets and cabinets to hide my
grubbiness like normal people.

Oh, and by the way, Espin, if you're reading this, Randy will be expecting you to day all the daytime charters while he's in
school, which will be every weekday, and he will take the evening charters. In a few days, when we talk on the phone again,
I'll act as if I expect you to know this until you finally break down and admit you don't read the site any more because you now
have a girlfriend.
November 25, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

This is my first morning in at least 20 years where I have not had a car or truck of some sort waiting outside. I suppose I could
say something like how 'freeing' it is or exciting to be closing in on a departure date, but it's not. It's not a spiritual event. I just
don't have a car. That makes me like lots of other bus riders. Except that I also don't have chickens or goats to bring on the
bus, either. I may stop shaving and start wearing knit caps year 'round so I fit in. And cheap gloves with the fingertips cut off
to make picking my nose easier. Hey, this IS beginning to sound like more fun. I'm turning into 'House'. I just need a cane.

It's supposed to rain pretty good today and I'm at a little bit of a loss as to what to do. I will be glad when Thanksgiving is over
and I can once again try to focus directly on the boat and moving out of here. Not that 'here' is bad - it's not - but it's not right
for me any more. After a lifetime of trying to get to the 'right' situation in the 'right' place so I can be free to write ( if I were
more clever I could make that a poem or a song ) I am almost there.

The money from the truck should be earmarked for the solar system, but I have to be practical and make sure I get the haul,
the bottom paint, and the depth transducer done first. If I'm frugal enough in that area and am able to head south on the first
of the New Year, I should also have enough money right then to order the stuff and have it delivered to Naples or Marco
Island and pick it up there on the way to Marathon.

It is almost 8 AM and the sky is dark and cloudy. There is a gentle rain falling on the deck and the newly insulated surfaces
reduce the sound to a pleasant petter-patter making it an inviting time to doze. I have a headache and have the boat closed
up and snug and I might have to take some aspirin and do just that for a while.

Yeah, okay, that worked for a while. Now, the headache is fading and the silence was boring, so I hooked up the speakers
and am now playing long ignored songs from a collection that may be a bit too big. Naahh, it's not too big. In fact, I may have
to add more once I start cruising. I just added a tune the other day that anyone would think I MUST have already had, but
didn't. Aerosmith, Walk This Way.
November 26, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida - Thanksgiving

It it probably not difficult to understand why I find holidays and birthdays and celebrations of all sort disagreeable and
unpleasant. My childhood was a bad one and most of my time was spent recovering from the last beating and waiting for the
next. Interspersed in that hateful environment were these affairs where everyone made believe things were wonderful and the
room wasn't populated by people who - mostly - hated or purely disliked me. Twice I ran away from home and was caught
and brought back both times. Less than a week after high school graduation I was in boot camp, a much nicer and less
hostile environment where my desire to escape was greatly reduced in both depth and breadth. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate
it or feel singled out or unfairly treated. For the first time in my life I felt like I was getting an even break.

Returning home years later, almost straight from Viet Nam, I found the same twisted family acting very much the same way. At
Thanksgiving dinner, my brothers new wife decided to take over the house and run it 'her' way. When I made a joke about it, I
was thrown out of the house. She was held up as a saint and I was the incorrigible villain. Somewhere along the line she lost
her halo and a divorce ensued, but not one person in my family ever acknowledged that I was not the evil menace she
shockingly declared that day. Holidays with my family. I would write about it in a novel if it weren't so consistently irritating a
memory. Don't anyone accuse me of whining. I'm not. I'm just saying. If we meet out somewhere while cruising and you invite
me to a holiday celebration of some sort and all you see on me is a blank stare, now you know why. Golf, I could be
interested in. Fishing? Sure. Need some help on a boat or other problem? Coin toss, for sure. But no big family gatherings
where I get to sit in a corner somewhere plotting my escape.

The dock parties aren't so bad. I just get up and leave whenever I want and no one has the interest to bother being offended.
It's an open society of wandering refugees on the fringes of civilization, the shattered remnants of broken dreams and
shipwrecked lives washed up on an empty beach with no vested interest in anything beyond the meal and the boat. It is
freedom personified. What the land people dream of while watching romantic movies but are unwilling or unable to pay the
price for.

It's not raining any more and it would be a good day to get back to work on the boat. It's a little cool, which is good, but the
whole dock party/thanksgiving meal thing has to happen, so I might just as well start getting in gear for that.

It's after noon now - about 15 minutes after - and the food is beginning to smell good out on the dock. I've been out there
quite a bit, moving tables, this and that, you know. Took a ride to Winn-Dixie with Eddie and saw Ham and checked with him
about using the boardwalk around the closed Seafood Shack for our little dinner today, which he immediately agreed to.

The sun has com out and it is warming up nicely outside. I had to but some Cheese-its to hold me over until dinner is ready.
Personally, my stomach is apparently ready right now.
November 27, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Eddie came and got me yesterday and I went out and ate at the dinner. It was cold and windy and after a while I came back to
the boat. The food was great and there was plenty of it. Yay. Now, it's VERY cold and windy and I'm doing some computer
stuff until I feel like heading outside and starting to mark and cut up those sheets of plywood.

I REALLY need to get more done on my transition to St Brendan's Isle. There are forms to fill out and address change at the
Post Office and other things. I got a little distracted with selling the truck and Thanksgiving. It is good to be down to what's on
the boat and in the dock boxes, though.

The deck insulation actually does make a big difference this morning. It is warm inside the boat with no heat of any kind
turned on. I have two small fluorescent bulbs on, the computer, and the TV, and it's fine in here. Of course, each item
contributes a little heat, but it has plummeted to 80 outside - okay, no - 50 degrees.
November 28, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I think between a headache and a 'food hangover' from Thanksgiving, that I was a little under the weather yesterday. I spent
most of the day lying down and watching football while a crock pot full of stuff cooked in the forward galley. It did come out
good and I'm once again eating healthy. I might have been suffering from a meat and sweets overdose. Weird. Sounds weird.
Felt weird. Even depressing. Well, it's over now.

The temperature is about twenty below. Well, twenty below what I WISH it was. It would be nice in the sixties somewhere.
The weather here is as odd as it is everywhere else. I don't know why they tell us what the 'average' temps are when we are
consistently ten or more degrees above or below them. We get about one day per month where we hit the 'average'
temperature. Today I'll be outside cutting up those plywood panels and getting some structure built inside. That'll show 'em.
Yeah, I know, "Show who?" No one. I just never, ever get to say that.

Once I get that structure constructed inside I'll be able to stow whatever gear or equipment I'll be taking with me and begin
disposing of the rest, one way or another. By the end of next month I need to be able to be down to Falcon and the dinghy
and be ready to sail. Everything aboard will need to be safe and secure and able to withstand some serious tossing of the
boat, both from heavy weather and ignorant powerboat wake-makers.
November 29, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I got the two sheets of plywood cut into the right pieces yesterday and returned the sawhorses to Donny. It clears the dock a
bit. I have a big day ahead of me today to clear the aft cabin area, secure the bilge rug into the two storage areas beneath
that section of the cabin sole, then doing the final installation of the cabin sole there. Once that is done, I can construct and
install the two structures there for the ice box and the cook top counter. As soon as that is done, I'm going to head forward
with the cabin sole so I can make better use of the storage space beneath the bunk and the center of the main cabin sole.
The next item on the list is the cabinet in the head which will help to finish the head and provide more storage space. The big
thing about that cabinet is that it is the space where the water maker will be mounted and the water maker is the last big item
that needs to be brought aboard. I will also be able to mount the platform for the head itself and recondition that item and get
it installed.

That is definitely more work than I can do in a day, but it gives me direction and that's all I need. I should also carefully
measure and cut the 1 x 4's for the outlet strips and get them into place so the don't get rained on. It was expensive wood and
getting the strips made will also get the new boxes and outlets off the floor. Things are moving.

RJ has the interior almost completed on the Mariner 31. I'll get some pictures of it today and post them.

It's 20 minutes before 2 PM and I've gone out with George, Jim and Chuck to have a huge breakfast at Golden Corral and
have spent too much time talking outside. I came inside and cleared out the whole aft cabin and am about to vacuum it out
and get started putting down the floor. I'll take pictures. RJ isn't here yet so I haven't gotten any shots of Excalibur's interior.
These are some shots from inside RJ's boat. I waited all day for him
to show up, then just went aboard and took some shots. I figured if I
didn't, he would have told me I should have.

I got a lot done on Falcon as well and will post some pictures
tomorrow. Right now, it is the worst it has EVER been on board, as
far as crowded and difficulty moving, but once I get past these big
issues, it will be the best it's ever been.
Sometimes I feel bugs walking on me because they are. Today a wiped out lots of little spider webs - the cold drives them
inside newly insulated boats - and the little dudes are pissed now so they crawl up to my ears and try to call me names, but
they can't talk or bite so I wipe them off. They have cold feet.
November 30, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I'm ready to get turning and burning this morning. Went to bed early and got up at 2 AM for an hour, then back to sleep until
after 6 AM. It's already 8:30 and I'm eating breakfast and have updated the last entry Barb sent me concerning their last
cruise. That will probably be the end of my posting their cruising adventures. I think I may be switching over to a combination
of Linux and Mac, getting a Mac Mini for my writing and art work - using one of my monitors - and using the latest incarnation
of Ubuntu for Internet and other stuff. I'm not sure what it will mean as far as this site, and neither are the 'Help' technicians at
Yahoo. I will have to either run a Virtual Box version of Windows XP - butt naked - or use HTML development tools that are
accessible with either Mac or Linux. Still to be sorted out.
The moving piles around the cabin are insane. I now have to
squeeze through that little crack to get from the aft cabin area to the
main saloon. My bunk is packed up to the deck with tools and
materials. Of course, I had to move it all to sleep last night and will
have to move it all again before the day is out.

It is 2:40 PM and I have walked to the Post Office twice - forgot my
second key the first time - and finished the P.O. Box. I also called St.
Brendan's Isle and got a little more insight into the special forms I have to fill out, get notarized and mail back to them. I will
also have to change a few addresses out there, like the bank, my drivers license, voter registration, and some others, I'm sure.

I got the aft area floor done and now just have to let the glue dry before mixing up thickened epoxy and fairing and
fiberglassing it in. Here are a couple of pictures, though it is hard to get them in such a small area.
The section of plank at the bottom of the companionway ladder is actually a part of the ladder now. The tongue on the
forward edge of the plank engages the groove on the aft end of the floor plank and secures the bottom of the ladder perfectly.
I expect it to break some day. We'll see. I still need to cut in two small hatches, one on either side of the central battery hatch,
to gain access to the two now-padded storage areas for engine spares and other things.
December 1, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

December and one month to go. Somehow, with the mountain of work ahead of me, I'm more than a little concerned about
how much I'll get done by the end of the month. It doesn't matter. I can only do what I can do. I got the plate back from Tom
last night and did a little job for George yesterday afternoon. He bought me supper and gave me money I didn't ask for, then
sprang the reason - naturally, as if I didn't know it was coming - that he wanted me to climb in under his cockpit and try to fix
some slack 'situation' in his steering. It's not going to happen. It's WAY too vague. ( My car makes a funny noise that only I
can hear. I want you to work on it until it goes away. I'll tell you when I'm satisfied. ) Not a chance.

First matter on the roster today is to mix up thickened epoxy and fair in all the areas around the new sole in the aft cabin. I
should also be ready with the fiberglass to tab it in. As soon as that is cured, I need to cut in the two little hatches and finish
them up so I can walk away from that section of sole - Though I may quickly paint and non-skid it.

Next item in that area is to build and install the structures. That should actually go pretty quickly. As soon as that is done, I
may take the opportunity to fill them with crap and move forward to the head, forward cabin sides and overhead, and the
holding tank.

I may have to accept a situation that my only way to Marathon on the first of the new year will be to motor all the way. The
extensive amount of work inside the boat may not leave time for the sails. That's not chiseled in stone, but it may be true.

It's 11:40 AM and the crock pot is beginning to smell great. I got the aft sole faired in and tabbed with fiberglass and am now
just waiting for it to cure. Once it hardens up and I can be sure I won't make trouble by cutting in there, I'll cut out the two
hatches and put support cleats inside, then stow the gear down there that belongs there. Yay. You know, little victory's.
Above are three shots of the sequence of finishing the edges of the sole. The first is the raw edges, the second is the
thickened epoxy fairing compound - which clearly illustrates why I don't feet the need to get overly involved in cutting the floor
planks to 'perfect' size, and the last is with the 6 inch 1708 biaxial fabmat cloth epoxied over it. Today, as in most times when
doing this, I apply the tape over wet fairing to get a good, solid bond.

It's after 1 PM and the epoxy is still juicy wet. It will probably not cure until late in the day or after an overnight wait. I will
probably nap off the huge dinner I just ate, then start installing the cleats to accept the structures in there. While I was cutting
the plywood panels up, all willy-nilly and out of control, I forgot to cut the biggest first, so now I don't have a piece big enough.
Or do I? ( Imagine me having a clever thought. ) I might have just thought of a way to fix it. We'll talk more later. Remind me.
I just got back from a quick road trip with Donny to get a prescription for Barb and caught the end of what looked to be a
spectacular sunset. While on the short trip, I got a call from Geoff, who will be here tomorrow. He has a couple of days off
and will only be able to make a short stop here, but wants to pick up his outboard motor that Tom is holding after trying to sell
it to Dave and Marcia. Geoff has been talking to Espin, but only about boat specifics as Espin is working to round out the
Vega "Mini Pearl" and get her ready for cruising. Geoff thought Espin might be getting down here around Christmas, but the
last time Espin and I spoke, he said the first week of January. So that settles it. There you go. Sometime around the turn of
the year and how can you plan closer than that?

The epoxy is almost dry and will be ready for work in the morning. I just added the rice to the crock pot and that will be ready
to eat in an hour or so. I've decided not to add the olive oil until the last minute, but I'm only guessing on that. I also have to
know how to store those full buds of garlic. I always see them hanging in nets, but I just put them in one of the small plastic
jugs. I wonder if that's bad for them and if I should put them in a net bag for better storage. Espin will probably tell me
because he's always helpful like that. He likes pointing right at anything I'm doing wrong and laughing.
December 2, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The beans and rice are excellent this morning and the cabin is filled with a great smell. I've found that adding extra water and
allowing them to stay warm overnight on the first night goes a long way to improving them.
This is a picture of my brother Glenn on top of Mount
Washington in New Hampshire with his Harley. I now
have a few pictures of people with bikes on the site
and I'm thinking of taking one of the orphaned pages
and posting them all there, as well as in the logs.

And there it is. I now have a "Bikes" page. I used the
last, unused page in the "Building Falcon" section. And
I JUST had to do it again because I forgot to save it.

If I ever get the Triumph Thunderbird, I will go for the
1700 kit and modify the bike to be lighter, sit lower and
have a much more aggressive appearance, like the
experimental Honda VTX. I should put a shot of that on
the page as well.

Back to the boat. We are expecting bad weather
today, so I need to get all tools and materials for the
days work inside here and get started right away.
No individuals are more fond of poor weather than Florida folk. The weather people have forecast a squall line to pass
through with a cold front this evening at about midnight. This will be accompanied by a high tide and south-westerly winds.
Everyone on the docks is preparing for the end of the world, or at least, The Great Flood, and I have had to remove all my
sole wood from the dock and place it on top of the dock boxes. We'll see how it pans out. The water is expected to be over
the docks.

I got the floor hatches done and the ice box started. Eddie was here some during the day and we just had a visit from Geoff. It
was good to see him and Sam. He's on a blitz run through Bradenton and Cortez, seeing everyone and getting stuff done.
He'll be heading back to Flamingo in the morning.