Falcon's Log 24
December 3, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The front came through last night but, being a lazy hump of a front, it neglected to bring any high water or tornadoes. The
rain woke me up at about midnight, but the docks never went under and the rain stopped fairly quickly.

I heard from both Donny and Ken to get the garlic out of the plastic and put it in a net bag. Ken says that I can put it in plastic
if I remove all the skin and then cover the cloves with olive oil, but that sounds a little messier than I'd really like. I know I have
a perfect little net bag hanging around here somewhere. For right now, I removed the lid from the plastic jug. For the next few
days I'll be on the lookout for the secretive and wily net bag. They are clever hiders. Stealthy.

I have to just keep on going on the ice box and cooking counter. The two under sole compartments that the small hatches
exposed are already holding what they will hold. They work great. I just have to install a couple of pulls or something to open
them with. Something that lays absolutely flat so it doesn't bulge if I put thin carpet down. I like carpet on the sole with bare
feet in the winter. Cold floors are not my friend.
I tried everything as far as shapes and volumes for the reefer
and finally just settled on a box. After all, it IS an ice BOX. I
was afraid it might look 'boxy' so I made it a perfect cube so I
wouldn't be disappointed if it came out looking boxy. I'm going
to paint it bright white with red trim around all the edges and a
big "A" on the top, a "B" on the front, and a "C" on the back.
That should remove the 'blocky' stigma, if there is one. The
next move is to install the rest of the foam insulation, then
fiberglass everything and put the top on.

To the left is one of the small, lined hatches with the extra
blocks and rigging stuff already in it. Tomorrow I will also get
started on the cooking counter just opposite this. Pretty soon
I'll be able to start assembling the electrical panel and start
wiring everything up. Yeah, yeah, I know. Things seem to go
slow. Don't remind me. I've been at this since 1985 and I'm
almost there. But don't expect fireworks.
December 4, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

We are threatened with rain all day today and tomorrow, but the threat comes from the weather people so it's really hard to
take seriously. Still, it could be a nasty couple of days. This is the dry season. It runs from November through May and there
is hardly ever any rain. Odd, isn't it? That we're having record rain and flooding? There is no Global Warming or disruption of
World weather patterns due to increased concentrations of pollution caused by fossil fuels. The Oil industry can tell you that
in an instant. These are 'normal' cycles and it's those damned pesky forecasters with their penchant to use words like 'record'
and 'all time record' that is causing these concerns. Of course, weathermen are complete and utter failures at predicting the
future - which is difficult to blame them for - but 100% accurate when describing what happened yesterday - which I have
difficulty congratulating them for.

Steve, a guy who I've met down here twice and who follows this log regularly up in Massachusetts, has written and would like
a better idea what the interior layout of Falcon is like and what it actually looks like. The thing is, the inside of the boat is
presently reminiscent of a packed-full storage Pod that has been rolled downhill and is presently being lived in by a band of
gypsies. I no longer have anywhere to store the remaining supplies and materials to finish the boat except on board the boat
and in two small dock boxes. Well, three, but they are shrinking in content every day. Almost every day. I really can't do much
with the rain.

It has been rainy, cold and windy all day and I have only ventured outside a couple of time for short stints. Basically, I've
stayed inside and listened to music, read, done some Internet research, cleaned up old files in the computer, started working
on a floor plan print of the boat, watched TV and wondered what I would eat tonight, now that my last pot of gruel is gone. I
have some beans soaking, but they won't be ready to eat until late tomorrow. I may go inside the Shack and get a
cheeseburger. It's a good meal for a fair price.
December 5, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The rain is coming down steadily but fairly gently, making for a perfect morning to stay in bed and sleep late. I, however, can
not, because I go to bed early and it's a miracle I was able to sleep until 6:30. Actually, I was awakened by a new wave of rain
at 3 AM and turned on the TV and watched a little weather, then went back to sleep.

The cheeseburger was excellent last evening and I have the crock pot working on a new batch of beans and rice right now. I
will probably add a little something else as it finishes, just to make a bit more in the pot. I'm using half the beans I usually use
to make a quicker and smaller load. Ending up with an overflowing pot is not so good.

One thing about this weather is that it is quiet and peaceful and, to tell the truth, I love that sort of day immensely. They are
the very best days for writing, in my opinion. Snow days are also awesome. Getting completely snowed-in is just the best.
Naturally, there is a reason why I am in Florida, and it is the cold up north. I love the snow and winter and have only one
problem with the cold - my hands were nearly frozen on at least two occasions during my youth, and while I avoided frostbite,
the damage was done and my hands quickly lose circulation and begin to hurt very badly when it gets cold. It even happens
here in Florida when the temperature drops into the 50's. During our preparation for the Thanksgiving dinner, I had to rub my
hands on the top of the big pan that the ham was cooking in to ease the pain. I sure can't type like that. If I move back north,
I'm going to have to have at least one warm room to write in.

The bag of garlic I bought seems to have a lot of rotten cloves in it. I'm overusing the good ones and tossing out the bad. Next
time, I'll buy at a better place. The crafty net bag has still eluded me, though I can feel it watching me as we speak, so I'm
storing the garlic in the spaghetti strainer.
I worked more on the Falcon floor plan - almost starting from scratch - and got this much done. I suppose I could go deeper
and include the engine, fuel tanks, batteries, water tanks, and all the various holds and storage lockers, but I'm not ready to
do that yet.

Donny came by and we went out for coffee and chat for a while. I was so hungry at the restaurant that I almost started eating
butter, but I held off and will have a bowl of partially cooked gruel very soon. I just tried it. The beans are still crunchy. I added
two cups of lentils and two cups of rice, so I once again have an overfilled crock pot. I'm going to start going to 1 cup of
everything. I also have dried Garbanzo beans to add to the mix next time. And baby Lima beans. Maybe half a cup of
everything would be better.

The reason the interior structures on Falcon get farther from the edge as they go forward is because the hull slopes out more
and more toward the bow. Even so, the drawing is only an illustration and not intended to be precise, though the fore and aft
dimensions are right on and the beam and other dimensions are very close. It gives you an idea of the interior of the boat.
There will certainly be plenty of interior pictures when it becomes presentable.
December 6, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

It's about 40 degrees outside this morning and my hands are telling me all about it. That might be an exaggeration - it could
be 43. I just checked. It's either 41 or 43. Seems colder than normal. I might turn on a little heat today, just so I can get some
work done.

It has been getting colder all day. I ran the heat for a while earlier and may turn it on again later on. Yesterday the power
faded and snapped back or clicked off, then back on, at least three times, and it has caused a problem with the computer. It's
not a terrible problem, but I may now have a seriously pooched motherboard. It refused to allow the DVD drive or a CD drive
to load a driver. It SEES them, but cannot load a driver and refuses to download a new driver from the Internet. Other than
that, everything seems to be fairly good. There are more unexplained delays during boot or loading, either up or down, and
some weird hangs that are a bit scary, but that's all.

Naturally, I've backed everything up and might just reload XP to see what that does. I might also order a new motherboard.
December 7, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

It is December 7th at 7:07 AM. Pearl Harbor Day. I wonder if that makes it a lucky day - all the 7's and all - or an unlucky day -
attack on Pearl Harbor and all. A new motherboard and SATA 2 DVD drive can be had for about $100 American - which is
about 13 dollars Euro - so it sounds good. I can strip the main computer down to a single CD drive and a single 500 Gig hard
drive, both SATA 2, then run all other peripherals as external USB devices and only switch them on as I need them, for
backup or archive retrieval. The whole Idea will be to minimize power consumption while writing on the hook or moored. I'm
thinking that I should go ahead and get the solar panels and charge controller while I still have the money from the sale of the
truck, then worry about the haul out later on.

The weather is still a little crazy here. It would be great weather if this was New England, but it's not and I'm still trying to get
stuff done. Yesterday was not nearly as nice as we'd hoped and today, originally forecast as a warmer and sunny day, is
starting out cool and rainy. It is after sunrise now and the sky is dark with heavy cloud cover.

I need to get the fiberglass tabbing on the ice box done and get the insulation installed and the lid secured. Then, the cooking
counter will be calling.

I've done laundry and preparation for the fiberglassing, got the forms filled out and notarized for St. Brendan's Isle, and made
an appointment for the primary care doc at the VA. January 7th. Oh, well. I can't possibly be ready to leave in three weeks
anyway.
December 8, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

So yesterday, there I was, doing my thing-thing, you know, running to and fro and getting things done while I searched
constantly for lost forms on board ( which I finally found ), transferred tons of files from hard drive to hard drive in preparation
for fixing the computer ( I may wait until after the New Year to order those parts - they could be much cheaper then ), and
chased down solar components from around the globe. It sounds mundane, but with my typical flair and a Sherlock Holmes
hat, it was very 'James Bond'.

My first call to Sun Electronics, my first choice in Solar gear because they are in Miami and have a huge selection and great
prices, ended in disappointment because they didn't have anything I wanted in stock and it was impossible to tell when it
might come in. The salesman sounded like a jerk and just blew me off, telling me to call back a couple of weeks later. So, I
waited for a while as I did other things, then called The Solar Biz, somewhere in the Rocky Mountains area. They had the
BEST price for the Outback 60 Charge Controller I wanted. When I got a salesman, the price of the controller had jumped
from $479 to $519, a $40 increase, and shipping would be around $45. Add tax and I'm looking at $600. Disappointed again, I
said, "No, thanks," and hung up. After talking with Donny for a while about all this and that, I decided to call Sun Electronics
back and see what the final cost of a new Outback 60 would be. This time, I got a different salesman who cheerfully told me
they had them in stock, they were $475, and $12 shipping would bring to me here at the marina by Wednesday for a total of
$487. Done. In another minute, the deal was made and I was hightailing it over to Dulcinea to tell Donny.

Halfway around the world there is a sleepy little country called China where a new company named "Yung Keow Xiang
Takaga" - no, wait, that's how you say it in Chinese - "Shine Solar". Yeah, that's better. Anyway, they make what I've always,
always wanted - a giant solar panel 39 inches by 77 inches that will JUST fit between the sets of shrouds on Falcon, and will
provide 270 watts of power each! Oh, yeah! Two of those panels will provide exactly what four of the Kyocera 135 units will
provide with MUCH less trouble and expense mounting. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone in the country who distributed
them and had no idea what they would cost.

UNTIL JUST NOW!!

Sun Electronics carries them and they are $659 each. So, forget it. I've decided on two 210 watt panels from Sun Electronics,
at 65 inches by 37 inches. They are only $365 each and if the deal is as good on them as it was on the Outback, I will have
my Solar system for just over $1200, plus panel shipping, instead of the $1900 plus I was looking at two days ago. It will
provide 175 amp-hours per day instead of 225, but I can surely live with that.

Another thing I sort of figured out yesterday is that there is no reasonable way that I can, at this time, afford an Apple
computer. I will do what I have to do for now to work this unit and see what the future holds down the road. I will try a new
version of Linux and a dual-boot Windows XP without the Microsoft spyware 'Bit Defender' on board.

Hmmm. The freight on the two solar panels, from Miami to Cortez is $207. On the other hand, however, I was only charged
$478 for the Outback 60, which is sweet. Before I make a decision on the panels, I'm going to have to talk to someone over
there on the phone. Donny said I could use his car to go pick them up. The company is as far into Miami as you can go
before you get your feet wet - 230 miles each way - about $45 in gas and 8 hours on the road, counting lunch. It seems worth
the drive.

Donny is sick and in bed, though I spoke to him earlier and he didn't mention it. Yesterday though, he did say he felt bad the
day before and still was not up to par.

I got the ice box fiberglassed into the boat and as soon as it cures I'll start installing the foam. Then I can stow some stuff in it
and secure the lid and on to the cook counter, or aft galley. Whatever. I may just call it "over there' and be done with it.
After a consistently cloudy, but warm day, the sun dropped below the clouds for a sunset. Just it's little way of telling us, "The
skies are clear just right over here." Thank you. Eddie and Sandy showed up to spend the night, but are on their way to the
Moffitt Center early in the morning. The sunset lit the marina up nicely after a foggy, glum day.
December 9, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

One of the first things I noticed this morning is that my order for the Outback 60 Charge Controller was cancelled from my
bank account. Apparently the first guy I spoke to at Sun Electronics was right - they ARE out of stock. I'll call this morning
some time and see what I can find out. This also means that it would be best to wait for the unit to arrive and be in stock
before I go to pick up the panels, that way I can get everything at once. Donny is still feeling under the weather and it may be
some form of flu or something, so it could be a while before we're ready to take a ten hour highway hike anyway.

It's very foggy outside again this morning. I SO wish I was out of here and on the hook somewhere. These are those perfect
mornings for having early coffee in the cockpit and the silence and watching the day slowly brighten into a smoky, surreal
world. I also love morning that have gentle rain in empty anchorages. They are the BEST for peaceful fishing and blissful
solitude. I can't wait.

I've been insulating the icebox. It's a little weird, but not bad. I started by making a bottom plate for inside the electrical panel
and getting it installed. That took about a dozen trips in and out of the boat to cut here and trim there. I called Sun Electrics
and ordered the Outback 60 again - he confirmed there was no open order for me - and he said , 'no, they didn't have any,
but he could have one sent from Phoenix', so great, lets do it. That was at 9:30 AM. Twenty minutes ago I discovered the
original order was re-listed on my bank account and shipped, and the SECOND order was pending. I freaked out and called
the company immediately. It took the guy a few minutes to find both orders. He said he'd take care of it and give me a call
back. I'm waiting for the call right now.

I've also been stripping off files from me 500 Gig Sata drive and reformatting it as half Windows, half Linux. I already have the
new Linux and will just wait for the new motherboard and Sata DVD writer to arrive before assembling and programming the
whole thing.

I tried to see if anything had been delivered for me here today but the office is closed and locked. Then I spoke to Eddie and
Sandy for a while, then Richard and Angie. I came back to the boat and did more insulating in the icebox. Still no return call
from Sun Electronics, so I just called them back. I SERIOUSLY do not want two $500 Outback 60's showing up here. It's been
two hours since the first guy said he'd call right back.
Here are a couple of shots of the fog this morning. Sweet.
December 10, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Finally, after not hearing back from Sun ( I'll call you right back ) Electronics AGAIN, I called a THIRD time and the woman
said there were, in fact, two orders and two items shipped ( probably ) and they returned the money from one of the orders (
hasn't shown up yet in my account ) and if I did by some chance get two items, to call her back. Actually, I told her that I would
wait to be sure if I would be getting two items, and return the second one when Donny and I drive over to pick up the solar
panels.

Last night at about 8 PM I got the biggest wake I've ever felt here. It sent stuff flying all over the boat. My crock pot - full of
food - went flying onto the anchor chain and emptied itself completely. Nice mess I have to clean up today. One glass dish I
used to use for micro waving hot dogs went into the sink and shattered - no loss, really - and the plastic containers of food
flew all over the place. Fortunately, none of them burst. At first, I was a little upset and imagined how happy I would be to
launch a LAWS rocket at the idiot, but I'm over it. The truth is, once I get the aft galley area built and set up, nothing like that
will be possible. I deliberately finished the forward counter in white SHINY, SLIPPERY Awlgrip so it would be easy to wipe
down. Ordinarily, it will be clean and clear. The crock pot, cook top, coffee maker and electric frying pan will all be secured in
the aft area, as will all of the food containers. Any toiletries and cleaning supplies up front will also be secured properly, ready
to withstand a rollover. So, no big deal.

Ahh, another foggy morning, but with the promise of rain, wind, and plummeting temperatures. I have inside work to do, with
only the occasional sortie to the outer world for mail-check and head use. I'm sure I have something else to report but can't
remember just now. I'll be back later.
I cleaned up inside the boat - the gruel was a MESS - and when I went outside to pull out the anchor chain - which looked
and felt like it had been puked on by 300 cats - I discovered a huge fleet of Mullet fishing boats churning the Intracoastal right
at the end of the dock and as far as you could see - in the dense fog - in both directions. Paul counted 65 boats, then gave
up. They were following a huge school of mullet back and forth and pulling up thousands of the fish in cast nets. As far as I
know, they're still out there, but I really have to get more work done.

I hosed off every foot of the anchor chain and came inside and cleaned up the mess in here as well. After cleaning up all the
various crock pots, dishes, utensils, gallons of vinegar ( used for preconditioning the flexible water tanks ) I finally just poured
the vinegar into the first tank so I could stop stepping over it. That's when I put a nice little cut right on my thumb, next to the
nail. It bled pretty good so I wrapped it with masking tape. It seems okay now. I'm a boob.

The Outback 60 came in today, or yesterday, but without whatever else was supposed to be in the box. I found the manual
available for download online and grabbed a copy of it, but if the unit is supposed to come with a manual, I want it. We'll see if
another unit gets delivered that HAS a manual. If it does - well, we'll see.
December 11, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I tried without success to reach ANY of the three Sun Electronics locations in Miami, Phoenix and Tucson. I wanted to know
what the differences are between the earlier Outback 60 Flex Max and the new MX 60 version, and if I should have gotten the
newer item. I also wanted to know if there should have been a manual included, or anything else that should have been in the
box. Not that I really need any of the stuff or would 'hold them up' for it, but I would like a hard copy version on the manual. I
already found an Adobe version online and downloaded it. It appears that the unit I have will work just as well for me as the
newer one. The latest improvements are geared toward much larger arrays, higher voltages, etc. Things that don't play on a
small boat system. So, even though the unit I received is scratched up a little and might be short a manual, in the long run it
will do what I need for the best price I could hope to find. Sun Electronics has already returned the money from the extra
order so all things money are good.

I just realized a perfect location for a third panel and wonder if I should re-evaluate the size I've been looking at. Right now,
however, I can't pull up their website, so it must be in a morning update. I'll check later. The thing is, I have the money for the
system now and whatever I do I will be sticking with, at least for a while. The third location is in the cabin top between the
hatch and the foremast. I could be problematic as far as fit, being right smack dab in the middle of the way when it comes to
dealing with the foresail, or stowing the dinghy on deck, or, oh, yeah . . . . it could be too big a problem. The others are going
to be trouble just loading the dinghy on and off the boat over them, but I'm pretty good with block and tackle so I'm not really
worried about that.

Steve from Massachusetts, not the Steve who comes down here with his bike, but Steve who has a sweet Cape Dory 30
motor sailer, sent me some pictures of his boat and I'm going to post them on the site today. I'll probably put them on a
separate page Like Ken's "Knot Tonight" and Don and Barb's "Dulcinea". Steve's boat is named "Loon". Okay, I'm back and
Steve's pictures are posted on a new page with a header in the Home page.

I'm making new gruel today and doing things inside the boat. I also just added 4 pictures of Quisset Harbor to Steve's page
that I found online. It is really a sweet little harbor, and I've sailed past the place a few times without having ever noticed it - I
think. I mean, I've sailed past it a few times, I just can't specifically remember seeing it. It's tiny - and packed with boats. I
found a few more shots of Quisset Harbor and posted them here. I do miss New England cruising. The water is cold, to be
sure, but the people are the best anywhere and the rocky coast is just fabulous. And there's real water depth. And great
fishing. And plenty of hard shell dinghies, as you can see. I can clearly see why Steve chose to harbor 'Loon' here. This will
definitely be a stopping point for me on the way north.
December 12, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

It's a nice cool morning and the first thing I have to do when I get out of the boat is to clean up the messy pile of plywood that
the wind starting blowing over last night. I went out and laid down what hadn't blown down, just to be sure none of it could be
blown into the water. I'll head out any minute to straighten it out.

Okay, the jury is back with a verdict. Apparently, I AM an idiot. I just bashed my head AGAIN stepping up on the four 1 x 4's I
bought for the 110 volt outlets. That makes at least 5 times. I'm telling you, you can't teach me anything. The dock is fixed up.
It's beautiful outside and this should be a good work day. I wish I wasn't quite so stressed about the Charge Controller and
the solar system situation. In a few days, I should know if a 'new' Outback 60 is coming from Phoenix - one still in the original
box with genuine packing around it and a manual. A guy named Zack called me twice yesterday from "The Solar Biz" in
Phoenix, Arizona, and we talked for quite a while. I would LOVE to be able to do business with them, but the prices and
shipping costs are prohibitive. I'm feeling a little locked into the situation I finally decided on when I started buying the gear,
which is to go for the lowest prices at the closest distance so I can drive over and pick the big stuff up.

I added a couple of pictures of Quisset Harbor to yesterdays Log. I will love being back up there for the summers. Of course, I
have to tell you that winter on the New England coast is fairly harsh compared to winter in Florida, which can only get as bad
as 'silly' when not during hurricane season. Hurricane season is a separate animal and can't be compared to anything.

The present version of crock pot gruel is very good, though it is a bit spicy. Too much garlic and curry, I guess. I may revert to
avoiding most, or all, spicing during cooking, and just add a bit per bowl as I eat it.

It's a little breezy out and coolish without being cold. A perfect working day and I am already well into it. I am about to hose
down some of the forward area to finish vacuuming out the remains of dried gruel. Then, while it dries, I'll finish insulating the
icebox. Be back later.
There is 4 inches of insulation on all sides and 2 inches on the bottom, which is the easiest part by far. Two more inches
there and I'll trim up and fill in around the top, then fiberglass the whole interior. I suppose it would be a good time to get the
final shape of the holding tank finished so I can fiberglass the interior of that at the same time. I might have to just fill this with
stuff for a while so I can build the other interior structures, then do all the fiberglassing at once.
December 13, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

It would be SO SWEET, and I can't begin to tell you HOW sweet, if I could find a small storage situation here somewhere that
would allow me to completely empty the boat - of everything - and tear into it with grinders, sanders, vacuum, fiberglass, paint
and - you get it. I mean, get this over with. This is mindnumbingly (my own word, if you didn't guess, I think - I don't count
others' illiteracy, only my own) crippling to try to work in an area so completely packed with crap. Okay, I could have just said
'frustrating and discouraging', but how colorful is that? I have more knots on my head from banging around in here, well, it's
just a good thing I destroyed most of my brain cells with drugs and booze in the sixties or I'd be losing them left and right now.
If I don't keep a hat on someone's going to fit me for a helmet.

There's only one way out of this and that's to keep pushing forward. Because the foam is mostly installed, the head is almost
empty again, making it possible for me to install the big shelves in there and get even more stuff out of the way or stowed. It's
warm and foggy outside this morning and I have no idea at all what that means, as far as the weather.

Yesterday I went to Dulcinea and showed Barb how to email full format photos (unshrunk) so some woman who publishes
"The Islander", a small circulation local paper, could include the big mullet fisherman stampede that happened here on the
tenth. I did so, and then Donny and I talked about punting his nasty little HP computer into the trash and getting a small
barebones kit that would accommodate his monitor, keyboard and mouse and get them back up and running for short money.
I found a sweet little package on Tiger Direct today that will work perfectly. I'll contribute a DVD RW drive, a 250Gig hard
drive, and a new EIDE round cable, plus the software and any other miscellaneous stuff.
December 14, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I finished the inside insulation on the icebox yesterday - as much as I'm doing here, that is - and emptied the six full milk
crates into it, carefully stacking everything and packing the thing FULL. Donny came by and I went with him on a run to Best
Buy, where he bought a new laptop. It was apparently quite a good deal because there was a crowd of people buying the
laptops on sale in the store and the place was a little crowded. We also stopped in at Home Depot - the reason I went,
besides having a chance to just chat with Don - and I bought two boxes of special screws so I could carry on building stuff
inside the boat.

After getting back, I stowed a lot of stuff and started getting some room back inside the cabin. I also started prepping for
installing both the head shelves and the cooking counter, as well as finishing the holding tank. I'm beginning to think the only
possible way to 'clean out the boat' is to finish the storage and get rid of almost everything that doesn't fit into it, including
clothes and tools. That way, I can wrap and cover things like the range, the computer, monitors and printer, the TV, the
engine and electrical panel, then blast away with the grinders and sanders. I have to do this prior to installing the fabric on
the cabin sides as it will not handle the dust and subsequent cleaning well. In short, it will end up looking beat up and old
almost at once.

This is the week where I find out if I'm getting a new Outback 60 or if I have to fight it out with Sun Electronics in Miami over
parts, a manual, warranty, etcetera, etcetera. I'm also expecting the last installment to Oblivion, a video game I've had for
some time now that is a stand-alone, no Internet needed, bloodbath of slaughter and chaos that I find relaxing and diverting.
Donny and I have tentatively set Wednesday or Thursday as the time to head to Miami to pick up the solar panels. I will still
have some serious engineering to do concerning my proposed method of mounting and optimizing the units, but as far as I'm
concerned, it's more about security than method. It has to be enormously strong to withstand violent winds and big 'G' forces
for long periods of time without failure. A 'sunny harbor' mounting simply won't do.

Started right off by making cleats to mount the shelves, then cutting down all the 1 x 4's for the outlets and putting most of
them in position where they will eventually end. It's also getting hot, so I put up the dock sunshade. My next task will be to get
these cleats installed and start installing the shelves that are already cut, then cutting and installing more until I'm satisfied
that this part of assembly in the interior is done. Finished. Finnito. Over. Past. History. A chilling memory. You get the picture.
Time to get back to it.

The cooking cabinet is coming along. Each board is a puzzle piece that needs to be massaged carefully into shape and
position, and I'm designing as I go. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to build until just a few minutes ago. I mean, I
knew I was going to build a box there that was about 30 inches by 30 inches, but that was it. I decided on the height once I
got started and now I know I will build a 4 inch deep rotating 'drawer' that swings out instead of dragging out, an 8 inch shelf
below that, and a flop-down door to expose the shelf and the bottom bin, where the pots and pans will store.
It has recently occurred to me that the 'dial-up speed'
AT&T Cellular Internet that Jeff has been enjoying not
so much in Flamingo, is probably exactly what I will be
looking at when I get to Marathon. That may just
influence how long I stay there. I'm going to be trying
to get finishing done on the interior, but once I'm off
the dock here, I may not have to stay anywhere I'm
not happy. We'll see what the future holds. Once
everything aboard Falcon provides a facsimile of
operation, I am a Free Bird and will fly wherever the
wind blows.

Well, you know, maybe. I still don't need to fly north in
the dead of winter or off to the Bahamas during
Hurricane season, or to Haiti for any reason at any
time. But I will go to Cuba if the restrictions are lifted.
And I'll definitely cruise the coast of New England in
summer, and the Chesapeake and south in the
winter. And I may try out the Bahamas sometime.
December 15, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The sun is bright and warm this morning and it looks like a great day. On a side note: I am about at the last drop of my
patience as far as lifting and carrying the 1 x 6 tongue and groove flooring around. I now have to place it on the dock to get
into the dock boxes and back up on the dock boxes to clear the dock each night. This work no longer provides me with a trim,
teenage body, it just wears me out, you know, mentally. And a little bit physically. I may fill all four water tanks today so I can
check for leaks and be done with it. Then I can go ahead and finish installing the floor. It will also give me a pretty good idea
where the boat will sit - waterline-wise - with a full load. That's a little scary, but not much. I still have plenty of stuff I can
ditch, and later on, if push comes to shove, there may be very little need for me to carry a full 100 gallons of fuel and 150
gallons of water. It's nice to be able to if I should need it, but there will be very little need for it, really. Ordinarily, 20 to 30
gallons of fuel and 40 gallons of water will be plenty.

Meanwhile, having a floor in the boat will be awesome. All the storage space beneath the bunk will be available and I will no
longer have to balance on a beam with one foot to put on my pants in the morning. I also received my new computer
components yesterday, but I've got too much to do right now to get involved with building a new computer. I'm sure the
weather will turn to crap at any moment and I'll I some special 'alone' time inside the boat to do that.
And once again, my bunk is covered with clothes and boat
stuff all the way to the deck, the aft galley and reefer are also
packed high, but the bottom of the boat is clear and clean and
I will soon start filling the tanks with water. If that goes well, I'll
start blasting in the cabin sole like Wile E. Coyote builds traps
for that freakin' bird.

Well, if you've watched enough Roadrunner episodes, you
know what happens to the coyote. Sure enough, one of the
tanks started leaking. At first, I thought it had to be a loose
fitting or something, but the more I struggled to find out where
it was leaking from, the worse the leak got. Finally, I worked to
remove the tank from the boat - it was one of the 53 gallon
units that will be beneath the sealed cabin sole, the one
beneath where I sit to work on the computer - and when I
finally got it loose, the water poured into the bilge. The
stacked bilge pumps were pumping so fast they had to keep
stopping and waiting for water to get to them. Wicked fast, the way a big bilge pump should be. Anyway, I dragged the tank
outside and found two dime-size holes melted straight through the middle of the bladder. What a pain. I don't know how I
managed to do that, but I can promise you the tank was not like that when I bought it.
Even the heavy nylon bag it lives in was 'melted' some,
though not right through. The thing is, the super heavy extra
bags I made and covered the tanks with were NOT damaged
in the least, so it happened before I did that.

So I go online and find out that these tanks are now selling
for between $170 to $230. Ouch. Some more research shows
them to be available as the 'bladder only', as a spare part, for
$120. I ordered the bladder and was satisfied to get out of it
for only $135 - including shipping. Needing a brief break, I
went to find Donny and talk.

Donny says - after I tell him I just dropped $135 on a bladder
- why don't I just use the extra one he has? Okay, so then
there were questions and arm measurements and capacity
estimates, and it turns out he has a brand spanking new
'EXACTLY THAT TANK' in his storage that he has no use for.
We go over to the storage and retrieve it and he gives it to me!! Holy guacamole! As soon as I got back, I called the place
where I ordered the bladder and cancelled the order. Close one.

Now, I have a severe headache and a ton of work to do before I can lie down. On the lighter side, the other three tanks are
full and do not leak a drop. The boat is only a tad deeper in the water and it's no big deal.
December 16, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

It's just a little cooler this morning than it has been - around 66 degrees - with no fog and only a small threat of rain. I already
have everything back up on the bunk and the bilge is ready to receive the new tank. First, I'll have to put it in the old outer
bag - because I've already attached web securing points to it - then wrestle it into the super duty nylon bilge bags I made for
all the water tanks. THEN I'll be ready for the fancy dance required to get it back into position. Then, of course, fill it and
check for leaks. Can you imagine how pissed I might have been if I'd just closed up this sole and found out about the two
huge holes in the tank later? I can't imagine. But, I have some ideas about what I would have had to go through to fix it. Not
pretty. Noooooo, not pretty at all.

The headache yesterday was a pain (ha ha ha ha  - a pun) but really, I just worked through it anyway. It didn't feel really bad
until I laid down to try to let it go away. It's almost gone now, but we'll see what the day brings.
Above are the starboard tank on the right, filled almost as far as possible - the sole will limit it - and the poor, sad little space
on the right where the holey tank used to live. OMG! I just realized what killed it! I had two very small cans of PVC pipe primer
and cement sitting right there! And the damn primer leaked! I didn't think anything of it at the time - except that I had to go get
more primer, but now I'll bet that caused the PVC bladder to melt. Evil can! Or not. Might have been something else. I'm going
to tie-wrap a soft cushion of some sort to the black fill nozzle on the top center of each of these tanks. It occurs to me that if
the bags are a little more than half full and I'm at an active anchorage, they might 'tap - tap - tap' the night away and
aggravate the hell out of me. A thin layer of foam will go miles to relieving the situation.

The new tank Donny gave me had an unwelded seam that left a hole almost big enough for me to put my head in. Perfect.
Naturally, this foot-long defect eluded my nonexistent scrutiny as I wrestled the bladder into one bag, then another, then
secured it completely into the bilge and began the triumphant final filling process. Because this is so often the true texture of
my life, I hardly winced when I saw the leaking water running through the bilge and into the pump well. I didn't curse or chuck
down any tools. I just shrugged and said, "Hmph. That figures." I pulled it back out, emptied it, marvelled at the velocity with
which the pumps emptied the bilge, dragged the bladder out of the two bags and onto the dock, and found the open seam. I
DID try a couple of quick 'possibles'; the hot bar (welding with heat) and the PVC primer/cement (welding chemically), but
neither appeared even remotely doable. So I called Ahoy Captain back and reinstated the order for a new bladder. Oh, well.
Above are some shots of Sid and his recently completed (within 2 years or so) wooden schooner built in a small boatyard in
York, Maine, land of the true 'Schooner People'. The boat, "Magnolia", is about 60 feet or so and is fabulous inside and out, a
real masterpiece and no mistake about it. Sid wants to cure a minor 'weather helm' problem and head off for the South Seas.
That's what I wanted to do 25 years ago when I started this boat. Not so much any more. I've enjoyed about all the giggling
young ladies I'd care to. While I am by no means the village eunuch, I no longer believe a half hour of enjoyment is worth the
week of insensible alien chatter that follows it. And I'm not talking about a foreign language - it happens in English. So, good
luck to Sid and the happy native girls of Polynesia. I'd rather stay here and have good old American girls threaten me with
lawyers and restraining orders.
December 17, 2009 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I talked to Matt this morning for a while. It's always great to hear from the kids. My grandson, Aiden, is talking and making
jokes and going to kindergarten. I have been almost flat out busy all day so far and this is the 4th time I've sat down and tried
to get started on the Log. Well, part of that was caused by my not being able to find something I carefully put away the other
day. Also, I went down to Magnolia and pumped it out. The bilge pump float switches are malfunctioning and Sid can't be
bothered trying to fix them before the holiday visit home to the family. I've decided to start by pumping it every morning to see
if it's increasing or decreasing - or staying the same - just to know. My guess is that it's the packing gland, but it could be the
rudder packing as well. It is already 12:30 PM and I have to get started cutting and fitting floor planks.
The cabin sole is cut and installed - temporarily - and I did the dance of joy on it. When I get the bladder and finalize the water
tank situation, I'll glue and screw and fiberglass the floor in. I will have a couple of 'special' tasks to perform during that job,
such as doubling the sole thickness where the computer seat pedestal will be secured, and coming up with a way to hold
three of the difficult water tank tabs on each tank. Both jobs will be a bit tricky, but not bad. It's 3:40 and I'm hungry.

Eddie and Sandy got here a little while ago. Sandy had her surgery and the growth was larger than before - of course - and
she is knocked out on Vicadin in the boat. It is too difficult for her to get in and out of their water-bed at home, so she wants to
recuperate here instead. For just about the first time, I have had visitors aboard the boat. Eddie and Richard. It's the first time
I've had a floor to walk on.