Falcon's Log 30
March 24, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida (Cont.)

I finished Espin's crossbar today and am finally done with that project, and I almost finished the work on Nemo. Tomorrow
morning I will go with them to get the very last lugs that are needed and I will also be done there.
Early this morning Ken called and invited me to join a number of couples for breakfast. I was busy and didn't really want to go,
so I begged off. A little later, Eddie came over and invited me to the same thing, a little more forcefully. I was done what I'd
been doing - updating the log - and felt at that point that another refusal would look silly, so I went. It was a bad idea. I was
the only single person at a large table with 5 couples - with the only empty chair at the table directly across from me.

When I got back to the marina I cleaned up the dock pretty good and swung into Espin's job, taking breaks from that to go
over and work with Ken on his job, bringing tools and getting each phase started with him, then leaving him to work it while I
went back to Espin's. The last stage of the crossbar was to make those three stainless steel cross ties and install them, then
install the whole unit on the boat. I was about done then, but went over to Nemo and continued to work that until we realized
we were short of lugs and had to stop. I went back to Falcon and rested for a while, then later on returned to Nemo to see if
Ken was around, just to know when we'd head out in the morning. I need a few heavy lugs myself to finish the last big cables
on Falcon - the DC selection for the electrical panel.

He was there and Sandy was gone so we sat and chatted for a while. When she came back we were talking about something
- I don't even remember now, something about hunting and shooting. In a few minutes, she was sitting there staring silently at
Ken and I was creeped out by myself just being there. I didn't even bother to fumble for an exit strategy - I just left. Couples
really don't want singles around all the time and I don't blame them. I've got to get out of here.

The second photo shows John Crissmore's boat in the sunset sporting a new wind generator. He might finally be watching
TV out there, or have a reefer. There were a lot of nice cloud shapes in the sky and it made a pretty sunset.

At just about 8 PM I got a call from Donny in the Abaco's. I answered and started trying to talk to him, but the line suddenly
went dead and I was unable to call back. It didn't occur to me until just now that I don't have International calling on my
service. Sandy has it for emergency, but I'm not likely to get it. I'll just have to communicate with Donny and Barb through
emails. It's been a long day. It feels really, really long.
March 25, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I have a pretty good headache this morning and have just taken some aspirin for it. The allergens are all spiking to their
highest levels and the winds are bringing them right in. Espin had a sneezing fit yesterday that rivalled one of my own. I will
not be making the run to get the lugs this morning with Ken and Sandy, but when they get back I'll go to Nemo to finish up this
project.

I'm going to get rid of a lot of the scrap wood on the dock and separate and give the fishing stuff to RJ and Eddie. As soon as
I trim up the dock - one more time - I will get the holding tank finished so I can install some other stuff in the area and
complete the head and water systems, including the new tank under the cabin sole.

Out on the docks I spoke with Paul for a while, then went to chat with Espin and Barbara and Rick and Audrey and say
goodbye to Rick and Audrey. They are leaving this morning for points south. I came back to Falcon and started picking
through the wood to toss out and my lower back began hurting. By the time I'd taken the second armload of scraps to the
dumpster, I couldn't bend over at all and squatting to pick something up or put something down was excruciating. Perfect, just
freaking perfect. As I sit here writing this right now, I'm as stiff as a board and trying to loosen up so I can carry on when Ken
and Sandy get back. It has to be a minor twinge that will pass quickly - I haven't done anything to cause a pull or injury. It
seems to be going away as I'm talking about it. Weird.

The components for the computer just arrived and my back felt much better on the walk up front to get them. I am looking
forward to completing the outside work and getting to work uninterrupted here on my own stuff. I ran into Yvonne on the dock
who had read this log and said, "You don't know how many times I'm the only woman in the room and feel exactly the same
way." I guess being a man, I'm ordinarily expected to feel that way but never speak a word of it. I just see as the same thing
as blister or a cut finger - it's minor and it passes quickly.

After I finish up with Nemo, I might do the computer, you know, if my back is still bothering me. No need to aggravate it.

I made two pea soup and added a chicken bullion cube and it's pretty good. The back became increasingly sore as the
mornings aspirin wore off and I ended up lying down for a while after dividing up the fishing gear and giving it to RJ and
Eddie. It's 4:30 PM now and it's feeling much better, so I probably won't take any more aspirin. Although I never really thought
about it, I would have said that this was not the way I wanted to spend my first day back working on Falcon. Ahh, well, at least
I got some things done.
March 26, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I got a call from Matt last night and it was great to talk to him for a while. He's always cheerful and quick to laugh and we had
an excellent time for about an hour, mostly recalling some of the funniest lines we'd heard in various movies. My back is still
killing me and I'm about to take the aspirin. It was a very uncomfortable night, not to mention the 11:30 PM downpour with the
hatch left open. I do wake right up with rain though, for exactly that 'open hatch or porthole' reason. I think I remember how I
might have strained my back - lifting the Village Marine Watermaker onto the table while cleaning the dock the other day. It
outweighs me by about 30 pounds, so I guess I shouldn't have done it. Oh well, too late now. Looks like this might be a
computer day. I'm a little excited about seeing how the new system works, but not giddy - I've done this about every 2 years
since 1994, sometimes more often than that.

So, there I was, smartin' in the lower back department and painin' serious in the ass department as I tried and tried to get the
new motherboard to work. No luck. Called the factory. No luck. Went and got Ken a piece of scrap 1/4 inch black Starboard
and indicated how to get the piece out of it to mount the solar panel charge controller. Sandy gave me a pill for back pain and
Espin mocks the way I walk so, all in all, things are normal here.

A guy who has the extraordinary good luck to be docked RIGHT ON THE DAMN GRAND PRIX RACE COURSE!!!!! has
decided to abandon the raucous noise, smells and hub-bub of a GRAND PRIX RACE and join us for peace and quiet here at
the Seafood Shack. I don't get it. I don't get it. You would have to drag me away kicking and screaming. I would climb a tree
and pee down on anyone trying to climb up and get me. I just don't get it.

Anyway, I now have the computer all back the way it was before. I'll have to send this in and when they get it, they'll send me
a replacement. Pain in the ass.

In an hour I'm heading over to Espin's and Barbara's for fish chowdah. Said with a Downeast Maine accent. "Cain't get thay'a
from hee'ya. Gut ta go back an' staaht agee'an." I know, I know, it's not funny, but folks from Maine don't read this. Well, I only
have one friend that still lives in Maine and she hasn't read this in over a year. Or more.
March 27, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

My back is feeling a little better this morning, but I'm not quite ready to start moving furniture, if you know what I mean. I got
the RA from Tiger Direct yesterday so I need to UPS the bad motherboard back to them and wait for the replacement to
arrive. Two other upgrades I'd eventually like to get are a top speed quad core processor and a 64 bit operating system. It
turns out I already have the 64 bit processor - I just verified it a minute ago - so maybe all I really need is the operating
system. I also just verified that I can easily get both Windows and Linux operating systems in 64 bit, meaning that I can
eventually upgrade the ram on the new system to as much as 16 Gigs. With a Core 2 Quad processor running at 3 Gigs and
a 1333 Gig front side buss, I may need a seat belt and helmet to fire it up.

The day has turned out beautiful weather-wise, but I have had a constant stream of difficulties in trying to update the
computer. The old motherboard (suspect #1) and the old processor (suspect #2) may have teamed up to make me (suspect
#3) look like a moron. I can't tell yet if they have succeeded. At any rate, I finally do have the unit running on a badly crippled
old hard drive with a stripped operating system and highly suspect hardware. I'm going to have to make a decision soon as to
whether or not to get a new processor to arrive about when the new motherboard does. I'll have to keep working with the
various components for a few days to get a better feel for the whole thing. On the good side, my back seems to be getting
better.

It's now exactly 8 PM and I am on the 3rd build of a complete computer here today, and this time, by Grapthar's Hammer, I've
got a brand new, completely clean and crisp version of Windows XP on a newly formatted 250 Gig drive. When the cheering
and applause dies down, I will admit that there were times when I almost went out and bought a new laptop. The truth is, I
should probably have one anyway, but not now - not when I need to get to a place where I can leave the dock. I'll worry about
a computer backup later. And I'll finish loading up the computer tomorrow. I already got the internet hooked up and Norton
anti-virus and XP upgraded to SP2 and the Nvidia dual monitor video drivers.
March 28, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Almost everything is going perfectly with the re-loading of the computer this morning, except one little glitch that I haven't as
yet figured out. My recently new version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 still will not load. The last time this happened,
Corel said the new software required a password for the system administrator, which I do not typically include on my own
system. This time, I DID purposely include it, but now, trying to load the new software causes an instant system reboot -
every freakin' time. It's a minor problem because I can still use CorelDRAW 12 Suite. I just hate losing all the money I spent on
the new software.

It's rapidly cooling off now and rain is on the wind. The bad weather is expected to ruin the Grand Prix event in St Pete.
March 29, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The rain stopped sometime late in the morning but the wind is cold and howling. This is a whole new 'March in like a lion,
stay like a lion all month, out like a lion', thing. I like weather patterns that don't conform to 'averages' or 'standards' because
of the way they give you nothing to talk about anyway. You know, anything I could have said today I already said yesterday
and the day before, so why bother? It is supposed to warm up and be nice though.

My head has been killing me all day and I've already taken enough aspirin to make me want to gag. The only thing left to do
is to wait it out.

The computer is coming along nicely, but the head just won't let me sit at it and work for long. I've had more contact from Don
and Barb and they seem to be having a great time. I can't wait to be out there myself. OH! I just remembered - I should get a
little web cam so I can get Skype and talk to Don and Barb with the full pictures and all.
March 30, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The last supplies should be in today for Ken and Sandy's battery upgrade. As soon as that is done I'll be tearing into Falcon.
The headache is all but gone, as is the back pain. It's cold out today, but not bad. We're expecting temperatures in the 40's
tonight, then warming. Whatever.

I stopped at the end of that last paragraph for 2 hours. Couldn't help it. Went to the head and met, first, Eddie, then Paul, and
we talked until just now. I also stopped by Nemo to check out for a schedule for finishing up the battery project. It should be
done today. My head is presently working overtime after having been pummeled to a near halt for the past four days or so. I'm
not sure what it's thinking, but I can hear rusty gears and bearings squeaking and complaining. Early this afternoon, when
Nemo is done, I predict it'll come fully back to life.
March 31, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I headed out yesterday to do a few errands - main the bad motherboard back to Tiger Direct, update my address at the bank
and hopefully get a new card - the one I use now is due to expire in September - and renew my Drivers License with the new
address. What a mess that turned into.

First, I had to pay the woman in the shipping store an extra $1 to have her put an extra piece of tape on the box, which was
nothing, but she kept $2 when making change and I let it go rather than have her deliberately 'lose' the package. Who cares,
right? Just a buck. I stop at the bank and wait for a good while - there seemed to be no person serving the man ahead of me
seated at the desk. I got up and asked a teller and she assured me the woman serving him would be back soon. She also
informed me that I would have to go to another bank to get a new credit card, as they were closing this branch and no longer
had the equipment to make the items.

Off I go to the next bank. In here, a woman told me I should just change my address here at the bank and not bother with a
new card because the expiration date would remain as it is, and I would still get the other one in September. I agreed and she
sold me two chocolate bars for some good cause. Off to the tax office for a new license.

After more than an hour of waiting, the woman behind the counter informed me that I actually had to have my old Social
Security card I got 50 years ago to get my license. I had my passport, my current license, my VA identification, my birth
certificate, the registration to the boat, the DOCUMENTATION for the boat, and she was looking straight at my SS# on the
screen, and claimed she couldn't be sure who I was. I stared at her and prepared to purloin her with my rapier wit, but all I
could think of was, "That's stupid." She said it was the law. I replied by way of asking, "Are you telling me that the law says if
you have all the proof in the world of who I am, and you are dead certain who I am, you are still required to deny me a drivers
license because I don't have a sliver of paper I got 50 years ago?" She said the she needed to make two copies of it. I said,
"Print it out. You're staring right at it." She said she couldn't. I said "That's stupid."

There you go. Next, I had to drive all the way out to Rt 75 to the SSI office and get the easiest document in the world to forge,
a social security card, so the idiots at the DMV have had their spot in the sun. This is because those morons gave the 9-11
terrorists drivers licenses.

Great breakfast at - okay, okay, - I didn't barf after eating at the Cortez Café and I haven't noticed any signs of nausea since.
Talked with Randy and Espin and George on the dock, then jumped in and finished Nemo. All done, everything looks good.
Getting the batteries shoehorned into this space was considerably
easier than working on them once they were there. Still, it's not my
boat and I very much agree with the placement anyway. It puts the
weight in a much better place and has room for another pair of 6 volt
AGM cells. There are 6 cells in place now for a total of 660 AH of
reserve capacity.
Sadly, it is back to the tax office for me again. I don't know if I'll get through it today either, but I figure if I gnaw at their leg long
enough they'll either give my license or fall over. Either way. Be back later.

I'm back. From start to finish, it took about an hour. I walked into a place that had been PACKED yesterday only to discover it
almost empty and I was the next in line. Within five minutes, I was at the counter and wading through a quagmire of this form
and that and blah, blah, blah, then a picture and a signature and $64 and 'bingo' - new license good for 8 more years. Thank
you very much and good day.

Called Steve to find out what happened to his bike, only to find he spun the crank and it cracked the outer gear on the new oil
pump. The place he works with in Manchester, New Hampshire will be doing the repair and upgrade work for him. Kind of a
pain, but engine building sometimes goes like that.

Talked with Espin about his hatch and other stuff, and RJ about his computer, and Eddie about his new canvas around the
bridge. Oh, yeah, picture coming up.
Tarquin's new suit encloses the entire bridge, including the rear, so cruising in cool temps should still be warm. Tomorrow I
am going to RJ's home base to check out his punt and computer. I will endeavor to stay clear of 'obligation' trouble. Did you
see that? I had to stay 'check out his punt' because - even in my head - saying 'check out the blisters on his dinghy' just
sounded too stupid. Even now.
April 1, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

April Fools Day. Time for me to plan my evil. What will it be? I can't think of anything. Oh well, there you go, another
opportunity to do something stupid has slipped through my fingers. When will I ever learn.

I introduced Randy and Ken yesterday. Randy hasn't been around for so long that I guess I forgot they were in adjacent slips
for 6 months almost two years ago. At first I thought I might be showing signs of Alzheimer's, but now I forget. Wow, wouldn't
that be a fine way to start cruising - getting lost inside my own head and not remembering where I've been or where I'm going.
It would be like the old days years ago when I used to drink and do a lot of drugs, only without the corresponding fear of
Police. Actually, in my defense, I'm still 'allergy fogged' in my brain and I casually asked if they knew each other and they
insisted they didn't. It would be an awesome 'April Fools' joke if they'd done it today, but doing it yesterday was just
tormenting a defenseless old man and they should be ashamed. I'll get them today. Heh, heh, heh. I just have to figure out
how.

RJ just called and I'll be heading over to his place in about 45 minutes. I did my laundry last night, watching a pretty good
sunset from upstairs. I did some cleaning up inside the boat and will be doing more soon.

Just got back from RJ's. His dinghy is an old 'Thunderbird 8' built in St. Petersburg. I need to do some research on that.
Okay, no luck. But it is a pretty nice little boat. It needs a little work, but I like it much better than my own, as far as it's being a
good 'lifeboat', if you know what I mean. Higher freeboard, better construction, more suitable for way offshore, though it does
not have a sailing package.

In a few minutes I'm going to have to get outside and bail out my own dinghy again.
It took a bit of time to pump out the dinghy, but only because I
had a voltage problem and it took a while to find my meter.
To take a test of my batteries, I've left a single battery
connected to the bilge pump for about a month, seeing how it
would do with all this rain. It finally gave up yesterday and is
now down to about 4.35 volts. It had a closed float switch
trying to light up two 3500 GPH pumps for the past 24 hours
or so. Tonight I'll connect an extension cord to the Charles
battery charger and see how well it comes back. I know I'll
have to replace these Gel cells with AGM units someday
soon, I just don't know when.

Now that Eddie and Sandy live here we see them more often
returning to the boat. Sandy is through with the radiation
treatments, but not yet recovered from the ill effects of the
process. She is sore and tired. She says it will take about six
months to be feeling like herself again.
I tried out the old lantern that I converted to an LED Anchor light today and it works. How well it works at night, I'll have to wait
and see tonight after dark. Meanwhile, it's about time to publish this and get to work connecting the battery charger.
April 2, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Yesterday I discovered that RJ is a direct descendant - great-grandson - of the great Nez Perce leader, Chief Joseph. It just
so happens that one of the novels I'm working on is centered on Chief Joseph. Awesome. An outstanding perspective and
source of information is now available, and I will certainly take advantage of it.

I got the battery charger working on the dead battery last night and it is doing fine this morning. The adjustments I made on
the Charles Charger to keep the peak voltage below 14.2 volts for the gel cells worked perfectly. It started at 14.18 to 14.19
and has dropped down to 13.74 this morning while maintaining a good amperage of 6 to 10 amps. Once I'm sure the battery
is back at full charge, I'll load test it to check it's condition. I just need these things to hold out for a few more months.

RJ is on his way out with the boat this morning. He has a friend with him and it looks to be a beautiful day. I hope they have
enough wind to give it a good ride.

I've started with the new water tank and may even find a way to get it in today, though my back is kicking up again and I don't
know if I re-pulled it or just slept wrong. I'll find out as the day goes on. Here are a couple of shots of Invictus going out with
RJ at the helm.
It is now 11:24 AM and RJ just called me to put in an express order for wind. They have very little out there. It would be more
disappointing if there were none, but they are sailing and now have the spinnaker up.

I have about a ton of stuff out of the boat and on the dock already. I have also emptied out the dockbox - which, I might add,
does a completely dog crap job of keeping water out. The cockroaches hiding in there have all drowned. Anyway, all that
stuff has to dry out, so it's scattered all over the dock as well.

I got the new key stickers to rescue my keyboard - we'll see how that works - I may have to resort to buying them on sale, 5 at
a time - and a pretty fair webcam so I can install Skype and talk to Donny and Barb in the Bahamas.
There it is. The much discussed final water tank is installed, filled,
and not leaking. The 'not leaking' thing took a couple of tries and
changing out a fitting, but it's done. Also, the cabin sole is installed. I
have recently conceived an alternative method of securing the edges
than I've been planning, and I'm going to use it because it will make
water tank access much easier without sacrificing much strength. I'm
no longer as confident in the Plastimo tanks as I once was.
I have also contracted Drew to scrape the bottom of the boat before the end of the month so I won't be hindered by growth
and won't have a huge pile of stinky crap to scrape off in the yard. I also have to remember to have him give me the accurate
locations for lifting straps so I can mark the toe rail. On Falcon, the straps also have to be tied together to prevent the forward
strap from flying up the nose of the boat and ripping the bowsprit off as the boat crashes to Earth. I've seen it happen. It's
quite a sight. People running, screaming. Lots and lots of money to fix the problem.
April 3, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Another thing that I got done yesterday was to get the dinghy pulled up onto the dock and scraped. It had a bunch of growth
on it and I still have some work left to do. I'll get some pics once the sun comes up. My back is still a little sore but I can't quite
figure it out. It's minor, but I'd still be more comfortable it would just heal and stop bothering me. It looks to me like the battery
has come back full, but I'll need to cycle through all of them, then do a load test to be sure.

On top of doing the dinghy, I want to finish the cabin sole today and make a new, webbing handle for the Sailrite sewing
machine so I can stow the thing under the bunk. Right now, the hard handle is just too high to get under there. I should bring
it outside and see about getting some of the canvas sewn for the hardtop while I'm at it, and get the tools sorted out in their
separate boxes and stowed. Oh, yeah, and get the cabin sole hatch handles installed. Sounds like a pretty full day to me.

It is now just 6 AM and there is way too much dew outside to start on the dinghy, so I'll have to start in here.
The dinghy is ready for sanding and bottom paint, which will be coming right up. Sue and RJ showed up early this morning -
probably because after the first sail it becomes a 'boat' and is no longer a 'project'. Now it's fun.
As soon as I took this shot ----> I realized I'd forgotten to paint
the inside of the centerboard trunk, so I snatched up the
still-wet mini roller and blasted a coat of bottom paint up in
there as well. I might put another quick coat around the
waterline, but I'm not sure. It's too easy to take care of the
bottom paint on a dinghy to bother over-coating it and making
for more work during the next prep.
With the tape off <---- and some of the rub rail cleaned up, it's
beginning to look pretty good again. I still have a lot of
cleaning left to do on the inside, but I want it to be totally dry
before flipping it over. The sorting of the tools today took up
WAY more time than I'd hoped and I'm still not finished.
Consequently, I was not able to get as much done as I would
have liked. Still, I did okay. Tomorrow's another day.
I just went out on the dock to catch the sunset while listening to music from my boat. As I watched this, Judy Collins came on
singing 'Amazing Grace'. It was awesome. It's so good to have the warm weather back and the nice sunsets. 27 days.
April 4, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The new 'Southwinds' magazine has a horror story about a British couple in a Trimaran being treated extremely poorly by
some folks in Naples. It's getting bad in Naples. It sounds more and more like a place to avoid while cruising. They have a
very strange City Counsel and the 'appointees' designated to oversee the waterfront are, in my experience (I lived there and
worked on the waterfront for 7 years), very 'questionable' individuals in both morals and competence. Getting a berth on the
old Fleishman Liveaboard Dock required either connections or bribes. By 'connections', I mean connections in low places.

I was about to remove the handle from the Sailrite carrying case and investigate repairing it when I noticed that it is made of
cheap 3/8 inch plywood and has outlived my rough treatment. Instead, I went down to the dumpster room and got the three
big windows that Dave Pamorski removed from Roy's boat and brought them back to my dock. They are 1/2 inch thick Lexan
and I think I can make a whole new case out of the stock. I'll also use a piece to reinforce Espin's forward hatch and if there's
enough left, I'll cut a circle to prevent the computer desk pedestal from cutting into the new cabin sole.
The dinghy is all cleaned up and a new bow eye is sitting in place, though that needs to be pulled and sealer added prior to
tightening. I still have to wax the white rub rail and sand and varnish the seats, and I should put a name on the transom, but I
forgot what I was going to name it. It's in the log here somewhere. I'll also pull the flag staff and the last long teak ceiling strip
and a few other things once I start varnishing and do everything at once.

You can see how rough the condition of the Sailrite case is. It's all warped and swollen inside as well. It's a pain in the ass,
but the Lexan is here and it's free, so I might as well at least cut the pieces while I'm doing it for Espin's hatch.
I began a bit gingerly with the circular saw on the Lexan, just to see how it would cut, and it cut as sweet as fresh cedar, so I
set the blade to full height and commenced to make a huge pile of plastic shavings. I started with Espin's piece and then
carefully cut almost all the pieces I'd need for the new Sailrite case.

I also got a lot done on the dinghy. It's all scrubbed clean and the wood has been sanded and has a new coat of varnish. The
white rub rail is all cleaned and waxed. It's coming along. 26 days.
April 5, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

It is now 3:50 in the afternoon and this is my first look at the Log. I have been just as busy as a one-legged man in a
butt-kicking contest. I started out early on the dock with RJ and Eddie and Espin watching the Space Shuttle Launch. The
sky was still pitch black and speckled with stars and the Shuttle was a massively bright light. Awesome. I then went with RJ to
Nokomis to the consignment marine shop and got shocked by the high prices for used crap. I was reminded of the old
Disneyland attraction, 'Fantasy Land'.

We stopped briefly at Marine surplus, then went into Best Buy and RJ bought a new laptop. It's a pretty good unit. Excellent,
really. An AMD 64 bit processor with 4 Gigs of Ram and a 500 Gig hard drive, built in WiFi, Windows 7 and a 14.2 inch
screen. It's a Gateway and very light. It took no time at all to get it started and set up and I wouldn't be surprised if RJ is on it
at home right now.

I copied all of the Cap'n and chart discs Eddie gave me onto my 2nd drive and burnt a couple of CD's for Eddie. I just ran over
to Tarquin and gave the CD's to Eddie and he reminded me to make a copy of something for Espin. Better do that right now.
Okay, all done. Fast, huh?

I won a new copy of Windows XP Pro in 64 bit on Ebay last night. It only cost $73 and I can't complain (at least, not YET) a lot
of people are paying much more for it. I also downloaded Service Pack 2 for 64 bit, then bought a copy of Ubuntu in 64 bit for
a total of $3.98, including shipping. Time to upgrade to 64 bit hyper threading technology. Who knows why?

I struggled to get something done on Falcon today but the crowds or people sitting around on my dock under the shade made
it all but impossible. I got very little done. Just the bow eye on the dinghy. Tomorrow I will take down the shade and run a red
velvet rope across the dock so no one will be able to come and bother me. This is ridiculous.

I got another call from Donny today only this time it came in loud and clear and I wasn't here to get it. It came in while I was
gone with RJ. I will definitely download the Skype tonight and find out about it. I'm still not sure that I want to load up
everything on this computer just to take it all apart and start over again as soon as I get the new motherboard back and all the
64bit software and stuff, but I hate missing Don's calls.
April 6, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I got outside this morning early enough to clearly and perfectly see the Space Station cross the entire sky, beginning at 6:28
AM, and then the Space Shuttle on the same course at 6:33 AM. It was pretty cool. I don't remember ever seeing it before. At
least, not travel the entire sky from horizon to horizon. I've see the Space Station do that thing where it starts, then gets in the
shadow of the Earth where it disappears, then it lights up again on the other horizon about 3 minutes later. This was much
better.

Don and I will have to schedule exactly when we'll communicate and it should be pretty cool. I'll also need to install the new
web-cam and some other stuff. I just got the email that my motherboard was shipped yesterday, so that whole scene will be
staging in the wings as I wait for all the software and other stuff and format the new hard drive prior to kicking off. I only hope
the 64 bit XP works as expected.

It's getting light out but the sun is still well below the horizon. I have already dug some stuff out on board and gotten the day
started here. I may have to be pretty pushy today to get some stuff done. We'll see how it goes.

I am cleaning up on the dock and updating the Bahamas pages of Don and Barb. I still have 6 more of the first trip to do and
each one takes at least an hour. The new emails are much better and should be very easy to post.

I'm sort of shooting skeet here today, first one thing, then another. Back and forth and on and on. The scrap wood is moved
and the dinghy is where it will be for the next three weeks or so, turned over and the bottom paint touched up. The rig is
stowed beneath it for now. I am digging out the last bags and buckets of miscellaneous crap and sorting it out, tossing some
stuff and stowing other. I'm going to have to clear the cabin sole and complete it, then get straight away at the holding tank.
The water, head, and electrical systems need to make substantial headway by the end of the month.
The dinghy is once again ready to go - a very easy task, all in all - and all it's rig and extras are stored beneath it. I also have
a supply of seats and bottom fittings and a pedestal to work with to complete the computer desk chair for down below. That
project is also a 'now' thing.
April 7, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I slept until 8 AM this morning and I feel great. Very unusual for me to sleep so long, but something was up yesterday that I
couldn't explain and it seems to have passed by this morning. I was extremely tired and unable to focus yesterday. I might
have had a mild bug of some sort and it has passed. That is actually how I usually get what other people call the 'Flu'. On
rare occasions, I get 'go to bed sick', but usually, it's just tiredness and a cold sore.

I already have the pedestal chair done and I have the Sailrite apart so I can cut the last of the Lexan pieces for the new case.
The slug of pipe on the dock in front of the completed seat is the 13
inches I had to cut off the pedestal to make it work in the cabin.
With a nice cushion and some upholstery, the seat will be excellent
- and it pivots.

I already have all the pieces cut for the outside of the lower section
of the Sailrite case, now I have to cut all the pieces - all 7 of them -
for the inside module that supports the hardware.
Ken and Sandy just returned after two days out in Nemo. It was their first real 'cruise' and they loved it. They spent two nights
in two different locations and had two completely different nights. Ken got up early and saw the Space Shuttle launch, but not
knowing what it was, assumed it was either total nuclear war or invaders from space. I'm serious. Not knowing which, he
shrugged it off and started surfing the net, where he found my description of the launch and shelved his plans for a
counterattack. My log may have saved World Peace.

They lost both their Balmar engine alternator and the Xantrex inverter. At different times. With all the wiring we did, it's
possible we left a ground off somewhere or popped a fuse, so we'll check once the engine room cools off. As far as the
Xantrex inverter, I'm not hopeful. I think it might be junk. Ken said it ran hot a lot and it's in the engine room. It might have self
immolated in protest of the huge new battery bank. Either way, it'll need to be replaced and moved to another, cooler location.
I cut an 18 inch disc of Lexan upon which to mount the pedestal chair. It will also better stiffen the sole and keep the seat from
feeling weak or poorly supported. I managed to paint the interiors of the Dorade scoops blue and I re-fit the bottom of the LED
lantern and painted to floor of it white and finally finished the assembly. I tried it out in the dark tonight and it seems  really
sweet.

The hurricane forecast for Florida is another dire threat of magnum proportions. They've done this for three years in a row
now and every one has been a pure miss, so there is no logical reason to believe these 'experts' have the faintest idea what
they are talking about.
April 8, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Again, I slept soundly until 8 AM - exactly. As soon as I opened my eyes and wondered what time it was, I heard Eddie calling
to me from the dock. I asked him what times it was and he told me. Four minutes later I was on the dock with a cup of coffee.
It is now 9:33 and I've just made my second and last cup of coffee for the day. I have also gotten a bit of work done and have
a plan, of sorts, for work for the day. I also have a bit of a headache and have already taken a small dose of aspirin for it. The
pollen here is bad. I just cleaned off the solar panels and they are already coated with it again.
The second seat that I have will be configured to sit somewhere near where it is on the deck now. I will design a quick secure
mount that will allow me to easily move it from side to side and, like the inside seat, will have a nice suit of upholstery. The
cushioning on this seat, however, will be of the foam type that is inside the flotation cushions. Not because I intend to use
them as such, but because they will be out in the weather and I hate sitting on soggy foam.

I like the looks of the blue inside the Dorade scoops. Once the boxes are varnished and they are installed, I'll also treat them
with a coat of white. I tried out the fine screening on the inlets and will take a shot at doing that today as well.

I'm still waiting to get at the alternator on Nemo and I've varnished the Dorade boxes and sorted through the pots and pans on
the deck. I now have only 3 items left and they are about to be stowed beneath the cook top. I will also be stowing some other
things that I know full well I will not be able to address until I am settled in Marathon. I might also have to play 'Conan The
Barbarian' with a huge grinder in the main cabin so I can cut the remaining vinyl to size and staple it into place, just to
eliminate more bulky storage problems.

I got a lot done today - at least, I feel like I did. I got a lot of stuff stowed and some other stuff worked on. More and more
things are being prepped for the trip. I even spent some time today going over the charts. I'm still nervous about the missing
depth sounder transducer and won't be really comfortable until it's in and I have a working depth sounder. I have a newly
acquired chart reading program and plenty of charts and should make myself very familiar with them before I kick off.

22 days to go.