It's occurred to me that we seem to be working much harder and at a more furious pace than should ever have to occur when pursuing a 'fun' activity. And, as I sit here at some ungodly hour with a cup of luke-warm old coffee, slogging away at yet more paper work, organizing, filtering, updating, recreating... well, it's becoming quite obvious that we've immersed ourselves in activities leading to the re-creation of our beloved Shannon. I know we willingly let her go, cast her off into the arms of another (who promised to care for her as we had).... Yet, here we are with our "new to us" boat - slaving away to produce in a few months, the results of over a decade of labour in preparing Shannon to become her wonderful little self.
So, you might ask, what exactly are you doing? How is it that instead of having time to peruse the cruising guides and learn more about the areas you'll visit... how is it that you have no hours left in your days, nor have you had for a very long time? What is it that you're trying to do and why? I shall try to explain and perhaps in the explanation I will find answers to my own questions.
First off, once you've had a boat you have begun the process of selecting exactly the right radio, the right anchor, the right radar reflector and the right life-vest... you've become opinionated as to which piece of what equipment is the best for you and your crew. And that's just after one boat. Shannon's Spirit is our sixth proper yacht... and we have formed all of those opinions mentioned over and over, and over again. There's no arguing with us now. We know which heaters we like and which fans. We know which anchor and how much rode lets us sleep at night and, God help us, we even know which electronic alarm system we want to monitor said anchor.
So, as we sit here anticipating life with our 'new' boat Shannon's Spirit. we seem to be determined to recreate all the good things about Shannon (and there were many). That, my friends, coupled with the complexities of paperwork required to gain entry to the US and to Mexico for two adults, one three-legged dog, a far-too-new pick-up truck and a very cute Casita trailer... well that is what is keeping us up at night and slaving all day.
Some of the projects we've taken on, and that I'll report on later, include: a slim-line book case (just like the one in Shannon) which will be situated against the forward bulkhead in the forward cabin ... the wall the door used to cover when it was open... (said door has been removed to make room - just like in Shannon); a nice, new curtain is ready to provide privacy when needed for the forward cabin; the port side hanging locker will be converted to a set of shelves (newer Catalina's already have drawers here) for our clothing; a strong slide-out will be installed below the navigation station for the Engells freezer; a new Y valve will be installed in the heads system, allowing the switch from 'out' to 'tank' from inside the heads (as opposed to outside and behind a cupboard door); a shiny new two burner w/oven propane stove will replace the old CNG (converted to propane but without the safety features) stove and it will be accompanied by two new composite propane tanks mounted on SSpirit's hips (eg: outside the pushpit, one on either side); and the ships navigation equipment will be expanded to include an 802 SSB radio and a VHF MATRIX (AIS & VHF) radio. Each of the projects mentioned involve several sub-projects. For instance; the propane tanks need to be mounted some how and that requires the creation of suitable brackets or mounts. The parts for these brackets are currently sitting on my work bench waiting for assembly. The wood for the book case is awaiting pre-drilling and painting. Two barge boards (to which we lash the jerry cans) are also awaiting the paint brush but at least they're already cut and drilled... oh yeah, I still need to find the hardware for them. So you see how it's going. Two steps forward, one to the left, two back, two more to the right and maybe you're a little ahead when you recalculate (ha! caught you mapping out the steps!!).
Enough already! Kathy came up with a precious saying yesterday and I've adopted it as my mantra.
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE!! I'm sure she heard it from someone else... but it's perfect for our situation. THIS my friends IS the PRICE we pay for SAILING IN PARADISE. And, we love it.
We shall persevere and we shall succeed. Miss Sophie is very excited about standing on top of her favourite rock in the world. It's on the beach at Isla San Francisco. AND, we're really looking forward to sharing this beautiful anchorage (and others) with good friends Sue and John who will be joining us for at least the first portion of our cruising season. Heck, they've even volunteered to come down to San Carlos early and help us prep the boat. It's all good... and we're pretty pumped about it so stay tuned.
I hope all of you have weathered the BC drought and are looking forward to cooler and wetter temperatures. I wish you all a good September. Thanks for sticking with us as we begin our travels south to the good ship Shannon's Spirit. Talk to you soon..... CJ
