Day 6, Oct 6 2012, Saturday

Lots to do.  Perennial picking up and putting away.  Maybe someday I will find a place for everything. Each time Alan starts on a new project, we have stuff all over again.  The tools and parts stored in the engine room are organized but we still need to take the door off, crawl in, find the correct boxes and get the stuff out and then reverse the process at the end of the day.  So while the project is going on the parts are all over the cabin.

The two main jobs for today are taking measurements to have a new sail made and installing the wind speed indicator at the top of the mast.  However, there is a swap meet in the parking lot.  So off we go to see what treasures we can find.  Alan buys rope, lots of rope.  I find a cedar plug that everyone says is the best fishing lure.  He spends hundreds of dollars.  I spend $2.

 Now time to go up the mast.  We  have a wonderful mast climbing seat that hooks onto the mail halyard and attaches with rock climbing gear. It is way more comfortable than the traditional bosuns chair which goes between your legs and requires a second person to hoist you up but still a lot of work.  By the time the gear is out and attached and he is ready to go up, a crowd had gathered, each with their own opinion about how this should be done.  Hoist, hoist, hoist, up he goes, step by step.  It seems to take forever but finally he is at the top of the mast.  It seems like I should stand by in case there is a problem but there is really nothing that I can do.  If he comes crashing down I certainly can’t catch him.  After a while he comes back down, slowly, slowly.  He has checked it all out and planned how to do it but it is too late today so he will get started tomorrow.