Shackled to the Slip

Since our last meeting much has changed. The most obvious and important: getting physical with the salty seas!

• Pro: Our beast of a boat floats!
• Con: Held captive in the baby pool.

Don't get us wrong, the heat vents and water wings have been fun, but we can't help but gaze towards the diving board in the deep end! First things first: you gotta learn to float before you swim, and there are still a few hurdles to clear before the sails can be raised.
The Cracked Pipe: When we first took the Beast out for a cruise about we noticed some appetizing diesel exhaust filling up our cabin below. The conclusion- crack in the exhaust pipe. We have contacted the original manufacturer and are on stand by for the new part, until then, we are shackled to the slip.

The Mighty Sea Beast: Not to be fooled- behind these 4 easy words, and 5 simple syllables, hides an alphabetic marathon of letters (17 to be exact)! We dedicated more time then we would like to admit measuring, making, marking, sketching, and then finally taping the lettering off for the paint job. The tape job itself was allotted the same amount of time as everything else put together, and then some. Nick took on the role as the taper boy. He lagged behind taping off swooping curves, awkward angles and worst of all...flared tips-on every edge! In the end, my over elaborate design resulted in Nick taping off my poor interpretation of the Sistine Chapel. That is why I am sure you can understand how quickly my ego deflated once Randy noticed the missing T in MIGHY!! At least the 3 thick coats of black paint were still waiting to be applied- phew!
 




For the past few day's Nick has taken the electrical bull by the wires. He has learned the ins and out of the fuse box (which from afar resembles an enraged wire monster), and even installed a power outlet. While Nick was taming the electrical bull I tackled the netting up on deck. Equipped with 200 ft of rope I somehow managed to secure the fish nets. Not only emphasizing her sexy curves, the netting also acts as a second line of defense against human projectiles.

West Marine: We have become semi regulars at the store in town. It is a tad bit more affordable compared to the Marina so we bike to save a buck. I guess the manager Bob had a kick at watching us time and time again bike to his store, grab a few items, whip out our visa's, and turn back to the Marina. Bob: a middle aged, overly friendly, slightly offensive, boat geek. His pockets are littered with terrible jokes that he is not shy to share. However, last week Bob decided to do the unthinkable... He let us purchase anything in the store at cost! Before we knew it, we were cracking jokes and giving high fives to Bob!! He sure saved us a buck or two and still does!!


Today we worked on installing some Velcro screen into the hatches. The breeze is very pleasant, but not when it brings a small fleet of fly's with it. The old Harper Magazine baton works wonders, but it was time to fix the root of the problem.



Over and out,
Em&N


Lat: 35.489153, Long: -76.958585 (VIEW MAP)
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