Where was I?

Oh yes, when I reported last night I was well-fortified with Wild Turkey and full of complaints. I turned on the generator to have plenty of heat overnight and hit the sack. Ten minutes later, the generator quit. I went into the engine room to check it out and found that the engine room lights were not working. I said “to hell with it” and went back to bed.

This morning, I marched over to the office to meet with Scotty the Terrible, the Scotsman who runs the place. I gave him a list of the items that had not been completed, reminded him that I hope to leave this weekend, and also broke the news to him about the generator and engine room lights. I was quite polite but he got on the radio and summoned all the workers to the office to tell them to drop everything and get me fixed up. The generator had a bad temperature sensor causing it to shut down. It’s presently disconnected and the generator is running fine without it. A new sensor will be here tomorrow. The engine room lights were hooked to a breaker labeled “lazerette lights” while the lazerette lights were hooked to a breaker labeled “spare”. We solved that problem by switching the labels. The mast was put back up from it’s folded-down position, the dinghy was put in the water, run a bit, and hoisted back on the boat. The spare parts were put on board and a few others will arrive tomorrow. I did a temporary fix on the toilets by plugging an air vent in the line that was not allowing enough water pressure to properly flush the toilets. All is right with the world.

I went out for lunch and found a Target store for pillows, a blanket and some towels. With hot water and towels, I can now take a shower. On the way back, I found a gourmet market and picked up a few frozen dishes to have on board for the trip. I had some hot chile and grilled cheese sandwich for lunch which warmed me up nicely.

I’m back on the boat now. It’s snowing outside and winds are about 20 mph gusting to 30. But I have the generator humming away and all the heaters working so I’m snug as I can be. The workers are all off the boat and I only need them to finish a couple of things tomorrow and I’ll be ready to go. Deckhand Jaames was so concerned with my posting last night that he called today to cheer me up. I assured him I am now in good spirits and all is looking up…except the weather. After all the boatyard rush, I may not be able to leave this weekend at all. The Lake Michigan forecast looks like this:

.THIS AFTERNOON...WEST GALES TO 40 KNOTS. PERIODS OF SNOW. WAVES
14 TO 18 FEET.
.TONIGHT...WEST GALES TO 40 KNOTS. CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS OR
SNOW SHOWERS. WAVES 14 TO 18 FEET. 
.FRIDAY...WEST GALES TO 40 KNOTS. CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. WAVES
14 TO 18 FEET. A GALE WARNING MAY BE NEEDED. 
.FRIDAY NIGHT...WEST GALES TO 35 KNOTS EASING TO 30 KNOTS AFTER
MIDNIGHT. CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. WAVES 12 TO 16 FEET. 
.SATURDAY...WEST WINDS 30 KNOTS. WAVES 10 TO 14 FEET. 
.SATURDAY NIGHT...WEST WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS. WAVES 6 TO 9 FEET. 
.SUNDAY...SOUTH WINDS 10 TO 20 KNOTS. WAVES 4 TO 6 FEET. 
.MONDAY...SOUTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS. CHANCE OF RAIN. WAVES
5 TO 7 FEET. 

We'll see how it goes. Meanwhile, I'm preparing for a nap. 

Comments

[the lovely laura lee]

if you divulge too much about this poor boat, no one will want to come help you move the damn thing. don't you know boating is glamorous!!!!! just kidding. i'm just glad you have your witts about you. and i miss you.
xxoo love, laura lee

[Laura]

All I can say is Thank God for Wild Turkey...I just hope you have enough to suffice through this trip of yours...the trip might be long, the weather terrible, the seas frightening, but as long as you have the liquor...all is right with the world...right?

Laura