The List Grows Longer & The Time Grows Shorter -
October 14, 2001
As so many voyages do, my upcoming cruise started
as a dream. A big idea painted with wide brush strokes of Caribbean blues
and greens. But, as my hopeful departure date of early November approaches
the picture is quickly shrinking, and I find myself mired in the all-encompassing
details. 'To Do' lists and 'To Buy' lists are being written and re-written.
Projects that would have taken me weeks to accomplish are squeezed into
days. However, the stress of preparing for an ocean voyage is punctuated
with moments of satisfaction each time I cross an accomplished task off
the list!
Baggywrinkle, my 33 foot Sloop, is currently hauled on the shores of
the Magothy River in the Chesapeake Bay and my immediate priority is completing
all of the jobs that require she be on the hard. Painting the topsides
was first on the list. I approached this job with some trepidation as
every person I talked to had different advice on how to attain a professional
looking finish when using one part polyurethane paint. Sanding the old
paint and repairing the chips and gouges in the gelcoat was the tedious
and time consuming work. I'll tell you that the quickest way to feel like
you have a big boat is to repeatedly have to sand it. In the end the painting
was the easy part. With some help I was able to roll the paint and have
a person follow behind me tipping it off, completing an entire coat in
under an hour.
The boat is scheduled to return the water at the end of this week, and
the work certainly does not end there. But, before I leave the yard the
bottom must be sanded and painted with anti-fouling, new zinks must be
installed, the prop shaft packing must be replaced and a myriad of other
little chores must be completed.
As I work
to prepare for my journey I remind myself of something John Steinbeck
wrote in
Travels with Charlie: "We do not take a trip;
a trip takes us." And this must be doubly true for sailing trips
which are depending on the wind, current, and weather. So, I watch the
bright red leaves fall against the backdrop of a crisp blue autumn sky
and land on the deck and think about the coming winter I am hoping to
escape. At the moment I'm still amidst the work of preparation, but I
look forward to moment when I will turn myself over to the trip and let
it take me.
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