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October 30, 2009
Step 4: Work, Work, Work
There was a long list of things to do. The yard got part of the list, and I got the rest. There are just some things I cannot do, like lift a 55-foot mast onto the boat, much as I try. Before they did anything, I gave her a bath. She was very dirty, covered in road grime.
Then the work began in earnest. I decided to stay on the boat in the yard because the commute back to San Mateo was grueling. Good thing because it meant for more hours to work. The yard had a bright yellow light over the boat making early morning and evening work possible.
PropSpeed treatment on the propeller - nothing sticks to this stuff!
Rigging the mast shrouds, halyards, wind instruments, radar and VHF radio antenna
Posted by dave at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)
October 29, 2009
Step 3: Prana Arrives in Richmond, California
Not knowing exactly when Prana would arrive in Richmond, I hopped on a flight two days ago to be sure I was there. Bruce called last night to say expected to arrive this morning, so I got up early. A new challenge faced my journey from San Mateo to Richmond because they closed the Bay Bridge yet again. The San Mateo bridge took up the traffic and it was very heavy.
I was standing on the road outside the boat year and saw a tractor-trailer come around the corner in the distance. At first I thought it was yet another semi, until I realized that the load was wider that normal. Prana does have a hefty derriere. A tear rolled down my cheek. It was a long journey in an environment that is simply not conducive for a sailboat.
Shortly after he arrived, we inspected her to find some gelcoat damage on the aft port side. Nothing serious but cosmetically nasty. The TraveLift offloaded her to the yard and the work began to get her ready to go in the water.
Posted by dave at 01:45 PM | Comments (0)
October 25, 2009
Beautiful Fall Day in Central Park
The Mall
Bethesda Fountain, my favourite place in the city. During a drought, it is told, many were sick and dying. Where the Angel of Bethesda's foot touched the earth, a spring swelled.
The garden behind the marionette theatre.
Posted by dave at 05:51 PM | Comments (0)
Prana in Iowa
I called Bruce (the driver) yesterday to see how he was doing with Prana. He said he was in Iowa. I didn't quite get the name of the town or city except that he said he couldn't drive because there was a college football game, so he was in the casino losing badly. He expects to get through Wyoming today and is planning to arrive in the Bay on Wednesday.
I fly tomorrow to get ready for her arrival. I might go a little quiet depending on my internet connectivity. Chis is flying down next weekend to help put a few things together at the new house in Menlo Park. Yay!
Posted by dave at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)
October 22, 2009
Prana Progress
Bruce, the driver of the tractor trailer carrying Prana, called yesterday with an update. At 7:15pm he was in Bloomington, Indiana N39°09′44" W086°31′45″. He is 2 days into the journey, and has covered about 700 miles of the 2,925 mile trek, or about a quarter of the way. I fly to San Francisco on Monday to wait for her arrival. The anticipation is killing me!
Posted by dave at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)
October 20, 2009
Step 2: Load Boat, Mast & Boom on Trailer
Yesterday's activities were exhausting, and I fully expected today to be boring - a lot of standing around watching them load the boat.
I was so wrong.
I arrived at the boat at 8am and the driver and his trailer had already arrived. I introduced myself, asked a few dumb questions, then set off to do a few last minute things on the boat before they hauled her. The driver recommended that I take the wheels off. No problem. The yard guys showed up and we decommissioned the engine and bilge.
They hauled the boat with the Travelift, and set her on the trailer. The driver set to work to provide support around the boat, and strap her down. The yard pressure washed the bottom, and the driver informed me that California's agriculture regulations applied to used boats, so he told me to remove any evidence of "barnacle stumps". While there weren't many on the hull, thanks to the antifouling paint, there were plenty caked between the hull and the rudder, and all over the propeller. I grabbed my paint scraper, sanding sponge and drill with wire brush attachment.
It was a long day, with no breaks and plenty of physical work in plenty of sunshine. I feel like a kid that was out making leaf forts on the front lawn in the late fall. My face feels flush, my hair is black from the sanded bottom paint, and I feel physically drained. I imagine in amongst the physical is a little worry about our baby. And an emotional detachment from Stamford and growing attachment to San Francisco Bay.
Here are some photos from my day:
Posted by dave at 07:26 PM | Comments (0)
October 19, 2009
Step 1: Rig Down
And so it begins.
We spent a very rainy, cold weekend winterizing the boat. We don't expect that the transport company will see freezing temperatures on the journey to San Francisco this week, but you just never know. It's a lot easier to flush antifreeze out of Prana's water systems than it is to replace frozen plumbing!
I was up very early, and made a 6:58am train from Grand Central to Stamford. I arrived at the boat shortly before 8 to find the yard had untied the boat and was beginning to move her to the rigging dock. I had planned to move it myself but they beat me to it.
It was very cold last night, so we were all stepping gingerly around Prana's icy decks and the frosted docks. Here's a few photos of the dismasting of Prana. The truck arrives tomorrow morning, and I will be back up there to make sure she is loaded safely. More photos to come.
Yard Guys with the Rig on the Crane
Block Farm at the Base of the Mast
Prana Looking Naked Without Her Rig
Posted by dave at 06:26 PM | Comments (0)
October 15, 2009
There's a Rep for That
This is just too funny. The best thing Democrats have in America are the Republicans.
Click HERE if the embedded video doesn't appear.
Posted by dave at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2009
Sailing Sandals
I do my best not to attach to material things. But, for some reason, I am nostalgic about my sailing sandals. These are a throwback to our days on Platina. Chis thinks we got them in Fort Lauderdale in July 2005, but I think it may have been later. Between Platina and Prana, we wore them as street shoes, and I think that wore down the tread. We noticed this summer that we were slipping and sliding all over the decks. Besides, most of the straps had become threadbare. They had seen their day, and owed us nothing at all.
I took this photo on our last weekend of sailing. With phenomenal wind, we went to Port Jefferson and dropped the anchor. As the sun was getting low, I snapped the photo, and then very unceremoniously dumped them in our trash bin.
I can't explain why this was so emotional and I hung on to them for far too long. There are lots of things on Prana that we had on Platina. Sperry doesn't make them anymore, so maybe my heart aches for them because I can't replace them.
I have a pair of green shorts that are in worse shape. I think they date back to the Schoolhouse in Canada. They are torn, threadbare, and the colour has faded from way too much sun. Chis thinks I need to toss them too, but I use them as work shorts. I figure they are perfectly good until they are torn in places that would otherwise expose bits and pieces that really shouldn't be publicly exposed.
I am my grandfather's grandson!
Posted by dave at 11:42 AM | Comments (0)
October 05, 2009
The New Crib
After a busy couple of days scouring the San Francisco Bay area for a house to rent, I shortlisted three. I picked Chis up at work around 4:30 and we went to check out the marina where Prana will be resting around November 7.
Chis didn't get too excited about the first two houses. We were coming down the stairs from the second floor of the third house, and the broker was still upstairs turning out lights. I asked him what he thought. He turned to me and mouthed the words "This is it".
And so yesterday before we hopped on the plane to return to New York, we signed the lease on
our new home!
Posted by dave at 02:00 PM | Comments (0)