It has been so long since the last post that I'm writing even though not much has gone on since then. I could write up a few of my thrilling golden oldie adventures from the days before this blog started in 2010, but have resisted that impulse -- so far.
I visited the US Merchant Marine Museum at the US Merchant Marine Academy on Kings Point, Great Neck, Long Island-- across the Sound from the Club. This to familiarize myself a bit with where I'm taking the 2019 Winter Land Cruise. The museum is not open on weekends forcing a weekday visit so I solicited opinion about whether that would be offensive and it was not. A theater night with sailing friends. The annual Interim Board Meeting of the Club, to which I get invited as Fleet Captain, an appointed position, which I am publicly willing to relinquish if I or the Commodore can ever find a successor to replace me. It is a nice dinner with friends at which the Commodore, Peter, a loquacious lad, thanked and celebrated each person in attendance for his or her contributions. A warm and friendly group. As an "outsider" to the Board (I do not attend meetings) and an old timer at the Club, I thanked them for inviting me to the dinner and for the progress they have made since my early days at the Club, about 28 years ago, not just in improving the plant and the finances but also improving the cheerful comraderie of the Club -- since the divisive factionalism that soured the Club back then.
The four work days totalled only ten hours. One of the days was at home sanding some of the woodwork I have taken off the boat to varnish and soliciting more expert opinion om my brain trust on how to do the repair jobs. The other three days were the warmest in the period and at the boat. More padding at chafe points under the cover, removing all cushions, the wheel and the salon table to the pullman compartment, clearing the salon for work, emptying the bilge and constructing a plastic shield around the bare mast in the cabin to hopefully direct the leak from the mast partners into the bilge instead of everywhere else, closing up the fresh water system in the big lazarette to be ready for spring, vacuuming the salon, cleaning the freezer and starting the repairs by taking up the first of the floor boards and removing the door to the aft head to measure the maximum size of the new larger and longer brass wood screws that will hopefully keep the lowest hinge in place. I also bought a new random orbital polisher to replace one of two I use each spring to compound and wax the freeboard after the old one had finally given up the ghost after many years of use.
Winter is here and there is lots to be done.
