Wednesday I lowered the dink, tied up the davit bar, drove the dink to the dock, unlocked and removed the outboard and took it to the locker, deflated the dink using the pump to suck all the air out of it to make it smaller, tied it up, and, with friends, hauled it upstairs in the locker house and into the locker where itislocked up for the winter. Amazingly, while it was getting soft on cool fall-like evenings, I never had to pump more air into it since I pumped it up in mid June. Lene did the laundry.
The afternoon was the Old Salts sail. The only problem was lunch, which our restaurant fouled up completely by not having food. We waited two hours and then half of us left without lunch. Things like this have got to stop. It's no good for the would-be diners, and not good for the Club either, which needs its members to patronize its restaurant. Things came off the rails this time and it must not happen again. There were 15 of us and I sailed with about half of them on Bennett's "Ohana" and the others on Mark's "Deuce of Hearts". I took ILENE out of circulation this week until her transformation from "cruising/live aboard" status back to a day sailer could be completed. Two and a half pleasant hours underway followed by the customary appetite ruination aboard Ohana. Two new faces. Lisa, is a new non-boat owning member whose family keeps a big power boat. The week before had been her debut session with us and she repeated this time on the same boat, Deuce of Hearts. I told her that next week she must join a keel boat to become a real sailor by getting the sensation of heeling. The other newcomer, this also his second time, was Bob, a friend of Marcia, who helmed Ohana a lot.
Thursday I took the outboard up to Island Outboard for adjustment and winter service -- except not the oil changes due to the little use she got this summer, I estimate less than eight hours. And then Lene and I filled our mini SUV with stuff, including the kitties and their stuff and transitioned to our urban apartment. Funny thing that night. Lene was laying by my right side, as she does aboard. When I got up in the middle of the night she said "What are you doing?!" Well, I was climbing over her like I have to do in the Pullman berth when we are aboard! At home it is not needed because I can get up from the left side of the bed. Force of habit.
Friday I spent about three hours on the boat, test-installing the replacement stanchion, packing up a second carload of stuff and preparing ILENE for the expected arrival of hurricane Hermine:
chafing gear on the mooring pennants, tighter wrapping of the roller furled headsails, closer positioning of the anchor, and removal of blocks and lines that could be whipping around in a big blow. Mark and Marcia invited me to join them on "Leeds the Way", out of Minnefords South Marina. Also joining us were Walt and Rita and a couple from our hosts' ski club. Into Manhasser Bay for two hours a of sailing. I trimmed a bit. Dinner after at Artie's.
Saturday through Monday we visited our friend Lianne in her home in Great Barrington and brought Ellen along. We were joined for dinners by Susan and Stan, did theater and visited Leanne's son and his family in Kinderhook NY. No sailing, but all was not lost. Herman Mellville, author of Moby Dick, which got such big play in New Bedford, wrote that Great American Novel in his home, Arrowhead, in Pittsfield. I learned a lot during a guided tour of the house by a very well informed docent, Jeff Aldrich, who intends to enter graduate school in American Colonial History soon. The view from Mellville's study of Mt. Greylock, the highest in Massachusetts, was excellent and he wrote that he saw in its ridgeline the back and tale of a whale. Moby Dick was a huge commercial and popular failure when published in the 1850's. It was not recognized for its genius until 70 years later, long after he was buried. Between New Bedford, a few weeks ago, and The Berkshires, now, lies most of the latitude of Massachusetts and a whole lot of whaling content.
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