June, 2015

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Monday, June 22nd. The day after.

Monday, June 22nd, 2015

The day after the summer Solstice. Father’s Day. And I celebrated with my Roman Catholic brothers and sisters again. I have absolved the Bishop from the omission in the Blessing of the Fleet. Father Mark promised me he’ll make good when I am ready to leave here. So the Lutheran threat has been withdrawn.

On the subject of my departure plans, since others keep asking. I am still expecting to leave here late August, early September. I might try take in the Port Townsend Wooden Boat show on the weekend of September 13. Then I can just make a left turn at Pt. Wilson and head out the Straits and start my trip down the Coast to California and beyond.  The Wooden Boat show might be a good venue to sell “Soloman” and do a conference on the voyage in a wooden boat.

My next project is installing the solar panel. Today I ordered the arch for it to be mounted on the stern like on the previous boat, with a few improvements. Another item solved today. The forward hatch could not be closed far enough to keep waves washing over the bow from entering. The Lewmar hatch is over thirty years old and replacements parts are no longer available. The seal had hardened. I had been looking at replacing the entire hatch. But I am proud of today’s result that cost me all of $ 3.00 in a couple steel washers and a couple hours work cutting down the seal. Last year I had already replaced the latches and added a telescoping support arm because the roll stop function did not function any longer. It closes perfectly now.

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The battery I had replaced in April turns out to be defective, so I had to lug this heavy monster back out of the boat and go get a replacement. The next project is the SSB radio and SailMail installation. The Pactor modem is going to take a big bite out of my savings. I plan to circulate an other list to my address list with items I still need, just in case someone might have it sitting in their garage. The engine, with the new mechanical fuel pump is running well again. I went for a short sail last night in the bay here. That is a real work out, with the traffic and the shifting winds. If I do this more I shall be back to my teen age waist size.

Lisa and Rose Marie, surprised me yesterday for Father’s Day. They came out with a gourmet picnic, which we enjoyed on the deck of the marina and they brought me thoughtful cards and gifts. With their busy lives and me not having a car, these occasions are very special. When my first wife and I divorced in 1972, Lisa and Rose Marie then 4 and 8 took me in and looked after their dad, their younger sister and brother moved back to California with their mom.  So, there is a very special relationship. Fortunately their younger sister Jeannine and brother John caught up with me in later years. My youngest son Seth, from my second marriage, kept me from boredom when we were just the two of us for a number of years.

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Monday June 8th. “Fleetwood” explained.

Monday, June 8th, 2015

I often get asked: “what does “Fleetwood” mean”? And now, I finally have the answer. It came in this picture that my nephew, Dirk Jan, sent me from his vacation in England.

Until this revelation I had always explained that it had to do with being in the wood business and that Irene Prager gave me a ride in her dad’s brand new 1956 Pontiac Fleetwood convertible when she got her drivers license. But now I come to realize that the name is linked to an obsession, breasts, boobies, a venial sin that I have been battling with since early childhood. I wonder if other twins are afflicted likewise. The restricted access.

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A Red Footed Boobie at home on "Fleetwood" in the Indian Ocean.

A Red Footed Boobie at home on “Fleetwood” in the Indian Ocean.

 Fleetwood and I, we are Boobie freaks.

 

Sunday June 7th. Blessing of the Fleet. I’m joining the Lutherans….

Monday, June 8th, 2015

The last sentence on my previous blog promised you pictures of the Blessing of the Fleet. A broken promise. And the Archbishop better have a good excuse otherwise I will switch my allegiance to the Lutherans. Just like last year I was in the about twelve boat raft, ready for the blessing. For some unexplained reason the raft had formed further away from the fishing boats than last year. Kelly Busey, our sailing police chief, in the raft-up, got a hold of Frau Buergermeister to be sure to include us. It was a glorious hot summer day with a nice cool breeze and as you can see from the photographs, still a good time. And still feel very blessed to be in one of the most beautiful places I have ever lived.

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Saturday was the annual parade of the Maritime Gig Festival. An incredible display of talent, civic activity, etc. I marched with the “For Life” group of my St. Nicholas church. Next time it will be with the Lutherans, unless I hear a whole bunch of mea culpas, from my archbishop, priest, supreme Knight of Columbus.

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June 5. Gig Harbor at its best.

Friday, June 5th, 2015

This is going to be a catch up blog. I have had several distractions in the last two weeks.

Thursday May 25th was the last of the four races of the May “In the Harbor” informal sailboat regatta. I did the third race with Quinn as crew. He scrubbed the boat’s bottom that Thursday morning and signed on for the evening race. With the many wind shifts, coming down from the surrounding hills, it responds much faster than the heavier fiberglass boats. For the last race I had expected Quinn to show up, I had the boat ready, then my former landlord and good friend Phil Sloan happened to stop by and offered to crew. We ended up third in our class of eight boats and I had my best start ever, mostly by pure luck.

In second place after the start. Picture by Sheila Schultz-Mordue.

In second place after the start. Picture by Sheila Schultz-Mordue.

I have not quite figured out yet the reason how I ended up selling $225 worth of “The Mastmakers’ Daughters” and DVDs of my circumnavigation slide shows, at the June 3rd presentation at the Gig Harbor YC. Was it the threat I made on my May 20 blog that you would need to put up with me for another winter if my book did not sell at the presentation? Am I missing a challenge as a book salesman?

picture by Sheila Schultz-Mordue

picture by Sheila Schultz-Mordue

Couple pictures from my back porch, town view:

full moon set

full moon set

first day of summer holidays

first day of summer holidays

 

Osprey chick getting flying lessons

Osprey chick getting flying lessons

Two bald eagles on same Douglas Fir perch

Two bald eagles on same Douglas Fir perch

It is tempting to suffer through another Northwest winter with the conditions we have here again in a gorgeous early summer. It promises to be a fantastic weekend. Bright, clear, 80 plus F (30 C) degrees. This is the Gig Harbor annual Maritime Gig Festival weekend, culminating on Sunday afternoon with the Blessing of the Fleet. I promise to have pictures on the next blog.