SKIRTED

A single word evolves from protection to evasion

What can be skirted?

It’s quite an array. First, let’s talk people; originally most folks wore skirts or robes made of everything from grass to chain mail to fur (think Pacific Islanders, Greek Togas, Scottish kilts, Roman Gladiators and Vikings) because of the comfort, utility and convenience. In current usage, we wear skirts and also skirt so many other things: truth, anything geographical, propriety, manners, topics, purpose, meaning, reality, shorelines, conflict, death, and boats, to name a select few. (Of course you knew, somehow, this was going to navigate back to boats...)

What can’t be skirted?

Not much, if you consider the evolution. If you’ve been here SPARRING with me for a while, you know I sought the definitions. SKIRTED is one of those magical words that can be a noun, a verb or an adjective; the English language truly is a challenge with all the nuances and duplicity.

I discovered a pair of burger joints called Skirted Heifer in one of my favorite places, Colorado, although I was disappointed the cow in the logo was not sporting a tutu. The rest of the finds were pretty standard, starting with skirt(n) Meriam-Webster article of clothing generally worn from the waist down. In slang, skirt can also mean the woman, not the outfit; I’m not a fan of that one. Skirted (v, adj) is to go around the edge of something, to avoid discussing a subject or problem according to Cambridge Dictionary.

Some words intrigue me because their origin is far from the current verb and adjective definitions. While I understand that, traditionally, a skirt surrounds another physical object, it’s interesting that we have molded the word into such an array of human avoidance! In this case, bypassed, circumvented, avoided, detoured, circumnavigated, escaped, evaded, and eschewed also from M-W. All those complicated negativities from something designed originally to be easy, protective, comfortable and utilitarian.

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This entire contemplation came about because STEADFAST finds herself SKIRTED, the noun. Her skirt is a hundred and twenty feet long and ten feet high; allowing us to do crucial work on her big, curvy bottom; there’s a whole lot happening down there.

Note my ever-present & essential rocking chair.

Admittedly, I’ve been skirting this topic.

Protecting the exterior of wooden boats with anything except paint is a tad controversial in the world of vessel repair and restoration (particularly with our Carvel-style planking, a smooth hull shape). I’ve mentioned before (and live in the reality) that there are as many opinions on marine processes as there are mariners out there; this project is no exception. Since STEADFAST possesses many original timbers below her waterline dating back nearly 92 years (and some are sixty feet long), we decided to provide those strong essential planks, and the rest of her, the protection we think she deserves and needs after decades upon the seas.

Fiberglass layers encapsulating the bottom of a wooden boat is a modern rather than traditional protection; we consider it to be a prudent solution as our goal is to save this piece of maritime history which is also our home. Wood is biodegradable; we’ve faced that fact. I tend to fight the aging process by traditional methods, but sometimes the best way to succeed is to accept newer methods and ideas; this is no different. There are an assortment of theories about covering her natural, flexible planks with a rigid layer, so we are making this decision based on the best information we have and can obtain. One of the crucial issues under consideration was where STEADFAST will spend most of the next years under our care, and that is the warmer waters of the planet. In those waters lurk destructive, wood-loving worms and, intuitively, the temperature itself adds to the speed of decay.

We have begun the process! This next photo is a stunning shot of SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE; we’re demonstrating our obstinate side—temperatures have dropped as we tore the days off the calendar this year. This 80,000 BTU kerosene burner is heating the air under STEADFAST’s skirt so that the physical protection we applied, a precise exothermic formulation of epoxy resin and hardener, turns into the glass part of fiberglass boats. That reaction can only happen at certain temperatures, so we had to modify our outdoor world in order to make it happen.

The flame of a heater under STEADFAST’s skirt.

The four coats of epoxy resin applied this week, which is shining in the firelight, are the (very) beginning of the protection process. 5,376 square feet of rolling followed by a careful filling of the 5,000 or so staple holes left from the 1980s refit when a flexible version of fiberglass was installed. Our boatyard space now contains a giant chemistry set and a complex construction project. Stay aboard!!

So many things in life are about the strength of the bond.

The complex, colorful chemistry of making plastics.

There’s a whole lot happening in this world that I cannot comprehend or justify; sooner or later, it may even overwhelm those with more morality than money. I hope you have someone or something protecting you, if the need should arise. I know what we’re doing is the right thing. Happy November! ~J

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If you skirted something lately, was it to protect or to avoid?

Interested in further commentary on Sarongs, kilts and other skirty attire?!?!

THE SARONG