Good one, Janice. Words, wood, and work. Wordwork on wood.
You are fighting the great scourges that befuddle humankind, such as the classics: friction, gravity, little worms in tropical waters and my two personal favorites, filth and torpor. But the greatest befuddlement of all is entropy. I don’t know how we can get around that one in the long run, but bravely carry on.
The universe may be out to get us, but we haven’t given up yet!
Never will we give in, Switter! Life is a mass of messy uncertainty indeed and then... and then... we prevail, I think. There are so many folks out there in far worse situations than I find myself in, although days on knees mixing, laying and grinding fiberglass, well, just something unanticipated which will soon pass, and that won't happen for the folks who do it for a living.
Befuddle is such a great word, isn't it? Corrosion. Deterioration. Delapidation. It's happening to us all. Nice to hear from you, as always. ~J
A word essay -- yay! I understand both the controversy and the decision to take this route. You and Steve know your vessel and understand what she'll have to put up with once she's underway again. At least you get to work in a slightly warmer space for the time being.
My favorite line: "So many things in life are about the strength of the bond." Yes, indeed!
Each week you find new and interesting ways to present the progress of your passion. Wooden boat purists always fault progressive alternative practices. Old wooden bones don’t appreciate worm-ridden wet skin. Just ask the last of the Skipjacks. Love your leak-proof segue ending.
Well, I didn't expect to be aground so long and all that creativity is most certainly being tested! Nice to hear that it's appreciated, know that, Ken. Just wait until the Woodenboat forum gets ahold of this news, they'll be all atwitter. It's definitely the best choice for all of us, even though the next month will be a challenge. I'm not sure how to make all that grinding interesting.... ~J
Now that is a compliment from someone whose writing I always find wonderful; thank you Jeanine.
To answer your question, a bit of backstory--I first began my SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE while sailing through the clear, warm waters of the Bahamas in spring of 2024; we had a five-year plan to sail down the coast of South America until I met my first penguin....unfortunately, or fortunately, my husband's incessant back pain brought us northward that summer and we discovered Miss STEADFAST's insidious rot. And here we are. So the hope is to find a solution to his pain, finish our still-huge project, and eventually explore all those lovely places in the Caribbean and beyond... time shall tell. ~J
Well, both you and your wonderful metaphors have plenty of wide warm waters to choose from. Hope your husband’s back pain can be curtailed. Ohh those bones those bones those crazy bones. PS and love hearing your back story.
Yes, that's exactly what that is, sealed up right tight. It's also for the purposes of cohesion and adhesion in this case, Steve spent the weekend roughing it up and readying for the fiberglass. ~J
Another potentially dangerous adventure that all sailors know and racers insist upon! If we let our brains jump from term to term it really can be so interesting. And then to wander back and figure out how many sailing terms are actually used for everyday things is amazing. Ah, a future story gets anchored in the brain... thanks Pete, as always! ~J
Good one, Janice. Words, wood, and work. Wordwork on wood.
You are fighting the great scourges that befuddle humankind, such as the classics: friction, gravity, little worms in tropical waters and my two personal favorites, filth and torpor. But the greatest befuddlement of all is entropy. I don’t know how we can get around that one in the long run, but bravely carry on.
The universe may be out to get us, but we haven’t given up yet!
Never will we give in, Switter! Life is a mass of messy uncertainty indeed and then... and then... we prevail, I think. There are so many folks out there in far worse situations than I find myself in, although days on knees mixing, laying and grinding fiberglass, well, just something unanticipated which will soon pass, and that won't happen for the folks who do it for a living.
Befuddle is such a great word, isn't it? Corrosion. Deterioration. Delapidation. It's happening to us all. Nice to hear from you, as always. ~J
A word essay -- yay! I understand both the controversy and the decision to take this route. You and Steve know your vessel and understand what she'll have to put up with once she's underway again. At least you get to work in a slightly warmer space for the time being.
My favorite line: "So many things in life are about the strength of the bond." Yes, indeed!
Each week you find new and interesting ways to present the progress of your passion. Wooden boat purists always fault progressive alternative practices. Old wooden bones don’t appreciate worm-ridden wet skin. Just ask the last of the Skipjacks. Love your leak-proof segue ending.
K
Well, I didn't expect to be aground so long and all that creativity is most certainly being tested! Nice to hear that it's appreciated, know that, Ken. Just wait until the Woodenboat forum gets ahold of this news, they'll be all atwitter. It's definitely the best choice for all of us, even though the next month will be a challenge. I'm not sure how to make all that grinding interesting.... ~J
I love all the metaphors as well as the multi-use words! And -- where pray tell are warm waters??
Now that is a compliment from someone whose writing I always find wonderful; thank you Jeanine.
To answer your question, a bit of backstory--I first began my SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE while sailing through the clear, warm waters of the Bahamas in spring of 2024; we had a five-year plan to sail down the coast of South America until I met my first penguin....unfortunately, or fortunately, my husband's incessant back pain brought us northward that summer and we discovered Miss STEADFAST's insidious rot. And here we are. So the hope is to find a solution to his pain, finish our still-huge project, and eventually explore all those lovely places in the Caribbean and beyond... time shall tell. ~J
Well, both you and your wonderful metaphors have plenty of wide warm waters to choose from. Hope your husband’s back pain can be curtailed. Ohh those bones those bones those crazy bones. PS and love hearing your back story.
I hadn't thought of giving her a "barrier coat" but why the heck... not ? Or not attempt one ?
Yes, that's exactly what that is, sealed up right tight. It's also for the purposes of cohesion and adhesion in this case, Steve spent the weekend roughing it up and readying for the fiberglass. ~J
You accidentally left out skirting a headsail!! 😆🤛⛵️😎💜
Another potentially dangerous adventure that all sailors know and racers insist upon! If we let our brains jump from term to term it really can be so interesting. And then to wander back and figure out how many sailing terms are actually used for everyday things is amazing. Ah, a future story gets anchored in the brain... thanks Pete, as always! ~J