PATIENCE

PATIENCE

A visit to R.E.D. for a little more boat work
and the club grounds are starting to look more like Spring.
We are encouraged…
…barbecues are ready for some action…

 

…and picnic tables ready for the crowds…
I don’t think we are too unlike most boaters
who by the time winter coats are no longer needed,
are impatient for the season to begin.
We moan about the cold that seems to hang in the air far too long.
We get so excited about one day of warm weather
and think that this is the way it will be from now until next fall.
We tend to forget that the transition from spring to summer is a slow
and gentle process, a constant tug of give and take.
I looked back at our season last year
and was surprised at how different it was then…
(if you click the links below you can see for yourself)
…around this same time last year there was still ice on the lake
and the water levels were much higher.
…and by mid-May this is what we faced.

…now, at least for the moment, the grounds are dry,
and in the next few weeks these docks will be back in the water…
…and we’ll be there, ready,
just a few feet out,
back on dock 64.

 

 

 

R.E.D.'s HEART IS BACK

R.E.D.'s HEART IS BACK

Signs of spring…

…birds singing,

…snow geese congregating in nearby fields and rivers,

…warmer days,

…ice on the lake has melted,

…cyclists and convertibles abound,

…the evening sky has taken on a new look,

 

 

 

…summer tires installed,

AND…

time to bring R.E.D.’s heart back onboard!

Putting back the batteries has caused much stress in the past.

Such a tight space to work within,

one of us holding the wrench the other ratchet,

and if one of us drops the nut…

well… we won’t go there.

 

 

 

 

 

I can happily say all is tightly installed and we are still together as a couple.

I’d consider that a very good day.

 

This year we made a small change that did make accessing the batteries easier.

We installed a vent,

purchased at a local hardware store,

usually used for venting kitchen appliances,

this one in oak, stained to match the rest of the new additions.

Installed at the base of the companionway stairs,

in front of and below the battery access hatch.

It will also serve to allow air flow into the rear bilge area.

 

 

 

We also started bringing the beginnings of other necessities onboard….




…because there always seems to be injuries,
we re-stocked with extra bandages..
 
 
 
…because it’s a great time to begin barbecuing.
 

 

 
…and because Captain says it’s time to retire our winter beer.

 


 

AND SO IT BEGINS

AND SO IT BEGINS

Now that we have decided that there will be NO MORE WINTER…
hats, mittens and heavy coats mentally put away…
time to get R.E.D. ready for launch…
A balmy 14 °…
…some melting…
…but still a long way to go…
…somebody should tell this guy that winter is OVER…
A quick check inside and everything seems as it should be…
…a little heat, a little light, a little hand-cranked music to work by…
…and my love affair with Kanberra Gel continues…
After 6 months, barely 1/4 of the gel is gone
and the cabin still has that wonderful fresh scent.
The first order of the day is to prepare the bilge and hold areas
with a rubberized seal
so we can start to move in…
…François’ protection…
…and mine…
…we have had trouble locating a good supply of white Flex Seal.
We used the black last year after the first cabin flood
but it makes seeing things in the hold difficult.
We finally found a supply of the white locally…
This is where R.E.D.’s ‘heart’ will go…
…all bright and white…
…almost need sun glasses it’s so bright.
A second coat will be ‘needed’ (according to Captain’s criteria)
and since the temperature is still a little on the low side,
drying is slow
so will have to come back…
soon…
But before locking up…a little spring boat picnic…
…sushi…
…cheese and fruit…
…and what all boat picnics need…
…some pleasant French wine…