My husband used to tell me about the progress of fixing up our home, “We have so much to do we can’t even see the tunnel.” Finally, I think we are in the tunnel and might even see a glimpse of the light at the end. We have progressed to finishing details such as trim around doorways and in the rooms we renovated. Renovations are mostly complete, painting done, barns repaired and painted. In the 30 years we have lived here, our place has never looked so good.
That’s the good news. The bad news is the housing market stinks. Three real estate agents have now told us that what we would like to get for our house is not going to happen. We have to have the outlook, “It is what it is.” We will make do with whatever we get. If we have to supplement our income while sailing, we will do that. We can take on charters, I can write and we can even get part-time jobs in various locations as many sailors do. Not the end of the world. We will not let our adventurous and undauntable spirits be dampened by finances! Not when we’ve come this far. We have our boat after a well-won battle and everything else will fall into place. I have faith.
The journey coming up in 8 days is now the focus of our attention. We drove to New Bern Mother’s Day Weekend to prepare the boat for her journey north. This included a much-needed repair, replacing the engine mounts. Over Easter, we had our boat building friend Forrest (a genius in everything to do with boats and repairs) take a look at Equus and give us his opinion on her status. He pointed out a few details that needed attention. Upon his inspection of the engine, he stated, “We have a problem here that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.”
This is never good news. Apparently, the bolts that hold the massive engine to the boat floor were the originals. There are customarily replaced every decade or so. Ours were about 10 years overdue. An engine coming unmounted during a rough passage is paramount to setting a bull loose in a china shop. You can be sure major damage will be done. Replacing these mounts is a rather large process as it entails getting the old mounts out and securing the new ones. The engine has to be lifted and the space to do all this, very limited.
Forrest met us early on Saturday morning with his hydraulic lift and began the job that was estimated to take one to two days. Two days would be needed if there were any problems such as the old bolts breaking during the removal process. While the two boys got down and dirty in the engine compartment, Dan commissioned me with the job of inventorying every locker on the boat. I began with the most forward compartment which holds the anchor, spare parts, spare lines and a sundry of other items. Knowing exactly what is on your boat is extremely important. Each item must be cataloged so, one, you know you have it when you need it, and two, you know where to find it in a hurry. I was daunted by the very first cabinet as I couldn’t believe that much stuff could be packed into one forward cabinet. My first task was to take every spare line onto the dock, measure the length and width, and make records of them.
I laid the pile of lines on the dock and began laying them out. I kept an ear for signs of distress down in cabin and sure enough, I heard the first report of bad news. Dan popped out of the cabin like a hedgehog, announcing the very first bolt Forrest tried to extricate had broken off. This was problematic in that the bolt would have to be drilled out, but as it was the first bolt in the process, it was one that could be reached fairly easily. The other bolts were not as accessible. If any of them broke off, the entire engine would have to be dismantled and removed from the engine area in order to be drilled out. This would extend the one-day job into a major two-day, Herculean effort. I crossed my fingers, uttered a prayer and measured lines.
Six hours later, I had only inventoried 3 cabinets in the forward head, the one in the bow, a medical cabinet and a cleaning supply cabinet. I had no idea the amount of products available for maintaining a boat. Apparently, the previous owners had one of each – which is a wonderful thing for us. At least we know now what we have and don’t have to buy much of anything. On the engine repair front, no other bolts broke off! It was a miracle. All the mounts had been replaced and Forrest would return Sunday morning to drill the one bolt out and finish the job. We were pleased as punch.
Saturday evening was a bit depressing for us. It was Mother’s Day, the first without the presence of Dan’s mother. My parents were gone from New Bern, Dan’s dad in Pittsburgh, so we sulked about, each missing our parents in a setting filled with wonderful memories of being together. We did what the occasion called for. We went to the Fairfield Harbor Marina bar to drink. The Kentucky Derby was on and we arrived in time to see the race and order Mint Juleps. During the process, our horse related comments led to equine discussions with two single male patrons who were also at the bar. We piqued their curiosity about horses and racing, and formed a bar friendship. They were funny guys, strangers to one another, but somehow, the four of us bonded. We learned after many beers, both men were there to console their souls over tragic relationship issues. When they heard our story, they were incredulous that a married couple could be so fortunate. We hear that sentiment repeated on many occasions. It never hits home how magical our journey is, until we meet people living in misery from relationships gone wrong.
Watching the sunset and toasting to friends, love gone right, and hope for the future, Dan and I internalized again how fortunate we are. We have aches, pains and bruises from our endeavors, but few people take the opportunity to follow their shared dreams.
As we spent Sunday putting the finishing touches on little projects we dreamed about our journey north in a few short weeks. That journey is right now 8 days, 12 hours and 42 minutes away… but who’s counting? If you read about our first voyage, bringing the boat to North Carolina from Georgia, you know we fought a few dragons. We are hoping that the last 6 months getting to know our dear boat will bring us better luck this time. We have charted our course up the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) and are watching weather patterns to determine if we go out to sea or stay in the waterway. Our crew will be Dan’s brother and his sister-in-law. They are family, but also the most fun and adventurous people we know. They have some sailing experience and are relishing getting to sail with us over the next few years. This will be their maiden voyage aboard Equus. We will have challenges as Dan’s brother is blind, but he is strong, has experience on the water from when he had vision, and has a great sense of humor. We will all need one – I’m sure, if this journey proceeds in the same fashion as most of our trips. There will be stories to tell! Wish us luck and in a few short weeks, our baby will be home.