Seashell Whispers

When I was a child my mother had a several sea shells decorating one of the coffee tables in our formal living room.  We were not suppose to play in there, so of course, we did.  We were not suppose to pick up the sea shells (they were spiny and fragile), so of course we did.  Mostly what I wanted was to listen for the sounds of the ocean in the shell.  I don't know where I learned this.  We were living in Colorado at the time and you don't get more land locked then that.  Nevertheless, I would walk into that room, pick up the shell and put it to my ear.  Straining to hear the sounds of the ocean.  Of course, I thought I could hear the ocean, even if I didn't really know what the ocean would sound like.  What I remember hearing was peace, that hollow, vacuum sound of nothing.  That was the sea, and it was calling to me.

I have been to the ocean many times in my life, although I don't think that I could ever get enough of it.  The warmth, the feel of the sand and the sound of water.  It can be waves, or running streams, or lapping water hitting something.  It all brings me a sense of tranquility.  When Andrew started talking more and more about sailing, I thought "sure why not?  I like being on the water."   I had no idea that this talk of a sailboat would become a reality sooner then later.   But I decided that I had better start educating myself on the world of sailing.  I picked up some of the sailing magazines that were lying around his dad's house.  I read several articles while we were there, picking up small tidbits here and there.  Then I picked up the book, Sailing Serrafyn.  That is when the call of the sea really began.  That book of adventures on the sea and far off places caught me.  I started looking up other blogs about people who were out sailing the world and having adventures of their own.   As the spring is warming up and summer is looming, I prepare to step on the boat and learn.  I have a tough summer ahead, full of boating terms,  how to be a good first mate and finding the balance of sea legs.  I am excited, and a bit scared.  Every time I see the blue sky and question whether or not I need the heavy coat I start to think of days spent on the water, feeling the wind, and enjoying the peace of the ocean. I am being pulled closer and closer.  

People ask me why I want to suddenly learn to sail.  The first reason is easy, I love Andrew and he loves to sail.  I want to share something that is special to him, and hopefully find that we can do this together. But beyond that, the more I read and learn, I want to be out there, riding the waves and feeling the thrill of the wind as it picks up the sails.  It is a way for me to gain the freedom that I have always wanted but did not think that I would be able to find.  I would like to find myself one day on a beach that is foreign to me and pick up a sea shell and place it to my ear and hear something that is familiar and loved.  I want to hear the sound of something that sounds like "home"

Getting Closer to Launch Day

Andrew and I had the same day off.  Miracle, I know.  Did we spend it doing something relaxing and fun?  Well that depends on who you ask.  Andrew would say while it wasn't relaxing, working on the boat is always fun.  I would disagree.  Not to mention the fact that we didn't even really spend the afternoon together.  I was on the deck of the boat and he was nine feet below me, working on the bottom of the boat.  But Sonador is closer to being ready to launch.

I spent the afternoon with a handy copper wire brush, an old t-shirt and these two guys:

Last fall, Andrew removed all the deck hardware in order to clean and reseal against leaks.  Following the general ideas outline in Boat U.S. magazine (found here: http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2013/April/rebed-deck-fittings-correctly.asp)  I was removing all the adhesive and old sealant.  So goes the monotonous labor of mineral spirits to t-shirt to deck, soak it good, scrub a bit with the brush, repeat until clean.  Then rub with the xylene to get off the last bits of gunk.  Fun right?  I thought you would agree with me.  Cleaning tiny holes like this:

I am not complaining, the alternative was under the boat in the gravel painting the bottom with anti-fouling paint.  Yuck.  Task completed - it wasn't too bad since the sun was shining and I convinced Andrew to undo the cover enough for me to see the sky.  Once they were all clean, Andrew drilled the holes slightly larger.

Can you see how dirty his pants are, hence the reason I didn't want to paint the bottom.  I had to get into the cabin and tape up all the holes from the bottom (we don't want the epoxy to go all over below).  Me and the Duct Tape.  Fast friends.

Finally it was time to add the epoxy...uh oh.  That is when Andrew realized that he had forgot to bring the caulking gun.  [Inject several choice words here]  Well that will have to wait until next time.  But the green bottom paint looks great.