December 19, 2012. Happy Birthday Allyson.

So I was inside one of the new Bavarias the other day when I encountered this odd little pillow thing. Instead of the traditional armrests one might typically find there was this table pillow.

The armrest continued up and around the small table at the end of the settee. What the purpose is, I don't have a clue although it would be handy if you spilled your beer. Now that we're here for the winter we're going to have to deal with the cold. Its been pretty decent here so far but on the few days that its gotten cold, I thought there was a good chance I might die. When I talk about the cold we've seen I’m talking 40 degrees. 20 degrees just might prove fatal. The engine has also been removed from the boat and sits on a pallet beneath the boat, so progress is being made. Oh, and its almost Christmas, so from our crew to yours click here for our own holiday special.... MERRY CHRISTMAS

December 5, 2012.

Sometimes all you need is a warm place in the sun.....

December 1, 2012.

I could say I've been out of touch, unable to log in, too busy or have some type of writers block but I'd be lying. I've just been in a shitty mood and I'm not sure why. I was having a hard time seeing the humorous side of anything, why, I dunno. Its not like I was rooting for Romney. I sat down and started to write a dozen times but I was unimpressed with my efforts. I think I might be pouting. I've been watching through Facebook as friends and acquaintances head south for the season. I'm happy for them but I'm dying a bit as well. I checked our log and by this day last year we had already bagged a dozen bugs. Uggh. But I'll get over it. Anyway....

Things at work are going really well. We fixed a record amount of broken boat shit this year and broken cruisers have been fixed and have gone south. The yard is 85% full with winter storage boats and it looks like everyone we've committed to will fit. There’s even a reasonable amount of work to keep everyone busy for the winter.

The Veranda is on the hard and disassembly has begun in earnest. First thing on the list was the pulling of the mast. It went pretty well and the mast now lies beside the boat rather than protruding upwards towards the sky. After removing the mast the next thing was the removal of the hard bimini and dodger to allow access for the engines removal. It was a lot more difficult than I had envisioned but the obstructions are gone.

Before being able to remove the engine the generator had to come out. Anyone familiar with my personal piece of shit Fisher Panda generator knows that getting this abomination out of the boat was to be my highlight for autumn. It might have been the sight of the generator lying on a pallet under the boat that broke my personal funk. Ding dong the witch is dead.

The engine has been stripped in an effort to shed some of its reported 500 pounds. Everything has been disconnected and enough levers, fulcrums, inclined planes and block and tackles have been used to make an ancient Egyptian green with envy. One last bit o' finagling on Monday and the mighty Westerbeke will leave the boat after a 27 year stay.

After that there will be a few months of painting, rewiring and re-plumbing before the new engine (hopefully) slips into place. It feels good to be back on the horse....