Gimme that old time work ethic...............

Haven't got much boat work done this week-too busy working to embellish my cruising kitty. Its funny how we all think about quitting work and following our destiny  and then when the time finally comes to bid adieu to our employment constructed existence we often find ourselves reluctant to stop working. Why? Its probably a combination of the fear of not generating income and an inner, personal dissonance caused by us  not working-of not doing something that most of us have done our entire adult lives and for many a greater part of our childhood as well.  Depression era individuals like my parents, bless their departed souls, are and were like this. Afraid!  afraid of the economics of reality.  You know the conventional wisdom about "making hay"....right?  Lets defer to our good friend Sterling Hayden who once commented that "to be truly challenging, a voyage like life must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest-otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse"  Hmmmm..........makes sense to me.
My last blog entry detailed the rotten teak of my sea hood. Well its off the boat and all apart. The rotten wood is all cut out. Those of you that know about boat maintenance are probably saying "it was the plywood that rotted under the teak " and you are absolutely right but where the rotted plywood abutted the solid 5/8"  X  4"  X 3.5' teak frame..........the teak dry rotted!! no question about this.....good thing for Git-Rot.
People keep asking me when are you gonna get the sea hood done? when are you going to leave? whats your plan? what are you gonna do? when are you gonna do it? where are ya going? how long are you going to be gone? and whada, whada, whada, on and on and on.........!!  Once or twice in this blog, you probably recall me mentioning www.mnmlist.com .........well, if you are so inclined go to www.mnmlist.com/goals and read this man's thoughts and reflections on the topic of goals and objectives.......after that, its your call as to whether you agree or not...........to me, he makes perfect sense...........so if you run into me on the docks, don't ask......"its every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it" - Albert Einstein
take care my friends......

Despite reality....its been a good day.......

A cold rainy front moved through today...nasty, drizzly, slow rain not the kind that washes thing clean but the kind that stirs up yuck and then collects in fecal looking brown pools strewn all along the roads, sidewalks, and yards birthing new mosquito incubators. Needless to say no boat work can be done today so lets focus on the list of fifty things that are to become my sole possessions other than my boat and boat equipment. In the last post, the list was was started with A-D........now lets add E-L.
A. 1 pair flip flops
B. 1pair Chuck Taylor high tops
C. 2 pair board shorts
D. 2 pair Levis...............
E. 1 Laptop computer
F. 1 Kindle
G. 1 i-pod
H. 5 assorted t-shirts
I.  2 pair dress shorts
J.  1 pair long dress pants
K. 3 dressy shirts
L.  1 pair dressy looking canvas "go out for the night-party down" shoes
TOTAL.......22 items...........we'll revisit this soon......
My seahood is rotten. You know its inevitable that sooner or later you are going to have to replace rotten wood on a boat....its just that this seahood is teak.......isn't teak supposed to be rot-proof? Maybe its knockoff teak from China? Well it doesn't really make a difference what it is.....the hood is rotten and has to be replaced. Give me a few days to post some before and after photos of the rebuild......after all a picture is worth.............you know.............
take care my friends and if you are so inclined transfer some positive thoughts and energy to those who are suffering from the aftermath of the earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan.........you know that the Japanese have a noble seafaring tradition....and revere mother ocean. They are just a little confused about the whaling and long lining issues but that will come to pass..........

50 things........

Its finally over!  My house is sold, closed, and funded. What an emotional roller coaster ordeal. My blogging synapses were immobilized by stress and the fear that something would happen that would kill the deal and my home owner status would continue indefinitely. Well, that didn't happen. It seems that once again my angels looked out for me...now the adventure begins....from this day forward this becomes a true sailing blog instead of one made up of  wishful philosophical ramblings of an impatient traveler. After the sale was completed, the first order of business was to sell, donate, and/or throw away a lifetime worth of accumulations...my heart was palpitating as my stuff was going out the door, into the trash or deposited at Goodwill....My furniture, my art, my rugs, my antiques, my Emeril pots and pans.....Oh-Oh..is this a mistake?  You know what?  I can't even remember what I had........What a waste of time...all those years of coveting these purported treasured possessions only to discover that after three or four days I can't remember what they were nor do I care !  Mmmmm...wonder is this sudden intuitive perception and insight into the reality of essential meaning that was brought about by a simple, commonplace occurrence is ...is..is an epiphany??  Of course it was and this is one thankful blogger.....There is a blog out there, mnmlst. The author has what I consider to be relevant thoughts on the subject of minimalism and  how we encumber our lives with superfluous possessions and commitments that collectively collaborate to add stress to our existence and diminish the fulfillment of our human experience . This guy shares his thoughts on how we might be able to unencumber our lives if we so desire and return to a calmer sense of being. Good stuff here....you might want to check it out. Don't forget that our dear friend Sterling Hayden was a minimalist long before it became fashionable to be one...."what does a man need-really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat, shelter, six feet to lie down in-and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment-that's all."- Wanderer, 1963. You must admit that those of us that live on boats especially small boats are minimalists whether we want to be or not.
The mnmlst blogger suggests that we consider paring down our possessions to only those things that we really need. This makes perfect sense to me. Some of us probably really need the two thousand things that we own!  My intent is to pare down my possessions excluding my boat and equipment to fifty essential items. Lets see.....
A.  1 pair flip flops
B.  1 pair Chuck Taylor high tops
3.  2 pair board shorts
4.  2 pair Levi's.......................Mmmmm.....eight items already, this is gonna take some thinking.  We'll revisit this list soon....................................
Now, lets talk about my boat ZOSHA, this is a sailing blog-right? right. The time has finally come to get her ready for cruising. She has a wonderful compliment of mostly unused headsails but her Main is shot, stretched out, flabby, out of shape, and tired...........I know what you're thinking....don't say it...we're friends. So a new Mainsail is on the "to buy" list. The Harken furler on the jib works fine. The staysail is a hank on.
The electronics are all 1978 and most don't work. Thats OK. Don't need a knot-log-GPS will give me this info. Wind instruments? do we really need them? They are expensive and troublesome. Most of us know when its too windy. If there is not enough wind, who cares where its not coming from and at what speed?  To my amazement the 1978 Signet depth sounder is working fine, unbelieveable! It will be retired though and replaced.  My dilemma is how to deal with the three 4 inch holes that are left in my cabinside when the antiquated knot and wind instruments are trashed and not replaced??
You all take care my friends... Be safe. Be loving. Be careful. Be kind. Gotta go work on my list of fifty things. If you know of anybody that wants some Frankie Avalon 45's, drop me a comment.......
seeya