I am pleased with the rate of progress on the restoration of the Starboard Teak Decking. Approximately 1/3 of the old caulking between the teak planking strips have been pulled and replaced with new Boat Life Teak Deck Sealant. (Stock Product #1252) This is a sandable teak deck sealant. After 24 hours the cure time is reached and the product can be sanded to only show the black lines between the teak decking. I have been replacing the lost screws with new brass 8x 5/8th screws and the restored areas are tight. Also ran teak sealant caulk lines along the 3 bottom joints where the deck connects to the forward and center pilot house cabins. Removed all the old caulking first. Again, the goal here is to make sure all water below the water line stays outside and all rain water or melting snow does the same topside. 'A dry sailboat is a good sailboat'. Concluded the day with the sanding of the Traveler Trimming Mount and applied the first coat of Cetol. This also gave me time to examine the Traveler rigging for main sail trim adjustments. Socrates once said...'Man Know Thy-self'. Shakespeare in his Hamlet Tragedy produced a variation on the theme by stating...'To Thine Own Self Be True'. Logically, the sum of both statements means to Know Thy-self and Know Thy-sailboats rigging. All of it and the names of the sum total of all her parts.
Now to Navigation and Time. I went to West Marine last Wednesday and found a good deal on the sale of a last year's model Garmin GPSMap 440s. Just ahead of my Helm is a teak pedestal deck stand where I will mount the unit. I have already sanded this stand after applying teak putty to a few former mount holes. The Garmin GPSMap 440s is a color GPS Plotter with built-in U.S. Coastal Charts and dual frequency sonar. I picked up the unit substantially cheaper than all other units with an In-Hull, adjustable angle Depth Transducer which ties directly into the GPS to show depth readings at all times on the GPS Color Console. This gives The Bridgeman a functioning GPS Mapping system for way point navigation and depth readings at all times at the Helm. Still have my former Garmin Colorado 400c handheld Marine GPS as redundancy and backup which I used during my days of sailing my former sailboat 'Morning Dove'. (God Bless Her!) In addition to dead reckoning, once must also have charts, redundancy of GPS and redundancy of radios, flares, life-vests and flotation devices. Life is precious. Adventure and safety go hand in hand.
Perhaps 10,000 years ago, men and women as the first sailors started to draw maps. Maps are good. To know who we are and where we are and where we are going and why we are going there in the first place, are are all vital components in navigation. Navigation is a science. 'Navigation' is an art form designed to connect the dots as way points on a journey. Similarly, our lives are seemingly a series of way points linked together by another dimension called 'Time'. It only takes an estimation of time to travel from Saint Mary's City to Annapolis along with cooperation from several external conditions such as wind directions, wind speed, and distance. Time on the other hand is the relative condition between two points. Time is our most precious resource. We as mortal humans are unfortunately running against the hour glass called time. Our creator guides us, but we have only such short time frames available to us to learn all the lessons and to get it right in this life. In the fine tradition of the Jewish Torah and in the succeeding Christian New Testament, the subsequent Islamic Book of the Holy Qur'an states in very Poetic Classical Arabic, that: "We are all coming home" and that "God knows every breath". Time, Navigation and Every Breath. All seem to paint a picture of just how important it is to live a deliberate life, a focused life, one optimized for calculated navigational way points and for optimum management of time. How proud I am of my two daughters Kristin and Olivia who are doing their Masters and PhD studies in Business Marketing and Neuroscience at JHU and NYU respectively. How joyful it is to be a parent and to see one's own children excelling in life and acting as beacons of light and guiding inspiration in the course of a parent's own journey. It is good to know that we can always try to live a better life that is better and more full of purpose than the day before.
It has now been approximately 10 days and nights that I have been living on The Bridgeman by night and working on her by day. Not bad with just a few tools, a few supplies, some work clothing, a crock-pot and a coffee pot. It has been nice getting to see rural Northern Neck Virginia to witness first hand farms and folk living in small towns like Callao/VA. I told myself that it would be good for me to go to a Church on Sunday...IE: Today. So I did. At first on my drives in and out of Callao/VA I spotted some rural churches. Kept trying to note the timings of Sunday Service. Finally, on route to Ace Hardware, I spotted Zion Baptist with Service at 11:30am. So I made a mental note and off I went to Zion Baptist today. They must have gotten off to an early start because when I walked through the double doors today at 11:15am they were in full gear. I walked into Zion Baptist Church of Lottsburg/VA and found myself in a full congregation of African Americans with myself as the late arrival and only white/Caucasian member of the worshiping community. Found my way to a set and was then helped to another by an usher as I had sat in the spot of a woman who was already up at the alter receiving a blessing. The Gospel Choir was singing beautiful songs and the Minister was gearing up for a wonderful sermon. I was at peace and noted the electrifying energy of the tone of celebration that was going on all around me. Rapture seems to portray what was going on in this service by a collective community of worshiping African Americans. The battle of good over evil was being preached upon by the Minister and yes the humming of the Church was all in unison and vectoring in the direction of good like the hive of a bee pod full of honey. And their I was in the middle of the honey pot. Right in the middle of Northern Neck VA Zion Church of Lottsburg and quietly at peace and quietly appreciating the beauty of the Gospel singing, the beauty of the Minister's sermon and the rapture of the Congregation as they stimulated the whole of their community to effect the unity of all as 'one'. I wondered for a bit during and after how it must have been to have the shoe on the other foot? The welcomes I received after the service were as best as I can tell genuine. The welcomes and the sermon and the Gospel Choir have truthfully inspired me to look forward to returning next week to the Zion Church of Lottsburg. I tried hard to just be myself and if someone reached out his hand to welcome me I for one reached out equally and asked to know his name before telling him mine. Yet overall, I could sense the great divide that still exists in America in the segregation of society and the split that seemingly divides this land in two. If the shoe had been on the other foot, would the welcoming into the community have been the same?
As for time, the hours we live when we feel like we have something to really live for are what I now call life and living. For the hours that we waste away hopeful that they will pass soon, what is this but anything other than lack of deliberate living and far afield of the course we should be on as we journey from one optimum navigational way point to the next way point and beyond.
The Bridgeman is safe and sound. She is berthed in her slip and I am berthed in her. She is like the Star ship Enterprise back in space dock when Captain Kirk and Spock and Crew have returned from harrowing difficulties with the Klingons or Romulans while on Nobel missions to seek out new life forms and new civilisations. The Bridgeman is now in space dock while I tend to all of her phaser ray gun marks and proton torpedo hits. She is like a woman who has gone a decade long from a visit to the Beauty Salon. And I am her caretaker. I am here to polish her hull, change her zincs, change her old engine oil and filters, tighten her rigging, repair her sails, restore her teak decks and teak topside embellishments, polish her stainless steel and her brass. I am her devoted beautician and aid and she is my Enterprise.
Life goes on, as does the divinity in all creatures great and small.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Sea Otter
Had a visit from a Sea Otter. Spotted him at the entrance to the Marina before He drifted over to The Bridgeman with something like an oyster or crab shell in His mouth. A sort of lackadaisical drifting on his back as if he had not a care in the world. As he drifted closer to the dock I could see that he was a big boy and wondered for a moment whether or not he was really a seal. But then I noted more of the puppy like characteristics of an Otter. Interesting that most all species of life on this planet have a set of eyes, a set of ears, a nose and a mouth to chew with. This Otter no doubt was fully aware of his environment and split real quick when he observed motion on board The Bridgeman.
Made progress today varnishing with Cetol the Port Side upper cabin teak embellishment railing. Completed first a review of the sanded areas and hit them again with 120 grit paper using the 5" orbital sander. Then I brushed the areas clean several times and masked off the surrounding areas with blue painters tape. Also taped clear plastic to the lower cabin wall and over the teak deck areas to make sure drops of Cetol did not run off. Used a 1 inch tapered brush for the best effect. Only applied one coat. Started with a second coat but the application appeared gummy....so I decided to hold off. Will wait for tomorrow and apply a second coat after rubbing clean with a Marine solvent. Looks very nice.
Also sanded smooth the 2 foot square section of the teak deck where I had applied the sandable teak deck caulking between the deck strips. Then I applied Teak Oil to this section just to see the effect. Sure enough, the deck was starving for oil and attention. The Sun is hard on substances in this world. Teak decking included. The Bridgeman decks are now 33 years old. Same age as Jesus Christ when he set foot in the ancient lands to deliver a message of Peace and a Gospel of Good Tidings. I am hopeful that my care of The Bridgeman decking will be a resurrection of its own accord. It would cost a fortune to install a new teak deck. So in my view, I will simple care for every strip of teak until all of the individual parts come together with fine new seams of teak deck caulking positioned to the left and right of every strip and the collective whole then hums to the tune of Mahler's resurrection symphony. Restoring a teak deck is a bit like dentistry. Decay sets itself in play and the Dentist removes the decay and carefully bonds new filler to a sculptured surface. Presently I am the Teak Deck Dentist. I use a simple tool that I found in Home Depot that is shaped like a V-Blade to pull out the old caulk. I then insert the new Boat Life Black Teak Decking Caulk and rub it smoothly into the joint. I make sure I apply an ample bead and then let it cure for 24 hours. Then I sand the caulking residue and the teak deck strips lightly to get a fresh clean-cut look and feel. It also looks like the hours of 3pm to 7pm are my favorite working hours of the day and the most productive. This is the time for sanding and varnishing and for careful on my knees work pulling out all the old stripes of teak caulking I find it best to sand and varnish port side, and in contrast, to work on teak deck restoration on the starboard side. An East/West routine.
Listening to music also helps. For teak restoration, I recommend a mixture of Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Alice Cooper, Def Leapord, Sting, Little Hatch and the House Rockers R&B, Marianne Faithful and a bit of Pearl Jam, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks.
Wrapped up the evening with a walk over to the Skip Jack Inn. Walked a bit along the sand beach to watch the Cranes. Like the Otter, they seem well adept at life. They sit solo on some rock or sand bar where the water has ebbed away at low tide. With patience, they wait for sustenance to swim by as a present for an early evening meal. God almighty seams to provide each species their just nourishment proportionate to their needs and their relationship to him.
In closing, I am thinking of Aristotle. He believed in the Golden Mean. The point of balance which existed on neither too little or too much and in his belief that it was the purpose of each Man and Woman on this earth to find happiness in doing something that made them feel happy about life and challenged them to be the best that they could be in doing whatever skill they felt they could do best. I pondered today the subject of youth. Our own youth. Seems for the most part our time in youth is concerned with the "I" and never with the "We". How many years I wasted in the pursuit of the evil "I" as opposed to dedicating my life to the perpetuation and to the care of the goodness of the collective "We". Oh well, the good news is that we can change. Just takes courage and right action. And habitual right action in the view of Aristotle....leads to happiness in this life.
Made progress today varnishing with Cetol the Port Side upper cabin teak embellishment railing. Completed first a review of the sanded areas and hit them again with 120 grit paper using the 5" orbital sander. Then I brushed the areas clean several times and masked off the surrounding areas with blue painters tape. Also taped clear plastic to the lower cabin wall and over the teak deck areas to make sure drops of Cetol did not run off. Used a 1 inch tapered brush for the best effect. Only applied one coat. Started with a second coat but the application appeared gummy....so I decided to hold off. Will wait for tomorrow and apply a second coat after rubbing clean with a Marine solvent. Looks very nice.
Also sanded smooth the 2 foot square section of the teak deck where I had applied the sandable teak deck caulking between the deck strips. Then I applied Teak Oil to this section just to see the effect. Sure enough, the deck was starving for oil and attention. The Sun is hard on substances in this world. Teak decking included. The Bridgeman decks are now 33 years old. Same age as Jesus Christ when he set foot in the ancient lands to deliver a message of Peace and a Gospel of Good Tidings. I am hopeful that my care of The Bridgeman decking will be a resurrection of its own accord. It would cost a fortune to install a new teak deck. So in my view, I will simple care for every strip of teak until all of the individual parts come together with fine new seams of teak deck caulking positioned to the left and right of every strip and the collective whole then hums to the tune of Mahler's resurrection symphony. Restoring a teak deck is a bit like dentistry. Decay sets itself in play and the Dentist removes the decay and carefully bonds new filler to a sculptured surface. Presently I am the Teak Deck Dentist. I use a simple tool that I found in Home Depot that is shaped like a V-Blade to pull out the old caulk. I then insert the new Boat Life Black Teak Decking Caulk and rub it smoothly into the joint. I make sure I apply an ample bead and then let it cure for 24 hours. Then I sand the caulking residue and the teak deck strips lightly to get a fresh clean-cut look and feel. It also looks like the hours of 3pm to 7pm are my favorite working hours of the day and the most productive. This is the time for sanding and varnishing and for careful on my knees work pulling out all the old stripes of teak caulking I find it best to sand and varnish port side, and in contrast, to work on teak deck restoration on the starboard side. An East/West routine.
Listening to music also helps. For teak restoration, I recommend a mixture of Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Alice Cooper, Def Leapord, Sting, Little Hatch and the House Rockers R&B, Marianne Faithful and a bit of Pearl Jam, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks.
Wrapped up the evening with a walk over to the Skip Jack Inn. Walked a bit along the sand beach to watch the Cranes. Like the Otter, they seem well adept at life. They sit solo on some rock or sand bar where the water has ebbed away at low tide. With patience, they wait for sustenance to swim by as a present for an early evening meal. God almighty seams to provide each species their just nourishment proportionate to their needs and their relationship to him.
In closing, I am thinking of Aristotle. He believed in the Golden Mean. The point of balance which existed on neither too little or too much and in his belief that it was the purpose of each Man and Woman on this earth to find happiness in doing something that made them feel happy about life and challenged them to be the best that they could be in doing whatever skill they felt they could do best. I pondered today the subject of youth. Our own youth. Seems for the most part our time in youth is concerned with the "I" and never with the "We". How many years I wasted in the pursuit of the evil "I" as opposed to dedicating my life to the perpetuation and to the care of the goodness of the collective "We". Oh well, the good news is that we can change. Just takes courage and right action. And habitual right action in the view of Aristotle....leads to happiness in this life.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Kinsale Marina
Another beautiful day in Paradise.
Following an evening storm, I find that The Bridgeman is dry. One small leak at the cabin hatch and investigation has revealed the cause. Will add to the list of restoration tasks. The goal here is to keep all water outside of The Bridgeman. That being all water from below and all water from above.
Carried on today with sanding of the upper cabin top teak trim embellishments. What comes to mind is patience. It takes time to get even a small area ready to varnish. One must start with 100 grit sandpaper and move on to 120 and 150 respectively. Caulking has to also be removed where teak sections join. If it looks imperfect, it means that one is racing beyond the point of patience. Our guts tell us always what is right and what is wrong. It we race to the finish line of varnishing without near perfect prep work, we will not be happy. Always best to take the time to do it right the first time. Don't look at the whole sailboat, just look at the individual components that make up the whole. Like the human body. Many parts. It will take time, years worth of time to fully restore The Bridgeman to a near original condition of grace and glory.
Watched a Sea Gull devour a fish this morning. Another Gull was nearby on another piling but did not disrupt. The Sea Gull with the fish managed to consume the fish just by shaking his head left and right to devour as much as possible. No hands. Just beak. At one point he dropped a third of the fish back into the water. I was curious it he would swoop down to consume the balance of the fish but it was not necessary. Off he flew, and with great speed took off to a distant part of the river. How simple life must be to fly with a perfectly engineered body consisting of wings that serve as an airfoil and eyes to spot food and a mouth to consume food. No need really to think about Wall Street or retirement or the news on BBC.
John helped me to take down my Mizzen sail today and then John, Marty and Terry helped me fold her up in preparation for sending her off to be cleaned and tuned up with some new stitches if required. The sail will be sent to a Mom and Pop shop with very reasonable pricing. Also folded up the UV Sail Cover which is very worn. Will take measurements and in time buy a sewing machine to make a new UV Sail Protection Cover out of Black Materials. They will contrast the red masts.
Went sailing briefly with John, Marty and Terry. Strong head winds aborted the sail. Came back in time to resume sanding The Bridgeman. Will resume in the morning and also treat a one square foot section of the teak deck with the Boat Life Marine Caulk just to get familiar with using this sandable teak decking system product which will also be used for crack between adjoining sections of teak.
John was later playing R&B Accordion tunes for Terry, Marty and Myself. Lots of talent. While in the middle of the concert performance I noted the Sea Gulls again. They fly and fly and are always in harmonious union with the world around them. Humans are not in Harmonious union with each other or with themselves or with the world around them. We consume nearly everything in our path. Sea Gulls and Ospreys and Eagles on the other hand are in harmonious union with the world. They are beautiful airfoils on hunting and recreation missions. There is no war between them like the flying Ace's of WWI. Only harmony that is proportionate to the balanced resources of this world.
The Bridgeman is starting to change. I can feel her and she can feel me. Restoration is in motion and union is taking shape just like the part one and part two of epoxy once carefully mixed into a single bonding agent.
Following an evening storm, I find that The Bridgeman is dry. One small leak at the cabin hatch and investigation has revealed the cause. Will add to the list of restoration tasks. The goal here is to keep all water outside of The Bridgeman. That being all water from below and all water from above.
Carried on today with sanding of the upper cabin top teak trim embellishments. What comes to mind is patience. It takes time to get even a small area ready to varnish. One must start with 100 grit sandpaper and move on to 120 and 150 respectively. Caulking has to also be removed where teak sections join. If it looks imperfect, it means that one is racing beyond the point of patience. Our guts tell us always what is right and what is wrong. It we race to the finish line of varnishing without near perfect prep work, we will not be happy. Always best to take the time to do it right the first time. Don't look at the whole sailboat, just look at the individual components that make up the whole. Like the human body. Many parts. It will take time, years worth of time to fully restore The Bridgeman to a near original condition of grace and glory.
Watched a Sea Gull devour a fish this morning. Another Gull was nearby on another piling but did not disrupt. The Sea Gull with the fish managed to consume the fish just by shaking his head left and right to devour as much as possible. No hands. Just beak. At one point he dropped a third of the fish back into the water. I was curious it he would swoop down to consume the balance of the fish but it was not necessary. Off he flew, and with great speed took off to a distant part of the river. How simple life must be to fly with a perfectly engineered body consisting of wings that serve as an airfoil and eyes to spot food and a mouth to consume food. No need really to think about Wall Street or retirement or the news on BBC.
John helped me to take down my Mizzen sail today and then John, Marty and Terry helped me fold her up in preparation for sending her off to be cleaned and tuned up with some new stitches if required. The sail will be sent to a Mom and Pop shop with very reasonable pricing. Also folded up the UV Sail Cover which is very worn. Will take measurements and in time buy a sewing machine to make a new UV Sail Protection Cover out of Black Materials. They will contrast the red masts.
Went sailing briefly with John, Marty and Terry. Strong head winds aborted the sail. Came back in time to resume sanding The Bridgeman. Will resume in the morning and also treat a one square foot section of the teak deck with the Boat Life Marine Caulk just to get familiar with using this sandable teak decking system product which will also be used for crack between adjoining sections of teak.
John was later playing R&B Accordion tunes for Terry, Marty and Myself. Lots of talent. While in the middle of the concert performance I noted the Sea Gulls again. They fly and fly and are always in harmonious union with the world around them. Humans are not in Harmonious union with each other or with themselves or with the world around them. We consume nearly everything in our path. Sea Gulls and Ospreys and Eagles on the other hand are in harmonious union with the world. They are beautiful airfoils on hunting and recreation missions. There is no war between them like the flying Ace's of WWI. Only harmony that is proportionate to the balanced resources of this world.
The Bridgeman is starting to change. I can feel her and she can feel me. Restoration is in motion and union is taking shape just like the part one and part two of epoxy once carefully mixed into a single bonding agent.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Restoration of The Bridgeman
Arrived at The Bridgeman on April 5th evening just following Easter with my family at Patty and Eric's Home in VA. Marty, Gerry, my Dad, Kristin, Olivia, Delinda and my cousins all attending. Good time by one and all.
Spent April 6th organizing The Bridgeman for commencement of the project. Went to the nearby town of Calleao, VA that has Marine supply stores to order several tubes of Boat Life Teak Deck Caulking Material (Black) which is a sandable product. Have selected the upper cabin teak rail embellishments as the first project to commence on April 7th,2010 which is today!
Met John and his wife Marty and Mark who are my neighbors at Kinsale Marina who sail Hunter and Ericsson Sailboats. Went sailing yesterday afternoon with John and Marty on their Hunter 30' - Nova. It was a beautiful evening and a wonderful sail out to the mouth of the Potomac River in sight of Saint Mary's City and Point Lookout and the Lower Chesapeake Bay. Sailed back into Kinsale under a red sunset and woke this morning to a fresh pot of coffee that I made on board The Bridgeman as I sat on deck looking at the Sea Gulls and the nest of flying Ospreys. The weather is amazingly beautiful. The stars at night are vivid. Life is slow and serene. The maintenance of a sailboat is symbolic of the maintenance of the economy of life.
Spent April 6th organizing The Bridgeman for commencement of the project. Went to the nearby town of Calleao, VA that has Marine supply stores to order several tubes of Boat Life Teak Deck Caulking Material (Black) which is a sandable product. Have selected the upper cabin teak rail embellishments as the first project to commence on April 7th,2010 which is today!
Met John and his wife Marty and Mark who are my neighbors at Kinsale Marina who sail Hunter and Ericsson Sailboats. Went sailing yesterday afternoon with John and Marty on their Hunter 30' - Nova. It was a beautiful evening and a wonderful sail out to the mouth of the Potomac River in sight of Saint Mary's City and Point Lookout and the Lower Chesapeake Bay. Sailed back into Kinsale under a red sunset and woke this morning to a fresh pot of coffee that I made on board The Bridgeman as I sat on deck looking at the Sea Gulls and the nest of flying Ospreys. The weather is amazingly beautiful. The stars at night are vivid. Life is slow and serene. The maintenance of a sailboat is symbolic of the maintenance of the economy of life.
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