Up at dawn again after going to bed right at dark. The sun's cycle rules my waking and sleeping. I like being in rhythm with the universe. I've got another to do list for today:
1. stow water; 2 gallons in Pashmina
2. stow survival bag
3. clean steering wheel
4. clean a dirty galley drawer I discovered last night looking for my can opener.
5. Restow my anchor line from last anchorage. I didn't have time to tidy it up with that swift current flowing.
6. Make lashings for my vinyl banner.
7. Fill Solar Shower
survival bag and 2 gal of water
solar shower
Banner:
Cruising the Navigable Waterways on the West Coast
To put on the rail when we are in port.
Too Tall was telling me that my Lat and Long from Walker Island did not coordinate with Google Earth. this made me think about my GPS. I looked and discovered my system was set in degrees, minutes and decimals, rather than degrees, minutes and seconds. I reset it as I don't want to deal in decimals. Thanks.I put in my coordinates for position here at Kerry West Marina and they were right on Google Earth.
The rain and the sun took turns showing themselves all day long. I have learned when the rain stops, jump outside and do the outside jobs and when the rain starts, jump inside and tend to those items. So in and out all day long, I scampered taking care of business. I found that all my to-do list got done and I had time to visit with some boat owners.
A couple from Arizona have gotten the winter dirt off the
Champagne Lady, and she is looking good. We have had a nice time talking about cruising up the inside of Vancouver Island, which they have done.
The
Florence A has been my favorite vessel of all the Columbia river boats. Built in California after the war, The owner has cruised many a mile in Alaska, BC and the Pacific coastal waters. I always stop by to see her and today the old man was there and gave me a tour. Boy, is she interesting. Its my dream boat, and is one that could go anywhere. I remember him telling me that he'd take his friends caribou and bear hunting and he had to take the stern windows out to get the bear meat into the freezer. After that he put in a stern door. The main living salon is large, with wood stove, workbench that converts to chart table, several bunks, a swivel rocker.
He doesn't watch television, but he has a big speaker that he hooks his guitar up to and a stereo system which he plays Chet Adkins and strums along with him. He says, with a twinkle in his eye, you can really learn to play that way. In the pilot house he has a cut away opening at the radar station. The watch person at the helm sets the auto pilot on, then comes over to sit and watch the radar. With this opening into the galley area the captain while bunking in the settee berth can look up and see if the watch person has fallen asleep. He says he's caught several snoozing. Since he is getting up in years, he'd sell her for a comparable piece of property. He takes her to Astoria for haulouts, but hasn't cruised her in many a year. I loved standing at the wheel looking out. The Pacific coast of Washington would be a piece of cake in this steel cruiser.
I have had an easy day and it was fun meeting new and old friends. I looked up the Ocean Racer that I saw yesterday,
The Rage, and she was in the Astoria Victoria Offshore race. It is a Wylie 70. I knew they were serious looking sailors, as opposed to the rest of us River Rats.
