Shush, Don't tell Kristi!

Today Kristi is off to Casey's making Soap.  (Nice smelling soap)  They have been planning on this for a while and it gives me the perfect opportunity to do one of Kristi's most favorite activities:  Making Saw Dust!

Yup, now that we have the parties are over.  Now that we are actually moved out of the apartment, and now that we extended our stay in the slip one more month to complete some projects I thought I would actually start doing some projects!

Today I am working on the floors in the aft cabin.  I need to cut and fit a few more drop panels, and make some fixed (non removable) patched.  All this is because when I installed the shower and the bed, I actually recessed them below the level of the floor, and hence there are gaps and holes around things where the original plywood was.

So, here I am getting ready to make Saw Dust!  Need to cut away some of the original plywood to make room for that  new drop panel.

I know Kristi will like having no holes in the aft cabin, and once I get the cork down I am sure she will like it even more!  But for today, while Kristi is away - I am making a mess.  So please - keep this between us, OK?

Moving In, a short trip, and a rescue

Well, if moving in was as simple as just sleeping on the boat, I guess that means we have been moved on for a long time!  However, it does seem a bit more involved.  Today we cleared out a big chunk of the apartment, moving stuff to either the garage or the boat.

So, here are the results of one day of 'moving'.  We will spend most of tomorrow putting things away.

Also today we moved over to the Vancouver City public docks for a couple of days to reset the 60-day-in-Oregon clock.  Is nice to get way for a change; as opposed to be working on the boat all the time.  On the way we had a chance to perform a 'rescue'.  A small sail boat seemed to have de-masted itself and was doing a fair job of drifting to Astoria.  Given this is the middle of the week, a bit chilly, and the wind was up above 10 knots there were not many others on the water.  We motored over and ended up giving him a short tow back to his marina - hoping to build up the Karma account.

So now we are at dock, having dinner, watching some TV.

Day 1 :-)

Well, we have done it.

After a bit over a year of accelerated effort, today we moved onto the boat for good.  This means, we are now Boat People!  We moved one truck load of acquired furniture out of the apartment today, will finish with the rest of the stuff over the next two days and turn the keys back in Thursday.  But tonight we start living on  the boat full time.

We are going to keep the slip for one more month, to help with completion of projects - ala the cork flooring in the aft cabin.  But are looking to give up the slip the end of May and start cruising full time.  For the near future we will be hanging around the Portland area (Columbia and Willamette rivers) taking in the events of the summer - Lock Fest at the Willamette Falls (oldest multi stage locks in the US), Blues Fest down town Portland over the 4th of July (largest Blues Fest west of the Mississippi I understand), Concert series in Saint Helens, plus the ever favorite Pirates Cruise for the kids!   Likely will take a trip up river - maybe find some reason to head down river as well.

All the while just a doing.

Starting Today!

We have floors!

Wow, yesterday finished putting the top coat on the cork floors (soles in Boat Talk) for the main and forward cabin.  And they are looking nice…  It has been 10 years, and I always said the flooring would be the last thing to go in; maybe this means I am all done???

It took a bit longer then I thought it would.  I spent 6 days cutting and fitting the tiles in the main and forward cabin – about 10 minutes per tile on average.  This was because of the angles and cutouts for the hatches.  And there is a downside:  with the floors looking so nice I can now see a few places where I might want to put on a fresh coat of varnish, and the forward wall could use painting again. 

Next focus will be the aft cabin.  Other than 3 hatches and the gluing up of a curved edging for around the shower have really not done anything down there.  Need to cut and fit two new hatch boards, cut, fit, glue and then varnish the trim pieces.  Will start on this Friday as Thursday I will be ‘telecomuting’ into an industry energy meeting (for which we got some press!  http://www.pcworld.com/article/194242/epa_industry_to_meet_on_greener_storage.html )

It feels good to get this part of the project done, am starting to check off large chunks – Progress!

Splash Down!

Yesterday we celebrated!  

One MAJOR project was crossed off the list.

The windlass was bolted down

The anchor chain was threaded

Attaching the anchor is very important  

Splash down!   

TA DA!  The anchor is stowed.  It is safe to venture from the dock once more.

But not before celebrating further on the day:  Grandson Troy's 6th Birthday!

April 1st – Wow..

Ok, flipped the calendar page this morning.  And see there are perhaps 2 solid weeks left to get things done.  

Wow….

Will see, did not get all the flooring done by end of March like I had hoped, though should finish the anchor platform today as I spent yesterday on it.  One issue am having is the cold weather is too low for the cork glue and overcoat.  Likely will need to start the heater today, better remember to bring the tiles down I guess.

OK, it is not 9 or 10am now.  Figure that as there are only a few weeks left - better get a going!