Poison Ivy

When I was growing up in Crosby, I was extremely allergic to poison ivy and would frequently get it all over me. It was so bad, and caused so much disruption in the household, that I felt like I was being blamed for getting it -- as if I had a choice.

It's gotten better over the years, but I still seem to get it all the time, e.g., I've had small patches on my hands, feet, and legs almost the entire time I've been here. I pretty much ignore it these days since I don't scratch, it doesn't spread, but I just can't seem to keep out of it. I might be getting it off Zoe's fur, but since I'm always in shorts and flip flops, and try to walk her in the shady, grassy areas, I'm sure I rub up against it just as much as she does.

A long time ago, my brother Charlie recommended that I should learn how to identify it so I could avoid it, but that's easier said than done. He could always identify all sorts of flora and fauna, but to me, it all looks the same. He even got his bachelor's degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences, but I was never very interested in that sort of stuff.

I can't even tell cars apart very well. I can pick out a few, but most of them are so similar, that I have no idea which one they are unless I walk up and can find a name actually written on it. Unfortunately, they don't put the name on cars very often, and other than a few symbols, like Mercedes and BMW, they're all meaningless to me. I was never very interested in cars either. However, I am interested in boats, and read and study about them all the time. But I still have trouble telling them apart too, e.g., I can't tell a Beneteau or a Jeanneau from a Hunter (well, maybe from a Hunter, but not from each other).

Zoe watch:

Zoe's doing much better in the cooler weather. We just got back from our walk and she played tug with the leach most of the way back. She's under the boat now, and I'll probably keep her under the bow so I can flush the water tanks a few more times today.

Boat watch:

I flushed the clorox out of the tanks a few times yesterday, but the water still doesn't taste fresh, so I plan to flush it a few more times over the next week or so. I installed the new pump and the new hose from the upper tank to the lower one. I also moved the valve up to the upper tank. That allows me to cut off the flow and service the hose without spilling water all over the place. There's a hatch under the v-berth in the small lateral bulkhead that I can open and access the value, but without the float value in the lower tank, I have to be careful not to overfill the lower tank.

With the value closed, I filled the upper tank completely yesterday so I could see how much water it held, vis-a-vis the lower tank. When it finally filled up and water came out of the fitting on deck, I could see water coming from the vent flowing onto the inside of the hull beneath the tank, but I couldn't see where it was going. The bilge already had a few inches of water in it, so I couldn't tell if it flowed all the way back or pooled somewhere along the way. I hope it wasn't pooling anywhere, but based on everything else I've seen on this boat, I'm betting that's the case. I tried tapping the upper tank to see how full it was so I wouldn't overfill, but couldn't really tell. At some point, I'll need to revisit this and figure out a better solution.

After draining the lower tank, I opened the valve and it filled the lower tank only about halfway to maybe 2/3. I'd assumed the upper tank was the larger, but that's not the case. My rough estimate, based on how long it took to fill it, was about 30 gallons. I can't find the original specs from when I bought her, but I think it was about 70 gallons total, maybe a 50 + 20 breakdown, which sounds plausible. At some point, I need to measure them exactly so I'll know how much water I can carry. I have some 5 gallon water jugs that should work fine for that.

I'm also considering adding a through hull to the chain locker in the peak so it can drain directly overboard without having to go the entire distance of the boat to get to the bilge. This should make the boat dryer and keep the accumulation in the bilge to a minimum. If I do that, I can also add a vent hose to the upper tank so that the overflow will also go directly overboard. Normally, the you'll get a little water in the chain locker through the hawse pipe when seas break over the bow.

Not sure how much glass work will be required to seal the base of the locker, but it shouldn't be too much trouble and can be done at any time once the through hull is in place. The peak of the bow and the transom are the only places on a sailboat that never go under water even when she's heeled. I may have mentioned before that I also plan to add a couple of 2" drains from the cockpit directly out the transon, and use scuppers valves so following waves won't rush in and refill the cockpit. I want to make sure I can keep the boat as dry as possible and that the cockpit drains as quickly as possible. Both of these jobs will probably have to wait till I get to Houston.