Long Night

I woke up at around 0230 this morning and went on deck to check the anchor line and "see a man about a dog." I almost never sleep all the way through the night, so this was more or less normal. I wanted to check the anchor because we'd had a thunderstorm pass over just before dark with heavy winds and rain, but luckily no lightening close by.

Anyway, when I climbed on deck I was surprised to see a large power boat swinging on her anchor only about 50' off my port side. I quickly looked around to make sure I wasn't dragging my anchor, and satisfied I was in exactly the same place I'd anchored over two weeks ago, tried to wake up the occupants of the other boat.

I shined my spotlight into the potholes, yelled, and banged on pots for several minutes, but no one stirred. Then I broke out my fenders and dock lines so I could tie up to her if a collision couldn't be avoided. I continued to try to signal from time to time, but got no response.

All this time, she slowly kept getting closer. Both of us had deployed our anchors from the bow, and there was about 10 knots of wind, but due to current or some other factor, she was still getting closer as she drifted with the wind. I had out about 75' of chain, so I went forward and pulled in what I hoped was enough to let her slip past my stern, about 20'. I would have taken in more, but I didn't want to drag mine either.

Then I grabbed a 10' pole and stood on the port quarter ready to push her off to avoid contact. As she swung within a few feet, I was able to tap on the hull with my pole, and within a few minutes, someone came on deck.

I told him he was dragging his anchor, then asked how much rode he'd put out, but he didn't seem to know. All he could say was that he'd anchored in 6' and put out several times that much, and that "the angle looked good," which is meaningless. I mentioned the the tide was 8', i.e., you need to add 8' to whatever depth you read at low tide, and that I had out 75', a 5:1 ratio.

That didn't seem to make too much of an impact because his only answer was that he'd figure it out. They finally moved and re-anchored more or less where they started, about a quarter mile away, but I still kept an eye on them. We hadn't reached low tide yet, and since the next high tide wasn't for another 8 or 9 hours, I figured it was safe to go back to bed.

That was around 0400, but it still took a while to get back to sleep. It should be a nice day today, so I may try to catch back up later.

Power watch:

I'm planning to replace my batteries, but wanted to make sure everything was working correctly first -- don't want to ruin the new ones too. So, after letting the solar panel charge up my one "good" battery yesterday, actually the less bad one, I started the engine and tried to adjust the voltage regulator.

I'd noticed a few days prior that she was putting out 16.5 volts, which is way too high and probably what burned up the batteries in the first place. The manual describes how to adjust this, but the screw head on the pot was damaged. I was finally able to get it to turn, but even so, the voltage still ended up climbing to 16.5 volts, however it did move around a bit.

It's a Balmar, so I gave them a call and they confirmed that was most likely what caused my batteries to fail and recommended I replace it there new model which is much more advanced. I'd sorta already decided to do that anyway, but with everything else going on, hadn't had a chance to get to it yet.

They told me the pot is probably corroded and if I turn it back and forth enough, it might clean itself up enough to be usable in the short term. I'm going to experiment with it today and see if that will work. It'll take several days to order and get in a new regulator, but right now, my batteries won't even last the night with my low power LED anchor light.

I may have to start using my kerosene anchor light until I get new batteries, but if I can get the regulator to work, I'll go ahead and install them right away. They weigh about 65 pounds a piece, so I'd prefer to take the boat in instead of the dinghy. But that means I'd have to run the engine to motor off the dock and back to the anchorage, so I need to fix the over charging problem first.

More Rigging

I forgot to mention that the mast had a noticeable bend to starboard above the spreaders which I straightened by re-tensioning all the shrouds a few days ago. Someone gave me a Loos gauge last year, so I was able to use it to get everything pretty close once I took the bend out.

I still need to work on the forestay and backstay, but those will have to wait for now. I also taped all the pins, but won't do the turnbuckles till I've sailed her and am satisfied she's properly tuned.

I finished mounting the new pad eye next to the mast for the main halyard turning block, as well as the fairlead at the base of the mast for the boom vang. I'll give the caulk a couple days to cure before tightening down the pad eye, then she'll be ready to start sailing.

The only problem I'm having now is figuring out how to setup the wind vane control lines. Besides moving them to the other side of the cockpit which will help unclutter things, I want to add a snap shackle I can trip from a line I'll trail behind the boat.

This is so I can disengage it if I happen to fall overboard. Otherwise, she'd just keep going. Boats tend to have weather helm, which means that if you let go of the tiller, she'll turn into the wind and stop. However, that's exactly what the wind vane prevents.

There are several ways to do it, but I wasn't happy with any of the ones I tried this afternoon. I hope I can come up with a good solution using the spare hardware I've already got on board. Otherwise, I'll need to make another trip to the marine supply store.

I guess that's not the end of the world. Other than swimming a few times with Zoe, I've only been off the boat once since I got here, and that was to pick up the fuel hose -- we've been here just over 2 weeks. And poor Zoe's only been swimming.

We aren't running low on food yet, but have run out of a few things, so I need to go to the grocery store pretty soon anyway. I'm planing on making a trip over to Huntington next week to get water, buy provisions, do laundry, and see a few friends, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to check out Oyster Bay as well.

Rigging

I got the solar panel mounted, but still need to tape the sharp edges -- reducing potential chafe -- and run the wire through the deck. Having a boat is all about compromise, so I'll have to decide on the least bad solution at some point. I also have to mount the voltage regulator, but since that's below deck, it'll have to wait until I get a chance to work on the electrical system. However, it's all hooked up and out of the way for now, so it's time to deal with the rigging.

The standing rigging, the stuff that doesn't move is referred to as standing, while the stuff that moves, e.g., halyards, is referred to as running, is in pretty good shape for now, but I do plan to re-tension the forestay at some point, and rotate the mast about a quarter inch. It's not quite right.

However, the running rigging, including the main halyard, reefing lines, and deck organizer, needs a bit of attention. I also need to add a fairlead to the base of the mast to attach the boom vang and gooseneck downhaul, and at some point I'll need to replace my boom vang -- the shackle's broken and wired on.

I should be able to add an additional eye pad between the mast and the dorade box on the starboard side for a block to reroute the main halyard, then all I need to do is move the deck organized, which had to be moved anyway due to solar panel interference, and mount the fairlead. The only problem I foresee is that I might need to tap the mast in order to mount the fairlead. There's an existing mount point, but I'm not sure it will work out.

Rotating the base of the mast and adjusting the forestay are more involved, so I'll probably wait until I can get some help. Baring that, I'll do them myself before I head south.

Zoe watch:

We went for another swim, and although she still tries to swim ashore the whole time, I think she really enjoyed it. Now that I have the dinghy along side, getting on and off is no problem at all, but I still need to get a better ladder -- the dinghy won't always be there.

She's also doing much better on deck, but still has a habit of getting under foot.

Reading watch:

I finished Voss's book yesterday, which I really enjoyed -- look him up online if you're interested -- and started Fielding's Tom Jones. It's also very good, but much longer.

Solar Panel

It's overcast and relatively cool today. Although it's much more pleasant than it's been, it's still in the low 80's. In fact, I'm not sure it even dropped below 80 last night.

I took Zoe for a short swim earlier, and have spent most of the morning so far reading and drinking coffee. I'm trying to finish up a book about captain Voss, who circumnavigated in a dugout canoe he rigged as a 3 masted schooner in the early 1900's -- very entertaining book.

Boat watch:

I hope to get the solar panel mounted today. I have it secured in place on the coach roof between the mast and the companionway, and although it sorta interferes with the deck organizer and is often partially shaded by the boom, I don't see any other option at this point.

I need to drill holes through the top layer of deck laminate, remove an area of cork core underneath, fill the void with epoxy, then drill the finish holes all the way through so they won't leak. I'll probably have to leave the finish holes and actual mounting until tomorrow.

I'll probably do a few other things today too, but that's the main thing. Once it's mounted securely, and the weather cools off a bit, I plan to start taking daily sails. I hope to start non-skidding the decks next week. Although that will take a while to finish and I wouldn't take it to sea without them, it shouldn't keep me from taking short day sails here in the bay or the sound.

Able Bodied Seadog (ABS)

Not sure how "seadog" failed to make it into the last post, but since I can't edit these days, I figured I'd issue a correction -- it should have been, able bodied seadog (ABS).

Someday, I hope I can go back and fix typeo's, but for right now, we'll just have to live with them.

Hot Weather

I'm sure glad global warming's a hoax, otherwise, I'd be really concerned about the marked increase in extreme weather we've been having over the last few years. It's supposed to hit 100 both today and tomorrow, and I haven't even made it to Texas yet -- this is still Long Island Sound.

Obviously, progress will slow down a bit, but I should be able to get a few things done this morning. Looks like a good day for a swim too.

Zoe watch:

She's doing great, and gets better every day. I expect she'll be an able bodied seadog (ABS) in no time.

However, she still has a habit of getting under foot whenever she gets scared -- mostly due to loud noises. This could be dangerous, for both of us, so I'll need to establish a system to deal with it. Other than a tether or kennel, I'm not sure how to handle it.

The problem is that these situations can come up quickly, so if she's not already tethered, I may not have time to take care of her. Perhaps that means she'll need to be tethered almost all the time. I haven't been tethering her at anchor, but so far, I've always done so underway. I guess it's just something we'll have to figure out.

Fuel Leak Fixed

I installed the new fuel line yesterday and fixed the fuel leak. Then I ran the engine for the first time in a week and recharged the battery. I'd been using the solar panel to keep it charged, but it's nice to have the option of using the engine.

List watch:

I was busy yesterday taking care if a bunch of obvious tasks, so I haven't had time to work on the list very much. I've got several more things I need to take care of this morning, but hope to start working on it again this afternoon.

Solar panel watch:

I temporarily hooked it up to keep the batteries charged while I waited on the new fuel line, but need to install it permanently before I try to go anywhere. Right now it's just sitting loose in the cockpit.

It's roughly 22" x 48", so it takes up a fair amount of space on a small boat. That makes it too big to mount on the stern pulpit, and since I don't have a dodger, that's not an option either -- I doubt that would have worked out that well anyway.

That leaves the deck, and the only viable space is on top of the main coach roof about 3' forward of the companionway and 4' aft of the mast. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll need to move the deck organizer, however, I might be able to get away with a semi permanent installation without moving it. That's the top priority for this morning.

Zoe watch:

Although she's been going on the deck regularly for a few days now, she still refuses to go on her own. I have to put on her leash, walk her up to the foredeck, and coax her to go. I need to use the leash, because as she gets excited, she wants to jump off the boat.

I can't use her life jacket right now, because she knows that means going in the water and she refuses to go on deck. I'm sure she'll eventually get it, but I'll hang out here as long as it takes.

Sorta reminds me of Marine training -- you keep practicing something until it becomes second nature. That way, you can do it without thinking, even if someone's shooting at you. In our case, I'm more concerned with bad weather and heavy seas than anything else.

Time for Another List

I took the dinghy in yesterday and picked up the new fuel hose. I'll install it and a new water tank vent this morning, then sat down and make out a list of what else needs to be done before I can head south.

I made a list a few months ago with all the tasks I needed to finish before I could go in the water. That list had over 50 items. I ended up trimming it down to around 40 that were absolutely necessary and completed all of them by the end of June. The delay allowed me to complete most of the remaining 10 before she went in a couple weeks later.

I don't think the new list will be anywhere near that long, but it is a boat, so who knows. There's always something to do.

Dinghy watch:

As I mentioned, I took the dinghy in yesterday to pick up the new fuel hose. It wasn't very far and shouldn't have taken long, but I had a lot of trouble with my outboard. It was low on fuel, so I used the small gas can I keep in the cockpit to fill it up. Unfortunately, I didn't check the gas first and ended up adding a little water along with the gas. I need a way to deal with that since these cans must stay outside, so there'll always be some water.

I ended up draining the carburetor a few times and got her started, but she still didn't run well. In fact she died three times on the trip over, but I think the last time was because I finally ran out of gas. By then, I was only about a hundred yards from the dock, so I pulled up the motor and rowed in. I'd prefer to row anyway, but soft bottom inflatables don't row well.

I brought the empty tank with me and filled it up on the fuel dock. Once I filled the outboard back up with new gas, she worked great. I guess the only real damage is the couple of blisters I got pulling the starter cord about a thousand times.

Zoe watch:

Due to the heat and outboard problems, I left Zoe on the boat yesterday. She hasn't been off the boat since we left City Island last week. I may take her ashore soon, but needed her to stay on board long enough to get comfortable going on deck. She's doing really well, so I don't think a walk on land will set her back. We could both use a nice walk.

Zoe tries to Swim Away

Zoe and I took a swim yesterday. I'd rigged a rope ladder off the stern, but hadn't tried it out yet -- what could go wrong, right? After our first swim a couple years ago (I think wrote about it earlier) I made sure she had her life jacket on, then lowered her into the water.

As soon as I let go, she took off like a rocket. With the life jacket holding her up, she was able to use her paws for propulsion only, and boy was she fast. By the time I got in, she had about a 10 yard lead. I was able catch her pretty quickly, but she wanted to keep going. It was all I could to get her back to the boat. I basically had to carry her and tread water back, otherwise she'd take off again.

Now, I'm a good swimmer, and even trained as a life guard when I was in high school, but no one ever trained me how to save a dog, especially a strong one who doesn't want to be saved. Anyway, I got her back to the boat after a few minutes and figured we'd had enough excitement for the day.

But now I was faced with the problem of how to get back on the boat. If I let her go to climb on board, she'd swim away, but with the deck almost three feet above us, I couldn't just lift her on deck either. So, I held her in one arm and hung into the rope ladder with the other and tried to figure out how I could be so stupid.

There were lots of boats anchored around us, so I knew I could always call for help, or even swim over, but I didn't want ask unless absolutely necessary. I tried to climb up with one arm, but since the ladder was over the stern, my feet would go up under the boat and make it more difficult. However, I was able to climb up high enough to grab the stern pulpit with my left hand, but couldn't quite hoist Zoe on deck with my right. Had she been a sack of potatoes, I guess I could have slung her up there, but I'm not doing that with Zoe.

So, we sank back down to gather strength for the next try. Since she had on a life jacket, the one thing I did right (July 16th isn't a good day for me), the only real problem was her swimming away.

I finally decided that I could get on board even without the ladder if necessary, so I untied the last couple of loops in the ladder and used the end of the line to tether her (oh, and from now on, she never goes in without a life jacket AND a tether).

The next higher loop was at water level, but by using both arms and pulling myself up by the toe rail, I was able to get my foot in it and climbed right on board. She was still trying to swim away when I hoisted her up and onto the deck.

I'm not sure if she was scared or just really wanted to get to shore -- she's still resisting going on board -- but she didn't want to stay with the boat no matter what. We'll try another swim soon, but needless to say, it won't be today, I'm still recovering.

Zoe Becomes a Real Boat Dog

She held out for three days (really proud of her for that) but finally gave in this morning a christened the foredeck.

I could tell she was really uncomfortable, so I took her forward several times yesterday and again this morning. I tried to make it seem like a regular walk, starting in the cabin and getting her excited with "let's go outside." Then putting on her leach and taking her forward. I always use "hurry up" to associate that phrase with the action so when the time came, she'd know what I meant.

But it still took a while. She's been living on the boat now for over a year and considers the whole thing her home, so convincing her the foredeck is "outside" wasn't easy. She's much happier now, but we'll need to complete the reeducation process later today -- she's only halfway there at this point.

Fuel Leak watch:

I removed the leaking fuel line and found a nice leak in it. I think it's been slowly leaking for a while, but finally gave way over the hard winter. I ordered one yesterday, but it won't be here till at least Monday or Tuesday. That means I can't really go anywhere right now -- the channel is a bit too long and narrow to try to sail through -- but I've got plenty to keep me busy, so I don't mind waiting.

Power watch:

Since I can't use the engine to recharge my batteries, and with one battery unable to hold a charge, I've had to be very careful with my power consumption. Luckily, I filled up a 5 gallon water jug right before I left just in case, because I still haven't had time to install the manual foot pump.

I'll try to install it and the solar panel today, but surprisingly still have about a half gallon left in the jug. Except for running the anchor light at night and recharging my phone, I've pretty much left the battery switch turned off the entire time I've been here (well, at least since I discovered the leak that disabled the engine).

The good battery's still at around 90%, so that's a good sign. I've decided to keep it as my starting battery and get two new house batteries. I'll talk to the guy about it when I pick up the new hose. However, I may try to get a ride down to some place like Auto Zone if I can get them cheaper.

Fuel Leak

Last night after I got anchored and shut down the engine, I noticed a diesel smell in the cabin. I checked the bilge and thought it might have had a bit of a sheen, but wasn't sure. I'd accumulated a few inches of water on the trip, so I pumped it, but didn't see any sheen on the water, so I figured it was okay. The smell also went away after a while.

I took care of a bunch of stuff today, including recaulking the chainplates and reorganizing some of my gear. I also checked out all my new plumbing and tightened a few hose clamps to stop some leaks.

In the late afternoon, I started messing around with my radios, but didn't transmit because one of my batteries won't hold a charge and I wanted to make sure the other would still start the engine. Even though it was still at around 90%, but I figured I'd go ahead and start the engine, recharge her and see if I could find the fuel leak.

She started right up, so I checked to see if she was charging, and everything looked fine, but I did smell diesel, so I pulled the cover and saw a steady stream dripping off the hose connecting the fuel pump to the fuel filter. I shut her down right away and spent the next couple of hours cleaning up the mess.

I pumped over a quart of fuel out of the oil trap -- it looked good, so added it back to the tank, and cleaned up the mess along the side of the engine. I tightened up the connectors, then, with the stop pulled out, I cranked the engine for a few seconds to see if that fixed it.

It didn't, so I cleaned it up again, and this time used the manual pump lever on the side of the pump and saw the wire shielded hose get wet as I pumped. Since the connector was nice and tight, I figure the hose had gone bad. I think it had already been replaced before since all the other fuel lines are metal tubes.

The sun's going down, and without an engine to recharge the batteries, I don't want to waste any power, so I'll wait till tomorrow to take it apart. Hopefully, it's just the hose and I can find one locally without too much trouble.

I think there's some fuel in the bilge too, so I threw on of those absorbent pads down there and will take a look at it in the morning. I read in the manual that the pump is only necessary if the fuel tank is below the injectors (or something like that -- too dark to look it up right now). Anyway, I might try bypassing the pump tomorrow -- I've got nothing to loose.

Zoe watch:

She still hasn't learned to go on the boat, but it's only been a little over 24 hours. Hopefully she'll go tomorrow, but it could take longer. I want to hold out till she dies, otherwise we'll have to start the whole process over. It can't be pleasant for, and I'd gate to put her through it again.

Oyster Bay

I just anchored in Oyster Bay. I'll secure the boat and make sure the anchor holds, but otherwise I'm exhausted and plan to take the rest of the day off. I might even take a few days off.

I'll write more about the trip later, but basically, she handled pretty well, though she's still a little difficult to singlehanded. I kept Zoe leashed in the cabin for this trip -- it was too hot on deck anyway.

However, she did have to deal with a few things, mainly cd's that I left on the counter, falling onto the cabin sole. I was in such a rush to get out of there, that I don't have time to make a final walk through -- sorry Zoe.

I have a single warm beer left, so I plan to celebrate with Zoe as soon as I send this post.

http://mapserver.maptech.com/homepage/index.cfm?lat=40.897541&lon=-73.528389&scale=24000&zoom=50&type=0&icon=gps32_blue_32_32_-16_-23|40.897541|-73.528389

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=position@40.897541,-73.528389&z=12&t=m

Mañana

I went down to Acapulco a few years ago to help sail friend's catamaran up to San Diego. I ended up hanging out for about a week waiting for them to fix the engines, but needed to get back and go to work, so I ended up not making the sail.

While I was there, I met another America who was also waiting on parts. I'm not sure how long he'd been waiting, or if he ever left, but he did teach me the meaning of "mañana." It seems that every time he went in the office to ask if his parts had arrived and when his boat would be ready, they replied mañana. After a while, he realized that mañana didn't actually mean tomorrow, just not today.

I told the story to the guys here, and they liked it so much, they started using it with customers. Anyway, the owner just walked by and told me I'll go in mañana. In this case it really does mean tomorrow. I could have gone in today, but with such a late start, I wasn't sure I'd be able to make Oyster Bay before dark. I still need to do a few things with the sails once she goes in as well as check out the engine -- sure hope everything works.

It also gives me another chance to do my laundry. I'd planned to do it yesterday, but the painting took so long I never made it. I guess I could have, but since I did all the prep and painting out in the hot sun, I didn't have much left in the tank by the time I finished. I just did the 6" edge below the toe rails and leading edge of the bow where I'd fixed a few dings and left it primed. It doesn't look great, but it's only temporary and does look much better than before. She's looking less and less like a derelict all the time.

Stepped the Mast

We stepped the mast this morning, and I got the sails bent on this afternoon. I need to go up the mast to rotate the cap at the top of the furler, but other than that, it all looks good.

It started raining a little while ago, and I noticed one of the chainplates leak a little. Normally, I would have waited to caulk them until after stepping the mast, but since I'm out in the weather, I gave it my best shot when I installed them.

The surprising thing is that the forward starboard lower, where the old one tore a hole in the deck, doesn't leak. After fixing the hole and setting the new chainplate, I noticed it touched on one corner, but it was about to rain, so I didn't have time to fix it. I'll need to redo it at some point since you need an 1/8" clearance all the way around the hold the caulk or it will eventually leak. I should be able to use a keyhole saw widen the hole pretty quickly once I get a chance.

We're planning to splash on Monday morning, and anchor in Oyster Bay Monday night. I'm sorta hoping I can get someone to go with me, but chances are I'll have do it by myself. It shouldn't take more than about 6 hours to over there and get anchored, but since I've never been there, I want to make sure I can get there with plenty of daylight remaining, so I'd need to leave here no later than early afternoon. We'll see how it goes and adjust as necessary.

Of course, it all depends on the weather -- assuming she still floats.

Boatyard Drama

I don't really like a lot of drama, but we certainly had a lot of it this morning. As I've mentioned before, they dropped my boat last December when they pulled me out of the water, and, largely due to the fact they removed my forestay which destabilized the mast, broke two chainplates and ripped a hole in the deck.

I quickly lost all faith in them, and ended up fixing it all myself. However, since I would never have unstepped the mast, which they said I had to do so the could fix the chainplates and hole, I didn't appreciate them charging me for it. Anyway, my launch has been somewhat delayed as we've been going back and forth about it.

I finally told Pip this morning that if we couldn't come to an agreement, I'd have to take them to court after I left -- which might also delay my trip south, but there's nothing like getting cheated (and threatened -- see below) to motivate you.

That was at the end of our morning walk, so we went back to the boat and started finishing up a few tasks I wanted to finish before she went in. I'd just tied up Zoe and gone on board to get her water, when Wes walks up and starts telling me that I "might as well get some tomato plants and put them around the boat, because you're never going in." He also said I'd broken a cardinal rule by threatening to sue, to which I answered that it wasn't a threat, I was definitely going to do unless we could work out a deal. It's just business after all.

So he tells me he doesn't know where I'm going to stay and he wants me out of the yard because he thinks I'm a threat to his business. Well, I'm no lawyer, but I do tend to hang out with a lot of them and even worked for a big firm in Houston during college, so I do know a few things. I've also lived in NYC long enough to be familiar with city ordinances concerning renters (ah, yes, as a liveabroad, I'm a tenant). So I sorta laughed and told him it didn't work that way and I wasn't going anywhere.

Now, he was already pretty jazzed up when he came over, but my standing up to him seemed to put him over the edge. He's also a pretty big guy, so he got right in my face and tries to intimidate me -- which was also sorta funny since he'd never be mistaken for a drill instructor. I've heard he does thus a lot so I wasn't surprised.

Anyway I told him to back off several times and even gave way, but he just kept coming and bumping into me. He even put his hands in his pockets and kept saying, as if it mattered, "but my hands are in my pockets."

This could have gone on all morning, but after I told him again and again to stop butting into me, he said, "oh, how about a headbutt." Now, back when I played rugby, I could headbutt with the best of them. In fact some of the forwards (I was a back) liked to come up and headbutt you at the parties or at the bar. One time I got tired if it, so I told the guy, okay, let's go again, and again, and again, etc. Once his forehead started getting a little mushy, he decided it really wasn't that much fun anymore and never bothered me again. I don't know if I've just got a hard head or just plain stubborn, but I'd still be doing it today if he hadn't quit.

But that was 25 years ago right after I'd gotten out of the Corps. At 51, I no longer have a desire to mix it up with idiots looking for a fight. So, when he threatened to headbutt me, I pulled out my phone and called the police. That got him off me for the time being, he still felt the need to harass me later in, so I had to call a second time later in the morning.

I carried a 45 my last 2 years with 26 MAU, but I'd forgotten how quickly things calm down when a couple of guys with guns drive up. It was quite refreshing. A lot of cops are ex-military, so I normally have a pretty good rapport with them.

Things have settled down now, and the boat's ready to go in, but it looks like I'll have to wait till Monday. Fernando, the guy who normally moves the boats, but not the guy who dropped mine, had to go out of town and won't be back till Monday, so I decided to wait for him -- the rest of them are incompetent, and I don't want to take a chance of them dropping her again.

They're probably going to charge me an extra week, but since I was ready on the 29, and they chose not to put me in, and have been making me wait, I'll try to get that back too when I sue.