shipbuilding 101

The welder called at 9:00pm last night to say that the
bow plate was all finished.  Cap'n has managed to
make $680 in odd jobs in the last week, and the
total bill came to $700.  Funny how life happens
like that sometimes :)  I'm reminded there was no
need to fret after all.  Isn't it beautiful?!
My husband was a masterful engineer.

The first issue was that the angle on the chain plate was off by about 5 degrees.
That was an easy fix to bend it in place.  Then the real work began
after lunch...drilling the holes.  13 of them in all.  Through 3/8" #316
stainless steel.  Not an easy endeavor.  Had to call in reinforcements!



It was a circus much of the afternoon with other boaters dropping by
to ooh and aah and see what all the drilling was about.  Len and
Donnie took turns breaking bits.  They called them 'drills' , but aren't
those the bits?!  I thought the drill is what one holds....
You say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to.  Whatevs.
Then Pete showed up at cocktail time to lend a hand as well.

Len's turn to put some muscle in to it.
The cobalt 'drills' finally did the trick. 
I mostly stayed out of the way and offered cold drinks :)

By dinner time...the moment of truth...

TAH-DAH!!!
Sort of like giving birth to a 53 lb. baby.
Only different.
 

Many boat captains came by to admire my husband's shipbuilding abilities...

Whereas we sort of rushed through dinner to go admire the sunset.
The boys had been looking down all day- it was time to look up :)

Tomorrow Donnie will be polishing the bow plate.  He's had lots of years of polishing dies for General Motors.  He has this whole project well under control.  We should be able to reinstall on Saturday. Some time in there I need to go up the mast to change out the anchor light bulb, and then we need to do a shakedown sail to tune the rigging.  Len, can we get you to come along, as a huge, "Thank you"?!

We are getting close...and are starting to cut it mighty close.  We would have liked to have had a week to sail up to The Glades, but five days will do.  Actually, if we get the perfect weather window, we can do it in three.  We have to be there by Sunday, April 20th, to haul out Monday morning, the 21st.  The countdown is seriously on.  Time for me to start checking the weather on www.passageweather.com  Not that the forecasters ever get it right anyhow.  Remember that time we crossed back from the Ft. Myers area?!  Only the Worst. Night. Ever.  See http://marquesa34.blogspot.com/2013/04/worst-night-ever.html  It took a couple of weeks after that trip before Willis would speak to us again.  Dern cat.  Who am I kidding?!  I think it took me at least a couple of days, myself :)

While Cap'n is polishing tomorrow, it will be time for this First Mate to start with her list making, provisioning, and preparations to finally get off the dock!  But for now, it's time for bed.

G'Nite, y'all!