Over on our Facebook page, I recently posted that “our [cruising] season is officially over but
there’s still plenty to write about on the blog” but, the thing is, I’m not
feeling inspired. Sure. A lot happened. September came and went in a blur of
miles (despite having an abbreviated season, we still managed to do over 1,500)
until our progress was interrupted by an emergency haul-out in Nanaimo where we
spent 30 days on the hard. October saw record rainfall as we sat waiting day
after day for parts to arrive, making living on the hard all that much harder.
It was grim. And, honestly, I’m not that interested in re-living it. At least
not in detail.
I am, however, willing to
hash over some of the “highlights”:
- From the first of September onward, the main topic of conversation aboard Cambria was the weather and how best to avoid it. Lows, troughs, warm fronts and cold fronts made for a very “active” couple of months which climaxed one weekend in October when the barometer dropped to 974 Mb and four low-pressure systems ran through the area in as many days. Nanaimo was particularly hard-hit and saw 315 mm (12.5 inches) of rain, breaking the previous record set in 1975. Unfortunately, November has picked up where October left off and the weather, for the most part, has been cold, wet and windy.
- I threw out my back for the first time ever. I’ve had backaches before, who doesn’t? But this was an entirely different beast. I really don’t know why. All I know is that I hope it doesn’t happen again . . . ever! I was sitting in the cockpit one night after a long day on the water and was getting ready to go back inside when I realized I couldn’t move – the muscles in my back had completely frozen up – and it was at least a week before I felt 100% again. Getting older sucks!
- Never one to be outdone by an injury, David decided to scare the bejezzus out of us both when we were in the boatyard. He was working on the front end of the engine and had the companionway steps pulled out for access. He climbed out to the cockpit with a cup of coffee to have a smoke and think about his next move. Having had worked everything out in his mind, he started to come back in without out looking (or thinking) and tumbled five feet down to the cabin floor. On the way, he hit his ribs on the salon table and his head on the steps (which were sitting on the floor). Fortunately, he didn’t break anything. Apart from a slight concussion and bruised ribs, he got off lightly. Basically, we got lucky. Really lucky.
- We weren’t planning to haul-out in Nanaimo but were happy to make the best use of the time. While David toiled away in the engine room, I cleaned and polished the hull and added a fresh coat of anti-foul to the bottom. She looks sharp, if I do say so myself. We also took the opportunity to have an insurance survey done and David installed new engine mounts, a new cutlass bearing, a new flexible coupling and a new shaft seal before nearly killing himself. Had we not waited 18 days for some of the parts to arrive, it would have been a pretty positive experience.
So,
given these are the highlights, you can see why I’m not overly-excited to write
about the past two months and am more interested in focusing on the present.
And presently, we’re tied up for the winter in Kingston. The season is finally over, and not a moment too
soon! It feels good to be surrounded by all the comforts of a marina – endless
hot showers, power, water, plenty of heat and wi-fi. But that doesn’t mean
we’re kicking back. With a goal of putting the boat on the market the first part
of the year, our work is just beginning.
8 comments
Bad weather, haul-out, injuries and pain....sound familiar! Glad that you have both recovered! Matt likes to tell me "the thinking is the hardest part", but who knew it was almost the most dangerous part too.
ReplyDeleteHa ha. That's so true! Thinking can get you killed. :-)
DeleteI'm so glad you are both feeling better. A back ache is awful, when needing to sail or fix the boat! I've had lots of headaches, but they usually disappear in a day or so. Back aches are a different matter. And, so is falling down the stairs. Not thinking about these things happens to anybody. Mark fell off the ladder in a Panamanian boat yard and broke his thumb... "Clumsiness" certainly slows us down and hopefully it stays with that and no further injuries are done. Enjoy the luxury of the marina, before you get used to that again and crave adventure! Make sure you advertise the results of the survey you had done, when advertising Cambria for sale. We were asked about current surveys by potential buyers. I hope you still have some fun, despite the weather!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Liesbet. It was pretty scary and his ribs are still sore but, like I said, he really lucked out. He could have easily broken his neck. It's good to know potential buyers look for a recent survey. We needed to do one for our insurance and decided we might as well have an out-of-water one done while we were on the hard. We haven't seen the results yet (he's having trouble finding comps for a valuation -- Westerly only built 17 of these and none are on the market).
DeleteCheers!
Oops . . . I didn't finish my thought. Sometimes I really don't know about myself Jeez. Anyway, we're confident that it will be good -- he was very complimentary during the surveying process.
DeleteYou poor things! I'm glad you're both okay now but what scary and painful experiences for you guys. Getting older does suck :-(
ReplyDeleteIt really does. What's worse is David has 17 years on me so I know what's coming . . . and it's terrifying! Lol.
DeleteGosh I'm glad neither of you got more seriously injured! We have to get together now that you are back in town, and we need to get it on the calender or it will never happen. We may have to get together twice. Because there are two boats involved. Also, if you need an awesome chiropractor, I have one I've been seeing in Tacoma for about, oh, maybe 25 years. He's the best. And he won't make you keep coming unless you actually need to. Plus, reasonably priced. OK, yes, I do love him and will miss him when we leave. Or at least, my back and neck love him. Oh and my hips and knees, they love him, too. OK enough.
ReplyDelete