Flying to the East Side

          Well, we're here waiting at the airport on our way east. Less than a week now until we'll be introduced to Drumbeat. In the mean time, we've disassembled an old pressurized alcohol stove and brought along all the jet heads and tubing to clean while we have access to my grandfather's sand blaster. We'll make a little how to for converting an alcohol stove to a paraffin / kerosene stove. If we're lucky, we'll be able to reassemble the stove upon our return and give her a test!

          The excitement is really building now, the time is almost upon us. Fingers crossed!

Meeting Drumbeat in 10 Days

          I'd like to say that I am very excited and have no reservations at this point, but now that the day is so close, the butterflies won't settle. My experience is limited when it comes to sailing, though the hunger is insatiable, and wooden boats are even more a mystery to me. Why I can't be satisfied with the fiberglass beasts I see everywhere puzzles me to no end. There is something just so magical about wood, sailing, and the idea of learning the subtle whispered secrets that each ship has imparted to her crew over the millennia. My experience with wooden boats is limited to walking the piers in Seattle earlier this year, but I was so drawn to them, I just couldn't get the idea of owning one out of my head. As I'm sure it's obvious to see, my experience is endless where dreaming's concerned. "Walking the Piers," yes, sanity may not be my strongest suit. Call me crazy again in five years and we'll see upon which side of the balance the evidence leans. That will give me time to learn, to grow, to swab the decks a half-million times. Let us do just that, revisit this question in half a decade and we'll see if I'm guilty then.

          Not only am I mystified by the sailing crafts of days long since forgotten, but also of the arts of sailors that are being lost to the modern electronics, convenience, and ignorance. I have been told the boat has GPS, a chart plotter, VHF, and the other basics, and I would not be inclined to remove these devices. But I do not intend to upgrade them, add to them, or improve the electrical system beyond putting in some power generation onto the boat. The first technique I hope to conquer is celestial navigation. I've acquired a sextant (though technically not until my birthday/Christmas) and how-to books, so we'll see where that leads. Other arts, such as food preservation, are also high on my list of how-to. The boat won't have any refrigeration, so preservation techniques will be important for storing fresh food for long voyages; salting, pickling, drying, canning, fermenting... we currently practice some of these techniques, but there is still so much to learn. Another skill that should obviously not be overlooked is woodworking. I've played with wood, made toys as a boy, but never finish-work quality workmanship, and never for any project of significant size. And let me say that a 37ft sail boat seems pretty darn significant right now. My sewing skills have come a long way since I first began making cushions for my MacGregor, but my sail repair skills are minimal, though I'll have tons of practice with the MacGregor's mainsail. So much to learn, but right now these do not seem daunting in the wake of the initial commitment to Drumbeat.

          Ten days to wait, ten days to reconsider, ten days to find out. I have so many questions about the boat that can not be answered until I'm there. What is the real condition of the hull and deck work? How is the engine? What is the extent of the interior woodwork that needs to be done? Will I be able to stand up in her? Will she have the storage capacity to live aboard and cruise (How much space do we really need?)? Is this the right boat? I've scoured the photos I have, analyzed all the videos a dozen times, delved through the diagrams in Garden's design book, but the answers still allude me. Ten days to find out, ten days to reconsider, ten days to wait.

Some Good Reads

I’m no expert by any means, but I have been reading about sailing and voyaging like it’s my job. My favorite book so far is Voyaging on a Small Income, by Annie Hill, which covers everything you could want to know about just that. I also like the fact that she covers how to store food, which I haven’t read about elsewhere, and she also cruises on a low-tech boat. The Complete Sailor by David Seidman was also fantastic, and was also the book that got everything started. If you want to learn the ropes (literally) on how to sail, this is the book for you. Chapman Piloting and Seamanship has also been a good reference book for a more in-depth coverage of topics like rope work, navigation, weather, and pretty much everything else. As for World Cruising Routes and the Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen, I’ll have to let you know. 

          All this reading is just a gear up for the boat visit, which is less than a month away now. I’m very hopeful that this boat is everything that I’m hoping, but if not, I am well aware of the endless supply of sailing vessels out there (as I look at them daily). My fingers are crossed! Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite,  with many more to come before the month is out!