Still Here

Upgrades in the Slip

Boat repairs took much longer than expected due to an exceptionally wet summer and the difficulty of fully drying and removing rust from the keel and rudder. Almost everything wrapped up in October and the final few projects are nearly complete. Our new solar/dinghy arch replaced the old stern rails which used to hold our insufficient Bimini frame. So, we have hired Leo Pohlmann of Uncharted Marine Canvas to build a new frame of proper proportions that interfaces with the arch and gives us more stable shade topside. The old Bimini and insert (the piece between the Bimini and the doddger) used to gather rain water and flop around any time the breeze was more than a few knots. The new one seems like it is going to be far more sturdy and will also give shade coverage to the entire cockpit rather than just 80% or so.

We upgraded the starter battery to Lithium, added an isolator and larger diameter cables from our batteries to the inverter to greatly reduce the risk of fire aboard from drawing high amps. The DaeWoo Mini is now installed and plumbed up at the foot of Fira’s bed, this will make our quality of life significantly higher at times and remove the need for us to sit in random laundromats all day after lugging the laundry a few miles. The need to always use laundromats is comical though since it puts one constantly on the prowl for quarters, like a junkie looking for their next fix. I won’t miss it though. We’ll still use laundry facilities when they are really convenient, especially for bedding, etc.

I sewed up some seat covers for the fly-away seats at the back of the cockpit and installed them a couple of days ago. They came out really good, but it’s clear that the one on the port side was my “learning” cushion hahahaha.

I also sewed clothing storage bags for each of us and test mounted mine this week. It seems like a great fit and will add quite a bit of storage for all of us. I cannot remember the exact dimensions, but I believe it breaks down to about 4 cubic feet per bag – indispensible aboard a boat.

Surgeries!!!

Aside from the boat getting fixed up, I’ve been getting fixed up as well.

Hip

As already mentioned in an earlier post, I had to get surgery on my hip. The hip has been healing quite well. I met with the surgeon last week for my final x-ray and was cleared for full activity. He said I’m about 50-75% healed and should continue to see reduction in pain for the next nine months or so, which is fantastic. He also said I can start running again when I feel ready .

Hernias

At my two month check up over a month ago I told him that my lower abdominal pain wasn’t getting any better. He informed me that there shouldn’t be any lower abdominal pain and after a brief check, he informed me that I seemed to have a small hernia. I was told to make an appointment with my primary care doctor which I was able to do for the following day.

My PCP told me that indeed I had a small inguinal hernia and ordered a CT scan and referred me to a general surgeon, Dr. Lasquety. The CT scan showed that I actually had two inguinal hernias (bilateral). When the surgeon met with me he also noticed an umbilical hernia I had from boxing back in Texas about 15 years ago. So, we scheduled robotic, laparoscopic surgery as soon as possible.

During the surgery, a femoral hernia was found as well. So, all totaled four hernias got all patched up. It’s been two and a half weeks and I’m mostly better, though after installing a few things on the boat earlier this week it’s clear that I’m not ready for the straining and contorting that life at sea requires.

All this to say, rather than shoot for a December 1st departure, I’ve decided to wait 2-3 weeks to re-evaluate. So, we plan to take a short trip to the mountains and over to New Orleans to visit some of our best friends. That way we won’t feel like we are stuck and waiting. Then, assuming my healing continues, we’ll set off around mid-December and finally get the dream – twelve years in the making – figuratively and literally underway.