I’d like to spend more time in these cold winter months on the boat. That means figuring out some heating.
I found this post on five different heating options.
Number five seemed like the best option: head South.
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Sunrise at the Cathedral
When I got engaged my father-in-law to be took it upon himself to introduce me his favorite pastime.
He bought me a pair of boots, threw a pack on my back, then drove a group of us into the Olympics for a multi-night adventure over mountain passes and into valleys where the black bears and mountain goats outnumbered the humans.
After a decade and a half of multi-day trips with the guys we decided it was time to get the next generation up the mountain.
We took the boy to the favorite spot. Some snow field crossings with ice axes, fly fishing, alpine lake swimming, and bouldering would be the perfect introduction.
Other than the “oops I left the stove at the house I’ll hike back and drive all the way back home and get it” faux pas the expedition went off without a hitch.
The boy is addicted. Next year maybe we’ll get his brother up too.
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To enhance my geek cred I helped my good friend Dan get an old Dockey Kong table up and running.
I think there’s more soldering in the future.
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First Sail of the Year
We had our first sail of 2018 last week.
I did some maintenance to the main and headsail and still had to slide the battens in before hoisting the main halyard.
Winds were pretty light from the north. We were doing four knots in the water upwind and peaked just under five heading down.
A pod of three or four Orca whales showed up heading north past Bainbridge island. A stupid motorboat decided to cruise right on top of them and scared them below. They resurfaced further north. There was no keeping up with them. We also paid a quick visit to the sea lion that lives on the channel marker near the marina.
While returning to the marina I noticed the motor wasn’t spitting out the stream of water from the cooling system. I decided to keep the RPMs low and dock before checking it out. Turned out to be some strange fluke but I’ll have to keep my eye on it.
Launches and landings have become pretty uneventful now that I’ve unlocked the outboard to allow tiller steering.
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Scoping out overnight destinations for the boat.
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Worn
This cam cleat has given up holding the main sheet.
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Sail Maintenance
Nirvana’s sails have seen better days. Today I pulled down the headsail so I could patch up the sailcover.
I think it’s seen just a little too much UV and the threads were starting to go.
I did what I could with the household Singer but couldn’t get everything finished before I broke all the needles.
To finish up the rest I used the Speedy Stitcher which managed to punch through the thicker parts of the sail.
It’s not beautiful but the sail cover won’t be flapping in the wind and I was able to give it a good scrub. This should last another season.
Next on the list is the outboard carbeurator.
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Ebay is still useful.
I have a hand-me-down Sony Alpha that has a busted battery door. It finally stopped holding the battery in all together.
I was able to find a replacement part for $39. Installed and as good as new.
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Brothers, a Tale of Two Sons
We played Brothers as a family over the past few evenings. I don’t think I’ve ever been moved by a video game like this.
It’s quite brilliant. You play two characters simultaneously during the game. Two brothers on a journey to find a way to heal their sick father.
The controls take a little getting used to. The left stick and shoulder button control the older brother and the right stick and button control the younger. You have to control both brothers at the same time to navigate puzzles.
The older brother can use his strength and height to perform tasks the younger cannot. The younger brother cannot swim and you have to hold on to the older with the right button as you swim with the left stick.
There’s a tragic point in the game where everything changes.
My muscle memory with the controls took over and the result was nothing short of heartbreaking.
Hours later and I can’t stop thinking about how the game designers were nothing short of brilliant.
I spent the night talking to my young boys about how the game made them feel.
There were tears.
But more importantly, I know they have a deeper appreciation for how much I love them and how much they can love each other.
Video games, man.
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So I’m buying the second half of my boat now. Here’s to owning a whole boat!
Now all of the things that need to be fixed are my complete responsibility.