The Ick Factor

I'm not usually too squeamish about things. We've been in lots of third world countries and seen lots of icky stuff...like fresh meat markets where the flies outnumber the cuts of meat. There are several “ick” jobs on the boat like cleaning out bilges and sump pumps or scraping off the reef-like growth on the bottom of the dinghy when it's been in the water too long. I've changed my share of baby diapers and cleaned up enough bathrooms after teenagers, you'd think I would have pretty much gotten over the “ick factor”. My current ick factor though has nothing to do with the boat. It's the showers here at the marina. Some newer boats have wonderful showers aboard that are all fiberglass and easily washed and kept clean. Cups is a 1986 vintage and evidently folks back then either didn't care about showering or didn't care about ease of cleaning up after showers or the designer had other priorities in mind. Our shower area on the boat includes the toilet and the sink which means every shower drenches everything and it's not easy to clean up after. Hence, we don't tend to use it.

There's also the issue of using lots of water. If we're in a marina, we have to fill the water tanks regularly with a hose. If we're at anchor and are close to a public water source, we haul water in jerry jugs in the dinghy and manually fill the tanks. If we're at sea, we have a watermaker which requires power that is sometimes at a premium. Instead, we tend to take kettle showers while on passage; swim a lot when we're in warmer waters and/or use public showers when we can. Public showers in Australia are fairly plentiful and usually kept pretty clean.

The marina is in an expansion phase and replacement of the shower block is in the plan, but it won't happen in my lifetime here. The shower block is old and worn. There's a green wrought iron entrance gate to the toilets which definitely deters people from getting in when it's locked. It does, however, allow things to blow in under it ...like dust and leaves and it does not deter things that crawl ...like large snakes and small rodents. The lighting is very dim and I'm always on the look-out as I enter. This could be the time that a snake or a mouse or a huntsman (gigantic, ugly spider...think tarantula) has decided to use the head at the same time I do. In all fairness, I haven't seen any of these yet, but I'm always on my guard.

Actually, I think the potential for snakes is low at this time of the year since the building is unheated. The ick factor at present is … little black worms that crawl on the shower walls. I know...you're cringing (or laughing) as you read this. They're about ½ -1” long, black, skinny and slimy looking. The chances of my touching one to see if it's really slimy is nil, so you'll have to take my word for it. They've got these little antennae that constantly twitch. Yup, they're large enough to see antenna-twitching without getting too close. They seem to favor the grouting between tiles at about elbow height. Yesterday, there were four of them. Ever try to take a shower and keep your eyes open on watch for potential critter attacks? I'm always wondering if the shower spray might provoke them or maybe they'll get washed onto the floor and attach themselves to my feet. I do a count before and after to make sure all worms are accounted for. Just writing this gives me goose bumps.

I tried rather half-heartedly knocking them off before my shower the other day, but they're rather like adhesive and hunker down when you try to remove them. Plus unless there's a confirmed kill, you never know where they are. Ick!

Patience and the Un-virtuous Woman

They say patience is a virtue. When they were handing out patience, I was evidently at the end of the line or missed the memo because I am one of the most impatient people I know. When you know something about yourself, you should be able to fix it; but for the past six decades, I've not succeeded. I can wait for a weather window and not complain much. I can wait in a doctor's office and read the year-old magazines without too much grimacing. Waiting in a check-out line at the supermarket starts my stomach churning. This nasty trait is most evident, however, when we're hunting for boat parts. Arriving in a new port or a new country always has its challenges. You have to figure out where everything is … supermarket, laundry, pharmacy and invariably, boat parts. Sometimes there's a language issue, but they speak a passable kind of English here in Australia, so that wasn't an issue. Sometimes it's the metric versus non-metric threads on a bolt or screw; but no, that wasn't the issue here. Sometimes there's a chandlery at the marina like there is here at Oyster Cove, but we've found they rarely have the parts we need, as is the case here. No, what we need isn't a common, off-the-shelf item. It never is. And so we'll have to hunt for it.

There's a process to be followed here. First, you ask at the chandlery on the outside chance they'll have it. The answer is usually “no”. Perhaps they can order it...maybe a week for it to arrive at three times the expected cost. We'll pass on that option. Next, you ask around. You ask the person at the chandlery and the folks in the marina office and other boat owners you see on the pier. They'll each supply a different answer. Without a car, the scavenger hunt becomes even more challenging. Sometimes this involves miles of walking or taking a bus, but not today.

The objects of our search du jour were hydraulic hose fittings. David had the hoses, but he needed specific fittings to connect them to the hydraulic steering system. We borrowed a car since there were no hydraulic hose options in our little town of Kettering. Several folks recommended Kingston town, only 20 minutes away, as a sure place to find what we needed. The usual scenario played out. It goes something like this: The fellow in the marina told us with confidence that Nubco in Kingston had hydraulic fittings. Well, they don't; but the fellow at Nubco said Mal's Hire in downtown Kingston had them. We drove there. They do not have hydraulic fittings...never did, never will. He recommended a place in Hobart which was the original thought, but we were hoping to avoid the ride into the city. In the meantime, over an hour of our “borrowed car” time had elapsed and we were empty-handed in the hose fitting department.

Now midst this driving around on a wild goose chase, I was in a bit of a snit. Truth be told, I was pouting actually. I had planned a day of errands and some shopping, and instead I was spending the day riding around in industrial areas of a lovely seaside port city, looking for hydraulic hose fittings which I could not have cared less about. When the hydraulic steering goes out and I'm at the helm, I'll care; but today, I couldn't have cared less. I sighed rather loudly innumerable times. You know that sigh with the accompanying disgusted look and click of the tongue that we impatient people have perfected? David has the patience of a saint thankfully. He acknowledged the snit, ignored it and hoped it would go away. It didn't.

We finally found what we needed and managed to get a few errands done, too. He thinks it might be better if he went looking for boat parts himself next time. Can't understand why.

Bedlam Aboard

David is working on a project. Let me see if I can get this right. Unlike a car, the batteries on a boat rarely get fully charged causing sulfation to occur (bad!) which reduces battery capacity (very bad). Since we live in a 12-volt world (like relying on your car battery for all your power requirements), battery power is key. We have a battery charger aboard which in theory can “equalize” a battery, i.e. remove the sulfation, however most battery chargers, including ours, do not do the job adequately.(bad) So...my engineer-husband is designing and building an “adequate” equalizer which first requires the designing/building of a load tester. He's totally engrossed and can barely stop for a meal although he does do the “happy dance” once in awhile and then I know the project's going well.

Have you fallen asleep yet? (bad) The whole point of explaining this is that the boat is torn apart at the moment as it is for most projects. On a 45' boat, there's no work shed or niche in the garage or cellar for these projects. You have to live with them for their duration. Floorboards are up. Settees are torn apart, the cushions piled up on the aft bunk or on the floor. Tools are everywhere. Soldering irons are plugged in with extension cords snaking along the passageway just waiting to trip you up. The nav station is a workbench, totally covered with wire, components and “stuff”. Every flat surface is a repository for parts used, parts to be used or extra parts that were stowed with parts to be used. Wires are sticking out of odd places. Some parts are dead on the floor. He's ransacked every nook and cranny for needed items, like my cutting board for a fixture base. (I won't mention the 20 liters of anti-fouling paint sitting next to the mast since it doesn't have to do with this project.) Walking down the companionway and into the salon is totally at your own risk. Luckily we have guests invited for dinner on Thursday which will instigate a pseudo clean-up for the evening. By Friday 0800, it'll be a wreck again. (bad)

But in the end...we'll probably have a battery charger that works and non-sulfated batteries. (excellent)