The Summer of Sloth

[Figment]

We hesitated to move the boat to the new marina. Of course it made sense in so many ways on paper, but it also cost a bit of paper. We're only halfway through the season, but it's working out so much better than we could have hoped.

Having the boat very very close to the house is cool. Having the boat 20 miles closer to the seabreeze is great. Having a nice view from the cockpit at the dock was an ananticipated perk.
Having the pool and hot tub at the top of the dock has been a wonderfully bad influence.

I haven't gotten a single thing done on any little projects this summer.
It's been the Summer of Sloth.

We go out daysailing, we come back, hit the hot tub, hit the pool, roll home.
No wind? We go down to the boat, eat lunch in the cockpit, lounge and read, hit the pool, hit the hot tub, roll home.
Wind dies in the middle of a daysail? drop anchor, swim, float on floaty things, motor back, hit the pool, hit the hot tub, hit the pool again, roll home.

Yesterday was completely over the top. Poolside steel-drum band and pina coladas. Several pina coladas. Entirely too many pina coladas.
One can only be so slothful before the bubble bursts.
I had to start doing something so I re-engaged the cockpit lids project, just a little bit of reinforced epoxy filling here and there.

I mucked it up utterly. First batch cooked off in my hand. Second batch mixed too runny (ran out of microballoons). My epoxy habits appear to have a heavy coat of rust.

Damn the thunderstorms, I'm going for a swim.

[CharlieJ]

rofl- so what you are saying is you are enjoying the boat-

Isn't that what they are for?

Grin

[MikeD]

The season is short. Don't be so hard on yourself, Mike.

[Bluenose]

The Summer of Sloth or the Summer of Enlightenment

We live in a culture where stress and overworking are promoted and ease and slothfulness (I hope that word doesn't get me in trouble with Tim) are shunned.

The Dalai Lama once said that we should all live are lives like we have six months to live. Because we all have only six months to live we just don't know when the clock starts.

It sounds to me like some of these summer days of sloth would make the cut.

Bill

[Tim]

Mike, I empathize with your guilty feelings. I have them all the time: day, night, winter, summer, on the boat, off the boat, at home, at work...

But it sounds like you're managing to push aside that guilt and enjoy yourself. Sounds good! There'll be time this fall to finish up last winter's projects.

[jollyboat]

Oh - Guilt! I aways wondered how some of you guys get as much done as you do!? I think that the marina set up is brilliant!

[Figment]

Today dawned with plans for some wonderful sloth.
I beat the crap out of myself in a heavy-air race yesterday, so the recovery plan was a bit of lounging and reading and a spell in the hot tub.

But then, when we arrived at the boat, there was a breeze. A lovely 10kt fresh breeze and water still flat from the overnight calm between systems. This early little taste of September was too much to resist. Five miles on a beat, then back on a reach. After a day of working a boat for every inch, this was an entirely different kind of sailing. The boat did its thing largely untended, I was merely along for a nice ride.

Sometimes, sloth is relative.

[jollyboat]

Figment - that sail of yours sounds just like what the doctor ordered after an "every inch" battle the day before. Though less sloth and more froth, with the cooler weather I have returned to my interior grinding festival. The festival of grit! My mini grinder and I busted out the bulk of the interior grinding yesterday and now I am left only with smoothing things out with the random orbital sander. In between cursing words and changing sanding disks I enjoyed the day on the river and refreshed my spirits with ice cold beer and sandwiches. I am thrilled with the mast support beam and have made up a compression post to use while sailing.
The boat looks great and is pretty much ready to sail. The last chapter of my Triton recovery program will be the decks and trunk painting but untill then the soap and water will have to do.

[Figment]

Hey, start a thread on that compression post so I can cheat off your homework!
When I did my bulkhead and new beam, I threw a piece of 1/4" steel plate in there as an economical solution, thinking that I'd replace with bronze or stainless a few years later when I could afford it. It's a few years later now, and I'm no more able to afford bronze or stainless, but I kinda want to get that mild steel out of there before it starts to rust. A compression post has been on a side-burner of my mind for a while.