Rain is a pisser!

SEE!

It has rained for days and days. Never once during all that time did I think to check the boat because I knew the little 5/16" hole I drilled a year ago was on the job. Last Sunday, when I was inspecting the rudder gudgeons, I noticed moisture where it did not belong and decided to poke the above mentioned hole. When I did, a stream like you see in the pic, shot out and was actually almost horizontal. The stream of water was shooting out over the frame for a minute or two. It startled me but I was able to gather myself and capture the pic like a hero.

I only mention this because I forgot about it when I was writing the last post. I have not forgot about it since though. It has been a wet week again and I have checked it every day because I can not sleep knowing there is water in bilge!

I really need to install this very nice 1" ID bronze garboard drain that I have had for some time and even bought fancy, schmancy tools for. This job is now the No. 1 priority once dry air returns.

Fast forward now to today, Friday! My Saturday! There needs to be another name for Friday if one has three day weekends. Lazyday! Screw-it-till-Saturday Day! Procrastinateday!

I woke up at 5am so that I could beat the heat, humidity and the forecast which called for...rain...again. My main objective is recoring so any chance of rain rules that out.

Plan B  was to secure and tighten the tarp covering the open windows/deadlights/saloon which has been blowing around wildly all week in the shitty weather. I got that done by 5:30am, wearing only my Dolphins underwear! (really? yes. it was dark still)

Plan C (coffee and FaceBook) was executed afterwards, flawlessly and for too long. It is funny to me how the more coffee that I drink, the more I think about the "other things" I need to do. Well, it finally sank in and I got busy.

I need a high quality, carbide (preferably) or diamond grit, 10" saw blade with a 5/8" bore, designed for cutting fiberglass. I set about trying to find one online and soon found that you have to know people to get that shit. Four hours later I had lunch but I also found what I was looking for thanks to Minaret from Cruisers Forum.

With that score I could move on to doing other things, like check the mail and make a beer run. Hey, its gonna rain!

Mail was good. It brought me deadlight lens blanks, 3/16", 50% grey Lexan:

17 courtesy flags:

these treasures: (original Alberg 30 stanchion bases)

This wonderful USB stick filled with the complete discography of "All India Radio", a band from Australia. If you like ambient, soft music Google/YouTube them. My ears are smiling :)

AND 2 bottles of Datu Puti sugarcane vinegar. If you want to cook authentic SE Asia dishes that call for vinegar, you must have this brand and type. There is no substitute. I lined up the others for the pic but they are second rate. Behind them though...Maltose for sweet asian bbq....Rose wine for everything!

I did do some boat related stuff. I need to build a new companionway hatch to replace the one that was blown off the boat and exploded in to exactly six pieces last fall. To that end, I gathered the pieces and arranged them for this picture!

Actually, I was going to reassemble/glue it all back together so I can better understand and make a clone. Then it rained.....the rain that was forecast all day....for 10 minutes.

It was the 10 minutes of oh so sweet rain that I needed because I had an epiphany during it's song. The melody of the rain reminded me of the measurements that I made of the hatch while I was in Annapolis. Measurements made and recorded before it met the winds of Kentucky that not even Indians would dwell in:

Thank the spirit wolf/bear/goose or skunk I made those measurements then because if I had not, I would be lost like the fair skinned, red headed tribe that haunts the land that I work on. (ask me)

Wooo, shit was getting deep. Out of my trance now, back to reality!

I measured a few things that I missed the first time, did some magic and came up with some fractiods:

With this info in mind, I ordered the material I need to build a new companionway hatch and sea hood! I know, I said I was going to do it last week.

I also futzed around with ideas on how to save the fore hatch:

More on that later because I have to get up in five hours. No rain in the forecast but hot. Early bird gets the worm....

Ignore the typos...and the prose....and the dramatic. I have been drinking!

Fair winds...._/)