Risk Managment

Sid wanted to discuss what I thought the "risks" of this trip were.

If you are unaware, I have planned and executed large conferences (700-1000 people) in cities far from where I was residing (typically 2-3 time zones away) and have trained business people on Project Management, a large component of which is "Risk Management."

So, when I hear the term, I think worst-case scenarios and then think of probability on an X axis and impact on a Y axis. The steeper the line, the more planning and mitigation should be done. So forgive me if I think we are going to brainstorm most everything that could go wrong. I was mistaken...

My mind works like this:
Worst case scenarios = Vehicles: damage/destruction to truck/trailer/boat
                                      Health: severe injury/illness to either of us
                                      Uncontrollable: weather, road closures, needed resources unavailable, etc.

While Sid slightly acknowledged all those were things to consider, what he really wanted to discuss was 

1) lightening strikes

2) the boat sinks

So our mitigation conversation resulted him designing a lightening mitigation system and in me ordering the inflatable 4-person boat he had already picked out. (both are pictured below) And nothing else really being discussed. [shoulder shrug]

Lightening and thunderstorms in the mountains could be a whole separate post, but I'll spare you.

Lightening mitigation system

The boat we hope to never use on this trip. Might be fun for the grandkids in other situations!

Pray that we never need either.

Is is too early to mention that I harbor secret fears about this trip? I'm so grateful that God is fully in control of this!

By Moonlight and Fireflies

Threading a new halyard (layman terms: a rope that pulls up the main sail on the mast)
Some things are better done in the dark? 😂

In other developments, who knew?

Two Weeks from Saturday!

Sid had the realization a couple of days ago that July 10 was, "Two weeks from this Saturday!"

Indeed!

More progress has been made, but it does seem that time is moving faster than the progress. 😁

The boat grill was tested (on land, first). It will be attached to the boat and can grill or be used as a burner to heat water or cook in a skillet or saucepan.

Worked great for heating up leftovers.

Then much more electrical was completed.

Batteries hooked up

Shore power to battery

Just looks like spaghetti!

Power to mast lights

We were able to "unstep" the mast. BIG deal for the two of us to safely get the mast down and ready to travel. We didn't even yell!

Mast is down again--this might work!

And the motor was mounted and
run for the first time...in a trash can,,,

Not pictured: the water spraying all over me as I was

instructed to hold the hose with running water to keep

the trash can full. 🌊

Guess it is time to test the Porta-Potti...also not pictured. 😂

Charlie’s Playground

Our grandson, Charlie, is highly motivated by the proposed reward of time on a playground. His mom enrolled him in baseball this year. While he is learning the game and improving his skills, after every game his question is, “Can we go to the playground?”

So, imagine his delight when he came over and Bacca let him climb all over it, in and out of the “tunnels” since everything is off to finish electrical. 

He had a field day. Up and down the ladder, up and down off the truck into the boat. Using an extension pole as a sword 🗡. 

Bacca was concerned about the pole and the newly, now-permanently-installed Bimini, so the pole was put away. 

Then Bacca had an idea. 

There are a lot of things still to be fastened inside the tunnels. In places old adult bodies have a hard time getting to, and then, maneuvering once inside is down right difficult. Seeing Charlie easily scamper about and taking great delight in doing so, Bacca has his solution.

And Charlie will have more time on the “playground.” 

A Quiet Hero

On Saturday help and encouragement arrived in the form of Ken. Planning had been done, devices and parts ordered, 2 new special AGM, deep-cycle marine batteries arrived and some prep had been done. Today was the day to test and install new electrical. 

This boat, in my time, has never had a working electrical system, though the “bones” were there. A switch box, navigation lights, etc. We have been using temporary, battery-operated lights to be within regulations but the cabin has never been lit and if phone (and therefore navigation) died…too bad!

If we are going to live on the boat for days at a time (and that is the plan) we needed power for charging, for cabin lights, for C-PAP, for the new-fangled GPS/depth finder, etc. We also needed a way to recharge the batteries whenever we had opportunity to be in a slip overnight and connect to shore power. 

So Sid and Ken have planned the draw we would need any given overnight and all the equipment. Saturday turned out to be mostly strategy for the order in which to install and connect everything, but some things are installed. 

This is a poor photo of the shore charger (yellow) and the solar panel controller (small with blue buttons)

Thanks Ken!

T-21 Days

Not much happened with trip/sailboat plans yesterday since 3 grandkids were present all day. That is typically a hilarious day of misadventures because Sid and I differ substantially on how much planning needs to be done to keep kids active, and responsive to our house rules. Some of the fun things that happened:
Rowan decorated his otherwise Mickey Mouse pancake

Then there was Bacca and Hank devouring pineapple 

Lola, not to be outdone, struck a pose to be in the lunch pictures. 

Later, in the 103 degree heat, she entertained me with chalk drawings on paving stones then sitting on one to produce a “chalk-butt” dubbed by Rowan. 

We finished the day watching Lola’s final T-ball game. Sid was fully convinced that the game would not be played in the heat, I took the opposite view but we were unable to get a confirmation. So we were quite late getting everyone loaded into the truck, figuring out how to get all the gear she needed, and get to Lake Shawnee fields. There was a game, it was HOT, but a nice view of the lake. Too bad I was so exhausted between the getting there and the heat that I failed to take photos. 😂

But there were witnesses

 In 2019 we invited many to come sail for an afternoon or evening with us. The brave few accepted and came. Their names will be withheld just in case, but we do have photos. If you know any of them, they will be able to vouch for the fact that sailing on the Salvation was rustic, at best. No toilet, nothing but cooler for keeping things cold, no way to cook...

I hope a fun time was had by all...regardless. God bless these courageous souls.

T-24 days

I've dusted off the old blog and have decided to allow you to laugh along with us as we prepare the sailboat and ourselves for a daunting adventure. 

Here is a photo of the boat from 2019 before the work began.

And here are some as the work has progressed to this point. 

After the hull paint job was complete

A boat in the front yard-does the
covenant allow that?

First time Sid and I got the mast up
"Stepping the mast" 2 hours 😵

We got the boom on so mail sail 
could go up.

We also wanted a bimini (sunshade)
and needed to test if it would
clear the boom so the sail can
swing free. It didn't...

There are also folks who have sailed with us previously and can testify to the rustic nature of the boat prior to upgrades. (see next post for the witnesses)

Sid is primarily upgrading the boat structure, electrical system, adding creature comforts (or necessities if you are a woman, example: a camping toilet) generally improving this 1983 Catalina 22. That description tells you that the boat is both old, and 22 feet long.

I am primarily upgrading the interior as best I can to make it habitable as a camper. That includes sewing projects (curtains anyone?) and planning for eating, drinking, sleeping on the boat more often than not. This will DEFINITELY be an adventure!