and baby makes 6!

The Third Coast

Yesterday was a long, wonderful day.

Bill got home, and like a total kid, was ready to head to the boat as soon as he woke all the kids got up. He had not seen the boat since May, when he took it for the survey.

We worked on the boat until we were all ready to collapse. Cory and I scrubbed the deck…3 times. Once with just water, to rinse all the gunk off. The second time with a vinegar and water solution, to remove all the chalky oxidation, and the third time with a deck cleaner.

We also removed the shrimp boat chains off the backstay, and spent some time trying to figure out the original, complex pulley system that we are grateful the prior owners did not toss out. It was a bit like figuring out a geometry problem, and it was all in tangles and twisted around. You will be pleased to know that it took the mind of a woman, and that the inferior male mind failed at this task. ;*)

Bye bye chains….I am glad these are gone. I refused to go sailing on the boat until it was restored to a sailboat. This is a good thing, as while we were removing the corroded chain rigging, one of the bolts snapped in half. Glad that didn’t happen while under sail.

Bye bye chains

Hello German pulley system

And no, the boat is not in Palacios….that was 2 owners ago. It is now somewhere along the Third Coast. Obviously not in Austin, which, I am sorry, is NOT the Third Coast. Yes, it is a state of mind as well as a place, but the Third Coast is….well, come on down and find out.

Cory was a big help and a natural on the boat. He seems to really love everything about it, including the hard work involved, which really surprised me. He worked his tail end off, and loved every bit of it. He also rowed everyone around the harbor and inlet. He was one tired little swab last night.

I scrubbed the inside of the boat, although it was pretty immaculate already. I pulled up the carpet ( I loath all things carpet) and cleaned the lovely wood underneath. We also wiped all the teak down and are ready to put some teak oil on.

Bill and I also started the process of waxing the hull. It is a huge job, but in the end will really make this boat look lovely. I think I will purchase a hand waxing machine, as my arms might fall off doing the job the old fashon way. I did get the blue areas on the deck done (no, I did not wax the deck, as that would be just plain dumb…just the blue areas around the window).

The kids had a complete blast. They rowed the dinghy out of the harbor and explored the area, even finding an island.

For those who e-mailed asking “Where are the children’s life vests!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” complete with 65 million exclamation points, here is evidence that I love their little lives, and have coast guard approved vests for everyone, including the damn dog (no joke…she has her own vest). The pictures of the boys in the dinghy the other day……the boat was still tied to the dock.

Miss Mimi took to the boat from day one. She is a natural on it as well. Yesterday evening she walked to the bow and slowly turned around, taking in all the beauty surrounding her. I grabbed the camera, and watched. She held up her hand to feel the wind..

…and threw her head back, feeling the wind, the sun and everything that is the ocean.

I know exactly how she feels.