Footloose with the Hang-Out Gang
With the tube on the way and an expert installer ready to help, I fell into an easier rhythm in the V.I.P. yard. Between work on my book and other Swell âlife-enhancementâ projects, I tried not to resist my situation and enjoy the good around me. I greased winches, worked with Olivier to flatten the […]
Henoa, Polynesian Gentleman
âLeeeeeeez!!â I heard from behind me as I wandered back toward Swell at the end of a long day in the yard. Little Henoa came running over with an icy cold pineapple juice in hand. Dirt was smeared across his left arm and sweat dribbled down his cheek. I imagined how fun life must be […]
IN THE RED
My tanned feet stood out against the bright red plastic of the channel marker on which I stood. The ocean flooded past like a river. I gripped the bobbing post with one hand while encouraging the Tahitian man who was struggling to paddle the final 20 feet against the current with the other. He was […]
Fred, Fin, and Doug…
With the tube removed, there was no more time to waste. I had to find someone to help me do the fiberglass work. Iâd conceded to the realization that it was NOT going to be Laurent. It was beyond me why he didnât want to do the job, but that didnât matter anymore. I didnât […]
GET OOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!
Adrian, the cheery 6â 2â Canadian, was low on cash but full of spirit. He had been borrowing my bike for the prior week to ride to town for parts and pieces to fix up his newly acquired steel sloop. He dropped by just as Mikeâs overtime charges were about to begin accumulating, so I […]
20-ton Hydraulic Jack + Tsunami + Hollywood Director + 6â2â Canadian + Butane Torch= GREAT SUCCESS!
I woke in the middle of the night to a pounding on Swellâs hull. I shook myself from a dream and looked up at the clock. It was 3 am. âWho the heck drops by for a visit at this hour?â I thought. I peered over the side and saw Taputu standing below with a […]
No More Chirps in Boatyard Purgatory
For a week after Poe died, it felt strange when I’d return to Swell–no more chirping, no more fishy stink, and no more fuzzy head popping up? Instead I found only piles of progress-less projects staring at me. Despite grinding off the recent epoxy job and making a more precisely-fitting steel washer, the âextracteurâ continued […]
Unfit to be a Mother âš
By and by, Poe didn’t get better. She ate less and less through the weekend and I felt both helpless and hopeless to make her well again. After asking around, I found out about a veterinarian in town, loaded my sick bird into in my bike basket, and pedaled off… Upon finding the veterinarian clinic, […]
Extracteuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuur!!! Say it with a french accent…it’s kinda fun.
So…I carried the broken parts back across the yard. Everyone looked over at me curiously. âExtracteur!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!â I yelled. They just wrinkled their foreheads and went back to whatever they were doing…I’m like a bad rash around …impossible to get rid of… So next, Make the washer out of a thick piece of steel. Reinforce and […]
Scavenger Hunt: building a âslide hammerâ, island style
I found Cesar leaned up against a shaded post near a fishing boat he was about to paint, talking with Benois, the metal worker. âBelleza pura,â I said, offering the Brazilian greeting heâd taught me. âHey, do you know where I can find a 6â steel rod or pipe threaded at both ends?â âWellâŚthe plumbing […]
