“5 Squalls from the Northeeeeeeeeeeast! 4 Tahitian Roosters, 3 Frenchmen in Speedos, 2 Wrong Motor MountsâŚand the Jimmy Buffett Christmas Album on Repeat!!” (sung to 12 Days of Xmas tune)
âMelekalikimaka is the thiiiiiiing to saaaaaaaay, on a bright Hawaiian Christmas dayâŚâ Jimmy Buffettâs voice was carried off into the gusty NE winds. It was a longstanding tradition in the Clark household on Christmas, that the Jimmy Buffett Christmas album was played over and over until we all hated every song enough not to want […]
Maitai Noera (Tahitian for Merry Christmas)
All I wanted for Christmas was NOT to be in the boatyard marina. Once my hard fought groceries were put away I decided to take Swell down to Thierry and Liliâs house, where Iâd be invited for Christmas Eve dinner. There was a nice sandy patch to anchor just out in front. Despite that there […]
Holiday Madness: Island Mamis in Mumus
Despite that I miss my family during the holidays, I certainly donât miss the consumer madness that shrouds that of year in the U.S. My gift gathering was limited to one trip to town and as many gifts for the kids I know around the boatyard that I could fit in my bike basket. But […]
Bed Buddies
I stared up at a mosquito above me as he tried to poke his way into the netted canopy that draped over my bed in the little room I was renting. I tried to digest the thought of yet another major haulout repair. The heat of mid-summer had shortly followed the rain, and without a […]
Back to the Blue(s) :(
The next morning, alone aboard Swell again, I happily sorted and sifted the towering piles in an effort to restore livability and order to my sacred little space. âHmmâŚthatâs oddâŚI could have sworn that box of tea wasnât munched yesterday?â More clues followed to conclude that there was yet another rodent aboard. I sighed and […]
Back to the Blue!
Once the blue bottom paint made it to the island, I slapped on one coat all over and finished up the final touches to make her ready to launch again. Friend Jesse Horton, who I hadnât seen since the submarine ride at Cocos Island, happened through the area on business the day Swell was ready […]
Ah, Rats!
Happy New Year!!! Still catching up… The rat battle wasnât won easily. Each morning Iâd arrive to Swell to find a new trail of munched and pooped on items. I imagined them at night, passing the cashew bait theyâd stolen off the trap, kicking back on my pillows, chuckling and reminiscing about the good ol […]
No paint til next TuesdayâŚ15, 30, 45, and 5=?
The repair is dry, faired, sanded, primedâŚall there is left to do is slap on another coat of anti-fouling paint on the hull, replace the prop zinc, re-seal the garboard drain plug, and mark and splice and stow the heap of new anchor chain! Hooray! Pedal pedal pedal to town, fuzzy with an oncoming headcoldâŚa […]
Option A, B or C?
In an effort to make Swell watertight in the easiest way possible, Laurent helped me re-glass the area around the shaft log (Option A) after Iâd ground, chiseled, sanded, heat-gunned and acetoned the holes in the tube and the bad area of glass as best possible. Option B would entail replacing the entire bronze tube […]
Creepy French Kissers
Itâs as if I never left the boatyard: Taputuâs still as helpful as ever, midday lunches with the crew, blazing mid-summer heat, up and down the ladder till my feet ache, and how could I forget: the obligatory French kiss-kiss cheek greetings. The boatyard seems like a rather cruel place to uphold this greeting ritual, […]
