Shayla and Uncle Lenny
âOh yeah, I forgot to introduce you to Shayla.â Caesar said casually as he walked me through his house. He would be gone for ten days and needed someone to feed his five cats. I needed a place to stay while Fred did the fiberglassing inside the boat, so it worked out perfectly for both […]
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 […]
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 […]
OLIâs ‘Pearl’
The wind had decreased slightly by morning but it was still gusting over 40 knots. The waves had pulled the dirt away from Swellâs supports in the night, but she remained upright. No boats in the yard had fallen or broken lines in the marina but others whispered of boats that had been beached or […]
Donât Kill the Star!
And the next day at ten oâclock sharp, Jimmy circled Swell on his stand-up paddle board. âCome aboard,â I called. âIâm nearly ready!â He descended into Swellâs cabin, eyes wide, taking in all the quotes and photos and details. I showed him my book collection, hoping I could give him one of my favorites, but […]
Finding the Needle in the Haystack
âHello, Liz? Câest Manuelle. My clients didnât show up so we can go now to look for your chain if you wish?â âYes, great. Iâm ready. I can pick you up in town with Swell.â We loaded her dive gear aboard and headed off to the GPS point where, 125 ft below, sat my brand […]
Motor Mount Showdown: The Final Battle 12/26/09
And so despite that Jesse had probably hoped to spend his brief pass through town out enjoying a blue lagoon somewhere, I had no choice but to tackle the engine repair before my brother arrived the following day! We pulled off the stairs to survey what we were up against: The engine was definitely highâŚway […]
Nisha Fizzles…Now OLI bearing down.
My ‘vacation’ from the boatyard was short-lived on account of cyclone season suddenly giving everyone a scare. I high-tailed it back to the boatyard before the storm was due to arrive and hauled Swell out a week earlier then planned. Nisha was downgraded and we saw only 30-35 knots of wind, but close behind her, […]
