Had a flat tire today--or at least a nail in one. The front two tires were just about flat when we got here. The front right was all the way gone and the left was close. Luckily, we had a pump in the trunk and got them re-inflated. Had them checked today and there was a nail in the right tire. Amazing that I made it here back in December with it as it hadn't been driven since I left. At least I didn't have to buy a new tire. I've always tried in the past to get nails in the side walls so that I have to buy a new tire rather than in the tread so I didn't ;-). It could just be fixed this time. Nice people at the tire store. Didn't even charge me for the fix.
Went to the Coast Guard offices today to see about trying out some of my flares that I carry on the boat. Some date back to the year Zephyr was made--1982. Long since out of date (only good for three years). I figured who better to show me how to set them off than the Coast Guard. It's comforting to have them on board, but I don't want to have to stop and read the instruction on how to set them off while my boat is sinking underneath me. I'm not sure the Coast Guard people actually believed me. They're just used to people taking them off the coast and setting them off to see how it's done. Said to just bring them by and they'd light them up it they could. We were both in the Coast Guard Auxiliary for several years and even they didn't teach us how to do it. Should have time over the next few days. Windy again today--sunny but quite windy.
Had lunch at Volta Deli--Bakery and Gumbo shop in downtown Newport. Had all of three tables. Specializes in African/Caribbean food. I had Turkey Gumbo and Tracy had Seafood Gumbo--which amounted to Turkey Gumbo with some crab thrown in. Now visualize this all you folks from Colorado--It came to the table boiling around the edges of the bowl!!! Just try and get your food that hot at Colorado's altitude. There are some advantages to having your food served at sea level. It stays hot a whole lot longer!! Was quite tasty.
Did laundry today. Boy what excitement! Brought us back to college days sitting in the laundry room. Unfortunately, no pinball machine to play with.
The rigger we had contacted called today. He inspected Zephyr last week. Agrees its time to change it. The wires don't look bad, it is just time. Most rigging gets changed every 7-10 years. For those of you out there that don't know what a rigger does--he replaces the wires that hold up the mast. It's much better to have the mast vertical than have it horizontal. If it goes horizontal--it means you're in a heap of trouble. After getting them changed, he "tunes" them so that they hold the mast at just the right pressure. A sailboat in the America's Cup last year cracked in half and sank because the wires were much to tight. Think of the mast as an arrow pointed down, right at the center of the boat and the wires as the bow string. Pull them to tight and the mast will go right through the boat--BAD!! He has only rigged about one boat a year and recommended taking down the mast and sending the wires to Portland to have them measured and replaced. He would then "tune" the rigging after it was re-installed on the boat. With that kind of limited experience, we will probably have to take Zephyr back to Washington and have it done. Its just to risky to have it done by anyone but a very experienced professional. We don't want to be 800 miles from shore in a big blow and suddenly hear a loud twang. You can be sure if it happened, it would be in the middle of the night just for kicks. So it looks like we will be heading back to Seattle some time this Summer. I've already made contacts there for the job.
Hung more pictures today. Even a calendar. God knows what for. Zephyr is fast becoming HOME!!!
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