Day 62 Happy Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit Day!

When I was a young child, my parents taught me to say "Happy Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit Day"as the first thing I said when I got up on the first day of the month.  It was to ensure good luck for the entire month.  I don't know why, and not sure where they picked it up but through out my life, I have tried to do this.  As a child, your parents tell you many things--some true and some made up.  A while ago, I googled it just to see if there was any truth or history behind what my parents had taught me.  Yep, if you google "Rabbit Day" you to can see the history behind this saying.  Apparently it dates back to the 1400 or maybe as early as the 1200s.  There are lots of variations to it.  Now I come from a linage of just about pure white anglo saxon protestant as you can get.  According to the family tree researched by my grandfather, my family tree dates back to Henry Hudson, the explorer.  The only thing I can guess is that this has been passed on from parent to child for a long time.  So I pass this on to you and yours.  May it bring you good fortune to you in the future.  By the way--"Happy as a clam"  is really "Happy as a clam at high tide" because you can't fish for them when the tide is in. 

Yesterday, I took the templates to the metal workers to have the brackets made that will reenforce the plywood that had blown out for the propeller shaft coupling.  We had them back in a couple of hours.  Put her in and I'd measured wrong.  I had the hole for the bolt to low so back to the shop to have it made again.  We found that while fitting it into the space, I was going to have to shave down part of the plywood it was to be attached to as the tolerances were so close. After taking the  bracket back, it was off to the hardware store for a chisel and longer bolts to put everything back together then to the marine store for a tube of 3Ms 5200 adhesive to bond the steel to the plywood so they won't shift.  This stuff is so strong that I first used it back in 1987 when I drilled a big hole in the bottom of another boat to install a depth sounder.  To this day, it has never leaked.  I should get the correct brackets back today and have it all installed.  I hope so as the adhesive has to cure, plus I have to fill what is left of the blown out hole with epoxy to make sure there are no voids in the entire assembly.  And that will take time to cure also.

While we are both glad this happened now and not off shore somewhere, we missed a perfect weather window to head to Astoria.  Nice winds from the South to help push us along.  The normal winds this time of year are from the North and you can't sail into the wind.  After the repairs are done, we will get Zephyr ready so we can jump  at the next weather window when it arrives.  

Cloudy and overcast again with a bit of mist today but I'll take that over the 90+ they are having inland and up at Portland.  This will go down as the coolest Summer I've ever experienced.

More coming later.  Have a great day!