Yesterday it was Shadows time to go in for shots. Tracy tucked him into her coat and off we went. Now here is a cat that hasn't gone outside like his brother and sister have since we got to Zephyr at the end of April and here we are taking him on a "field trip". From time to time he would poke his head out and look around and then tuck himself back in. I found Shadow back in May of 1992 when I first moved to Denver. I found him as well as his brothers and sisters wandering around a warehouse that was part of a division of a company I was running. It took some time to catch him as he had had no interaction with humans--wild cats. He has been with us ever since.
He got through his shots fine and got through the trip back to Zephyr nice and snugged in with Tracy. Later yesterday afternoon, he suddenly appears in the cockpit!!! We're not sure what happened to him during the trip, but I guess he decided that going outside was ok. He leisurely toured around the deck taking in all the sights and sounds that are around us. From big seagulls and crows to yellow jackets, he sniffed and sniffed and checked out everything. His brother and sister--Blue and Snowshoe(still recovering from their shots) just stared. After about an hour, he slowly jumped down the companionway. He's been out several times since. I can't tell you how happy we are that he has finally adjusted to being on Zephyr and is alright with coming outside. I'm not sure his brother and sister are happy about it as they are used to having the deck to themselves. Blue--still feeling bad after her shots--growled and hissed at him quite a bit as he was trying to come down the stairs. She'll just have to get over it.
I didn't go to Sequim yesterday as planned. It just didn't work in the schedule. Today is the day. Both of us are set to go later this morning. Shopping in the "big" city. I'm even going to get my hairs cut-time willing. The kids need more food. No one carries what they like here in Port Townsend. We will also be shopping for a new electric blanket as the one we are using had developed a short of some sort and the controls are warm even when the unit is turned off. We have enough electrical problems on Zephyr. We don't need more.
Yesterdays fog burned off after lunch and the afternoon was quite delightful. Rain is set for the next 4-5 days. I'm glad I rerouted the drain system in the forward sail locker. Now at least the water that had gone into it will go overboard.
Brion and Gordon came over in the afternoon to finish the aft stay. This is a wire that comes from the top of the mast and is attached to the stern of the boat to keep the mast anchored to the stern. Until then, it had just been attached to the stern with a knot and a long rope. Now, all the wires to the top of the mast are set. Getting it attached was a big chore. I think they cut the wire to short as we had to attach both main halyards(raise the main sail) to the stern and pull down on them to try and bend the mast toward the stern so it could be screwed into its new fitting. Gordon finally got an extra fitting to make the connection. Since the mast had had a slight bend toward the bow, they wanted to try and re-bend it back toward the stern. They are planning to tighten the wire each day just a bit to help get the bend right. I think they realized that they had cut the wire a bit short and came back later and told us they had ordered a new wire and fitting(at no charge) in case it doesn't work out. The biggest problem with this is that when ever we have to take Zephyr out of the water, that wire has to be undone. She won't fit on a travel lift with it still attached. If it is that difficult to hook up with four people--two of which are professional riggers--what chance do amateurs like Tracy and I have getting it back on later?
We're getting together with Jack to make another list of exactly what needs to be done so we can launch Zephyr and get on with life. It will be a short list but still a list. The riggers are in the final phases of getting that done so we fully expect that we will get launched sometime late this month. Things move here, but most times not to swiftly. There are always interruptions that slow down getting then job done. Other boats come in with serious problems that require Jacks assistance--radar, pump problems, etc. Plus next week, he is off to a convention/show on new boating equipment so he won't be on Zephyr much next week.
The replacement masthead light came in and Jack and I tested it. Well, Jack tested it--I just watched and cheered as it worked. Now with rain the next few days and then him leaving, I'm not sure when he will get up the mast and replace it for the old(really new)one that doesn't work right.
It just hit 7am and still no Sun. Nice and quiet water this morning after some blowing last evening. Haze on the water and high puffy clouds. The ferry passed a few minutes ago and the seagulls are squawking away. I'm not sure when the rain is due, but so far it's a nice day. Chilly but pleasant.
Have a great day everyone!
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