The day was perfect. Sailing on the harbor Saturday would've made it more perfect. but our reality is not currently displayed there.. for now.
As it was,, Tony and I (Bryan) mustered aboard on time, followed only a few moments later by our long-time missing Ship's Carpenter, Dallas Spencer. Dallas brought with him long-awaited news that he'll be shipping out himself, sometime in April. The Navy has selected him for graduate studies in Naval Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His professional career is about to take a significant right turn. And we're going to miss his carpentry talents. So Dallas's priorities must now necessarily change to finding affordable family housing in Boston.
For this Saturday morning our efforts focused on the more mundane but necessary. Our transient, sometime-resident Osprey, Dolores, has returned to her perch aboard the Spring Stay, for screeching, eating lunch, digestion, and purging, now evident in major white splotches all over our deck. Tony and I started clearing the deck of obstacles to water.. hanging up what we could. Dallas pulled out the midships Fire hose, stretching it all the way forward and stood by for charging. Tony retrieved three deck brushes and I climbed below in the engine room to "fire up" the Fire Main. Dallas began wetting down from the knightheads aft until the entire deck was soaked. We followed behind with deck brushes doing what we could, hampered by the enormous gaffs and booms now stretched out fore and aft down our decks.
Meanwhile Danny Johnson appeared, and Bryan pointed out to him the now derelict Step to the gangway, complete with sliding handrail to adjust for tides. With virtually no other discussion, Danny scoped out a concept to build a similar sliding handrail onto the relatively new Gangway Platform step. I"m looking forward to see his handiwork.
By noon we'd found our usual stopping place. Tony and Dallas had shifted to the Dory, still upside down on her cradle, but now sporting a smart sapphire blue sheer stripe just below her gunwale. Next step for her will be to turn her right side up and fit out for sailing. Check for proper tension, sail condition after two years of stowage, oar locks set, and then bend on our "pig-sticker", a tradition begun by past 2d Mate, Tripp Seaman. - the staff flying the Dory's traditional symbol, a fighting cock silhouetted on a white pennant. The story of which is entrusted only to the most devoted of crew.
More housekeeping projects await volunteers coming aboard next Saturday, to facilitate our anticipated trip to Shipyard,, a date still unknown to us.
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