Trucks Come, Trucks Go

Countdown to Delivery

In my life as a writer I find myself working right up to deadline most of the time. I know it drives editors crazy, but for some reason I do seem to function better on short timelines.

Which is all good, because two weeks ago I scheduled the boat transport truck to come and pick up Peponi. And I still had a LOT of work left to do before that day. So I set to it. Three coats of new bottom paint, mast wiring, battery install, charger install, fresh water system final hook ups, water heater wiring, electrical panel final hook ups, some paint here and there, and cleaning my way off the boat.

I also made a new filler board for the v-berth, as our mattress was made to fill the whole space. I painted the cabin sole in the head, varnished some of the interior teak, and built a shelf for the new electronics to bolt to. More than one late night was spent in a slight panic as I imagined all of the things I hadn't yet done.

The truck was scheduled to come on a Saturday. Friday night at around midnight I took the last of my tools and materials off and closed the companionway. I took the extension cords down and rolled up some painting tarps. And I went to bed, where I slept not at all.

Here are some of the final projects in color photograph format.

Black bottom paint over the first coat of red. Hull is polished and toerail is varnished.

A look at the beige accent paint that is going on all of the nonskid. On the foredeck I will add grit to the paint.

New engine in flight.

New engine in place. I had to cut the companionway to 18" wide to fit it through the gap.

Fresh water system primed and working.

Peponi's electronic suite. This is on the starboard side, aft end of the settee.

New filler board for the v-berth.

Child labor on the night shift, wiring the mast.

Masthead showing the anchor light, wind vane, and Windex mount. New tangs for the  shrouds as well.

The companionway.

The companionway under red lights.

The Day of the Truck
Where was Gus Sebastian when I had the boat hauled to the house in the first place? This guy is awesome. He arrived at 8:00 a.m. just as planned and had no trouble backing down our narrow curvy driveway with his 45 foot trailer.

If you need a boat hauler in the Northwest, this is your guy.

Gus backing in to pick up the boat.

Gus rocked the set up and backed the trailer right on point with one shot. Perfectly centered. Then came time to lift the boat off the blocks, so he enlisted a helper with a lot of XBOX experience...

Taylor learning to lift the boat. "Don't drop it," says Gus. Nice.

Then, before we knew it, she was off to the actual boat yard...

I'll admit to being a little choked up when she pulled away.

Before the truck cleared the driveway, my dad was already tearing down the stairway he had built to access the boat while we worked on it. And then I set to pressure washing the evidence away. 

Peponi now sits at Sea Marine in Port Townsend. They will do the final hookup of the engine, splash the boat and put up the rig. While they are doing that, I'll sneak over after dark and finish some detail work on deck and down below.

And then it's time to sail her home to her slip in Everett. Can't wait.

Meanwhile...

So last week while doing my usual scan of Craigslist for deals on boating stuff, I came across an add for a Cape Dory Typhoon Weekender. Cheap. Figuring something was probably wrong with it, I went to take a look, and damnit, the thing was perfect. The end result is that two hours after Peponi left for the shipyards, this happened.

1973 Cape Dory Typhoon Weekender. The newest resident of the Boat yard.

I might have a Cape Dory problem.

But with results like this, how can I complain?