You might wonder what a snail has to do with boats and the cruising life. Well, as it turns out there are lots of similarities. Today I came across a snail convention on my morning walk.

I was called to slow down and study the snails closely. Their movements were slow, sloow, slooow! Life on a boat is often slow. It seems to take for ever to get projects completed and before you get to the end of one project, many more projects emerge. Even though the pace is slow, it is good to be able to report that we are in fact making progress. After completing some major projects ,including new diesel tanks and a new water tank, and new rigging and sails, Harry is now working through many minor projects. Some of these projects are small; but they all take time. When these projects are completed [or should I say the to do list merely shortened] our life on Flapdoodle will be safer and more comfortable. One day we might actually set sail, remembering that work on a boat is never done.

This past weekend Harry

• Installed a VHF radio under the arch beam [it is also providing AIS data to the network]
• Attached a hasp and staple latch to the anchor locker to prevent it opening in rough conditions [that is when Flapdoodle is inverted]
• Connected a light for under the arch beam for night time lighting at the helm
• Wired in a small inverter so that small electronic devices can be charged while the large inverter is offline

In addition to this Harry built a shelf for a storage area in the aft cabin and the contents were sorted and tidied. Epoxy was used to mend a broken overloaded drawer, that was also tidied.

It should be noted that we attended Friday’s Happy Hour which included some dancing and went to a St. Patrick’s dinner with fellow Salty Dogs on a tall ship called “The Bill of Rights”. Leticia attended a class on sewing winch covers. We showed two sets of people our boat. Mmmmm! That may be some evidence of why at times the boat projects proceed sooooo slowly.

Harry often reminds me that when cruising you should never be in a hurry or make set deadlines for expected departures and arrivals; so that you can take your time, enjoy your journey, and sail when the weather is agreeable. We do however have to set some deadlines. We are presently debating when enough has been done to make starting cruising possible. The “anchor” in the relationship is happy to stay put in Chula Vista for a while yet. The “not-yet-retired” partner is wanting a commitment on a deadline, sooner than later. We will let you know when a decision has been made.

Meanwhile, I am thankful that life is not rushing past my eyes.