November 13, 2012

November 13, 2012

Romans 15:13 is one of the scriptures in the devotional this morning.  It says: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hop by the power of the Holy Spirit".

This is an appropriate verse for me today.  When we were finished with training yesterday, I was completely spent. Kevin worked with us on docking and handling lines and anchoring.  I docked early in the morning and then gave Steve a turn.   Steve is much better at handling the boat than I.   They tell me I am doing well for a newbie.  We took her out to the South river and found a creek.  Kevin talked us through all the things to look for when dropping an anchor.  We dropped/set the anchor and then practiced taking it up.  It must be washed off as it comes in to the anchor locker.  It is tricky to lift the anchor with one hand using the remote control and with the other hand holding a water hose and try to stay balanced as the boat moves.  I got lucky with this lesson; I was driving the boat as it moved away after the anchor was removed.  We took a break for lunch and then discovered that the hatch up to the fly bridge had something jammed behind it that keep it from opening completely.  Steve noticed this because he is so tall that he kept bumping his head on the hatch. They removed the piece and the opening is now covered in plastic.  The plastic is whipping around because we now have winds up to 30 knots. 

I knew I was feeling a lot of movement this morning as I woke up.  Turning on the weather radio confirmed what my eyes had already told me.  This is going to be a dreary day. 

After lunch yester day, Kevin returned and taught us about docking lines, how to set them up, and how to tie them up to stow away.  I am really good at tying them up to stow away. I need a cleat to practice tying us up.  This sounds so simple, but there is a right way and many wrong ways.  I have mastered the wrong ways and have probably invented a few new ways to creatively tie off.  The good thing is that I know what is right and once I have thought about it and have a few moments, I can go back and do it correctly.  Kevin taught me that the main thing is to get the rope on, secure it any which way you can.  The purpose is to keep the boat in the slip at the marina.  Then once the boat is off and all the lines are secure, I can go back and correct the knots and repair my work. 

The lines they use here at Burr are 1 1/2 inches thick.  They use these lines because they are the largest and keep these boats secure during a storm.  Sandy…   These thick lines are difficult to learn to handle.  Our lines are smaller.  I aced the tying of the lines to stow.  I took out all nine lines when we docked and made neat bundles.  I took a picture that I hope I can upload once I have internet. 

Pat came aboard in the afternoon to discuss some of the maintenance that Burr is completing.  We also discussed naming the boat and the lettering.  Steve removed the previous name on Sunday.  The hull was slightly yellowed from those letters and the previous two names.  I think there are some superstitions about naming a boat.  I am trying not to look up the superstitions because I feel what I don't know won't hurt me. 

I practiced baking on Monday.  I bought some slice and bake cookies to test.  It seemed to take a lot longer than in a conventional oven.  The cookies browned but didn't seem to firm up.  After what seemed like forever, I took the cookies out and they firmed up out of the oven.  They were delicious-Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  I gave all away but one.  The people here have been so nice to us that I wanted to do something for them, so I was offering cookies to everyone who came aboard. 

Today is a down day.  A repairman is working on the transmission, the hatch is being replaced, and the washing machine repairman is making a visit.  We are learning about the electric panels and maybe the navigation system.  I think it might be my day to make some note cards aka cheat sheets.