there is all kinds of work to be done

Made the trip to RM2 yesterday morning. I wanted to get my Beach driving permit before I ran out of time. There were signs everywhere... The 4X4 permit is a fishing permit only! This attitude really has to change. We are losing off road access at a staggering rate. Even OBX may lose the ability to drive off road as soon as April 4th. http://obxbeachlife.blogspot.com/2008/03/orv-beach-driving-going-way-of-dodo.html

At least Hatteras has ton's of access points to the ocean and sound. If 4X4 access is lost, they will become crowded like Long Island.

Any how, checked the water but just didn't have it in me to surf. Besides, I have a ton of work to do on Segue. I really need to have the whole bottom soda blasted. That way I can grind out all the purple oozing blisters and let the hull dry out. Then I would apply a nice even barrier coat of epoxy .Problem is soda blasting is expensive, which means I will probably have to remove the bottom build up by sanding or some other messy inaccurate method.

For the last few seasons I've been handling the pox in a piece meal manner. If the paint peels, I scrape it. If it blisters, I grind it and fill it. All the different epoxy colors leave my bottom looking like camo paint under that final Ablative coating. Also my hull is anything but fair. But, i figure with a hull speed of 6.5 knots, dragging an outboard behind all the time, an unfair paint job is not what is slowing me down.

Lastly, the work that pays the bills is never ending. In todays workforce, the boundaries between work time and and not work time are gone. I'm always working, 24/7, 365 whether I like it or not. I have not had a vacation, or weekend, where I was not working, since 1990.That makes it hard to live in the moment. It creates an inability to fully enjoy whatever I am doing right now. A wise man once said to me," what ever I am doing right now, at this moment, is the most important thing in my life."

Today when I paint the bottom, I'll probably wish I was at work. Tomorrow when I am working, I'll probably wish I was out painting the boat.

Holy Thursday!

Caught an afterwork session at West Neck last night. 4.7 downhauled so that the leach was opened to the boom. Rode a slotted Enduro fin on the Syncro with Steve D' till it just was too windy. Should have rigged the 4.2. Wished I had a 3.7, and I've never wished that before. Sounds like everyone had the same conditions today. I was traveling and don't think I could have done two in a row like that. I'm glad for those of you that did.

Instant Karma gona' get ya

This past week or so has been exhausting, and stressful for me. There seems to be a real frustrated, angry vibe going around. I've experienced a lot of misplaced yelling directed my way. In addition, I've taken some of that referred frustration out on some undeserving victims.
One incident occurred while my van was in the local shop for a routine service and inspection. What was supposed to be a one day oil change, turned into 3 days and $1,500! Every time I went to pick up my truck something else magically became wrong! The last straw occurred as I had to leave my Van loaded with my gear yet one more night at the shop for one more adjustment that should have been accomplished 3 days ago. I explained to the mechanic that I felt insecure about leaving my van fully loaded in his parking lot. He calmed me by promising to park the van inside the garage for the night. Fine... I arrived the next morning to discover that the Van remained outside last night and that the tow truck parked next to me had been firebombed! The passenger side of my van was scorched, I felt for sure that my truck, and gear, had been damaged.









Well everything plastic on that side of the van had heat damage. Most things plastic were melted to some extent. I feared the worst.

After a day of cleaning, removing melted window tint, and molding, it looked like the damage was only in the hundreds; and not thousands of dollars.
My redemption came on Wednesday afternoon. [No, not the Spitzer scandal. But that helped].

I scored my first after work session of the season. A gusty, lumpy North Westerly at Stehle. Dommer, Upwind, Coastal, Pete, and my self were in attendance. I switched back and forth between my 5.5 and the 90 ltr, or the 109 ltr board. My jibes were terrible; my jumps even worse: but the sailing washed away all the bad. I returned home, happy, and exhausted.

Four hours at the beach

On Saturday March 1st I spent four hours at the beach; one half hour, fully and overpowered on the 6.0; 15 minutes, powered on the 5.0. Good company; not too cold.

Today looks like there was plenty of wind. I was at work.

Daylight savings begins tomorrow. Let the after work sessions begin!