the unexpected

Our "Submit" adventure began with the unexpected.  I guess that is what makes it an adventure. The plan was to put together the few things that we needed on Tuesday and head for the airport Wednesday morning. The unexpected happened Monday afternoon when I got diverticulitis again. Reggie had to do all the preparations and packing as I lay on the sofa.  We had a short layover in Salt Lake and didn’t know how far we had to go to catch our plane to New York, so we requested a cart.  No carts, but I could have a wheel chair.  OK.  I was met as we deplaned and whisked up the gangway and through the concourse. As we arrived at the gate, my chair pusher breathing heavily from his exertions, we were greeted by another airport person. “Barbara? Oh good we were waiting for you.  We were just about to start general boarding.” Fame has its perks. We were first to board the plane and got all settled in before the hoards arrived. I don’t think I would have made that distance in time, as my speed is in the 100 years old category.

We had a couple hours in New York, so didn’t expect that to be an issue. Little did I know that I had been ‘flagged’ for the whole trip.  I was in the computer. Someone was waiting for me with a wheel chair. Again it was a good thing.  Our plane must have landed in one corner of the airport.  We went to the corner opposite and then took a bus to another terminal. The bus stopped at one corner and I was wheeled to the opposite corner of that building.  Reggie got his five mile walk . I might have made it in time if we would have been able to find it.

From Reggie:   Because we would arrive late into Miami, we decided to rent a room with a free airport shuttle, and shuttle back to the airport late next morning after a leisurely night.  It also dawned on us that we really did not want to lug the two heavy big boxes of boat stuff around with us.  So, we just didn’t bother to pick them up from the baggage check.  They were still there awaiting us when we returned to the airport next day.

I had reserved the smallest (cheapest) car Enterprise offered.  When the paperwork was done and paid for, they gave us a full sized crew cab pickup. (I guess Reggie just looks like a truck guy).  Just like being at home only new!  I only rented the truck for one day, just to get us to Fort Pierce.  Then I would turn it in and get the little cheap car for the weekend special.  But, since I told them they would not have to clean the truck yet if I kept it, and would only have to do one cleaning instead of two, we are still driving the big truck for $9.99 per day from 10:30 am Friday to 10:30am Monday.  Great for haulin’ stuff to the boat!

For the non-sailors, Running rigging is the collection of ropes which raise, lower and control sails.  Halyards are ropes which go from the deck to the top of the mast and back down to the lowered sail and they raise the sail when you pull on them.  Things I have learned about running rigging:

It is cheaper to buy good quality messenger line than to hire a crane when cheap stuff breaks.

It is cheaper to leave at least one halyard installed than to hire a crane. 

It is cheaper to buy new halyards every so often than to hire a crane. 

It is really dumb, when one halyard is down, to remove the other two " cause someone is going to have to go up to replace the other one anyway"  and then have the realization dawn on you that there is no way to get someone up there......unless you hire a crane. 

It is easier on the nerves to hire a young immigrant to be hoisted up in a bosuns chair, by the crane, than it is to have a 290 lb guy in his later mid sixties hoisted in the same fashion.

I stayed on the deck and craned my neck to see up and watch the whole thing.

We are getting “Submit ready to be launched.  There have been a few minor issues, but things are actually pretty good.  The biggest disappointment is the death of our refrigerator system.  A local boating surplus store had one so now we get to be refrigeration specialists.  Cool!