The fun has begun. I’ve been splitting my days and evenings between the shop and the boat, juggling the house, meal preparation and the gardens and trying to fall into bed at a reasonable hour for a decent night’s kip. With all this work, especially in the draining heat, I have no problem falling asleep, barely acknowledging my head hitting the pillow. I like being physically tied, I feel like my body is being used as it was made to be, working muscles that lie dormant for most of the year. It’s a good weary and the aches and pains are a reward of my labour.
So bye, bye fingernails, smooth hands and unblemished pasty skin… accept of course for the farmer tan that I’ve been cultivating, my legs remain as pale as a cadaver under my jeans. I’ve already nicked the fleshy part of my thumb with a chisel, abraded the top of my hand, and sandpaper…..well it’s a finger’s nemesis; there isn’t enough hand cream in the world to touch pantyhose without shredding it to bits. I have a five inch scar just above my ankle from what sailors refer to as a boat bite and because there have been so many cuts and scrapes, for the life of me, I can’t recall what caused it now. My hips and thighs are dappled with bruises, tenderized like a tough cut of meat. But do I care? Not really. I tackle the work for the boat as if I’m a mother with a newborn….whatever it takes and I do it with love. And I suppose it’s good that I feel this way because there’s a lot more work to accomplish, especially all the stripping and sanding prep to refinish more teak. I can’t explain the rush I get applying that first coat that soaks in and seduces the patina out of the wood, and then, I’m almost euphoric after many coats create that mirror finish.
I had a good look around the boat at all the jobs to get her ready for the rendezvous in August. This is a big one. It’s not just the annual provincial chapter gathering per the usual; it’s the International Rendezvous so folks are coming from all over North America. So on top of the regular yearly maintenance there are extra jobs to do and our lists have lists. Of course our boat is beautiful already, with just a thorough cleaning and some wax she’d be good to go but we’ll go that extra mile for the reunion so Catalyst can float proudly beside her peers. It will be a thrill to have twenty or more boats of her kind in one spot, their proud owners sharing stories, adventures and misadventures and of course, maintenance tips.
In my spare time I’ve been picking away at a second rug for her cabin, to lie alongside the one I made for her last year. These one-of-a kind rugs, richly saturated in nautical colours will really add to her beautiful interior. I so love that I can marry my two passions into the perfect union….and….is it a coincidence that the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia and the Nonsuch Sailboat will both celebrate their 40th anniversary next year? I think not!
So bye, bye fingernails, smooth hands and unblemished pasty skin… accept of course for the farmer tan that I’ve been cultivating, my legs remain as pale as a cadaver under my jeans. I’ve already nicked the fleshy part of my thumb with a chisel, abraded the top of my hand, and sandpaper…..well it’s a finger’s nemesis; there isn’t enough hand cream in the world to touch pantyhose without shredding it to bits. I have a five inch scar just above my ankle from what sailors refer to as a boat bite and because there have been so many cuts and scrapes, for the life of me, I can’t recall what caused it now. My hips and thighs are dappled with bruises, tenderized like a tough cut of meat. But do I care? Not really. I tackle the work for the boat as if I’m a mother with a newborn….whatever it takes and I do it with love. And I suppose it’s good that I feel this way because there’s a lot more work to accomplish, especially all the stripping and sanding prep to refinish more teak. I can’t explain the rush I get applying that first coat that soaks in and seduces the patina out of the wood, and then, I’m almost euphoric after many coats create that mirror finish.
I had a good look around the boat at all the jobs to get her ready for the rendezvous in August. This is a big one. It’s not just the annual provincial chapter gathering per the usual; it’s the International Rendezvous so folks are coming from all over North America. So on top of the regular yearly maintenance there are extra jobs to do and our lists have lists. Of course our boat is beautiful already, with just a thorough cleaning and some wax she’d be good to go but we’ll go that extra mile for the reunion so Catalyst can float proudly beside her peers. It will be a thrill to have twenty or more boats of her kind in one spot, their proud owners sharing stories, adventures and misadventures and of course, maintenance tips.
In my spare time I’ve been picking away at a second rug for her cabin, to lie alongside the one I made for her last year. These one-of-a kind rugs, richly saturated in nautical colours will really add to her beautiful interior. I so love that I can marry my two passions into the perfect union….and….is it a coincidence that the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia and the Nonsuch Sailboat will both celebrate their 40th anniversary next year? I think not!
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