Today's Blog has been brought to you with zero commercials, Just A Few Photos, and the special news feature of Why? Just Why did we send the Capt'N Up the Mast ?

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Before even thinking about answering the above, there was first the question of needing to wash our indoor cushions. Not a question actually, but rather a definite must. One peek out our companionway and overhead had us mesmerized by the beautiful blue skies that proved that, for the moment and short foreseeable future, the weather was looking to be perfect.

Washing our cushions is an annual event. We use OxyClean Spray Wash, a scrub brush, (hopefully) a decent-pressure hose with lots of water, and Lots and Lots of Elbow Grease.

"You missed a spot" said the Capt'N pointedly, to which I glared at him with my plastic encased hands protecting my Margarita Madness, and gave him the Stink Eye, as he laughed at his own "I need to tease Alex" joke.

"You be careful or I'll send you Up the Mast!" I threatened laughingly with my plastic point of a finger.

And so began the onerous job that sort of went as follows. Spray with Water, Spray with Oxy Clean, spray with water. Scrub, scrub and spray some more. Rinse and Repeat and Rinse and Repeat.

It's hot. It's humid. We're sweating. We stop to grab a drink of water. Place the washed cushion on its side, in a rather clean enough type of place to dry, and go back to the boat to grab a new cushion.

We have 17 of them. As we bring each and every cushion out of our living area, up the 5 steps, into the cockpit, wiggling it over the cockpit table and sidestepping the shoes and hoses laying on the ground (should'a and could'a put those away first eh?), stepping down onto our transom, and then lunging all the way up onto the dock, holding on tight to the cushion to ensure it doesn't drop into the rather dirty marina waters, and then laying it on the ground to start the wash process. And Repeat. And reverse above process to go below and get a new cushion.

Did I mention we had 17 Cushions?







I re-positioned the cushions every now and then so any water collection on the bottom isn't soaking back into the cushion.

After a second day of drying I then gave them a good douse of Scotch Guard that I had picked up at the Ace Store in Sint Maarten. It's my first time using Thompson's Water Seal and we'll see how that works.



Coming soon, the answer to why we sent the Capt'N Up the Mast, but First? First let us tell you what we did after Lunch.

Our next rather easy job was to replace our Fender Socks.



Ours are looking kind of used, wouldn't you agree? After three seasons, many countries, and even more miles covered by Banyan, you can spot the difference,



and they disintegrated quite easily as they got pulled off.



And here they are, hanging off our sides, just sitting pretty and in case we get a neighbour while at the dock.



"Funny how such a small task of changing the socks on the fenders" says Dave, sipping his glass of ice cold water, "can take a lot longer than expected" as he eyed his knife, his cutting board, his tape, and the lighter (used to properly seal the rope ends).

"I know!" I said, with quite the exclamation point, as I was the one who go-ferred each and every item.

And just like all the dramatic short story news clips on regular scheduled T.V., you're now finally at the end of this Feature Blog. And so, Just why did we send the Capt'N Up the Mast?



Let us go back in time and place if but just for a moment. The time is First Week in August. The place is Carriacou. The event, Banyan was racing in the Carriacou Regatta. The weather? Well there was this impending squall,



(photo courtesy of Izzy R)

When we were racing in the Carriacou Regatta in one of the adverse rain squalls that hit Banyan,



(photo courtesy of Izzy R)

the Radar Reflector fell off. If you look at this photo, it was still on...



(photo courtesy of Izzy R)

but somehow, at some point in time, through sheets of blinding rain and heeled conditions it fell off, and somehow miraculously and thankfully stay on deck until it was found once we were back at anchor.

Fast forward to today. Now that we are a stable platform tied to the dock, with very little wind around us, the weather conditions were just perfectly right. All safety lines secured, triple check !!



"I think we should use two sets of ties" I yelled up at Dave.
"I don't think so. I think one is good enough" he replied.

"Oookaaayyyy" I thought to myself.



Winching him up the mast required more sweating, lots of Elbow Grease and was truly a slow process, given the heat of the day. It was probably a good thing as it gave him time to breathe in his fear of heights as he swung himself across and started to unclasp the Radar Reflector off one of his lines.

"You know what?" he yelled down at me.
"What?" I responded.
"I think I'm going to use two sets of ties" he said.

Lordy.



"Can you bring me back down" he stated a little while later and so I slowly and gently lowered him back down, which allowed him to release some pent up tension in his cramped leg muscles. Have a drink of water. And get a set of stainless steel clippers from Jeff next door, who also suggested we tape the ends of the ties after we'd cut the extra bits off.

"Are you really OK with winching me back up?" he asked rather incredulously. And as I looked at all the paraphernalia needed to get him set up in the first place, I knew it was a now or never moment. "It's truly fine the way it is" he continued.

But I knew better. We're both perfectionists and knowing something isn't just quite right, well, it would bother us just knowing we could've and should've done something about it, now, while we had the chance.

"Sure, why not?" as I went back to the cockpit "I agree with Jeff though" I continued, as I reached for the Winch Handle "I would tape up the tie ends, just so the Jib doesn't rub against any rough edges".

"I don't think we really need to " the Capt'N said.

"Oookaaayyyy" I thought to myself.

And so sweat by sweaty turn of the winch handle, inch by inch, I sent him up the the mast again. Heaved himself over to the edge and clipped the double ties properly.

And when he was done, I slowly released the line and brought him back down, which is when he told me,

"You know what? I did tape up the ends, just in case"
"Glad you thought of that honey" I winked at him.

And all teasing aside, dear readers, followers and friends,



to install the Radar Reflector is why the Capt'N went Up the Mast.