Stange boat fungus
21 February 2009 | La Cruz
Scott
Despite my best efforts to keep the decks clear and the boat light and clean we have succumbed to what appears to be a highly contagious tropical cruising boat disease.
There are things sprouting all over the boat that have proved very resistant to all forms of treatment.
First to show was the required dingy, securely tied to the foredeck. You gotta have a dinghy, nothing to do about that. (Someday I aspire to have the davits.) The sailing dingy mast and boom were next, stowed in a tidy bag tied to the port cabin top but recently joined by a couple of fluorescent pool noodles that add an eye catching splash of color. The dramatic use of color naturally draws the eye toward the spare propane tank tied to the deck next to the mast. I was hoping to get one of the nice marine aluminum tanks but had to settle for a big steel barbeque tank from Costco. You would hate to run out of propane in mid ocean so what to do...? The basic boat barbeque on the stern has been there so long that I would not notice it any more, except it is now nicely lit by a stylish stainless and glass solar powered garden light strapped to the stern pulpit. The slightly blue glow reflecting off the barbeque nicely illuminates the cockpit. The matching light tied to the bow pulpit comes on automatically every night and serves the dual purpose of keeping the pelicans off by day and helping us find the boat at anchor at night. These stylish chrome and crystal lawn lights, plus the collection of solar panels tied to the cabin top, was just too much of the modern stainless steel and carbon fiber look, so the bright orange and yellow plastic kayak on the side deck is a wonderfully balancing counterpoint. Our feeble immunity finally failed and this was the final stage. Apparently, at some point every cruising boat finds a kayak on the side deck suddenly and it stays until it can be surgically removed by a trained professional.
Whisper now has all of the outward symptoms and the diagnosis is "cruising boat". We have finally made it, I am so proud!