Aaahhh, the push is on! Spring Break is coming.

I've decided if I cannot be on the ocean yet, the least I can do is spend more time sailing and living on the boat. That would necessitate working on the boat less. The problem is that I really love searching for bargains and updating little bits on Godspeed. In other words, I'm the guy who is always working on his sailboat but never goes sailing.

I will admit it's perhaps gotten out of hand lately. Right now I have the following project active in one way or another:

Dickinson P9000 propane heater
Stern rail propane tank mount
New propane system for the heater
Whole boat water filter
V-berth cabinet doors
New mahogany curtains rods and SS brackets
New curtains
Teak dagger mount
Raritan PH-II

Most of it is just plugging away and will probably be done by Spring Break. At that point I plan on taking Godspeed out on the lake and living on the hook for the week.

The curtain rod brackets have been the coolest find so far. I tried using brass rods and brackets, but the brackets turned out to be plated steel and the rods turned a weird blue color. So I found a gentleman who makes bits for narrowboats in England (http://www.jimsengineering.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60:brass-a-stainless-steel-curtain-rods-a-fittings-new&catid=2:chandlery&Itemid=2). He does really amazing work and I love the fact that I have added something that very few others will have on their boats.

The dagger on the bulkhead is just a fun idea that I stole from Captain Fatty Goodlander. In "Red Sea Run" he writes about collecting daggers and swords. I decided that since my friend Larry had given me a dagger from Indonesia, it would be the perfect homey addition. A few pieces of teak later and now the boat looks a little more like home or a strange clutter of junk.

The brass fire extinguisher is from an antique shop in York, England. I was trying to find something on my trip there with Susan and this just seemed like a good idea. The owner claimed it was from a British Rail train. Two years later while visiting an antique shop in Des Moines, Iowa (a trip to see Susan) I found it's twin. I'll mount that one next to the one from England as soon as I find another bracket.

Oh well, the boat keeps me off the streets and I have a great deal of fun puttering around.

Cheers,

Rick