Living on the Hard-Week 1
15 September 2013 | Port Townsend, WA
Linda

Being ‘on the hard’ is boatspeak for a boat being out of the water. We are ‘on the hard’ at the Boat Haven Shipyard in Port Townsend, Washington.
Living on the hard is like camping, but 10 feet off the ground. We have a steep set of stairs leading to the cockpit. This is a huge improvement over the more typical access (which is an extension ladder). The stairs seemed pretty high the first few times I went up and down, but I’m mostly over that now (although it is still best not to look down).
For Rover’s journey across the country the mast and standing rigging all had to come down. So did the dodger, a fiberglass canopy supported by a stainless steel frame that shelters the companionway and the bimini, a stainless steel structure covered with fabric, sort of like an awning that shades the cockpit. Depending on where you’re at, the bimini helps keep off the rain (if you in the Northwest) or the sun (if your aren’t). We got them both reinstalled this week.
We have been on shore power all week which means that the refrigerator is cold, we have interior boat lights and the electrical outlets work. A giant step up from the extension cord that we used to keep our phones and computer charged.
Because we are on the hard, we can’t just sail to the pump-out station and empty the holding tank. Which means we can’t fill the holding tank. Which means we are a dry boat (which in this case doesn’t mean no alcohol, it means no water). Luckily the port-a-potty is nearby and the shore heads (boatspeak for bathrooms on land) are only a short hike away. There are showers at the marina bathrooms (25 cents will get you a minute and a half).
I have catalogued most of the little nooks and crannies (behind settee cushions, under mattresses, below the sole (boatspeak for floor). I gave each space a name that I hoped would indicate its location so it would be easy to tell someone where to find something. I read over my list a couple days ago and have no idea what I meant by the location names I used.
Our son Ben stopped by to see the boat on his way to visit the Wooden Boat Show and go camping with friends on the Olympic Peninsula. Our son Teddy came down to Port Townsend to help the Hawaiian Chieftain with some big maintenance projects and got to see the boat. Our son Dan rode his bike out to Port Townsend from Seattle and also got to see the boat. Our daughter Katy was in Seattle a month ago, but the boat hadn’t arrived yet, so she is still waiting to see it. Maybe by the time she gets back to Seattle, the boat will be in the water.
The breakfast place of choice is the Marina Café where Jennifer’s muffins come piping hot out of the oven at about 8:00. She fills them with whatever fresh fruit she has gathered (usually that very morning) from her yard and garden. The choices this week have included blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, apple and Asian pear.
Life is good.