Our pallet, shipped from Seattle by barge, arrived this morning; everything in great shape -- 350 pounds for $70! Downside is it's insured for only $0.60 cents a pound.

We thought we were going with "Scupper" for the new pup -- nautical and cute without being cutesy; but the pup seems to have other ideas -- he is simply a misbehaving little rascal.

Poor Rusty; Rascal has no respect for his seniority regards toys, food, space or attention from mom & dad, and Rascal is relentless!  Rusty tells him "back off" and the pup simply re-doubles his efforts to annoy the bejesus out of him. 

This will take time. The boy is also a runner; if he's off leash (as we're able to do in the big boatyard) and you call to him, he looks, then runs the other way. Time for the long lead and some recall training. 

It's been raining on & off today, but we've still got work under the boat to get ready for launch tomorrow or the next day. Finished off the anti-fouling touch-ups and almost done with re-assembly of the bow-thruster. Still working to get the epoxy off one of the transducer (sounder module) faces -- I know it was taped off at one point, but in the very cold temps last Feb, the tape may have fallen off. Anyway because it was raining, we left the boys -- Rusty & Acorn/Radar/Scupper/Rascal in the boat (after their morning run / pottybreak). Coming back into the boat for tools Dot found the stuffing torn out of Rusty's bed and a big piss spot next to it... sigh.  

Regards getting the boys on and off the boat, we use one of their crates as an elevator to lift (or lower) them, one at a time, the 15' or so between the ground and the swimstep. Dorothy gets stuck with the bulk of the line hauling as I've only got the one functional arm at the moment. Rusty's very good about getting into the crate for the elevator ride; Rascal not so much yet. 

Loads of activity around the fish boats, getting ready for the season -- welding, paint, zincs, etc. We've enjoyed meeting and talking with the fishing folk -- helpful, hardworking people (like most people are). They have pretty unique lives (from an outsider's point of view); although it probably seems routine to them.  

More tomorrow