Skip to main content

Inspection and Load Test

Image
By



Good morning everyone. Sorry for the lapse these past few mornings. We passed our Coast Guard inspection with flying colors. The inspector remarked how well organized everything was and how beautiful the boat looked. Our homework these past few months paid off. The crew did a very good job demonstrating the new pumps. We will perform underway drills with the Coast Guard aboard sometime in the next few weeks.

With inspection done by early Monday afternoon we welcomed aboard our first guests, Sawyers classmates and their parents, for an overnight dockside adventure. What better load test for the schooner than a group of first graders. Some of you may well have felt the tremor in the noosphere. Excited is the word we parents use to convince ourselves that we have some control over the barely contained mayhem in front of us and that it really is not as bad as it looks. And we were worried about the Coast Guard. The kids had a blast, the parents and teacher got exhausted and the schooner survived with nary a scratch in the paint. The next morning we cooked blueberry pancakes on the wood stove and gave the kids a chance to climb in the rig. Little kids have no fear. Parents only fear little kids.

So we are putting the finishing touches on the schooner and there are a million details left, food to stow, wood for the cook stove, a few lines we need to re-lead, the jib topsail to bend on. The projects are never ending aboard any boat and we have all summer to pick away at them. By fall we should have the boat ready to put to bed.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Comments

Unknown said…
I think it's just great the way you give to the community. My Granddaughter would be overjoyed, over-awed, over-excited, over-something at the opportunity to spend a night on a ship (I'm not sure she knows what a schooner is just yet. She's only 6 and lives in Huntsville, Alabama where there are no schooners but there are space ships.) I'm glad to see you finally got "Mary Day" on the transom correctly. Did I spy a new addition to the wheel?
May 24, 2007 at 3:31 PM
Chris Cobourn said…
The first grade class, and parents as well, had a great night and morning on the Mary Day, it was a great experience for all, and I know that the children will remember it for a long time! It was also good for me to get the know the other parents more, and it was a great binding experience for all. I know I speak for all when I say thanks to Jen and Barry for sharing their "summer home" with us! And the Mary Day is absolutley beautiful, you can clearly see that a good deal of hard work, craftsmanship, and love, has gone in to the ship!
May 25, 2007 at 5:51 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hail Mary

By
My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui...
28 comments
Read more

Swimming Anyone?

By
Good morning everyone. Winter is still here in New England though it seems to be taking a rest these days. We have enjoyed a little bit of a thaw. We still have snow covering our field but it is thinning out in the sunny patches. Mary Day rests comfortably in the harbor, bilges dry, cover intact, waiting for the crew to return. Another busy week has passed so I will get you up to speed on everything that is happening here at the global headquarters. Jen is putting the finishing touches on year end taxes. Blockfest 2008 is finally finished. The blocks have received quite the massaging. And while we have the off-white paint out we are starting in on the lifeline stanchions, the davits, and a few other miscellaneous parts. Alex asked me last night how we were doing with our pace. We are doing great but in the back of my mind I know that there is never enough time to do it all. Having perfectionist tendencies is a curse. I want to do it all and know we will never have enough time. There se...
6 comments
Read more

Black Dots Make Me Smile

By
Good morning everyone. Happy Ground Hogs Day to all. If today’s forecast comes true folklore tells us we will see an early spring here in our neighborhood. What does the groundhog say about your weather forecast? We start a new month, albeit a short one but a month in which we gain an emotionally crucial 1 hour and 13 minutes of light. By months end the sunrise will be at 0620, a full 37 minutes ahead of this morning. Jen and I were shocked how light it was so early yesterday even though it was overcast. So while the weather is one thing we spend much time talking about the light is what really makes the psychic difference here. One of the things you will find me talking about in blogs, especially in summer, is seals. We have more lousy, unfocused pictures of little black dots on the ledges and every one of them makes me smile. Each picture reminds us how delighted we are to see seals. Harbor seals (phoca vitulina) are the most common seal here in Maine and their numbers have gr...
6 comments
Read more