Skip to main content

Sweet Success

Image
By

Good morning everyone. Well with a little patience and perserverance at least one yawl boat trailer has been put back to rights. I pulled out "Chadwick's" trailer yesterday to discover yet another set of sprung springs. Thankfully the trailer parts store had those in stock. So after changing mooring lines in the morning on the bottom of the tide, with the help of the harbor master, I ran off to get the new springs. I remembered all the parts I would need and drove home quick as a wink.

How hard can this be I thought. I was about to find out. My cutting torch made quick work of the old rusty nuts and bolts. The new springs slid right into place. I quickly began bolting... oh boo! The new heavier springs were just a half inch thicker than the old ones which meant the u-bolts which hold the entire assembly to the trailer were a half inch too short. The joke is "but only on one end." I managed to attach the trailer to the axle well enough to get back to the trailer supply store a half hour from my house. Surely they would have what I needed and I would make high tide with minutes to spare. Not so much... The u-bolts they gave me were the longest made. I just sat down on the trailer and cried for a minute. The manager suggested wrapping some pre-threaded rod around the axle and making my own u-bolts. And that is just what I did. I had gone this far through the day without throwing a tool. Why start now?

I was like a man possessed. The hardware store had just what I needed. I drove the trailer down to the park and lay in the driveway and bent steel like Superman. Old bolts off...new bolts on...nutted... torqued...etc. Ready to roll. Working together Jen and I managed to get Chadwick hauled on the top of the tide. A run through the pressure washer on the way home and under cover by dark. Sometimes it does all click. Sometimes. Thank goodness.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

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