I love the smell of Starbucks in the morning...

I love the smell of Starbucks in the morning... smells like coffee.

Bash Starbucks all you want but I happen to like the wide expansive tables, the cushy sofa chairs, the air-conditioning, the free Wi-Fi, the electrical outlets, the relaxing music and of course the coffee.

I never bother with the foo-foo coffees. I like my coffee hot, sweet, and black... just like I imagine to like my women. Ooopps, I didn't mean to say that. Nevertheless, its the usual tall, bold coffee for me with three packets of raw sugar. Yes, raw is indeed good.

Yesterday was spent shaking out my anchor rodes, chains, and spare sails. I've got enough line to tie off a couple of cruise ships and barges. I made it a point to crawl down beneath the lazarette in the cockpit and pull out a bunch of surplus miscellaneous outboard gasoline tubing and crap. I certainly don't want any of that gear getting intertwined with my anchor rode at the least opportune moment.

Memo to self: Purchase some canvas and mesh bags as well as some large milk crates for the anchor rode.

The previous owner wasn't kidding when he commented that he had blown out his 110 jib off the coast of North Carolina at some point. After hauling that jib off the boat and spreading it out onto the pavement, I found it to be beyond repair to say the least. It was torn in multiple places. Perhaps I can construct a wind-scoop out of some of the remaining canvas at some point.

Thinking about the previous owner brings to mind a personal experience of his while docked at a marina somewhere in the Chesapeake. He had gotten up around four in the morning to relieve his bladder and check his dock lines when he heard what he thought was a feint cry for help. He called out to his wife who was down below sleeping to ask if it was she who had said something. Once again he hears a feint cry for help off in the distance and he proceeds to call out, "who's asking for help?"

With yet another plea for help he sprints down a number of piers at the secluded and dark marina and finds a would-be fisherman clinging onto one of the pylons for dear life... now hypothermic and exhausted and too weak to pull himself up out of the water. He had evidently slipped off the dock while attempting to get an early start on his fishing.

Yes Brian, there is indeed someone out there that will forever feel indebted to you for saving his life.

Not that anybody gives a rat's ass, but dinner last night was a package of Ramen Chicken noodles mixed in along with a tin of Tuna in oil. It was surprisingly tasty and satisfying.

Arrggg... still not ready to set sail.

Whoever thought that wiring a sailboat could be so problematic? I've got so many wires coming and going that I can't figure out which way is up. I've enlisted to have someone come on out to the boat to see if I'm overlooking a simple fix.

I've had a random thought to simply purchase solar powered running lights. Surely someone has already thought of it... simply clip on the running lights to the bow pulpit and clip on a light to the stern. That should comply with safety regulations while underway at in the evenings. What the heck... I seldom ever sailed at night while previously living aboard my Morgan 35'.

I'm missing a decent bimini. The sun at mid-day can be brutal. At least I salvaged all of my white long sleeve dress shirts from the storage unit back in Dallas. Long sleeve shirts are a must while sailing in the brutal sun. I'm quite certain that none of these shirts will ever see the light of day within the confines of an office cubicle again.

Dinner last evening, not that anyone gives a flip, was a package of cream sauce noodles with a tin of salmon mixed in. The package of noodles called for some butter and milk which of course was nowhere to be found onboard, but the olive oil made for a decent substitute. This meal was a winner... I'll stock up on some more tins of salmon and packages of cream sauce noodles.

My evening consisted of downing a few cold ones at a local neighborhood bar and yearning for the companionship of a certain exceedingly attractive patron who happened to be with her boyfriend yet nevertheless kept checking me out. Damned she was hot.

Spaghetti onboard the boat!

Spaghetti.. and I'm not talking about pasta either. I'm talking about 12gauge wiring all intertwined and slithering together throughout the boat in one endless moment of confusion and ecstacy... I'm talking about wiring spliced up in more than one place with multiple connections not knowing where the next jolt of current is coming from.

One way to dispel any and all apprehension one may have of a vessel, is to slowly and purposefully carress each component and then methodically disassemble each part piece by piece and then rythmically work it all back together again while ensuring that everything performs as intended... and so it happened this morning after a good pot of strong coffee, that I took a large screwdriver with a wide tip and unscrewed the electrical panel. Behind this panel was a tight-fitting box with all the wiring of the boat coming together in one complicated mass of confusion.

I worked up one hell of a sweat trying to sort out all the wiring. The one big climactic moment of completion will have to wait a few more days until after I purchase and install a new electrical panel box and start working it again.

Quite possibly I haven't sorted out the wiring yet because I've got something other on the brain.

Getting the gear stowed away...

Made my first pot of coffee for the first time in some six weeks since leaving Dallas... too bad the coffee maker couldn't run on DC current after plugging it into the inverter... had to cart the thing up to the marina offices and plug it into one of the outdoor AC outlets. The effort was nevertheless worth it. Especially since I didn't have to go chase a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

It was nice and relaxing to be able to sip on some coffee while seated in the cockpit contemplating the early morning.

I later got busy sorting through all the stuff I had retrieved from the storage unit back in Ennis. I got motivated once I put on some Bob Marley and UB40 tunes. The tote boxes are worth their weight in gold... pots and pans, canned goods, cleaning items, tools each have their own tote box to go into. Nope... there won't be any cans of rolling about in the bilge if I can help it. I even have a small tote box set aside for my cell phone, wallet, watch and car keys so that they are all in one place.

Drove to good ol' Walmart up in North Fort Myers and purchased a sundry of pantry items... stuff one buys once in a blue moon... olive oil, red wine vinegar, hot sauce, powdered lemonade, dry pasta and beans, rice, seasonings etc. ... couln't find powdered milk in packets.

It's time to get serious about the hardware on the boat... tomorrow will be a good time to perform a thorough inspection of all the wiring... a cursory look shows just too many splices in the wiring throughout the boat. I also need to check out the alcohol stove and make sure that it works. It's way past time that I start cooking my own meals.