Boat Projects Fever

Newport, RI, is romancing the Burnetts at the moment.  As a city that has been a magnet for the rich for centuries, it knows how to market itself. “Here, look at my magnificent and well-protected harbor, 17-ft deep everywhere and packed with beautiful boats! Watch all of the pretty boats go out for their sunset cruise, with a new sunset every day!  Enjoy my Boat Show!  It is International!  Look at my walkable route to the grocery store, Stop n’ Shop – it’s just like Hy-Vee! Even better — it is right next to a hardware store and UPS store! Why don’t you sit in an Adirondack chair at the bar on the dinghy dock while you do your laundry at the Marine Center?  When you are done, you can dinghy a marine diesel mechanic to your boat!”

Accordingly, the Burnetts have fallen for Newport’s charms and are still here. They have attended the International Boat Show and visited Fort McAdams. They also hosted guests for a couple of nights, as Newport had wooed their friends Robert and Patty, who happened to be in town after cruising and crewing through Long Island Sound aboard the cool training ketch SV Libra. Hopefully they will be cruisers one day!

The Boat Show was productive. Mel took a class on diesel basics, mainly so she can understand what Greg is saying, and Greg took a class on fiberglass and gelcoat, returning to the boat with giant sheets of fiberglass to bang up and then practice fixing. And, of course, they bought more stuff.

Mel has learned that cruisers or sailors who take care of their own boats experience boat shows quite differently than, let’s call them, Boat CEO’s. A Boat CEO will wander the booths, find a cool gadget, buy it, and then hand off the transport, installation, and operation to the crew the CEO manages. With this system in place, the Boat CEO is free to imagine every innovation working perfectly on their boat, with minimal effort on their part.  Wandering the booths, Greg came up with a system to identify these Boat CEO’s. 1. They are actually wearing a watch. Or rings, necklaces, or anything that can get easily caught in a winch. 2. They either have no socks or sockettes on with their loafers. 3. They have sunglasses that cost more than $17.  4. They never have hats.

A cruiser, on the other hand, wanders the booths, and with each new enticing tech, has to ask themselves these questions: 1. Is the added complexity worth it? 2. Where will it fit? 3. What can I get rid of in order to fit this on my boat? 4. Can I install and maintain it myself? 5. Are spare parts readily available in the middle of nowhere? And finally, 6. Can it fit into the dinghy so I can take it back to my boat?

Despite this rigorous vetting process, Greg and Mel were seen making multiple trips to their boat with large cardboard boxes sticking out of their dinghy. And just a few days later, the contents of those boxes were spewed all over the boat.  And of course, with all of those tools floating about, “It’s a good opportunity to work on boat projects.”

So Mel has discovered a new variant of Cabin Fever.  It is called, “Boat Project Fever.” This condition arises when one has to live in confined quarters for days, surrounded by tools and storage containers that are not where they are supposed to be.  Boat Project Fever is of course worse if multiple projects are going at the same time. The treatment? Get off the boat, a least for a little bit. Fortunately, after one initiates multiple projects, there is always the need to get off the boat on a quest for an unanticipated tool, screw, part, or, especially on a boat, a specific sticky substance or paste of some kind. Can the 10 different kinds of sticky substances we already have on the boat do the trick? No, of course not. There are so many more kinds!  I mean, why do you think one of those substances is named “3M 5200?”

Another cure for Boat Project Fever? Sunsets! It is best to view them from the topsides, so you can look at all your pretty boat friends, instead of the chaos.

Erratum: Greg pointed out after publishing that it is Fort Adams, not McAdams, that we visited. I mean, we all can remember the amazing tenure of President Angus McAdams, right? Hmmmph. This is why Mel did not become a travel blogger — there are all sorts of things you have to pay attention to, like the actual names of things. Geez. Mel has chosen to leave this egregious error in to make her more relatable. I mean, people might find her intimidating after viewing the below pics showing her amazing zipper replacement skills. (They are buried in the 100 pics of Greg fixing things…hang in there and you’ll find it!)

Here’s a glimpse at our “relaxing” life these days. Expect to view photos of projects, but also sunsets. There are about 100 photos here, so hit the “Load More” button to see them all!