Log 12 - Rainy Days
At about 5:30 this morning Pee Wee, "The Black & White Sailing Foster Cat" came jumping into the Vee-berth. He immediately started to burrow under the covers next to me. Of course all this commotion woke up Robin. I said, "a storm must be coming, Pee Wee is hiding!"
About 5 minutes later we could hear the rumble of thunder in the distance and see flashes of lightning. Next the rain kicked in and it was VERY HEAVY. There's nothing like lying under a nice warm quilt and hearing the sound of rain on the cabin top.
The sound of rain was so peaceful that we slept in until 10:00. Now considering the fact that Robin went to bed at 9:00 PM, she must have set some sort of record for sleeping on a boat. Our run from Cheboygan to St. James Harbour yesterday was long, so I guess we will let here have this one.
We just finished "breakfast" (OK, brunch since it's noon). I made a couple of my soon to be famous "Cojac & Cream Cheese Veggie Omelets and a pot of Starbucks coffee. Yup! Life is tough aboard this boat.
Now it's time to work. A rain day gives you a chance to catch up on all those little projects you've been putting off.
Actually one of the projects isn't that small. I mentioned that our rudderpost is leaking and still isn't fixed. Can't find a wrench big enough, it's only a noticeable problem on a port tack (but then that's the tack we are usually on) and then the water runs along the cabin floor, and it's only about a gallon every 6 hours. Is that enough excuses?
Anyway, our electric bilge pump has decided to stop working. A leaky post and a sick pump aren’t a great combination. The manual pump in the cockpit won't pump water until there are 3 or 4 gallons in the bilge (that's a problem for later).
Our solution has been to use the dingy bilge pump and pump the water into a bucket. Robin then dumps the bucket into the sink. Fun stuff, but Robin doesn't think that this is fun anymore. Guess I'll fix the pump or at least try to.
So off to work! No RUM for Russ till the work is done! ;-(
Three Hours Later:
Success!
I took the pump a part, cleaned everything, tightened every thing, and reinstalled it. IT WORKS! We also cleaned all our strainers in the water lines and I got Robin's reading light to work in the Vee Berth!
Wow! Busy day! Now I can drink RUM!
God I hate rainy days! Oh, it stopped raining too. Tomorrow we head for Charlevoix.
R&R