This story turned into a small series, Have Boat Will Travel. This is part one, Underway, in the series. I was only going to write one blog. But it turned out to be almost 3,000 words or more. So, this story is written and will be released once a week throughout January. I hope you enjoy it!
January 14, 2013
Ho Hey- Song by the Lumineers Lyrics by Wesley Shultz & Jeremy Fraites
My boating skills have improved since I purchased the seacraft for my boys. It's quickly becoming our getaway from the reality of life we have endured over the past year. We are also discovering that the boat helps them cope with the loss of their mom. It truly is the best therapy for all of us.
When I write that my boating skills have improved, I genuinely mean it. I have gotten better in every aspect of seamanship. Being a "Coastie" from the Coast Guard, I am used to getting underway. A nautical term used while I served and is still used today by sailors worldwide is shipping off after preparing your vessel for launch.
If you recall, when I first got the boat, my oldest son Nico (age 4) got his finger caught up in the boat winch. The winch is mounted to the trailer, and a long tether is used as a pulley that connects to a small eye hook bolted to the boat's hull, and a latch attaches to it. I then crank the cable and retrieve the boat from the water onto the V-shaped aluminum frame for transport. It was a terrible incident, and it is something that I will never forget.
The boat has served its purpose, though, like I said, since I purchased it back in the early days of September 2012. It comforts us when our days seem sad. And take her out as our entertainment when there is nothing else to do on a lazy weekend. Suitable for a bit of enjoyment.
The boat offers us the best of both worlds, too. It has comfortable back and front seating for days when you want to kick back, relax, and simply cruise. A center console where all the functions of the boat are mounted allows for open-water fishing. The boys and I have been using it for cruising only up to this point of ownership. However, fishing is on the list.
The biggest stress of owning a boat is towing it back and forth from the confines of our driveway to the sloped boat ramp, and vice versa. Before heading out for the short drive to the ocean, I ensure she is seaworthy. I go over her like a skilled pilot does before he or she takes off in an airplane. And it takes a lot of preparation, splashed with time, mixed with patience and excitement drowned in misery.
I connect a Trickle Charger to the batteries of the boat the night before to make sure the dual batteries won't fail me when I start her up the following day or die while we are in the ocean, leaving us to float on a sea of despair, only to hope, for a miracle to find us and scoop us out from the vast sea.
And when that following day does come, and it is time to get underway, the real work begins, and there is no pay in it, just blood, sweat, and tears.
I gently pull the boat out from her resting spot, where she is comfortably nestled in the upper portion of my large driveway. I don't have a cover yet, so dirt accumulates inside her from the dirt and surrounding trees around where she sits in my driveway. I grab the garden hose, spray her with water, and push all the dirt that has landed on her flat surfaces out of the back drainage ports.
I then go over the electronics to make sure they have functionality. I turn on and test the emergency CB radio. I look at the navigation system to make sure it's, well, navigating. I turn on the radio and listen to music:
"Ho! Hey! Ho! Hey!... I've been trying to do it right. I've been living a lonely life. I've been sleepin' here instead. I've been sleepin' in my bed...
As the music plays, I check all the running lights and other nautical lights required by law to ensure the incandescent light filament is heating up. Once the electronics work, it is time to test the engine.
... I've been sleepin' my bed. So show me your family. All the blood that I will bleed. I need to find out where I belong. I am trying to figure out where I went wrong. But I can write a song..."
I hook up this device that looks like "earmuffs" to the rear of the engine. The "earmuffs" are connected to the water hose so that the engine is fed water as I start the motor and allow it to warm up. Don't worry; the engine is in neutral so that the propeller doesn't spin while the outboard engine is running. The prop doesn't rotate.
I then make sure the life vests are where they should be. I check for the flare gun and air horn to verify they're in their proper place.
Once I'm done going over everything mechanically and electronically necessary, and I feel she is in tip-top shape and ready for her voyage with her precious cargo, I load her up with life-sustaining provisions and seating.
After each use of the boat, I thoroughly cleaned her to remove the damaging salt water that had covered her fiberglass and keep the boat looking new. I prevent the sun and the Florida heat from continuing the damage on her insides, so after she is clean, I remove the seats that mount to the base of pedestals fastened to the boat deck. I then moved to the bow's forward cushions, pulled off the white vinyl covers from their button snaps, and stowed them away.
When it's finally ready to use again, I do the opposite and place the cushions back over the snaps affixed to the boat's fiberglass. I slide my finger under the cushion, feel for the metallic raised button, and gently lock her into place. I grab the rear captain seats and slide them over the mounting brackets. I then turn the comfortable handle and tighten it snugly into place. I filled the coolers with food and drinks, and after about an hour of preparing her, she was finally ready for the launch.
I wipe the sweat from my brow, clean the tears from my eyes that the salt from my sweating skin had drawn out, and clean any blood from the nicks on top of my skin caused by the preparation to get that boat ready.
I grab the boys, and we head out with our boat for some fun in the sun and get underway.
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