Note: I was going to put some funny title up there, but gave up because it didn’t sound right.  So, I’ll start this with a song for you….

I’m on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I’m on the highway to hell

AC/DC

Day 16:  New York.  If anywhere in the world can be described (besides Canning Highway in Australia where AC/DC takes the nightly road trip to the pub at the end of the road) it could be ANYWHERE in New York.

New York drivers are the most aggressive, horn blowing, tailgating, cut-you-offers I’ve ever had the pleasure of not-quite coming into contact with. Thus far anyway.  That is the “coming into contact” with part.

On the other hand, the folks in the local pubs, stores and the marinas are some of the most congenial, nicest, kindest people you’d ever want to meet.

I can’t quite reconcile the differences between the two because I KNOW for a FACT that those nice, gentle, helpful smiling people turn into road rage warriors  and screaming, name-calling Hell Spawn the instant their foot touches the gas pedal in a gasoline or diesel, four-wheeled or two-wheeled road vehicle.  I’ve not yet had the pleasure of encountering then in a boat….

However, on land I’ve been cut off, tail gated, yelled at, honked at, flipped off, passed on blind curves, passed by people in the wrong lane, wrong side, and people coming at me from the other direction with their wheels and three quarters of their vehicle where I should be!   Holy crap, I can NOT WAIT to get out of New York or at least stop driving here. haha

On the other hand, almost everyone we’ve met with a couple of limited exceptions have been nice as pie to us.  Some wanted to hear our stories or tell us theirs.  The waiters and waitresses in eating establishments, in particular Applebies have been very nice, even sweet to us.

I’m thinking of writing a new book.  I think I’ll call it “Escape from New York” minus Snake Plisskin…

We’re easily more than two weeks away from sail date.  I might have to extend the hotel stay…. ack!

We’re staying 20 miles from the marina, the hotels closer are pretty bad.  The boat is missing its batteries.  The running rigging is all hosed up, I need to figure out the winch for the anchors, and do some minor sail repair.  We have so much junk that we’re never going to get it on the boat and if we do we will be on the next episode of “Boat Hoarders Goes Redneck in New York”.

We went through the locker and stuff that the former owner left for us/  There were hundreds of items.  More than we will ever be able to put on the boat.  However, JoAnne came up with a plan to use the settee area for storage of pots and pans and bigger kitchen items in the forward seat, and all the nuts, bolts and engine parts (among other boat parts) in the forward set locker).  It’s good because it works well.  There are small spaces under the seat on the port side both forward and aft with a large tank in the middle (I have to crawl under to work out which tanks are which and I’ve not had the chance to do that yet, but I think it is a water tank).

In those areas we can store a small amount so I’ll put things we rarely need in there, and she can use her end for kitchen items we hardly use.

Yesterday we managed to spend somewhere upwards of 6000 dollars.  Batteries, rope for rigging (two kinds, 1/2″ and 3/8″), a lot of smaller items, a pig tail power connector, a dinghy and of course an engine for the dinghy.

We didn’t buy a “cheap” dinghy, we got one that should last a couple (or few) years in the Caribbean Sun Shine.  Made of hapalon, it’s a RIB-310.  But know it wasn’t the most expensive one either.  And it was an inflatable, not a hard sided sailing dinghy like I really wanted.  We just need a dinghy, and this will do the job.  We’ll get our sailing dinghy along the way, or I’ll build one eventually.

We also bought a different kind of engine.  I’m not sure how it will work out though.  It’s a 5 hp engine, and runs on propane. Yep, propane. I joined the Green Crowd yesterday.  Don’t ask me why. Some reviews were bad on it, but we learned something about the engine – that you have to bleed the air from the lines after you connect your tanks, or the engine doesn’t run well.  I’ll reserve judgement.  The tanks are the small grill tanks you can buy at Walmart (or anywhere).  There is an adaptor to connect it to a regular propane tank though.  Again, I’ll reserve judgement for the time being.

On the bright side, we’re well under our projected “Refit Budget” bu a few thousand bucks.  Now, it’s just a crap load of work.  I probably should count the hotel bill into “refit”……

We are looking at extending at the hotel until next Saturday because the majority of our parts won’t be in until this coming Thursday, 6 August.  We’re NOT sure of the batteries, but if they get in Tuesday we could move aboard Wednesday evening or Thursday.  I don’t want to move us aboard until I have the battery system back in and rewired up.

We do have a power pigtail we needed at this marina.  One of the mechanics, Erick was nice enough to Frankenstein one together for me and lend it to us for the time being.  He said he needed one for his boat and would lend it to me until mine comes in.  Thanks Eric!

I’ll rectify the problem when my part comes in (yuk yuk – that’s an electrical joke, but 90% of you won’t get it, lol)

I’ve got one halyard that is completely toast.  The outer braid came apart due to, I’m sure, chafe at the sheave at the head of the main mast.  It’s all wrinkled and fallen down on both sides.  I need to change it soon, so I don’t have to climb up there.  I’ve got to check the lighting up there too, so if they are out, I can get someone ELSE to climb up there. lol

Other running rigging is all messed up because a lot of it puddled water around the lines and caused algae to grow, not to mention most of it has been in the sun so long it’s got UV damage.  So I bought several hundred feet of each type of line so I can replace the various lines.

Now, on to the Marina.  They’ve changed names at least three times that I can determine and possibly that many in a couple of years.  The current manager is not the guy I’ve been talking to on the phone the past few months, but a new one.

Old owner is still there.

Then I find out the entire staff has changed out.

The boat was put here, I assume because it was cheaper to store on the hard than anywhere else.  I still find that difficult to believe after paying my yard bill….

The old manager was very nice, is a sailor and seemed to know sailboats, but he apparently has cancer and isn’t managing any more. though I understand he is still here at the docks on his boat.  I wish him well.

The marina itself lost 70 plus slips and boats during Sandy.  And I suspect it really screwed up the water depths here.  I’m sitting in a seven foot deep slip at the moment, during high tide.  The keel is 6’1”. So, we settle into the mud every time it is low tide.

I have been checking the dock lines and my other lines I’ve tied off to prevent the boat from leaning very far over.  I’ll probably need to swap out my dock lines in a day or so, or add some more to prevent chaffing of the lines.  The water is 3-4 feet deep at low tide and I can see the prop.

Which brings me to my next gripe.  When the old marina manager was there, he said they’d take care of the zincs, put it on my yard bill, along with the paint job, boot stripe (which I really, really wish I’d NOT done) and nothing was accomplsihed until a few days before I arrive.  A boot stripe was put on, up on the cabin….. didn’t really need it on the hull, lol.

The paint was slapped on, the intakes were gooped up with paint and none of the zincs were changed.

When they DID change the zincs it was ten minutes before splash, and they only did the two on the back of the boat.  They didn’t replace the prop zinc.  Me, being a non-expert on sailboats (yet) I asked “Where’s the shaft zinc”.

“Ain’t one”, I was told.

“I know there ain’t one, where is it?”

“Ain’t there, no place to mount one….”

They mount around the shaft like a doughnut, I didn’t know that at the time.  Figured it out later.

On the bright side, the boat is sitting in 3 feet of water at low tide, I’ve got a dinghy on the way and I can paddle my little butt around the back of the boat, install the zinc myself by putting my forearms into the water…. so I guess I’ll add that to the list of jobs.

Oh, the best part of the marina came today.  It was 70-72 degrees this morning, tide coming in making it easy to get on the boat, so we drove there.  Gates were closed at 8:30 AM.  Hmmmmm  I didn’t have a code.

I do now.  They didn’t think to give it to me…..

Tomorrow is Monday.  Won’t be a lot of people in the marina tomorrow.  Everyone went home tonight (or is leaving in the morning).  I’ll have my choice of parking spots close to the dock that goes out to my slip. If all goes well, I’ll pull the chain in the morning, determine if I need to order any and get my call into West Maine (only place in the area I can find so far) for 300 feet of chain (if I need it) or clean what I have and put it all back.  Sure wish I had some muscle guys to help me with this part…. but oh well.  30 links at a time (lifting) won’t be bad, it’s the dragging through the boat and on deck that make me cringe. lol

Ok, I think that’s the update for today.  We ate at Lynchs pub for lunch (late, 3 O’Clock-ish) and found it to be nice in the pub part, but appeared a bit dressy for the dining area.

Last part of the update.

Wednesday is 5 August.  I turn 58.  We will be married 38 years on that day.  My eldest son turns 37.  So, Happy Birthday to him, and a Very, VERY happy anniversary to my darling bride, JoAnne.

We are also meeting the former owner that evening to chat with him and have a drink, probably at Lynch’s..