The Wanderin’ Star now sits impatiently at the dock – she’s like me in that regard, the preparation is all done, the effort put in… let’s go! Tiamo, my little Siamese girl, is perhaps regrettably also like her (human) mother. Fast moving, wild, impatient, impetuous. It’s actually a bit terrible to have any kind of offspring, be it natural born or adopted, reflect who you are. It’s a betrayal of our innermost secrets. We can no longer hide from the truth. All our foibles, our tendencies, our weaknesses…out there, for all to see. So let’s just admit the obvious now.
I am flawed. I run too fast, sleep too little, take life in a single bound, and expect to be there NOW! The reality...and if only Bill, my light, my compass, my steadying influence, were here to keep this wild brumby in check, were here now. Ahhh…how different the world would be. How different would I be??
At this point I will defer to the Wanderin’ Star. She has taken all my energy for these past few months. Perhaps I will find some clues to my deeper self in all that. Who knows? That crazy human instinct we have, to always be looking for meaning in what we do. If we slow down long enough to hear the music in the stillness, I suspect we will find the rhythm of our soul. I’m hoping God will pick up where Bill left off, and gently reign me in, to pause on this merry-go-round to the pace of my own heart beating.
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| Pressure washing the hull |
It has been a long spring/summer to finally get the Wanderin’ Star ready for launching (first there was the trailer…sandblasting, painting, new electrics, new tires, etc, etc.). How often do we embark on a project only to find it way bigger than we ever expected! I’ve learnt some valuable lessons along the way – mainly about perseverance and staying committed to a project, discovering I can work hard for a prolonged period if the goal is strong enough!
Well, it’s pretty motivating to have a big 25ft sailboat parked in your driveway, sitting over 10 feet tall with its fixed keel on the trailer. For a good period it was fun to work on her every chance I got, a true labor of love, but the further I went, the more work evolved! Pressure washing the bottom, buffing, polishing, cleaning, sanding and staining the teak, replacing hardware, ropes, electrics, painting, gluing, overhauling the motor, repairing the sail cover, washing sails, rebuilding the rudder, rewiring the radio. The project took another turn when the crack in the side of her hull became an insurance job, and led to both fiberglass repair and a repaint of the whole hull.
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| Ray (left) kept the boat several weeks |
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| Dayle the martian sanding off the toxic bottom paint |
There comes a time when you have to put a date on all these activities and simply launch the boat. Nephew Mike and his wife Melissa coming over from Australia to spend 4th July on the lake to see the fireworks put the cap on this.
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| Dave discovered the blisters were filled with water |
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| Awesome sister Mally was willing to do anything |
After Dave’s help grinding blisters, trying to reseal windows, and Mally’s help painting the keel, there followed a seeming lifetime of hours of lonely work. But the day Mike & Melissa arrived I declared it done! Thank God!!!!
They flew in on from both London and Australia, a nice bit of combined jetlag, but were good naturedly ready to help launch the boat the very next day.
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| Jeff towed the boat and helped launch the Wanderin' Star |
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| Dave shows Mike the prize |
Friends from the Harbor Island Yacht Club generously shared their expertise to accomplish a smooth launch – with just one little hiccup. It was a chilly, overcast day, and while Commodore Dave Desforges was attaching the wind vane to the top of the mast before we stepped it (raised it) …plop! The wind vane slipped from the mount and sank to the bottom of Old Hickory Lake right at the dock. We all stared in dismay. “We didn’t come this far to lose it,” I declared, ready to take off my jacket and dive in. Last summer a storm blew the last wind vane off the mast, and I’d sorely missed it when sailing. I wasn’t about to start a new season without one.
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| Stepping the mast takes a strong crew |
Mike, my gallant Aussie nephew, wouldn’t hear of me jumping in. “I’ve got my boardies on,” he said. “I’ll go in!” He stripped down and jumped into the cold water. “Bit chilly!” he gasped, before duck diving, and coming up with a 10 ft long bar in his hand. No, not the wind vane. Try again! Several more attempts, and suddenly we noticed Dave Desforges peeling off his wet weather gear. “I know what it looks like,” he explained, secretly remembering the yacht club creed to be responsible for whatever you lose or else pay up. He dived into the murky water, and came up with the wind vane held exultantly in his hand. First time! Mike grinned sportingly. “Make a fellow feel really good!” he admitted with chagrin.
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| Mike catches supper |
Two days later the Wanderin’ Star embarked on her shake-down cruise. Sun sparkling on the water, a light breeze, and, in answer to Mike’s prayer, the fish were biting!
A catfish and striped bass found their way into the pan for supper that night. Delicious! The new mainsail, custom made by Australian sailmaker (of course!) Rolly Tasker, performed superbly, and the champagne cork was retrieved from the lake to be added to the collection in the wine barrel at home to mark this momentous occasion.
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| Mike retrieves the champagne cork |
The Wanderin’ Star is sailing again!
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| Young love |
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| Mike learns about climbing the mast |
Fourth of July she cruised the lake with her crew of nine. Memorable sunset, fireworks, laughter, friendship, and a stolen kiss (watch those Aussies!).
Here’s To Whatever Comes Next!
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