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Making progress
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Inside paneling
[singlepic id=72 w=320 h=240 float=left]Finding some inside work to do during these mid-90s temps.
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Bad-ass lizard
[singlepic id=64 w=320 h=240 float=left]I have seen this guy before around here. He thinks he is a Komodo dragon.
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The Roof
[singlepic id=74 w=320 h=240 float=left]I picked up the metal roof and took a couple of days to install it. It brought the project out from under the tarps and the rain is falling on it as I type. With this complete I moved on to insulation and am half way through that mess. The high last week was 105 and the air conditioner was drying the air but the temps inside were in the 90’s.
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Peachtree windows
[singlepic id=77 w=320 h=240 float=left]The windows are in and that is a welcome thing. I am eaten up with insect bites. They were here long before I got here and seem determined to fight for their territory. This is the European wasp.
They are huge but docile away from the nest. -
Kitchen area
[singlepic id=62 w=320 h=240 float=left]The sink will back on the right and some kind of propane stovetop on the left.
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The bathroom
[singlepic id=53 w=320 h=240 float=left]This tent houses a homebuilt Lovable Loo from the Humanure people. Jeff composts the collections down at the big house.
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The Loft
Yesterday I framed and put down a subfloor in the loft space. It turned out about 7-1/2 feet square so plenty of room for a bed. I slept there last night with a screen in the window opening. Sunrise looking down in the woods was very nice. My computer is up here too but there isn’t sufficient headroom for a chair.
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Slept in the storage building/house
The rain was pooling near the edge of the tarp roof so I had to poke the water out with a boathook every few minutes. This went on until after midnight.
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Drafty
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Why so ugly?
Because I wanted to build it so it could be moved down the highway or at least have that option. This limits you to 13’6″ in height and 8’6″ wide. Most of these are built on trailer frames. I thought I would too but the $3500 price tag needed to be spent building the place first. I did build it on skids so a rollback has a chance to load it. The width restriction is what makes designing tough. A 10×15 footprint is easier to layout and having 18″ eaves looks so much better than none.
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Getting a roof system
[singlepic id=73 w=320 h=240 float=left]The screenhouse is necessary if you want to turn a light on after dark. Every flying insect in the county heads this direction.
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The Building
I guess I need to build something. I looked at some trailers and searched a bunch of other ideas but it came to this building. It will be a little bigger than the average storage building. I am typing from the foundation now but it is dark and the bugs are attacking the light I have clipped above me.
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South Carolina
[singlepic id=157 w=320 h=240 float=left]I am camping in the woods for now while I work on a new plan. I had an invitation to sail in Charleston Race Week but I didn’t hear about it soon enough. It looks like the weather is going to be really bad with rain all day Saturday.
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Progress at last
Moved off the boat tonight to be prepared for some painting tomorrow. A few places need to be filled where plumbing was rerouted and there is some minor flaking that needs to be fixed. There is hot and cold running water to the galley sink now that will take some time to get used to. Life in the boatyard is something that has to be seen to appreciate. People work on their boats at all hours and you may have to wait for someone in the shower at 5am and 11pm. One big family.
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Another stuff run
[singlepic id=80 w=320 h=240 float=left]Thank you Jim for the ride back to Oriental. It took about a week to pick up the truck and car and empty the storage unit. One trailer load went to South Carolina and the rest is here in Green Cove Springs. Every time it is moved the size gets a little smaller. Check out this link to a portable homeless shelter.
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Green Cove Springs
The boat is blocked up safely up the St. Johns River in Green Cove Springs Marina. There are many boats on the hard and this is one busy place. Liveaboards from all over North America with a real communal feel sharing common goals. It is good to follow daily tasks with plenty of rest.
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Jacksonville
[singlepic id=60 w=320 h=240 float=left]Didn’t leave St. Augustine until 9:30am but did 53 miles and arrived just before dark. The customs boat was the first to greet us. Two men offered to catch our lines. The younger one pulled the bow in and cleated it with us still moving so there is a gouge in the topsides now. He is the mate on one of the water taxis. Wow! At 1:30 in the morning a boat wake bounced us against the dock. A few minutes later there was a loud knocking on deck that turned out to be the Coast Guard. They were looking for a 22′ cuddy cabin and that maybe a 37′ sailboat could be disguised as one. Boy was I pissed. I envisioned them in school being shown a picture with the teacher asking “sailboat or powerboat?” I know they are just kids and I really liked the crew that boarded me in Charleston.
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On the erode again
We have been creamed a couple of times by poorly skippered power boats. One fairly big yacht went between us and another boat with huge wake trailing behind. The other victim rolled around as bad as we did and I hope he got the name off the transom. The erosion caused by these guys is a shame. After hearing Will Pearsall play last night we resumed progress north and put in a 57 mile day and are now tied up in Jacksonville.
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The perfect storm
I don’t feel terrific. Not too bad but enough of a concern that we decided to play it safe. Marina fees are getting higher as we move south and we would have to pay them if I had to leave the boat for medical reasons. The only answer was to get to the St. John’s River and that became the target even if it meant turning north. A big front passed through right as the anchor was coming up. The temperature plummeted and a driving rain removed the shore from view. Sure we should have waited but the anchorage doesn’t allow much protection. One causeway away was a little island and we anchored until things calmed down. All day was cold and wet only to rock and roll the night away in the unprotected anchorage that Titusville offers. Now we are just shy of Daytona and watching a great show put on by a family of dolphins with the young ones jumping clear out of the water.
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