After All …

In New Mexico, if you ever make plans based on the weather, you plan to change your plans.

We did go south Sunday ... we retrieved Syzygy from the State Parks parking lot, where we had left her in readiness to be committee boat for the regatta that didn't happen.

Then we went further south to El Paso, where we visited with Zorro and his cats. It was much too short of a visit, but I hope we'll be seeing more of him soon, since we've commissioned him to work on the new Etchells we’ve acquired. We delivered Christmas presents that had been waiting – a bottle of the wine that Zorro had enjoyed the last time he visited us, and some cat treats for the pride that occupies his house, and a special gift of duck-based cat food for one cat who seems to have digestive problems similar to Tres’ problems.

We also visited with Dino and Sister Rosebia. Our new Etchells is currently at Dino’s house, and he showed us some of the work that needs doing. It’s mostly cosmetic, but there’s a lot of sanding involved before we even get near to the idea of painting. Previous owners of the boat haven’t necessarily been all that knowledgeable about how to maintain it. But then, that sort of thing goes with the territory when one buys a boat for a price that’s considerably lower than what the boat is worth. We got Black Magic for probably about a tenth of what she was worth, and this new Etchells is a similar deal – in this case, we’re hoping to refurbish the boat, probably putting in another two tenths, and then sell it to someone who will keep it in New Mexico, West Texas, or Colorado, to help to build Etchells Fleet 31. Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of work, but we’re up to it, and we’re going to pay Zorro to help us with it.

We do still need to do a bit more work on Black Magic’s boom, attaching the outhaul to the new end plate that fits the super-heavy-duty pin in the new gooseneck fitting. We also need to work on the bilge pump, either repairing a rip in the diaphragm or putting in a new diaphragm. That project has been challenging, since it’s hard to track down parts for a pump that wasn’t used in very many boats, and, as far as I can tell, hasn’t been used in any boat for at least 30 years. At this point, I’m thinking of getting some sheet rubber and seeing what I can do with it.

Ah, boats. Yep, a boat is a hole in the water into which one throws money.