Wednesday, 24 June 2015 - I had hoped to get out on the water again today, but it wasn't to be. Very little wind and other things needed to be done by Rick & Gay. Also, I think I gummed up the works a bit because I received a bill from a company for $495 to handle the current processing of the registration of the boat. That seemed awfully high to me for doing the paperwork, so I looked into it and found that the actual fees will be about $100 or so, so I told them "No, I'll do it myself." They tried really hard to convince me that I'll wish I'd had them do it...and I may. Their convincing arguments bordered on coercion and I absolutely HATE being told I HAVE to do something. I never HAVE TO do anything...but sometimes I do regret not doing things that have been "strong suggested"!

Thursday, 25 June - Rick George's birthday, so he wasn't about to come to the boat for work or play, so I spent much of the day getting three pieces of paperwork faxed to me, signed, and mailed to the broker's office in Saratoga so the closing on the boat could be finished Friday. It turned out that there wasn't quite the rush I believed there to be because Rick had left the old Coast Guard Registration in Tucson while they were there, so he'd had to call his daughter to have her go to his house, get it, and FedEx it overnight to be here on Friday. After getting the paperwork done, I headed further south to talk to one of the insurance brokers that had sent me a policy and quote.
                  I certainly got luck while visiting the broker's office. I had found a parking spot on a corner lot about a block away where a building had been removed and most of the lot cleaned off, leaving only a concrete pad. I pulled in, parking at an angle that would make it easy for me to exit and not blocking the sidewalk, etc. I was the only vehicle there, and assumed that, since it appeared to be private property, I'd probably be alright parking there for an hour or so. When I returned, there were two semi trucks on the lot with me. One of the driver's was getting into his truck, and, as he did, he asked if I was staying at the motel down the street. I told him "No", and asked why he though I might be. He said that he was going to stay there and that he could park his rig where we were, but, when he arrived, the other trucker had just gotten a ticket for being there. I asked what the ticket was for and he said it was for "illegal parking." Since this was apparently private property, that didn't make sense, but I certainly looked quickly to see if I'd gotten one too. I hadn't, but didn't call the cops to see why I didn't get one too. After all, I was there first! One of the mysteries of life. Thank goodness.

Friday, 26 June - The old registration needed to be delivered to the broker's by Friday, so when it arrived, Rick and I went over more of the operating details of items on the boat while Gay drove down to Saratoga and hand delivered the document. I'm not sure if the closing happened or not, but I think it's a done deal. We'll probably know Monday. When it got hot, Rick decided to head home, but volunteered to give me a ride, along with my bicycle, over the bridge to another insurance broker's office. I discussed the policy with him and will probably acquire my insurance through them. They are a little higher, but have what seems to be much better coverage. After that, I rode my bike over to a scuba dive shop to get a velcro watchband, then back uptown, over the bridge and back to the motorhome.

Saturday, 27 June - Rick @ Gay headed south to visit with friends for the weekend. I spent most of the day on my computer at the library. Actually, the only thing I needed at the library was "cool". It's way too hot during the day to do anything in the motorhome even with it parked in the shade of the oak trees. No breeze at the park because of the building next door. I used the time from about 10 am to 5 pm, when the library closed reading digital files that Rick had given me about the instrumentation and mechanics of the boat. At 5pm, it was still too hot to head back to the motorhome, so I headed over to the marina to sit in the air conditioned boater's lounge and try to get some more reading done. There were too many people there, so rather than read, I joined it the conversations.

Sunday, 28 June - Back to the marina boater's lounge for several hours and finished going briefly over the documents, both digital and printed, that Rick had given me about the boat's instrumentation, then over to the boat to stick my nose in a few more corners and come up with more questions to ask Rick. There's a nice breeze for a change, keeping it a little cooler. It would have been a nice day to go sailing, if one had closed on a boat.

Monday, 29 June - Rick and I met at the boat at 8am to remove the steering cables. We had them out by 9:30, but are now waiting on parts to show up. He went to get the trailer that he will need to haul stuff back to Tucson and will head north to visit with Gay's sister in North Carolina as soon as we finish. I guess I've graduated from sailing school 101.
                  The cables showed up at 2pm and we had them installed by about 4 o'clock. Rick took a quick shower onboard and he and Gay headed north. I hated to see them go. They're really nice, generous and helpful people. I certainly wish them well and thank them immensely for their boat and help getting to know it. ! I know they wouldn't be giving it up if it weren't for Rick's back problems. I was really amazed that Rick stuck it out here in all this heat and humidity when he was hurting so.
                  After they left, I returned to the boat to put things away and clean the boat up some. I did, however, have to leave the sleeping quarters in the aft cabin totally disassembled and the binnacle top removed, since the cable needs to be lubricated with a special oil that we didn't have on hand. I'll pick that up at West Marine tomorrow morning early and reassemble it all. I can also start moving things slowly off the motorhome and onto the boat. They've left me LOTS of spare parts, books, cleaning items, tools, bed linens, etc. on the boat. I'll have to determine what I have room for. I certainly have lots of my own stuff too.

Tuesday, 30 June - My first day alone on the boat and the first day that I've felt like it's really all just mine. I spent most of the day lubricating the steering cables that Rick George and I installed, then reassembling and cleaning up the compartment that the steering quadrant is in, then starting to make the bed. There's lots to do and I got distracted and didn't finish. I had to deal with insurance people's questions again. I brought quite a few tools aboard and wiped one box full down with oil to protect them from rust. That'll be an ongoing, tedious project.

Wednesday, 1 July - I intended to talk to the harbor mistress today about paying for a slip and, perhaps, moving to a different dock, but she said her computer is dysfunctional. Imagine that! My internet connections are on the fritz again. I hope I can get this off this evening. I rearranged the aft anchor locker. It's a good thing that I didn't have to heave that anchor overboard. I would have either ended up in Havana or had to heave all the rode with it. What a mess! I'm sure there was a method to the way it was stowed, but since I didn't know the trick, it came out a real mess. I also spent a couple of hours trying to match up quite a few of the locks and key sets aboard. There are several keys I can't find locks to. I'll wait awhile. They may surface.
                  The insurance people want receipts for the parts and installations that Rick and I did on the boat. Wish me luck on that. He's left the state.

            Until next time,
                        Dream BIG, or Die Bored.

                                          Rick