Our Sorry Look

Vero Beach
No LL
I'm sorry to say that Tarwathie looks like a junkyard at the moment. No, that's not correct. She looks like a typical front yard of a house in Fairbanks, Alaska where my son David lives. It is those front yards that look like junkyards.

You see, the problems is that the boat is not only our house, it is our garage, workshop, shed, and paint locker. While here in Vero I'm working on varnish. Therefore, all the painting stuff is out on deck, as are the objects being painted, plus generator, sander and extension cord. plus other things that we store on deck. Add to that the dust and flakes of varnish that I removed from the tiller yesterday that refuse to rinse away on our new non-skid deck paint, and the fact that Libby invited guests for dinner tonight. All in all, I'm quite dismayed about her looks

When we have company it is worse because then we have to empty out half of the attic (sorry I mean V-berth, not attic) to make room for company to sleep. The attic stuff then gets added to the clutter stored on deck.

Right now, I'm also varnishing one of the companionway steps. That makes it extra hard for Libby and I to climb up and down. I can only do one step at a time, and 18 coats of varnish takes time to do.

I wouldn't be so distressed about the clutter except for the fact that we love Tarwathie as a sea worth vessel. She's not sea worthy today. One can't walk anywhere on the deck without tripping on something.

Wait, didn't we do varnishing and painting last summer? Yes, we painted the non-skid part of the deck, and varnished a hatch and the companionway, and two of the steps, and the cabin sole (floor). Now I have two more steps to do plus some really tough projects; the boomkins and the bowsprit. To do the boomkins I'll have to dismount them. That means removing he monitor self-steering rig and storing that on deck and finding a way to hold the mast and the stern pulpit up while varnishing. Then, we have a whole untouched chapter to open up -- interior varnish.

You see, most people do such work on boats when they are up on the hard, and empty of all belongings, and when the owners are living somewhere other than on board. The way we're doing it is ten times harder and takes ten times longer. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. It can't be avoided if one lives aboard full-time. I'm apologizing for making Tarwathie look like a junk yard. It is also part of the explanation why we stay in places like Vero for so long. We need the stability and security of a mooring, plus on-shore showers and activities to make it possible to disrupt the on-board environment so much.

Below are some pictures of the mess.