Progress - in a slow sort of way

It’s April – several weeks since our last posting – so we thought it was high time we wrote something.

For starters, we’re several shades darker than when last we wrote (although some of the “tan” disappears at the end of the day, down the shower drain). And we keep noticing muscles that were not part of our Reno bodies. It’s good to remember that our arms can serve a purpose other than acting as a conduit for messages from our brains to our computer keyboards.

Most evenings our rediscovered muscles ache from the day’s activities. Part of the strain has definitely come from contorting ourselves to fit into tiny spaces in order to clean them, sand them or replace hoses, etc. We just realized we have not taken any photos of ourselves in these awkward positions. It’s probably for the best. It wasn’t pretty.

The majority of our arm pain, however, comes from repetitive motions like sanding and scrubbing, and removing and tightening screws. But it’s all very much worth the pain. We’re seeing – if not daily – definitely weekly progress on the boat.

Last week we finally managed to get the propeller off of the boat (with the help of one of the Bercovich workers), and so Dan spent the rest of the week cleaning and reinstalling the propeller with a new dripless shaft and cutlass bearing.

We have also completed the first thorough scrub-down of most of the interior of the boat; sanded and painted various corroded stainless steel parts; done some fiberglass repair; worked on the plumbing; painted the engine compartment, bilge, some holds and cupboards; and sanded the old teak name boards (in preparation for painting on the new name).

Our mechanic broke his collarbone in a motorcycle accident, so our engine installation was delayed a week - which is fine, since we had and still have plenty of other things to work on. Once the engine goes in, we'll have the bottom of the boat painted, and Rumiko will be ready to enter the water!

We made a great decision, counseled by Burke and Kacey, to continue renting the apartment that they had been renting. They had told us that we probably would not want to live in the boat yard while working on our boat. Lisa, having lived in a house that she was renovating in Victoria, completely understood what they were saying. And they were so right! After a day at the boat yard, we can come to a clean haven, wash away the day's filth, cook a nice dinner, and relax in a comfortable, non-toxic environment. Also, there is a beach a block from our apartment – not that we’ve had much time or energy for beach walking.

We have, however, found some time to play beach volleyball. We were out one night at a fundraiser put on by Club Cruceros – an organization for the sailing community in La Paz. That night we met Jo, who asked if we would be willing to join a volleyball team that she was forming to play a match against the Mexican navy. At the time of asking, Jo said there were four legs on the team. There was some slight hesitation, given that it had been at least a decade since either of us had played volleyball, but in the end we decided to give it a try. So far, the practices have been great fun. But also, have added somewhat to our aches and pains. After each of the first three practices, Lisa came home with bruises on her inner forearms that made her look like either a victim of domestic abuse, or a victim of self-abuse using a certain injectable substance. Finally, someone took a bit of air out of the rock-hard volleyball, and the bruises have declined dramatically. The big match with the navy is tomorrow, so keep an eye out - we’ll probably post some photos from the event.

We’ve also found time to make some great new friends. In particular, we have developed a special relationship with Doug and Rae, who owned the boat prior to the guy who sold it to us (i.e., the one who had a heart attack). Doug, a long-time sailor, regales us with sailing stories and jokes on a regular basis. He and Rae own Snug Harbor Sails, a sailmaking shop here in La Paz. But they are also living and working on a boat at Bercovich. They have become friends and mentors – always willing to answer our questions, offer advice, and give us useful items for the boat such as a stove-top oven on which Lisa plans to bake bread, and some sourdough starter from Igor, a sourdough that Doug started 18 years ago. Last weekend Dan helped Doug and Kevin, another seasoned sailor, hoist the engine off of Doug and Rae’s boat.

In addition to working on her sewing skills (she’s starting to sew a sun shade), Lisa has started baking bread. She’s using a book called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. So far, she’s baked white and whole-wheat loaves, various flatbreads and a few days ago made some ooey-gooey-caramelly-pecan-cinnamon buns. It may not sound like much of a feat, but the only other time Lisa tried to bake bread it turned out like a brick. She highly recommends the book for people who love freshly baked bread, but have never tried to bake it. This method does not require kneading, which is great, because it minimizes the time commitment and kitchen mess (a real bonus, when living with limited space). All of Lisa's recent attempts have produced extremely edible, and often really tasty bread. (Of course, not nearly as yummy as Nettie Gerber’s or Rob Mathewson’s bread – but you have to start somewhere!)

Help us choose a font to use for Rumiko's name. Lisa will be painting it on the teak nameboards in a week or two, so vote soon. Click here to give us your preference of the fonts below. Click on the names below for a better view of the fonts.