Boat parts go ON

Baby Michael has arrived and is safely at home. Deb and I head to Cape Cod next week to meet our new Grandson, then to NY to spend time with his cousin. Little Nomad will be on her own for the next couple of weekends. We didn't quite get all we wanted done this weekend. (Note to self; it takes 4 cans of headliner adhesive to finish a 27 foot sailboat, not three.) Still, the V-berth, starboard side and forward port side of the headliner are installed, leaving just one aft port side piece and the head to do. Deb thinks two more weekends worth of work will see Nomad afloat once again. I'm thinking more like three. (We have committed to being the committee boat for the club race on May, 15. We may have to borrow a boat!)

Fresh New Headliner in the V-berth

Out of glue. Have to finish the next visit.

Even though the interior of Nomad still looks like a workshop, the fresh headliner makes it look like a new workshop. A big job that was more than worth doing. It was also kind of fun; contortionist, sweaty, stinky chemical, fiberglass-fuzz-in-your-eyebrows, I-really-hope-I'm-not-screwing-this-up, kind of fun. But I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, if needed, on our next boat. (The "not-screwing-this-up" part benefited from Deb's expertise working with fabric and, oddly enough, my years of gluing de-ice boots onto airplane wings. That's a cross-over skill I never expected!)

Temporary workshop

For the next two weekends my job changes from "boat-hack" to Grandpa-T. I suspect the urge to get on a boat full time, to spend summers off the coast with my girls and their families, will get a bit of a boost after this visit. Maybe next summer?

(I just found out our committee boat gig is in July, not May. So we won't have to borrow at boat after all...at least I hope not.)