Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Practicing patience

 Kintala's little part in the cruising world has been kind of quiet these last few days. There was some hope that the pump would be done today. Unfortunately we just heard that the big storms that rolled through the Midwest shut down the supply house for the pump parts; the parts haven't even been shipped yet and the house isn't answering the phone. So here we are, no pump, no parts, and no clue. The search for other parts goes on. Many people have offered good ideas when it comes to the great Leyland / Westerbeke parts scavenger hunt and glow plugs have been sourced; from England, shipped via Royal Mail to arrive in St. Louis with ETA unknown. Pretty soon I may be forced to admit that our cruising life has been put in a holding pattern here in Oriental, NC. We simply can't seem to get the stars to align in whatever way they need so we can get going again. As determined as we might be, as good a mechanic as I might be, when mid-November tornadoes rampage through the only place providing the parts needed, determination and skill are over matched. The only choice now is to practice the art of patience.

Meanwhile the parade of boats through Oriental remains constant. Yesterday there were two different trimarans in the marina and this morning finds two, very pretty, wooden boats tied up at the city dock. Across from Kintala sits a nice looking Cat and Princes Mia still lies just a few spaces away from us. The weather is perfect / cooler though the north wind is ruffling up the marina. Kintala lies uneasy on her lines when the wind flows from the N or NE, setting up an endless rolling motion and tugging hard at her bow lines. That leads to a low moan causing imaginations of Kintala complaining, "Another day here? But I wanna go to the ocean with my friends." (As if it's my fault the engine started barfing diesel all over the place.) Teenagers and boats have a lot in common; expensive, moody, impossible to understand, but you really can't imagine life without them. (Or maybe you can.)


Friends out ahead of us have been dealt a serious health blow. It is not my place to tell their story; but sitting here when we would rather be moving there to offer what support we can isn't pleasent. We trust there will be good news soon, but being tied to a dock with a broken boat, especially now, is not what I had in mind when we left the midwest to go "cruising".

So here we be working on little projects when we can, though the days with a good N wind blowing limits the options. The rolling makes head down, close-in work being done in the cabin hard on inner ear. A stiff wind carrying temps out of Canada makes deck work a bit cold. Some days we work, some days we practice patience. And some days that is harder than others.

8 comments:

Latitude 43 said...

Geez Tim you guys are getting all your bad luck out of your system all at once. You can still make tracks in December. We know people who have done it so keep plugging away. Wish I could help with the WesterBeast. I saw one of those engines in a Bristol we were looking at and it actually scared me. Mine looks like a lawnmower engine compared to one of those. On the positive side, there are worse places to be stuck. Hang in there.
Paul
SV Kelly Nicole

Unknown said...

Sail on and let the parts catch up with you. After all, motors are new on the sailing scene.

Unknown said...

Well at least you are in a nice place. Your issues have convinced me to buy a newer boat I used to consider the 1990s Tartan 4100 I have now upped my requirements to 2000s. You have amazing patience that's the retirement advantage v

TJ said...

Truth to tell Robert, if I had it to do over I would be looking for a newer boat as well, or at least one that had a newer engine in it.

Deb said...

@John - motors are indeed new on the sailing scene, but then so are jammed together pylons with only 13' between them. Can't sail on and off those for sure. Hard enough to do even WITH a motor. Remember you're completely spoiled by floating concrete docks. You won't find them down here anywhere except for the $3.85 per foot per night places.

Unknown said...

I am sure you will make it to Vero sooner than later and we will enjoy that dinner together. I am just returning from a 3 week business trip that took me around the world. Honestly, I would trade places now and spend those 3 just where you are. I have done the ditch many times and there is nothing like it the first few times. Enjoy and accept the fact you have many years of sailing ahead.

Rick said...

Tim & Deb,

It was great meeting you guys today. Having followed your blog for quite some time I know you have the perseverance to get through these challenges and reap the rewards that await you. Good luck with getting this all sorted and I look forward to crossing paths with you many more times far south of here. The next time we'll enjoy some sundowners and laugh about the pranks that Murphy plays on us all... :-)

Deb said...

@Rick - it was great to meet you too! Love your boat. Safe travels you two.

@Robert - Hopefully not too long but we do have to make a longish stop in Charleston to help some friends out that are having a medical issue.