Another boat from Carlyle arrived at Oak Harbor yesterday morning. Ellida had been in the Great Lakes, heading for the ocean through the Erie Canal. Progress halted when one of the locks on the Canal failed, trapping her behind a big steel gate. No one is sure when it will be fixed and, given the ongoing crisis in leadership we call "governing", it may be a long time. So Ellida backtracked two days, was hauled, and finished her voyage to big blue water on the back of a truck. She is on the hard next to Kintala for a day or two while she gets "unpacked" from shipping and receives a quick dash of fresh bottom paint to ward off the salt water critters. A Hallberg-Rassy in the 30 foot range she is a boat with many a mile under her keel; a boat to be proud of.
Kintala has a way to go to meet Ellida's stature, but we are trying. The rudder went back into position yesterday and more work was done getting the mast ready to step. Today will be spent back in "the hole" assembling as much of the steering system as possible while waiting on the last few parts. There is no way to "leak test" the repair without actually tossing the boat back into the water so we will just drive on like we know what we are doing.
Though I am still not making hopeful plans for what comes next the sailing community around us (both East Coast wise and the blogger world) is making up for it. Like a rising tide it is impossible to ignore the swell of support and encouragement lifting us up and carrying us toward splashing Kintala soon, then heading out with the rest of the community that has taken us in. We haven't actually sailed anywhere yet this has already become a remarkable journey. It has only be 63 days since Kintala was pulled out of lake Carlyle but somehow (with the exception of the Daughters and Son-in-Laws, grand kids and friends I still miss every day) life as it used to be is fading into the mist.
Then again, this morning it is "back in the hole".
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