Nov. 1st, 2007

Just a bit of an update here... Lately the things I've been doing have been centered around the Mer Sea, lots of projects which involve greasing, fixing, chipping rust, painting and welding, in no particular order. I enjoy the jobs which involve creativity in fabricating new parts especially, and of course putting the last coat of paint on something and standing back to look at how nice it looks, all gleaming nicely. We put a shore boat up in the old Stbd lifeboat davit. Now the cradle needs to be adjusted to fit it but it will w0rk nicely when done. The boat will be used to bring our crew and cargo ashore in places we are unable to tie the ship up to a wharf (like for example remote villages up a river in Central America or the Caribbean). Slowly the ship is really starting to come together and look really good. All the safety systems have been gone over, fire lockers organized, painted and everything logged properly so future crew does not have to wonder how something works or if we even have the parts to operate it. I feel very satisfied with the progress we have made. I have attended a local Vineyard church here which I really like but obviously it is not like home. I do miss my Winnipeg church and moreover my friends that were part of my life there. But that having been said, otherwise I like it here. The weather here has been cool for a week or so but has warmed up again this week. Shorts are still very comfortable. My car had been acting up for a while, problems related to overheating. After a new water pump, thermostat and of corse several hours under the hood with very black oily hands, I did get it back to where it seems to think it will run. Then on Sunday it didn't want to change gears, but oh well. I bought it some new transmission fluid and coaxed it a bit and then it offered me the use of the gears back. You don't want to drive too far in first gear only.