in search of spring, in search of the truth

The varnish on the gaff jaws is drying with the help of heat from a light bulb.  That seems to be the only source of warmth I will find these days.  Spring is arriving late - about two weeks late according to the weather experts.

I had planned on settling for five coats of varnish on the jaws and then sailing this weekend.  But my weekend - Sunday and Monday - have forecasts of rain all day.  This means I'll get seven coats on the jaws, which is for the best, before putting on the leather.

Someone in the marine business told me that local yards can not do much of their work on boats until they have three consecutive days of 60 degree weather.  If that is true it may be a while before much boat work gets done.

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Dawn has just one more day on her paddle up the coast of Georgia.  Reading her posts from the trip led me to reread Nathaniel Bishop's Voyage of the Paper Canoe which included the coast that Dawn is now paddling.  It also includes much of the area I've sailed the past few years from Delaware Bay to Chincoteague, Core Sound to Harkers Island and Beaufort.  The book is a great adventure and a wonderful read, and it is available for free as an ebook from Project Gutenberg.  A new favorite quote from Bishop, trying to explain himself to a doubting man he met during his 2,500 mile journey from Quebec to Florida.....

"a traveller in search of the truth, 
upon an honest errand....."

steve