A little "Together Time" (The saga of a CP19)

[MacGyver]

Tested the winch covers and the port hole covers, worked very well, so I will complete the others in next few days.
Here is some pictures of them in action!

I am really tickled about the porthole covers!

Mac

Winch Cover, has a small bungee inside to hole it on.

Porthole cover/shade, front view

Attachment point view left and right side.

[MacGyver]

I haven't said much in a while, it seems that other work has gotten its hold on me, and with my wife's schedule change, we haven't even had much time to go sailing..... 4 times I think total since April 26th....... Today is day 2 in a 3 day weekend for me. Having picked up a riding mower, and getting it frakenstined together, and running somewhat (going to need a new carb, and I dont want to spend the money yet) I finally started the MainSail project.

I just realized with Salty's post about CLR being a month away, I havent really started yet and I need it for the big race...... so this weekend I did. I want to tell anyone who reads this, that building your own sails, although can be troublesome at times, and the first sail will be the hardest, has to be almost more rewarding than that of fully redoing a boat. Now, granted, I did not cut the sail, and all that work, but putting it all together is a feat in itself. requiring careful planning within a space crowded by furniture and daily living items....... dog hair, and dust, tools for redoing the walls (remnants of a project long since forgotten, whereas "the pan is still in the fire")

At some point the adventure of building a sail will take me back out to my garage, where the final touches will be put into place, since that truly is the only place to run such a length of stitches needed to finish it when that time comes. As much as that is rewarding, the completion of a monster, the true "pat on the back" is when your friends, fellow sailors, and folks you dont know, ask where the sails come from, and then are wowed that you made them yourself. No one really cares if you cut them, just the fact you built the kit is cool enough.

Today I finished the head and couple panels, then the foot and a couple panels. My idea as far as what I need to do next to keep it all processing through the machine easily is to make the batten pockets, which I have stressed over night after night for the past few months because frankly, that has kept me from tackling it sooner......... instead, I pour over youtube vids of SailRite making the pockets, and etc, to the point of which one would think by now I would just make them in my sleep......

Anyway, I hope as you read this, that your projects are coming along, and that your sailing time is plentiful. Back to the grind!

Mac

[kickingbug1]

hey buddy, cant wait to see the new sail at the clr. guess the gauntlet has been thrown down. we will find out which boat is faster. catalina 18 or com-pac 19. i must confess i dont have the guts to tackle building a mainsail so i just bought one. by the way did you use the loos gauge? i might meet up with you and get it back to check my rig on wed. we were thinking of sailing today but 95 degrees might put an end to that idea

[MacGyver]

So I finally got the batten pockets made, and setup, and I am progressing through the rest of the patchwork on the reef points, and also sewing the large panels together. My garage is almost cleaned out enough to move out there, which may need to happen quite quickly. I have been unable to get help sewing it all together and the biggest problem is getting it moved around the biggest room I have in the house with my work out equipment in it..... That is why the garage is starting to look like the answer.



I also had to break to make some drapes for my wife in the living room. I think they turned out well.



I also saw this ladder which I really wish I had time to build, but I dont think that will happen.......



Just another project to add to the list!!

Mac

[MacGyver]

I havent been on this thread for a while.
I was sitting here, thinking about how much has changed this year. How much has changed as far as if my wife and I were even able to use the boat except for the one week for CLR. That is literally the only time we used it this year........ hell, I even allowed the sticker on the boat to lapse because I had forgotten that was something I had to do to......

I said to my wife about selling the boat..... I am afraid we wont use it again soon. She wont let that happen, says we will use it, she knows we will....... The new job is so much so that I literally dont have time on my days off to call my fellow sailors because I am too busy using every moment to get my house work done. When I work, I work the entire day, I literally get home to go to sleep to do it again the next day. Then suddenly I have a day off, to which I run around completing all that I can to keep the house in some kind  of order.

This pattern made me realize how much I miss being able to sail at a whim, short notice, or just because a fellow Compaconaut has come into town for a visit.
I was offered by many to go sailing on Saturdays, on boats I have wanted to sail on for years...... and I cannot even get a chance to do that.

It has made me realize how sad it is that we as a society has damaged our relationship with time off, and its enjoyment. I have often wondered lately why I even work hard to be a manager, like I am working hard for the money? Because I am certainly not playing anymore........ Those folks working part time, and going on vacations, and such looks really nice..... my workers take off all the time....... I have no clue how they can afford to do all that, with kids and payments.... it is boggling my mind. I was looking into another prospective job, and they just laid off 3/4s of the company...... kinda made me rethink leaving this one job.

Anyway, I have some winter projects planned..... If I ever have the time. The  boat is in storage, indoor, because we werent using her..... and she deserves to be hidden away from natures onslaught and allowed to be comfy for the winter ahead. Especially since with the new job, I wont have the time to sit at the window and look her over from time to time, to ensure her safety from the massive snows, or blowing freezing winds ahead.

To all my fellow compaconauts: I really do wish I could take the time for a beer, a sail, a laugh...... but this work place and the drive time is just too excessive for me to even get the house work done...... I am sorry my friends, perhaps next year will be better, but deep inside I am very doubtful, as it truly seems it is getting worse.

At least the bills are paid, and she is happy! (the boat and the wife!)

Mac

[crazycarl]

jason,

i'm going through the same thing.

working 56 to 72 hour weeks and then relandscaping the back yard on the weekends.

our 19 hasn't seen the water this year either.

the planned overnight trips never happened, nor did the weekend bicycle trip.

c.c.

[Bob23]

   Well, it seems I'm not the only one who time is outwitting!  I have a possible cure, one that I practiced many years ago but sadly, have not recently.
   A number of years ago, a few close friends of mine decided to do this: Rather than each separately hopelessly whittling away at house projects that we knew we could never complete, decided to work with each others projects together. It worked out great! One weekend I'd have an army of workers at my house, next I'd be part of someone else's army. Lots of work got done, lots of time together with friends and a decent amount of pizza and beer were consumed! Of course it took some planning to organize and get the materials together for whatever needed to be done, but of course it was worth it.
   Sadly, those times have passed and most of those friends have relocated elsewhere but at the time it was so much fun and aside from things actually getting done, we had great times busting on each other (you can just imagine if the CLR crew would show up at your house to work!)
   Not to get biblical here, but Ecclesiastes chapter 3 states that "To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven". No, Roger Mcguinn didn't write this but he sure made a great song from the lyrics. It's good to understand that most things are temporal- a time to work and a time to play. I'm no expert on this by any means but rarely I find myself embracing the current situation I'm in and I'm most content that way. But it still stinks not having time to sail and the more I work, I feel I'm getting ripped off my old man Time.

   Mac: Be glad you didn't allow yourself to get screwed over by the marina- you were proactive and while currently it's a big drain on you personally, it will get better. And forget about getting everything around your house done! If you manage to do so, you will most likely be the first man on earth to do so.

   Although I'd like to see sailing more of a major part of my life, in reality I don't think it will happen. As with you 2 guys, most of my time is spent working and with very little reward for what I get. This winter looks to be one of the hardest in a long time but I am glad the bills are paid and food is on the table. I spent a period of my life long ago when this wasn't so and I vowed to myself that even if I had to work constantly, I'd never go back there again. Being in debt with no possibility of winning that battle is perhaps the worst place to be. Worse than drinking PBR with an obnoxious NJ Compac-o-naut!!!!!

   Cheers brothers!
Bob23
   

[Craig]

Work is what we do to survive, Sailing is what we do to live. Life is too short.... Love, Laugh and take time to enjoy your life. As a country we take less vacation time than any of the industrialized nations of the world. I saw a great bumper sticker the other day: "Don't complain about  growing old, it is a privilege denied to many." We only pass this way once so go for it. One of our brethren here has a motto to the effect that when we reflect on our lives, what we will regret is not what we have done, but what we have not done. Sail On!

[MacGyver]

Thanks guys, each one of you had input that worked for me someway or another.

Bob23, I know getting out from the marina was good, a few events at new job bothered me that really rang in my head reminiscent of the office lady, and I didnt want to get burned again..... But I am coming around to the idea that just doing my best, and leaving it at that is going to have to be good enough.

It is a odd feeling to me to settle for good enough.... I really cared about my work........

Thanks all. Hopefully a few projects this winter and maybe next year ill get a better schedule to accomodate some more time with my wife, and more time on the boat.

Mac