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Subject: TWL: Firsts for First-timers
From: Garrett Lambert (e16@XXX.XXX)
Date: Sun Apr 01 2001 - 18:31:54 EDT
Having joined TWL last year, I suspect my profile is not far off the
majority who benefit from this site. I've always been interested in sailing,
but my wife has always hated being off the vertical. For that and many more
good reasons, I bought my first trawler, a twin 41' President, less than a
year ago. Although my career has been "white collar", I've been a tool-buyer
all my life, and I use them a lot; will readily tackle things mechanical on
a learn-as-I-go basis, knowing if I get in too deep I can always hire a
technician to sort out "the mess my brother-in-law made"; consider myself
expert in woodworking; have basic knowledge of electricity; good knowledge
of computers; at ease with gasoline engines but on a steep learning curve
with diesels; and so on. Now semi-retired and embarked on a couple of new
careers, but more able to control my time. Can hire others to do boring or
heavy jobs, but prefer to do many myself. In good physical condition, will
turn 60 in June - can't believe it, still think I'm 40 - and as you will
already have remarked, like to write.
For the past year, just about everything I've been doing on this boat has
been a "first" for me: the search, offers, surveys, and, finally, purchase;
taking delivery; transiting the Straits of Georgia and the Gulf Islands
single-handed while driving an inboard power boat for the very first time
(lucky but not smart); first experience with salt water and tides; getting
into the boathouse; next day getting out of the boathouse(!); fuelling; a
few repairs; instrument upgrades; reserving a slip and going into a strange
marina; anchoring out; buying and setting up a new anchor; buying a dinghy
and installing Weaver Davits; maintenance... You get the picture. And it's
clear that I'm not done with "firsts" by a long shot.
Many of my projects been greatly assisted by TWL members who always respond
generously and knowledgeably to questions. But I always need to know more,
including some things that are so basic I'm embarrassed to ask. And then, of
course, no matter how simple in theory, and no matter what level of
planning, every job provides its own surprises and challenges. And, of
course, being a risk-taker I screw up from time to time. While I like to
think of these as rare events, my wife seems to imprint each and every one
firmly in memory, and her capacity to recall them in detail is faster and
more accurate than my new 7200 RPM hard drive. I've already posted on some
of those experiences, and unless I'm mis-reading e-mails from people who
find them in the archives and continue to send me questions about them,
reticence to ask publicly is a trait shared by a lot of TWL readers.
I've been keeping a log for my future amusement, so I thought it might be
helpful to relate some more of them, but this time as potential "How To..."
articles. However, not skipping over the detail means that some of them will
be quite long, and therefore probably an absolute bore for the "old hands"
for whom much of this must be almost automatic. Thus, I'll ensure the
subject lines are set up as "Firsts - ....." for those who wish to press on
to more sophisticated discussions.
Cheers, Garrett
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