CARLESS

For the first time I can remember I am without car.  As a family we are now down to a

single car.  This is a voluntary situation brought about by my desire to be free of objects and encumbrances that don’t add to my quality of life.  In reality my car has only been used for half the year, it seems as waste to have it sitting around doing nothing.

I am now free of the responsibilities of insurance, registration, warrant of fitness, servicing, road user charges, maintenance, tolls, servicing, fuel, cleaning, parking and all other botheration associated with car ownership.

Meanwhile, after a month at home, I am getting used to being a domestic servant and living back on land.  Whether it’s a boat or a house, there is always maintenance to be done.  Conveniences such as showers and fridges are great but the scenery doesn’t change much from the back deck.

A great advantage of being home is access to unlimited 24 hour internet.  I can check sailing equipment any time of day and night and online shopping is only a click away.  Too easy.  It’s also nice to see where some of the cruisers I met on the way are travelling.

Over in Canoe Cove Truce will be lying in wait.  I have commissioned a few works over the winter period.  Truce has a conventional shaft seal and despite repacking it drips more than I would like.  The bilge is fairly shallow and water accumulates quite quickly.  So I have decided to fit a dripless seal.  On examination the shaft is worn where the seal will fit, meaning the dripless seal will not work properly.  This wear is also the cause of the stuffing box dripping despite new packing.  The remedy is to fit a new shaft and all should be good with a dripless seal.

Of course to fit a new shaft the stern strut will have to be removed.  While not a big job it requires all the gear to be removed from the stern of the boat to gain access.  So often when doing repairs half the boat has to be shifted to get access.  A tiresome ritual that always irritates me.

The mainsail is ashore for some repairs and maintenance.  Although its old I hope to get a couple more years sailing out of it with a bit of judicious patching and strengthening.

I could be at sea again quite soon.  There is a possible ship delivery job from Romania to Canada.  Not the nicest of trips at this time of year, I hope it has a heated bathroom floor like the last one I delivered from Romania.