So, when your boat is hauled out on land, you don’t say “on land”, you say, “on the hard”. I asked Capn Nautologic why that is, and he said, “I don’t know,” then thought for a moment and postulated, “Because the ground is hard?” Hmmm….

I have another explanation: that life on a boat out of the water is hard. Actually, “inconvenient” would be a better description, but saying that your boat is “on the inconvenient” takes too many syllables.

On Sugata, many of our comforts depend on the boat being in the water. There’s our refrigerator, which uses salt water to cool the compressor. There’s our galley sink, which empties out into the sea (but since we’re having the bottom painted, we need to keep the hull dry). And most of all, there’s the head, which uses sea water for flushing.

The boat yard has a bathroom, but we’re about 200 yards from it, so… while “on the hard” we have this special piece of equipment, which in nautical terms is called… (wait for it)… “the pee bucket”.

The pee bucket works just fine, but emptying it is tricky, as it requires Capn Sloshy to carry the bucket up the companion way, out through the cockpit, and down the wobbly ladder that we use to get on and off the boat. The other drawback of the bucket is… the smell! At times I felt like a hamster with a negligent owner, left to scurry about in search of fresh air. One night I had a dream that we had a baby boy, and his diaper was wet so I went to change him, but he peed all over the bed! I awoke in a panic, and though I was relieved to find the sheets dry under Todd, I realized that the whole cabin smelled like wet diapers!

Luckily we discovered the solution: we just add a few drops of this Japanese toilet deodorizer that my mom picked up in Hawaii. This amazing product somehow nullifies foul odors. Capn Einstein theorizes that it creates an oily barrier layer on the top of the water; I don’t know why he ignores the obvious, which is that the stuff is magic! We call this magical deodorizer “poop juice”.

You know you’re in for a romantic evening when Capn Sweet Talk turns to you and asks, “Honey, did you put poop juice in the pee bucket?”

The other hard thing about being “on the hard” is all the work you end up doing. In addition to getting the sails back on, polishing all the stainless steel, and putting on a couple new coats of varnish, we ended up having to scrub down and wax the hull. Apparently the boat was stored near a pond, off of which came a weird greenish dust that stained all of our fiberglass.

Fortunately, I have discovered the ultimate tool for getting Capn Slacker to work: the 30 peso margarita! We found these cheap yet potent concoctions at a bar called Charlie’s Rock, which overlooks a pretty bay just west of San Carlos. One afternoon, we drove over to the city of Guaymas to pick up a new exhaust elbow for the engine. There is an amazing welding shop there where we took our old, corroded piece, and in just over 24 hours, they custom-built an identical one out of stainless steel, for about $160!

On the way there, we hit something on the road that made a terrible racket. We pulled over and I could hear air coming out of our tire. We high-tailed it for the nearest gas station, and on the way came across a tire store. In about 15 minutes we had a new tire installed. “We need to get a jack,” said Capn Boy Scout. “I could have sworn I had one,” I mumbled. “It’s irresponsible,” he continued. “What if we’d been on the freeway, miles from anywhere? We’re going to buy one immediately!”

So off we went to Auto Zone, where we bought a new jack. Todd went to put it in the trunk and then said, “Oh.” “What is it?” I asked. “Um, looks like we already have one,” he said. “I just didn’t see it. But you know, we really should have one of those special lug nut wrenches….”

After our second trip to Auto Zone, neither of us was in a very good mood. Even the thought of his shiny new exhaust elbow didn’t cheer up Capn Cranky Pants. So when he mentioned stopping at Charlie’s Rock on the way back, I agreed. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about the 30 peso margarita. “For $2.25, how good can it be?” I asked. Todd, however, was suddenly an optimist. “For $2.25,” he cried giddily, “how bad could it be?!”

This past Sunday was our last work day “on the hard”, so we had to finish up. I told Todd that if we were done before sunset, we’d hit Charlie’s Rock again. Guess who was up at 8am, for the first time in weeks? Guess who had a special spring in his step all day? It seems so obvious now- I don’t know why it never dawned on me before! Oh mighty margarita, is there anything you can’t do?

Click this link for some serious dance action…

From 20090214SanCarlos

But now that we are “out here”, I have a new appreciation for everything Marcus did to make our boat the awesome cruising craft that she is! Here is a partial list of things we have Marcus to thank for:

Glacier Bay refrigerator: With a cold plate that reaches 20 degrees F, we have the frostiest beer in the Pacific, and can even make jumbo-sized ice cubes! And the motor only needs to run for about 20 minutes, twice a day. Simply brilliant!

Solar panels: We were worried about how much energy we’d need to run the fridge, so we upgraded to bigger solar panels. But the key here is that Marcus installed the original pair, so Todd saw the whole project as a relatively easy upgrade. Marcus had blazed the trail, and all Todd had to do was follow it. This spared me weeks of pretending to listen as Todd first fretted about what a big project it was, then congratulated himself on how much he’d accomplished.

Dickinson diesel heater: We’ve only used it once, a few years back when moored off Angel Island. But when we have Canadians aboard, they never fail to notice our heater and the fancy tile work! Then Capn Hot Air puffs up his chest and says, “Yeah, I know how to keep the ladies warm!”

Cape Horn wind vane: Now it’s true, we have yet to get the Cape Horn working for us. But even if we never use it, I’m still thankful that Marcus installed it. He had to cut a hole through the hull of the boat to do so. Lordy! There is not enough bourbon in Kentucky to get Capn Shaky Hands into the frame of mind to do that!

The “tie rack”: Marcus lived on the boat while he worked someplace where men actually wore neckties everyday, so he installed a fancy teak tie rack in the pullman berth. Of course, we don’t need a tie rack, but I’ve found that it is the perfect place to hang Todd’s thongs… particularly the hand-wash-only ones like this purple macrame number!
Just being Marcus: Shhh! Don’t tell Todd this, but I’ve found that mentioning Marcus’ name is like a virtual shot of testosterone. For example, the other day Todd was complaining about how hard it was to get the anchor up.

Todd (whining): This windlass is so slow! It brings in, like, 3 inches of chain for every crank!

Susan (sweetly): Would it help if I took a turn?

Todd (grumbling): No… And I tried pulling it up by hand, but it is so (expletive deleted) heavy!

Susan (cunningly): Huh… I wonder how Marcus did it?

Todd (slowly): He pulled it in by hand.

Susan (cooing): Well, that Marcus Anderson, he is so strong!

Todd (testosterone rising): Me strong man! Me pull up anchor!

So this Thanksgiving, in addition to the usual toasts to health, family, and friends, the crew of Sugata have someone else to raise a glass to: good ole Marcus Anderson!

Then last Friday, we went to West Marine to pick up the solar charger Todd had ordered. We spent over an hour shopping in the store, getting last-minute things for our trip. We headed back to the boat, and had been on the freeway more than ten minutes before Todd realized we forgot to pick up the solar charger!

Also, I can usually make it through most of the NY Times Sunday crossword puzzle, but lately I’ve noticed I give up and need to peek at the solution.

The other morning, I heard Todd chuckling to himself. “Did you see this thing Ross sent out?” he asked. “You mean the one I forwarded to you?” I replied. For a moment he tried to cover up, saying, “Well I knew you sent it to me but I didn’t know if you read it and… Okay, I didn’t know it came from you.” This man is a Vice President of Technology, but apparently determining whom an email is from is beyond him!

Todd thinks it is just that we have so much on our minds right now, but my theory is that living on a boat makes you dumber. And even if you can provide evidence to the contrary, I won’t believe it, because I won’t understand it.

In addition to the adventure, I love the idea of using the wind to go places. Just like eating vegetables grown in your own garden, there is something very satisfying about any small tidbit of self-sufficiency. One of the things I’m excited about doing on our trip is cooking in our new solar cooker. My mom is my solar cooking hero; she has been harnessing the Sacramento sun for years. So far, I’ve cooked potatoes, rice, and chili. I look forward to cooking in Mexico without using propane or heating up the cabin.

Todd loves being out on the water, especially on a warm day with a few friends (of the human and 12 oz imported variety). But he also enjoys the challenge of maintaining a boat, and learning new skills. He’s gotten really good at engine maintenance and fixing leaks.

I’m enjoying learning more about the boat and its systems. This past weekend Todd taught me how to change the oil and transmission fluid. We also installed a new bilge pump, which needed a 15amp fuse. Todd said it would be a good learning experience for me to buy and install the new fuse. I’m not sure what I learned by schlepping over to Home Depot and wandering the aisles for twenty minutes until I was able to find someone who could direct me to the fuses… maybe the Captain is trying to impart some Zen wisdom that I have yet to grasp.

I’m really enjoying working and hanging out on the boat. We have wireless internet access, so I sit below, listen to KFOG, and crank out test cases. When I need a break, I do little tasks on the boat, like washing down the decks with salt water.

Sequoia has only spent two nights with us so far. The first was a bit rough- she got to bed late and was up in the middle of the night. The second went better. Once Todd left in the morning, she came into the main berth with me, and slept until 9:15!

Check out the album of our first couple weeks! It includes pics of Todd going up to the top of the mast, an egret, a heron, and… THE SEAL! I’ve been trying to get a shot of him since day 1!

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