A flip of the switch!

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Many of you know that I have been looking forward to one very simple thing since I first entertained buying my boat: Flipping a light switch and having the light come on.  Seems pretty simple, doesn't it?  Well, it has been almost a year...and...

 

And, not just one, but two:

Finally...the simple joy of flipping a switch and having a light come on!  Progress...!

Now a few pics of what will be:

Here is what I am planning for the head:

Tile (Home Depot--Jeffrey Court: Icelandic Pencil)

Linen cabinet.  This is tall and will go from floor to ceiling 

This is the sink cabinet.  Two drawers for lots more storage.  The counter top will be black.

Mirrored medicine cabinet (even more storage)

And the coolest sink ever.  I decided to have just a splash of orange in the head.

And here is how these things will be arranged:

The last few weeks have been very challenging.  More than once I have questioned my decision to buy and renovate this boat.  Finally, rather than curse the darkness, I can flip on the light!  

April is just around the corner...preparations to move aboard are well underway.  

Boat Renovation--Not a task for the Faint-Hearted.

"Nothing can sabotage winning, except for fear of losing. Success usually lies just beyond failure." ~Mario Cortes

This week I insured my boat.  Crazy that I waited even a day after the title was in my name...but it is now insured.  

That was a fun process.  The first insurance company, United Marine Underwriters, turned me down.  Said that maybe they could help me after a year of owning the boat with no claims (hmmmmm...what if all insurance agencies held this practice?).  

Next, I called Allstate.  And Voila, I was covered.  Of course, they wanted me to get the boat surveyed--which I expected.  

Since my search for a houseboat first began, I have established a relationship with my surveyor.  He is awesome!  He is very interested in my safety and knows boats well--has been in the boating industry all his life.  If you need a surveyor, I highly recommend Pete Droppelman out of Louisville, KY.  But act fast, because rumor is he may be retiring soon.

So, today Pete paid me a visit (ok, actually I paid and he visited).  Now, keep in mind that his job is to tell me all the things that I need to tweak, change, consider etc. for my boat.  He writes it all into his report, which I then present to my insurance company.  He said they typically give you 30 days to fix anything that he finds that needs changed.

Ready for the list?  (I'm not)

• double clamps:
• exhaust hose
• raw water intake at the water pump
• Ground fault receptacles 
• in the galley
• in the head
• on the outside of the boat (these need covers, as well)
• Two smoke & CO2 monitors
• 3 bilge pumps (that are automatic and manual)
• you must have a bilge pump in each separate compartment of the hull of the boat
• the guy I bought the boat from promised to have these functioning in time for my survey today.  Guess what?
• also, the center bilge (currently non-functioning) has wing nuts on it, which is a big no-no
•  The top of the raw water pipe for the toilet is below the water line and therefore has a hose attached to extend the length (so that water will not leak into the boat).  This hose is not clamped--at all.  It can be easily pulled off, then water very visibly starts leaking into the hull of the boat.  I admit--I might have puked into my mouth a little when I saw this (sorry...)  This needs a shut-off valve.
• Fuel-line manifold shut-off
• Three fire extinguishers
• Battery switches
• Battery boxes
• And recommended items:
• volt meter
• amp meter
• galvonic isolator

And, that's it.  

Captain 3G was there as support for most of the survey, and just a little after he left, I received this pic in a text message from him:

fire extinguishers: check!  ball valve for the raw water toilet intake: check!
Thank you, Captain Gregg!

Tonight, after uncurling myself from the fetal position, I am going out with friends.

Tomorrow, I will deal with the list and the survey and the insurance...

If success lies just beyond failure, I must be getting close!

Power, Rebirth, History, Family, Love & Adventure!

"But human experience is usually paradoxical, that means incongruous with the phrases of current talk or even current philosophy."
~George Eliot

Welcome back to the continuing saga of the Old Ship's Wheel...and the renovation of my beloved KingsCraft houseboat.

After introducing the romantic idea of the Old Ship's Wheel on my blog, I received lots of feedback:

• PLEASE tell me you bought it! [Ann]
• It might have been Christopher Columbus's!! He sailed the ocean blue! Or it might have come off the Titanic! Oh wait, that was 1920's? 30' or 40's. I have to re read my history book! : )  [Julie]
• You need to buy that wheel!  [Clive]
• How cool is that?  [Kathy]
• I think you need to buy the wheel and hang it on a wall or something as decoration. Your boat is beautiful and sleek....Keep the modern steering wheel and buy the old one as a gorgeous decorative piece. i've been thinking about it...I'd offer half what they are asking and see if they counter offer.  [Ann]
• Funny thing.... I do not like the wheel and was glad you did not get it.  [Niki]
• I like Ann's idea.  [Cheryl]
• I say if you love the wheel and it fits in your space then you should buy it. It will add character and be a very cool conversation piece. Who cares if the rest of the boat is brand new. The old wheel has a very cool spirit and should be back on the water!  [Mary]
• I say go for it! Buy the wheel! [Ashley]
• I love the wheel...but it seems incongruous with your sleek mod boat. Just a thought but what if you take a b/w picture of it and hang the pic in your boat? [Lauren]
• The wheel is too big for your boat.  It will get in the way of the controls. [Jerry]
• Orin thinks it would be pretty cool for you to get that antique wheel for your boat.  [Lisa]

The spectrum of responses to the Old Ship's Wheel made me feel even more certain that this wheel belonged on my boat.  Then came the response that sealed the deal:  

• I have wanted to help you in some way in rehabbing your boat. I would like to buy the wheel for you. You can Take time to make the decision to use it to steer or as decoration then and not worry about it being bought by someone else. [Kathleen]

The day I saw the Old Ship's Wheel, it caught my eye and I snapped a few photos.  I didn't think much else of it, right away.  But as time passed, it continued to find it's way to my thoughts.  The romance of the Old Ship's Wheel grew.

And now that it has been purchased as a gift for me by a member of my "chosen family," it is even more special to me.  Thank you so much, Kathleen Novicki & family! 

That is the magic that is Empress Bennu.  

Power and ReBirth, steered and guided by history, family, love & adventure.  

We have also made great progress on the ceiling--I think it is going to be stunning!

Just for fun, let's look at the original ceiling once again:

 

And here is the ceiling now (the ceiling is still not finished, but you can see the progress):

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This is what a bisection of the coffers, this is what they would look like:

I am so happy with how the ceiling looks!  Just yesterday, I had some visitors at the boat.  Some people bought a 40 foot, 1972 KingsCraft, and while searching for information online, they discovered my blog.  They were interested in seeing the things that had been done so far.  When they walked in and saw the ceiling, I heard an, "Oh wow."  Now I have heard that before, but in the past, it was more like, "oh wow...this is quite a project," or "oh wow, you are brave for taking this on."  It was very nice to hear a simple, "oh wow."

She's getting close now.  I hope to move aboard in May, and explore the river together this boating season.

  

The Old Ship's Wheel and the Captain

"I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky; and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by."

~John Masefield

Exciting news!  Today I received confirmation that my application has been approved and my Merchant Mariner credential has been issued and is in the mail.  Translation: I am finally, officially a United States Coast Guard licensed Captain!

And progress on the boat continues.  The boards for the coffers on the ceiling have been stained and are on the boat ready for installation.  I love the color, and I cannot wait to see what they look like assembled.

The color is exactly what I was hoping for.  To see what it would look like, I held it against the ceiling:

I think the ceiling is going to be spectacular!

So...last weekend I was browsing an antique store.  While browsing, I ran across this old ship's wheel (circa 1800s):

I think it is absolutely beautiful, and I love the mental images it conjures:  a storm-tossed ship in 1824--the captain's gloved hands gripping the wheel tightly to bring his vessel safely into harbor.

I didn't buy the wheel--I walked away.  Just as it is still sitting in the antique store, it also still sits in my mind.  I really love the idea of bringing this old wheel back into service on my boat.

I called the store and had them take some measurements.  The radius of the old ship's wheel is 20.5 inches (so, 41 inch diameter).  The wheel that is currently on my boat has a radius of about 11.5 inches (diameter of 23 inches).  My contractor feels the old ship's wheel is much too large for my boat.

...but I still couldn't get this wheel out of my mind (I call it determination--some call it obsession).  Today, while I was on the boat to see the color of the beams for the ceiling, I decided to try to build a model of the wheel so that we could see how it would look installed.

I looked around to see what materials I could find.  I found some scrap styrofoam and wide, yellow painting tape.  Perfect!  When I told my contractor what I had done, he replied, "you are truly crazy."

I know.

Anyway...here you can see the current wheel, and next to it is my very artfully crafted, very fancy model of how the old ship's wheel would look.

Here they are side-by-side.  The yellow tape circle represents the wood circle of the old ship's wheel.  I still think it would be absolutely beautiful, and I would love for this captain's gloved hands to grip the wheel, steering the vessel to safety.  We just need to be sure the wheel would not block the controls of the boat.

Dreaming of this boating season, on the great Ohio River in this tall ship, looking at the stars with the old, worn wood of this beautiful wheel in my hands steering my vessel wherever I want to go.  I think I need to buy the wheel...

Adventure: Oceans & Itches...

"One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure."

~William Feather

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go."

~T.S. Eliot

As work progresses on the boat (and my bank account shrinks), I am getting more and more excited about the prospect of living aboard.  Strangely, I also find myself questioning my choice.  Maybe this is just a symptom of my noncommittal condition. 

As I think about life: the joys, the adventure, all the things waiting to be discovered and savored, I wonder why I choose to keep all the anchors I have created.  A part of me (a growing part) wants to pack everything up and head to the ocean.  My KingsCraft is not an ocean-going vessel... 

Maybe I should quit reading books like: 

• Bull Canyon: A Boat Builder, Writer and Other Wildlife; 
• Bumfuzzle: Just Out Looking for Pirates; and  
• A Sail of Two Idiots.  

Or, maybe I should keep reading.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." 

~Anais Nin

Right now I am telling myself that the KingsCraft is my "practice" boat.  I will live on her for a few years to determine if living aboard a boat is really the life for me.  There is still this nagging voice in the back of my mind that reminds me that there are no dress rehearsals in life, and no guarantees of tomorrow.  I remind myself that saying, "someday," is the most dangerous thing one can do.

Things are progressing nicely.  I should be satisfied by that.  I just hope this boat is finished in time; I am feeling a little itchy...

"A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are built for."

~John A. Shedd