Rumor

Rumor has it that the NHSLC just made a wise choice in their decision to hire the best damn wireless contractor in the NorthEast.

Le Chat et Le Poisson

Isabelle displays the essence of cat as she contemplated the status of Joanne's new pet fish, "Fin" the Japanese Fighting Fish.
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Click on the picture to enlarge it and you can see the Blue fish in the vase.

Tender Homestretch

After dinner tonight, the centerboard was fitted. I had to resaw it and plane and sand down to the bare wood, so it will have to be removed and epoxied again.
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The mast is also almost done, but needs to be fitted into the mast support and mast limber. To me as a neophyte sailor, the mast seems much larger than it should be.
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When the centerboard finish is cured, I will reinstall it and permanently epoxy the first bench seat. The back seats will remain loose for removal, but will be sufficiently wedged between the centerboard case and the transom.
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Should be no problem getting to a rowing launch this weekend.

Right on Track

Got a great email from a carrier this morning looking for a proposal. Nice way for Nanepashemet Project Management to start the week.
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I thought this week would be a big one anyway, but now it might be huge.
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Could mean trouble for the Tender launch!!

Further Tender Details

Early this morning, I got the fourth and final coat of interior marine varnish on the Tender. Then I sanded the mast and applied a coat of epoxy to it. After finishing this by 11:00 am, I just had enough time to shower and go with Joanne, Ryan and Courtney for a harbor cruise.
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Seems like kid Nestor is ready to pop. Courtney has carried to term which is good. I'm really interested in seeing this kid make an appearance.
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In the afternoon, I took down the finishing hut, and turned the Tender upside down with the help of Tommy O.
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I've decided to get the centerboard fully operational before a launch, and the centerboard doesn't fit smoothly into its case. So I filed the bottom centerboard opening smooth, but I'll have to substantially plane down the centerboard and refinish it with epoxy before it can be reinstalled.
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By Saturday, I'll be officially ready for a rowing launch. The Sailing launch is planned for July 4th when Mike comes home again.

Final Sopranos

I'll admit that I was wrong on how "The Sopranos" would end. I was sure that Tony was going to get whacked, and I had predicted that his psychiatrist would do it in self-defense.
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I kind of liked the way it ended though, with the former boss Junior lapsing into oblivion, giving the precedent for Tony to gently continue with the threat of a criminal suit on his mind.
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It was a good series.
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Now both "Rome" and "The Sopranos" are over. These were shows that I looked forward to seeing all week. Looks like I'll be experiencing a little gap.
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There is a new series coming in a seven episode HBO miniseries based on the David McCullogh bestseller John Adams and starring Paul Giamatti. But that doesn't start until sometime in 2008.

Fresh Water Plans

I'll be taking the Tender up to Lake Umbagog on the Northern New Hampshire-Maine border this summer as soon as we can get away.
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There is a nice boat ramp up there and the scenery is beautiful.
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Catching a fish would be a bonus.

Raised Expectations

Anytime you expect people to act in a certain manner... and they don't, it is always a source of stress and strain.
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Better to have no expectations and not be disappointed.

Impediments to Launch

I got the third coat on just before it started to mist. Doubt that the rain will hold off for the fourth and final coat. Which is ok. Since the mast is near complete, I think that I'll get the entire sailing rig done including installing the centerboard before I put the Tender into Marblehead Harbor.
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The sail won't be stitched together soon, so I'll use the smaller sail that Joanne bought me from Doyle Sailmakers for the Pram that I made a couple of years ago. It's a sprit sail also and is probably a better choice to get the feel of the boat with, since it will be a substantially reefed version of the sail size that is designed for the Tender.
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I never used it because I never got around to building the sailing equipment for the Pram. It will come in handy now though.
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Plus, I have to cut and grommet a custom tarp to make a cover so that I can store this thing properly outside on the trailer. I'll make a stand for the mast so that it can be used to slope the interior of the installed tarp.

Plane the Mast.

Late this afternoon, after calls with a couple of customers and some key vendors, I decided to fool around with shaping the Tender mast with the bandsaw and my hand planes. Much to my surprise, I got into a groove and completely tapered and rounded the main mast.
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Using sharp and well tuned hand planes is an extremely tactile and satisfying experience as the fine shavings curl up from the work piece. The Stanley bench plane that I used was my father's and is at least 40 years old, yet performed flawlessly.
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With a little touch up on the belt sander pulley rig tomorrow, the mast will be ready for epoxy coating. Coat three of the sprayed marine varnish is scheduled for tomorrow morning after the mast sanding is complete. If the weather holds, and I can get another coat in by late Saturday afternoon, the test launch could indeed be Sunday.

Ben and Jerry's

It's hard to imagine what could be more satisfying than a pint of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. I just had the Pistachio.
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The only weird thing is that the container says that one pint is four servings.
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I don't think so. There's no way that anyone but me gets any once I start my pint.

Get Out of Bed

Just so you know... while most of you Pathetic Peeps were languishing in your bedsheets on an early Friday morning, I was out getting the second spray coat of marine varnish on the Tender. I don't know why I have to carry the load all of the time!!!
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BTW, it took 57 minutes to set up all of the equipment, do a little sanding, mix the varnish, spray the interior and exterior, clean out the spray gun, put the equipment away, and close the garage door. Call it 1 hour.
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So that's the metric. 1hr/coat of marine varnish.
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At my pay rate of $250/hr, plus $40 for a pint of varnish and thinner, the cost is $290.00. Tack on 10% G&A, and 10% profit, this job gets priced out at $350 bucks.
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So that's $350 Bucks that Nanepashemet Boatbuilders earned while you losers were sleeping. Now what do you think of yourselves??? Pathetic.