Launch Build Up.

Don't get all excited about this, but I got the first spray coat of marine varnish on the interior and exterior of the Tender this afternoon. Three or four more coats and then I will have to actually put it into the water.
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If I get up around 6:00AM tomorrow morning, and get another coat on, that should give me plenty of time to get to my 9:00 AM pricing conference call. After that, I have to go to the Salem Waterfront Hotel for a Sales Meeting. By lunch time, the coat should be dry and I could spray another coat. One more coat on Sat. Morn., and the launch could actually happen this Sunday.
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If you would like to be invited to the launch, feel free to send me an email detailing the worthyness of your request and it will certainly be considered. I might even spring for some Samuel Adams Summer Ales to commemorate the event.

Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week - Week 23-07

Another POTW day.
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I had a number of people this week committing a cardinal sin in the Nanepashemet doctrine.... asking to be a POTW. You would think that people wouldn't be so foolish and crass!!
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I even had Steve Lewis questioning the "no animals" rule. He almost had me though when he asked if his puppy could be Peep of the Week if it came up to me with a bottle of Lagavulin strapped to it.
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I have to admit, that was a conundrum.
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Luckily, it didn't actually happen, so I don't have to adjudicate what could have been a loophole in the Peep Body of Rules and Regulations. It's not a good thing to try to trip me up.
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Announcing
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 23rd week of 2007

Tom Chagnon
Jill Tufts
Ray Bates
Steve Lewis
Lauren Rathbone
Mike Chandler

Better luck next time.

POTW Day

Thursday.
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It must be frustrating for you having to wait until the evening before finding out who the honor/disgrace went to.
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But you must be used to frustration.

Electoral Responsibility

Seems like the Presidential campaign is well underway.
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Who do you support?
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As I get older, and debateably wiser, it seems that anyone who wants to run for President is suffering from a serious character flaw - extreme vanity. So, right off of the bat, it's hard to warm up to someone like that.
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In time, I will throw the full impact of the Nanepashemet Blog into supporting one of these obsequious candidates. As you know, it will probably have a major impact on the outcome of the election.
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So, I can't take this responsibility lightly. Naturally, the input of the Peeps will be carefully considered. Right!!!

Nice Try

Quite a few of you decided to take the opportunity to ridicule me because of my confusion with the kill switch on the boat.
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Do you think that bothers me???? Some word missiles from misguided Peeps with bad aim??? HA, Je creche a vous!!
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I've freaked out far worse, on far less, in the past.
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If you want to get under my skin, you'll have to do your homework. For example, I'll be heading to the Gerry tonight to sponsor Dave Bruett's membership, and I suppose you naysayers will have some wimpy editorial comments on that.
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It will take a lot more torpedoes to sink this battleship.

Can't Touch That

We just picked up a ton of business from a major carrier. All of the prep work has kicked in. Hammer Time.

Opening the Season

Those who know me well, know that I'm not a complainer. No whining here. Bitches and Gripes can find another dude.
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But I hate the first time out on the boat every season. There's always some stuff that you forget and you have to get used to a big 3000 lb vehicle bounding up and down in the swells. Usually you get your sea legs after the first time out or so. But you have to go through the first time.
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So tonight, I take the WhaleEye out of the harbor to open it up in Salem Sound. Just getting used to the feel again. I attached the emergency shut off cord and brought the speed up to 25 kts or so. Coming back into Salem Harbor, the battery hatch flapped open, so I put the engine into neutral and then went to close the hatch.
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Naturally I forgot to detach the emergency switch off cord and the engine went off. When the motor wouldn't turn back on, and I was being swept out of the Harbor, I contacted the launch service and asked them to get the Salem Harbormaster out to tow me. After a little negotiation, and trying to contact SeaTow, he reluctantly agreed to tow me to the mooring.
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After a couple of minutes of being towed, I realized that I hadn't reattached the emergency shut off cord. Sure enough, when I reinstalled the cord, the engine turned over. By that time, I realized that my navigational lights were not operational, and when the Harbormaster asked me my name and address, I was sure that I was being written up for non-compliance with the running lights regulation.
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I brought the boat back to the mooring with no further incidents.
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Can you see now why I'm downsizing to oars and sails???

Good Looking Kid

One of Katelyn's best friends, Lauren Rathbone, gave birth to a handsome bruiser, Ethan.
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He's a toughie, But you may have to invest in a more manly hat, Lauren.

A Name for the Tender

I've received a number of questions regarding a choice of names for the Herreshoff Columbia Tender lately.
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Fair enough.
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It's been tempting to name it "Nanepashemet" after the famous blog and equally renowned project management company.
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Unless somebody suggests a better name in the next week and a half, then that's the way it will go. But I'm open to advise from the Peeps.
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I've already disclosed to Tyler Gill that we will be foregoing the christening with champagne for a quality bottle of Samuel Adams Summer Ale.

Fair Warning to Fish

The WhaleEye hit the water today, sealing the fate of hapless tuna, stripers, and bluefish who are now in the twilight weeks of their short fish lives. Unless another mechanical mishap occurs, we will be mercilessly pursuing our finned prey by the weekend.

Close Call

I know that most of you Peeps are awestruck by my engineering prowness. Being able to construct the Boat finishing shelter in only one weekend has leveraged literally hundreds of emails - all expressing admiration, shock and awe.
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Well I almost let you down.
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With a steady rainfall all last night, I couldn't believe the amount of water that had collected on the top of the tarp. I literally couldn't push it up from below, and had to get a ladder and bail the collected rainfall from the top of the hut.
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If the shelter had collapsed, it would have been a public relations disaster!!! Maybe the end of the Blog as we know it!!!
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Whew....
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As I continue to advise you, I am only a man... not a Greek God, or Marvel Comics Superhero. Even I can have failings and frailties.

Good Morning Asshole

Can't Good Morning America find another story other than a selfish personal injury lawyer, Andrew Speaker, who has no problem screwing other people? Like that's never happened before.
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This one has a new twist though. Sneaking on a commercial airliner with Tuberculosis.... he didn't mean to put other people at risk. What an asshole.
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I hope every passenger on that plane gets their own personal injury vulture/lawyer, and sues poor Andrew for pain and suffering.
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Now his Mommy and Daddy are fighting his battles for him. If one other person gets TB transmitted by him, the whole family, as well as Diane Sawyer, should swing.
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We need some real news.

Launch Date

Finished the temporary spray painting hut by 2:00PM today.
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The hut was made entirely from tarps and strapping that was causing clutter under the deck in the backyard. It's made in seven foot sections that are primarily clamped together and can be disassembled and stored for the next boat.
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Now the weather excuse is over. All I need now is time to complete the sanding and varnishing. I'm thinking two weeks to the rowing launch.
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That would be Sunday, June 16.

Time to Ponder

If a Man Farts,
And there is no woman around to tell him that he is a gross pig,
Did he still Fart?

Deal with Weather

All day long, it was supposed to rain today. So I decided to build a series of framed tarp panels so that I could enclose the Tender in the driveway, and still start the final marine varnishing step. The frames were cut from some strapping that I had stored under the deck and I have plenty of tarps lying around.
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By 6:00 PM I had five frames built and two tarps attached, but rigor mortis had the best of me.
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If it is not raining tomorrow, I will finish the tarp enclosure, and get the first coat of varnish on the interior.
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There is a tornado warning in effect for Essex County until 8:30PM tonight.

Last Stages

As you can see, the details are just about done on the Herreshoff Columbia Yacht Tender. Except for shaping the masts that have been laminated, there is virturally no construction left to do.
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I have to sew the sail, but I won't wait for this to be done before launching. The launch will be a rowing event.
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Nothing left but to prepare the surfaces with a 220 grit sanding, then begin the spray varnishing. I also have to epoxy fasten the seats and finalize the centerboard, but these are minor operations.
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June is definitely the month to test drive the Tender.

Starting to Worry

Now I know what they mean about a Full Moon. It definitely brings out the craziness in people.
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I get this email saying that the Peep was going to take one of the Philbrick books that I told you about on his honeymoon.
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Peeps.... Please Pay Close Attention....
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Honeymoons are not for reading the books that are mentioned on this lame Blog!!!
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Honeymoons have absolutely nothing to do with this Blog.
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I used to think that that the people who read this Blog had a modicum of common sense. Now I know that I have to start from scratch.

Distasteful

Now one of my steadiest, most reliable peeps, Stevie Lewis, wants me to bend the rules to make his new dog a POTW.
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What audacity!! Totally out of the question!!
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Plus, I can't imagine how Steve's nostrils taste. Even if animals were eligible, I'd be reluctant in view of this Pup's "bad taste".
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Now.... Jill still has a shot for next week.

Wrongful Supposition

So Tommy McMahon thinks that everytime he chases an idiot off the field at Fenway Park, he should be a Peep of the Week!!!
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Not even close.
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How many times do I have to tell you???
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The only automatic lock on a POTW slot is to get me a bottle of Lagavulin, 16 yr., Single Malt Scotch.
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BTW, I'm running really low.

POTW Week 22

I have no excuse for the tardiness of the Peep of the Week selections today.
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Maybe it was the full Moon.
Maybe the project management business is pre-occupying.
Maybe the Tender obsession has gotten out of hand.
Maybe I'm just a bad person.
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But I'm human.... like the rest of you... and I make mistakes.
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So KMA! Here they are....
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ANNOUNCING
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 22nd week of 2007

Katelyn Nestor
Nathaniel Philbrick
Mark Ferrante
Kelly Clarke
Diane Sawyer
Mark Ryan

Now get off of your high horse and don't squander your obligation to make this world a little bit better today.