The fates are a Greek idea, 3 blind women, one to spin, one to measure, one to cut, the thread is your life. The boat that I thought would carry us into our future is not going to happen.
Last weekend, I went back to the boat and brought out a good friend who is a Lloyds Surveyor to go over the boat with a fine toothed comb. Joseph is the person who turned my sailors mind into the mind of a voyager. We tore the boat apart from stem to stern, turning up a few problems that would need my attention (this was not unexpected, the boat is 15 years old and made of steel…rust never sleeps) We had the boat pulled out of the water and ultra sounded the hull–a way to determine the amount of steel left.
While we where inspecting the boat Joseph discovered that mast step and the mast (made of different metals) are not getting along. When two dissimilar metals come into contact, there is a chemical reaction, especially when one of the metals is steel and the other is aluminum. The two metals eat at one another and create nasty salts and icky goo, the result of massive corrosion, both metals losing strength. The mast step had rotted, rather rusted out. I was incredibly disappointed at this development. Though I thank the Fates for seeing that the thread needed to be cut. I have horrid visions of sailing far off shore and the mast step failing and the boat floundering now the rig is 4 inches shorter…After much consideration, I retracted my offer on the amazing steel boat, thus setting the dream back to square one.
I am very aware that my lesson in life is patience, so I came home early and set to finishing the house. It is amazing how much one can accomplish when your mind is reeling from some major disappointment. So much work has been finished these past few days. So I keep a weather eye out for the right boat and I wonder what the Fates have in store for me next.
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