Chapter 5: Claims

After hurricane Gail petered out and the St John’s river returned to normal, I found a free boat I want and can afford. Gail and I went to Jacksonville to look at it, just the two of us. Took half an hour paddling to where our bikes are stored, an hour riding our bikes to the nearest bus stop, three hours on the city buses to get there and three and a half hours back to our bikes. Many bus changes both directions. Another hour to ride the bikes back to the town wharf, and half hour by kayak paddling back to Dallas’ camp and Gail’s boat. Long expensive day. We bought day passes for five dollars each. Unlimited bus riding privileges for one day. When we returned to point of origin, we sold the passes to other passengers wanting a bargain deal, for three bucks per each used pass. Still a large portion of day left before midnight, for them to use our passes. We started our journey before dawn and returned exhausted early afternoon...

Gail fronted the money. I had to pay her back the four bucks we failed to recuperate. It’s my boat we went to see. My expenses. We carried a picnic sack lunch and a canteen with us. Learned something startling new. Gail’s blanket sided western style canteen is an evaporative fridge. Wet the flannel cladding the sides, hang in a breeze, and shortly the contents, ice tea in this instance, gets quite chilled. Never knew that before. Worth knowing. Works like charm.

The boat we went to check out, is nearly identical to Gail’s boat. Mine has a swing keel, hers has a fin. The accommodation plan is dramatically different. Not important. The rig and sails are identical. I won’t need a mast and sails after we arrive at Dallas’ with my boat. Gail wants the rig and sails as spares for her boat. One day, she’ll leave. Hopefully, not for a very long time. Even thinking about it makes me sad. Gail laughs at me. Why would I assume she would leave alone? Perhaps I’ll be with her? That makes me feel a little better, but perhaps is doubled edged. Maybe so, maybe not. I’m a sensitive guy, easy to disappoint, easy to provoke, easy to depress.

Gail’s accommodation plan has major modifications from the factory’s original scheme. My boat has a long trunk protruding up inside the cabin, to accommodate the swing keel. That dictates a radically different accommodation plan than Gail’s fin keel boat. I plan on getting rid of the trunk and keel both and invent a more comfortable interior arrangement, swiping some ideas from Gail’s modifications. I want a strictly marina boat that goes nowhere. Gail is considering adding the swing keel to her boat to enable carrying more sail and improve lateral resistance, also to increase draft for comfort on sea passages. It’s only a notion not her intention yet.