Summertime on Kent Island: 8/23 - 8/26

—Blogpost written by Bob 

Monday, August 23  

It rained very early this morning and it was all over by about 7 AM.  There was plenty of time for me to sand the center floorboard again and add another coat of varnish (the seventh) before driving to Annapolis.  I had several errands to run in Annapolis besides picking up materials for the drilling jig for the dining table legs.

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By the way, today begins the third week that Kali, our little Maine Coon kitten, has been with us.  In her first week she improved on her jumping skills, jumping up onto our v-berth by the end of the week.  In her second week her tail grew quite a bit thicker.  

Kali was just 15 weeks old
in this photo (taken today).

She still looks a little awkward, with a skinny body and long legs.  She eats as much as Lola, our 3-year old Maine Coon cat, and is very active, though you wouldn't know it from the above photo.  (She seems like a very happy little cat!)

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As I was having lunch (at Italian Market) I was looking online for a drilling jig that would save me from building one for drilling the table legs.  I found one online (and purchased it) that I could use in conjunction with a piece of plywood to act as the floor.  I purchased a 3/8 inch thick piece of plywood and had it cut to size at Home Depot.  I purchased four 1/4-inch brass inserts and four 1/4-inch diameter x 3-inch long hex head cap screws at Fawcetts (for actually mounting the table legs to the cabin sole).  Since I saved so much time and money, I decided to (finally) buy an 18-volt brushless (Makita) drill ($80) to replace my very old Ryobi-brand cordless drill.  (Now all my cordless tools use the same batteries.)

My new Makita (brushless and)
cordless drill driver.

In the afternoon, I watched several YouTube videos on installing brass inserts--this is what convinced me to finally buy a new portable drill driver.

Since the new larger litter box arrived today I changed out the litter box this evening, giving our cats (Lola in particular) significantly more room to do their business.

I lightly sanded (with 400-grit) the center floorboard--this time, sanding across the wood's natural grain (which actually made the surface smoother).  I then applied the eighth coat of varnish while it was still light outside.  (This project was finally coming to a close!)

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Today turned out to be sunny and warm, the outside temperature reaching into the high 80's in the afternoon. 

Tuesday, August 24

I was awoken in the morning by our two cats rough housing around a large cardboard box in which the new litter box was shipped.  They were really going at it!  So, I got up to restore some sense of order and make breakfast (for them and for me).

The outside temperature was already 80 degrees at 9 AM.  It was sunny without a cloud in the sky and the temperature was predicted to hit a high of 89 degrees in the afternoon.  I decided to  work inside today.

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Before I started a project for the day, I hunted down a package that supposedly arrived for us on Monday.  I found it in the marina office (addressed to Maggie)--it was the two 2 foot x 3 foot rugs that we ordered on Etsy that came from Turkey.

I placed one of the two rugs in front of the galley
sink.  Shortly thereafter both cats found a
resting place on it.  (I guess this
means they approve.)

During the heat of the day, I worked inside the boat and laid out the hole pattern for mounting the table legs on the 3/8-inch plywood that I purchased at Home Depot.  (This piece of plywood will act as a template for drilling the table legs and provide a flat surface for me to apply the drilling jig to keep the holes perpendicular to the floor, all the while the table is turned completely upside down to work on it.)

I spent a lot of time on the hole template and situating
the table so that only one mounting hole will be
located in the new center floorboard.  (Of
course, the hole pattern is not sym-
-metrical.  I made it so that the
holes will appear the same
place on each leg
of the table.)

Kali, with her relentless energy, played inside the
lip of the old litter box while I worked
on the drilling template. (She
IS squeaky cute!)

Before I knew it the day was over and it was getting dark outside (my cue to go to bed).

Wednesday, August 25

At 8:30 AM when I took Lola outside to get away from Kali (we both needed to get away from Kali and her relentless energy) for a little while, it was hot (80 degrees F) and humid without a breath of wind anywhere.  (Kali cried with her little squeaky voice while we were outside and she laid on the top companionway step waiting for our return.)  

The heavy dew on the outside surfaces of the boat drained down the cabin sides and across the deck in rivulets as streams of sweat rolled down the sides of my face.  Eventually, Lola volunteered to go back inside the boat where it was nice and cool—I followed her by a few minutes.

Maggie was due to come home today from visiting her oldest daughter in Johnstown PA and her sister in Pittsburgh.  I had a lot of boat cleaning to do ahead of her arrival (but I decided to put it off until the very last minute.)  The outside temperature reached 90 degrees F in the afternoon.

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On Monday, I had skipped the part of my "to do" list that involved a visit to our storage unit (because I really hate going there)--so, this morning I drove to Annapolis to accomplish those postponed tasks.  The postponed tasks involved bringing back both of my Makita grinders, one of which will be converted to a rotary (high-speed) sander, my heat gun, and my yellow tool box which I believed contained (I confirmed that it does!) a foot-long drill bit necessary for drilling the table legs. 

While in Annapolis I purchased some larger diameter drill bits (particularly 25/64") that I will need to install the brass inserts in the cabin sole for fastening the round teak table.  (I also picked up a pack of plastic tapered shims at Home Depot since the table doesn't sit perfectly flat on the cabin sole for whatever reason.)

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I had a nice lunch at Lemongrass II, KaPow, my usual for a Thai restaurant.  While there I reviewed my "to do" list to make sure I did everything on my list before driving back home.  When I got back to the boat I switched the blade on one of the angle grinders to a heavy 5-inch diameter sanding disk.  (I intend to use this to sand some of the edges of the floorboards to fit better before mounting the round teak table.)

This setup (course sanding disk on an angle
grinder) is intended for some serious and
quick removal of unwanted wood!

In the afternoon, I spent some time with Lola to assure her that she was still loved as much as ever.  Then I spent some time with Kali to help her feel welcomed and loved.  (I think both cats appreciated the one-to-one attention.  This was somewhat of a balancing act between their individual needs.)

Maggie wasn't feeling well today--so, she wisely postponed her return trip until tomorrow morning.  

All in all, I had a pretty easy day today...(and I avoided cleaning up the boat for yet another day).

Thursday, August 26

The weather was expected to be a near duplicate of yesterday but with a 5 to 10 knot breeze and a 15% chance of rain sometime throughout the day (probably late).  So, I started with some outside work early in the morning.  I put the recently refilled propane tank back in the propane locker and reassembled the helm seat (which is located above the propane locker) and cleaned up the cockpit and hosed down the cockpit.

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Maggie arrived just before noon and we went out to lunch at Ram's Head, a local tavern associated with the more famous one in Annapolis.  Maggie still wasn't feeling 100 percent and thought she may have COVID. as a breakthrough infection.  She made an appointment to have a COVID test tomorrow morning.  (She later cancelled the appointment because she was feeling much better later in the afternoon.)

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Maggie and I positioned the table where it met all of our criteria (space between seats and table, only one leg bolt in new center floorboard, etc.  We selected shims to be placed under one leg so that it didn't wobble at all.

Our round teak table with one of the new rugs
we bought, all in its final position.

Of course, the table will be bolted to the cabin sole, probably through the rug though we haven't yet figured that out.  (I am waiting for the arrival of the counterbore tool for the final drilling of the table legs--I have everything else we need.)

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Stay tuned for the mounting of our round teak dining table...

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