Well, today is my last day - we head out tomorrow to go home for my
operation, which will keep me off the boat for several months.

However, lots has happened in the last couple of days.

The platform is up.

The rails are complete.

The refrigeration is ready for installation.

The engine room has been detailed (though still a mess physically).

The headliner has been painted white, replacing the repulsive color
which preceded it.

More electrical work has been finished.

The solar and wind systems are in place, and we get 5 amps in total
cloudiness, and 8 amps in overcast - didn't get below to see what was
happening when it was sunny. The KISS is off, as the hot water heater
is out of the loop at the moment, and that's where excess power goes
when the batteries are fully charged - which they are, for sure!

The windlass is finally out, and search begins for a new one.

Finishing work will continue in my absence, as well as some more
electrical work. As soon as I am able, I'll return to the boat to
continue/finish up the "must do before going in the water" parts.

Y'all, as usual, are invited to browse the pictures if it's of interest
to you. The last few days are in the "JulyEnd" gallery.

I'm outta here - say a little prayer for my operation, if you're so
inclined...

L8R

Skip, finished refitting for many months

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 - The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

"Skip Gundlach" wrote in
oups.com:

Well, today is my last day - we head out tomorrow to go home for my
operation, which will keep me off the boat for several months.



Best of luck to you, Skip. We'll all be praying for your safe voyage
through the medical seas.....

Have a little fun with your doctor. Tell him you only have $2000 to spend
on all this. Let's test and see if this operation is REALLY
necessary...(c

--
Larry

Please tell them we want you with all the parts you came with.

:{)) Ironically, that's about his fee. The gasser is more, and the OR
is considerably more, and the RR is close.

Fortunately for me (and the only reason I married her), Lydia has
insurance from her work which will keep my OOP costs to about that
2grand, unless I get another infection (the cause of failure on the
prior two), in which case, all bets are off (the copay on the
antibiotic alone was more than a grand last time; the hospital bill was
more than 30k for the week they took to find what was bugging me before
they let me out).

Back to the OOP, we're thinking of having the right shoulder tattooed
"Windlass" - our next purchase, now delayed as we have not settled on
what we'll buy - but that's another thread altogether.

L8R

Skip and Lydia, packing out

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 - The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Thanks for the sentiment!

They're just shuffling stuff around a bit - taking part of my lat and
throwing it over the shoulder to allow me to raise it, something I've
yet to achieve in over 4 years of trying, as the infra-and
supra-spinatus have not reattached to the remainder of the humerus (not
funny, I know) left behind when they tore out.

He's going to try again at the same time, and if they're not dead, and
I don't re-infect again, there's a good chance they'll hook up - and
then it's just a bunch of therapy and lots of exercises to bring them
back to health after 4 years of atrophy.

Thanks again for all your well wishes (individually, off list, and
cumulatively, on and lurked).

L8R

Skip and Lydia, packing out

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 - The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

If you have to pay for your own drugs you can save a lot by calling
around. Here in Ottawa WalMart and CostCo have the cheapest prescription
drugs and you don't need to be a member to get prescriptions filled at CostCo.

The other trick is to ask for double strength pills and cut them in half
yourself, so long as they are not coated slow release pills.

I had a heart attack at the end of a canoe race this spring and have to
take $2500 in drugs over the following 12 months but was able to cut the
cost 40% using the above strategies. I don't just build cheap boats, I
live cheap. The down side is I've only been out in one of my cheap boats
one time since the race in May. It's looking like a lost season. So I hope
you are back on the water ASAP.


--
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homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
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"Skip Gundlach" wrote in
ups.com:

He's going to try again at the same time, and if they're not dead, and
I don't re-infect again, there's a good chance they'll hook up - and
then it's just a bunch of therapy and lots of exercises to bring them
back to health after 4 years of atrophy.



I don't know about you guys, but this message has given me an awful
shoulder ache! My back is beginning to hurt in sympathy! God it hurts!

--
Larry

We wish you a speedy recovery and intend to see you in the islands this
calendar year! Ok?

Frank and his merry krewe
s/v Zombie Princess of New Orleans

Hi, Frank, Larry, and various lurkers :{))

I'll get over the pain - given the skill of the surgeon, it's actually
quite manageable, as he avoids all the nerves. The rest is just working
out.

As to when we'll leave, there is no way it will be this year. Rehab
alone will prevent that, but my estimate is that there is not less than
a month of more work to do on the boat before we can splash it and
continue with the water-based stuff (engine, comms, up the mast issues,
other systems testing, sea trials) before we can start to wait for the
right weather window to make the dash to the bahamas (where we expect
to start down the path, but may linger for months or a year or more,
depending on our finances).

However, we'll get there eventually, and all will be well, in all
regards.

And, in case any were wondering, should this operation fail, also,
we'll still go. I'll just have to accommodate my limitation. In our
original plan, having us leaving November last year, we'd expected
either a very simple fix, or a "sorry, Charlie, it will never work
right again" analysis, either of which would have allowed a speedy
departure. Of course, that was when we also expected only to do a
couple of carpentry projects, which you can see have morphed into
something entirely different. However, back to the story, so to speak,
if I can't use the arm fully, I'll just use it however I can, and adapt
as I go along.

So, we'll see you down island - but it won't be this year.

L8R

Skip, home, backing up the computer to send off for nav gear
installation, and about to go under the knife.


Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 - The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

On 29 Jul 2005 19:02:47 -0700, "Skip Gundlach"
wrote:



Skip, finished refitting for many months

Good luck, sailor. I've enjoyed your posts and wish you every success
in your recovery, not only for your own sake but for the very selfish
reason that I'm learning a lot about what it REALLY takes to refit an
old boat for permanent residency!

All the best.

R.