I find myself reluctant to\u00a0write about the boat works lately. I felt completely overwhelmed and unable\u00a0to contemplate the whole picture. In fact, there is no whole picture but a series of consecutive blocks of problems to be solved, with\u00a0new blocks adding everyday, in a perpetual tetris puzzle.<\/p>\n
I am\u00a0prisoner of my own restoration plan, incapable to see progress. I just put the head down and work, pushing the rock ahead.<\/p>\n
This also becomes a constant source of conflict between me and Kate. She is more of a rational planner, I am a non-linear intuitive doer. She likes to plan, execute, terminate and evaluate a task. I jump from task to task and keep things on hold. It was hard to pull it through together with such different attitudes, but eventually we worked out\u00a0our differences, or at least we learned to tolerate them.<\/p>\n
Shame is also part of the process and realizing that you are involved in a project\u00a0 that uses time, materials and labour inefficiently is not exactly an invigorating tonic\u00a0for the ego. I stopped writing about the improvements\u00a0because I failed to recognize them.<\/p>\n
But progress was happening, in a mysterious way.<\/p>\n
Before I embarked on this project I scanned the literature about boat restoration. Among others This old boat<\/em> by Don Casey was illuminating and also fun to read. I applied the author\u2019s planning method on the paper and I tried to follow it. The reality mixed everything up.<\/p>\n We made mistakes, hold over, went backwards, fought, made peace. Following the plan was the most difficult part as well as evaluating the progress. I gradually sunk in a \u201cjust keep pushing\u201d modality while I was finding everyday new obstacles.<\/p>\n August and the first part of September summoned the demons that others evocated when we started this journey:<\/p>\n Statistics<\/strong> \u2013 90% of people who buy an old boat with the goal of fixing it up and going sailing on it\u00a0fail.<\/p>\n Dream<\/strong> \u2013 every man has a dream that won\u2019t work.<\/p>\n Fatigue<\/strong>\u2013 it\u2019s a lot harder to do than you think it is.<\/p>\n Bankruptcy<\/strong>\u2013 You\u2019d need the funds to go on\u00a0for at LEAST a year without working.<\/p>\n Now after some unpredictable turns the whole picture came back and it\u2019s even scarier. It may be possible to have the mast on an the electric engine wired and back to work by the end of next week. And then it\u2019s all about putting the pieces together on deck, hoping that the sails are arriving on time and finishing a couple of painting projects. Then what?<\/p>\n Then the demons of leaking thru-hulls, faulty installations and unespected quirks around the corner will show up, gathered by a sort of fear of the fear amplified by the discomfort of the approaching cold winter. While the clouds of the final act are massing on the horizon there will be time to hum this annoying but truthful chorus:<\/p>\n