On the Boat Again

Finally got my jeep back Tuesday afternoon with a "Cuban-style" fabricated part - but it was a short-lived victory. 

The next morning the battery was totally dead - it coughed a little "click" and croaked. To be fair, the mechanic had warned me of this (and I too had noticed that lately it had been losing its engine-cranking enthusiasm); but I though I could get away with it for a few more days. Wishful thinking always gets you into trouble.

After a healthy dose of curses and expletives, I cleaned the dirty terminal connectors. There's the problem, I thought, more out of wishful thinking than conviction.

This time around, it actually groaned for a moment, but that was it.

I hooked up my old boat charger (5 amps) and an ancient 8 amp charger that I inherited from my dad. I was a little hesitant - never heard of anybody hooking up two chargers to one battery. There were no sparks or explosion so I left them for a few hours until I got enough juice to start the engine. 

Then I drove into town and handed over 90 euros for a new 72 Amp battery. By then the day was shot.

What matters is that I've got wheels again. Kind of pathetic when my life is ruled by a vehicle. 

Thursday morning I drove out to my "second life." Never thought about the boat in those terms, but that's another way of looking at it. After setting up the laptop, tying down the ripped mainsail cover, freeing the wind generator and removing the extra storm lines, it was time for lunch.

Lunch with a healthy glass of wine (actually 2). I look like a twerp in the hat, but I don't care.

Then it was time to go for a walk and check out a couple of transient boats.

Jakatar with the sail cover lashed to the mast - the zipper completely disintegrated. You'd think that the spinning wind generator would create a blurry effect in the photograph but, no, it looks as immovable as a statue.

If you don't mind getting you topsides a little black, these tire fenders are cheap and will last you a lifetime.

Three young French guys on a catamaran going someplace.

Here's a real folksboat crewed by a young couple - spend 20k and see the world with a bit of style. [Saturday morning update: I just saw them sailing south from my window]

Running my very old Toshiba charting computer so it doesn't freeze up. Also taking inventory of some odds and ends.

While doing my inventory, I found the old thermostat gasket. That inspired me to remove the thermostat housing, clean the mating surfaces, spray the bolts with a bit of WD40 for good luck and YES, it stopped leaking. That made my day!

Here's a video of my trusty Kubota humming sweetly...at least to my ears. Ana says it makes a racket and smells. Feelings toward this engine epitomizes the basic differences between men and women.

Big Ideas

I've had a lot of big ideas in my life; I've also had my share of ups and downs. One of my favorite plans so far was to stop working today - yes today!

That's not going to happen today, tomorrow or anytime in the near future. Plan B says "another 5 years." The funny thing is that I could stop working today; I could if I were an island or the only coconut tree on that island. [Read my lips: if I lived on the boat.]

Life would be grand anchored someplace...like here.

Having a drink on the Porto Santo Ferry about 4 years ago. I look like I'm drinking lemon juice. Ana has since lost the little tummy through persistent jogging, cycling and gym sessions. But I like the picture anyway.

During our visit to Madeira, we took the ferry to the smaller island of Porto Santo, which reinforced my fondness for dry arid landscapes surrounded by ocean - preferably bays and beaches.

I've heard that a cold rainy climate has its practical and poetic virtues and is also a stimulant for an industrious mindset. I believe it because I've been a pack mule a good part of my life, except when I was busy being a book-reading dreamer and a bum. 

Regardless, I don't want to work anymore. I'm now totally ready and willing to waste my time doing something worth doing in a warm, sunny setting - I'd rather sweat than shiver.

Back to reality and to Jeep news: as I head into the third week of waiting for a stupid little engine part, the mechanic decided to have a local machinist manufacture it "Cuban-style."

Don't ask me about the boat. I haven't been there since the storm and it must look odd all lashed down with extra storm lines in this calm weather we've had lately.

I was going to take the bus into Peniche yesterday but didn't when an unexpected situation popped out of nowhere. Man, sometimes I feel like I'm moving but going nowhere.

Walking is Healthy

Have you ever felt stuck?

Like sitting on a hot rolling sailboat in the middle of an ocean for a week with no wind and an almost empty diesel tank. That's how I feel now after being deprived of my jeep for nearly two weeks; all this frustration because of one tiny engine part.

Because I'm not in the middle of an ocean, I went for a walk this morning - for a purpose, mind you. 

It's one of those calm sunny mornings that completely transforms your mood the second you step out the door. Let's face it, getting out of the house is a "numero uno" purpose in life. No question about it.

First I walked into town to get some cash at the ATM; then I walked to the farm to pick some tangerines, oranges and lemons - winter fruit.

Before the storm, this lemon tree had lush green foliage and the lemons were hanging where they should be.

The tangerine tree held on to its leaves and tangerines, looking like a decorated Christmas tree. The orange tree was naked with one fallen and wrinkled orange stuck in the bare branches.

Bare fig tree branches overhead, vines and chestnut tree in the center

What's so exciting about that, you may ask? 

Not much, I admit. But it sure beats sitting at home waiting for a translation, surfing the Internet out of boredom or shoveling snow in Sweden. [I love teasing my Swedish friends and readers...you love it too, right?]

I was going to walk along the beach on my way back but the tide was too high.

So now I'm back in the damn house again waiting for Apple shares to drop. The lemons fell, why shouldn't apples?

In a post about Apple, I forecast that its shares would drop to $285 within two years. Stupidly, I forgot one major fact: Apple has $137 billion in cash (no, that's not a typing error - 137 billion). Consequently I'll have to change my forecast to $315 per share. You may argue that 137 billion divided by its shares does not equal $30. But it's not that simple, and I'm not about to write a 10-page treatise on the subject.

If you think that's "quacky" listen to this: about seven years ago I bought a Sony 27-inch flat-screen TV for €1,750...yeah, I know, I'll blame it on Ana and hope she doesn't read this post. Today, you can buy a similar quality TV for €400 or less. And we're not even factoring inflation into the price.

That's what will happen with smartphones and pads. They'll be facing the same price guillotine all other electronic devices have faced in the past. Chop! Chop! Smartphones for 99 bucks. And where will Apple get its hyper profits then? Remember, I said 2 (two) years.

Summer and Winter

The Sun is back, so why not go for a walk down to the beach.

This place really is two worlds: summer and winter. Here's what Praia da Areia Branca looks like on a typical summer day.

Low tide, not too crowded, lazy warm days.

Because of the January storm damage, this is what it looks like today.

Damage repairs - and no dogs allowed either!!

Almost deserted boardwalk (...stonewalk).

The fence on the left is where the cliff drops 50 m and where the ocean is undermining this road. If you park where the yellow stripes are painted you risk losing your car in a spectacular free dive.

That's Peniche in the background, looks so close but is quite far when your jeep has broken down

A typical winter day. I have no work this afternoon so why not go for a leisurely walk. Yes, yes, I know, you can hardly stand the adventure of it all and will return tomorrow for more action...uh, boredom.

No boat visits, no jeep, no action - haven't even tried my kayak yet. Well, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do even if it's boring. Maybe I should keep quiet until I have something worth writing about.

Wait, there's more boring stuff. I found a Youtube flick about the surrounding area. The beginning is tacky, but it gets better.

The Saturday Storm

Manuel called me Friday evening - I could barely hear his voice over the whistling rasping wind and banging noises.

"It's blowing like hell here and it's gonna get a lot worse tonight," he shouted into the mobile.

"Yeah, it's supposed to hit 45 knots," I shouted back from my cozy office.

"Windguru says gusts will reach 65 knots early this morning!"

"65 knots," I repeated, not shouting anymore, as my stomach tightened. "Shit, my jeep broke down yesterday. I'll borrow Ana's car and pop over before it gets dark."

"Don't bother, I'm on your boat right now. Everything is OK. I untied two sail sheets and tied them to the cleats on the pontoon. You're only tied-off to the fingers, and they're heaving up like crazy. If they snap at least now you're tied to the pontoon."

I thanked him and went back to my emergency translation.

I shot this video Saturday morning at Praia da Areia Branca after the worst had passed.

In the morning nobody called from the marina, so I figured Jakatar was still in its berth and floating. I kept on working.

Then the power failed in town and I couldn't work anymore; I asked Ana to drive me to the marina.

Look at the waves in the background...like hills charging the beach. The foam on the far right is from a wave that crashed over the breakwater.

Huge waves coming over the breakwater and all I got was this barely visible white spray (in the center) just before getting into the car.

I guess I'm an amateur blogger: I timed a fast dash to the gate to avoid waves crashing over the breakwater; was on the boat that was heeling and bouncing around like an enraged bull; had a perfect view of the massive waves steamrolling toward the beach - and only remembered to take pictures when I got back to the car. What an idiot!!!

Don't go away, there's more.

Back home, there's still no power by 5 pm. Trees have fallen over power lines and everything is a mess. I got a job to finish, the deadline is covered by a bank guarantee and I'm starting to get jittery.

What to do, What to do?

There's only one thing to do. I made a bunch of sandwiches (actually Ana did), packed the laptop and an extra blanket. Then Ana drove me back to the marina where I would spend the night and the next day working in the boat. Amazingly, there's power at the marina.

Just as I was settling down to work in the boat that's rolling and jerking violently at the dock lines, Ana calls. "The power is back."

What a life.

News report: Peniche had the strongest wind clocked at 140 km/h; Nazaré had the largest wave (measured by a wave-measuring buoy) of 19.2 meters.

That's enough excitement for now.

Silver Coast Weather Report

The weather report for today goes something like this: grey, oppressive, useless and uninspiring with rain expected later. Pretty much the same for tomorrow.

I'm chained to the computer, the house...the work. WORK, that's a dirty four-letter word if I've ever seen one. And when the pay is bad, it's one of the dirtiest words I've ever heard!!

As I sit here picking my brain for something to write, I just realized that a blog (or at least a post) reflects the quality of one's life. OK, I promise that this is temporary. It won't be long before I'm sailing or, at the very least, hanging upside down in the boat's engine compartment changing the gearbox.

When I arrived home from lunch, the garden felt so peaceful and soothing that I took these pictures. I thought about my niece Erika who just arrived at some lonely town near the Arctic Circle for a teaching gig and thought, "this ain't so bad." And it wouldn't be if I hadn't been working for 22 days straight from the moment I get up until I go to bed. I don't even dare tell you what I'm translating.

The Three Pumpkins

Looking toward the street

More pumpkins

Anchoring in the Algarve

I had a bright idea last night. If I write it in stone here, I'll probably feel committed to carrying it out. Sounds good in theory, as usual.

If you've been following my story, you'll know that I'm planing to transport a multi-part mooring to Alvor this spring. The whole affair is described in Temporary Mooring in Alvor.

Before I had my bright idea, I was working on a miserable translation assignment and my eyeballs were about to pop out of my head. Enough is enough. So I surfed the web looking for some entertainment (TV just doesn't do it anymore). I began reading a heated discussion in a forum about anchors and anchoring techniques. Let me tell you, anchoring is a hot topic, very emotional stuff that is taken very seriously.

Suddenly I was looking at a photograph of a Rocna anchor filling my computer screen; ugly and mean-looking like a primitive weapon. I like it.

So off I went to the Rocna site where I watched a demonstration video and was quite impressed. I like the way it bites immediately and rotates during a wind/tide shift while remaining buried.

So, for example, if a dumb-ass boater were to snag my anchor chain with his lousy inferior anchor, it would take some force to pull the Rocna out and, if it did pop out, it would reset almost immediately. Pure genius! They should call it the iAnchor.

The same thing goes for the Manson Supreme anchor, which is pretty much a copy in disguise.

Rocna Anchor

So, I asked myself, why go through all the hassle of building a mooring when I can have an anchor that does the same job. Even better, it's like having a mooring wherever I go.

With the mucky bottom in Alvor and Culatra or sandy bottom in Sagres and Portimão, this anchor will bury itself up to the tomatoes, as we say in Portugal.

The downside is that a 25 kg anchor plus shipping from the UK will set me back 750 euros.

This means unplugging from the rat race 750 euros later than I had planned...what a life of compromises.

PS. If you're reading this and I find you anchored in my favorite spot in Alvor when I sail in, you're in big trouble!