I love being out on the water, but honestly, half the fun of boating (for me, anyway) is tearing things apart and putting them back together again. While some people hire professionals for maintenance and renovations, I apparently decided that we will become the professionals – whether Chris likes it or not.
I’ll never forget the day he climbed aboard Comptime and found me standing in the salon with a screwdriver, the headers removed, and the fiberglass fully exposed—like I was auditioning for “Boat Surgery: The Home Edition.” His face said, “Why are you like this?” You’d think that moment would have slowed me down. It did not. In fact, ever since we started our boating adventures, I’ve practically become Sailrite’s favorite customer.
Our latest adventure is making cushions for Nauti Pickle, our Cruisers Yacht Rouge. This is the same boat I lovingly (and maybe a little aggressively) gutted down to the fiberglass the first time I saw it. We bought new captain seats, rebuilt and recovered the sideboards and engine covers, replaced carpeting… basically everything except the hull and cuddy cabin (which will be next). And because I can’t leave well enough alone, I decided the cushions needed to match the fancy diamond stitching on the new seats. So, Chris and I have spent the last few weekends quilting vinyl.
Today I finally sewed a sample together. While I was in the basement working, Gabby—our resident craft supervisor—figured out how to open the door and joined me. She takes her role very seriously. If there’s a project happening, she’s there to “help,” which usually means sitting directly on whatever I need. While Gabby supervised me, Chris was upstairs trying a new pizza dough recipe from King Arthur Baking. Can’t wait to try it tonight.
Looking forward to eating some great pizza and finishing these projects so I can immediately start tearing something else apart.
Nauti Hacks & Short Stacks 