Neck Wreck - 6.30.2011

Today I screwed up, and now my neck hurts (short version).



The longer version would go over the details of how I ended up under a 250lb+ piece of steel that measures roughly 106" x 54". The following is said version:

For as long as I've owned my boat I've had the idea that I'd "raise the roof" on her and give myself a bit more headroom to ease the neck-ache that would ensue from all of the crouching (ironic, yes?) due to the low ceiling that came with her. So when I began work on Rafiki two weeks ago, all projects had something to do with preparing the boat for this rather hefty bit of boat surgery. It would involve cutting out and relocating structural members, grafting in new sheet metal with the old, fairing and painting, then eventually insulating and adding a nice interior finish. But dirt before glory, and for the past week I've been cutting, welding, and grinding like a fiend. Yesterday I made a tool to guide a Sharpie marker around the edge of the cabin sheet metal to establish a series of cut lines so that everything would line up evenly when it came time to fabricate the new cabin sides, and today I began (and accident aside, finished) the cutting. Unfortunately for me, once the roof was completely severed from the boat Gravity raised it's ugly head and we began the Battle for Middle Earth (or the maritime equivalent). I had placed a series of clamps under the roof section to support the weight when all was cut free, and had also designed my cuts in a way that they would prevent the piece from falling inward (like it ended up doing...). Anywho, it all went as planned until I decided that I'd use my He-Man-Woman-Hating power (that's a Little Rascals quote, BTW: I love women) to RAISE THE ROOF. My theory was to lift it up just enough to slide a long pipe section under the roof but above the deck - simple enough in theory. Anywhoodle, between Gravity and overestimating my abilities, the whole thing slid and came crashing down on my noggin, knocking me to the bilge floor and leaving me quite dazed (but glad to have basic motor abilities - no immediatly noticable pinched nerves, broken bones, or excessive bleeding. If this just ends up being a really sore neck, then I'm definitely crossing off one of my 9 lives, because it was a real doozie. Even within the first few minutes after the accident, I made the video above, and had decided that I'd be heading to the Emergency Room ASAP, and even felt a bit foolish for not calling an ambulance. That said, the doctor didn't fret too much about it, but perhaps it was the concept of a boat ceiling falling that he didn't understand: I probably should have told him a small refrigerator fell on my head from a second story building. Anyway, after a series of X-rays and an ibuprofen I was back on the road, although rather stiff. I'm going to visit my family doctor later in the week, but plan on getting that roof raised before the 4th! Boys, we're just not that bright all the time... : )

But hey, I'm alive, well, and for some reason still excited about working on this ridiculous boat of mine! It must be the summer sun.

Danny

Five Weeks Since Last Posting - Ouch!

Photos:
Horned Puffin taking off, S. Marble Island, GBNP
Stellar's Sea-lion, S. Brother Island, Alaska
Winston, Renee, and Athena Warr aboard M/V Athena Rose
Bow of Wilderness Adventurer, Near Ketchikan, Alaska
Spirit of '98 (I live between bridge and the black smokestack)






Well, I suppose that goes to say that I've been busy, but it also says something about the availability to access the internet on a real computer, and not just my stupid iPhone. Busy-wise I was working on my 4Runner, as the sudden death of my beloved Camry "Pimp Wagon" came with little warning and left me ("OMG - how does he SURVIVE?") with only one vehicle - Big Red. After a few weeks of tinkering and improvements the beast now appears to demonstrate some behaviors I'm not too happy with, mainly the 12mpg fuel "economy." I feel disgusted using the word "economy" in relation to this vehicle, because it really, really doesn't fit.
Moving on... After I determined that the Pimp Wagon was doomed ($2000 to rebuild transmission...and the engine would still have 295,500mi on it...waste of money), I was offered a fill-in position on one of our company boats, the Safari Quest, so I went up for a week of Alaska bliss. The crew was a mix of old and new, and like usual everyone was wonderful to work with - a real treat for Seattle-Summer-Danny. I spent a fair amount of time with the new 1st Mate learning him up on how the boat ran, and it was a total pleasure working with someone who was open to learn, intelligent, but not cocky. Anywho, towards the end of the trip I pulled out my camera at a popular birding site, S. Marble (Smarble) Island in Glacier Bay National Park, in hopes of something cool to appear before my lens. Low-and-behold, my phoenix appeared, and in a pair! Totally unexpected, two Horned Puffins went tearing by our port side, shot past the bow (and with the exception of GBNP Sarah, unnoticed by all guests) and plopped into the water just in front of the boat! So as we crept forward these elegant diving/flying/walking birds casually swam away, then broke into flight, right in front of my machine-gunning camera. Yay! I've been wanting to get a closer photo of this particular species for a couple of years, and although I'm always yearning for more, this shot makes me pretty darn smiley. I was editing it on the plane ride back from Ketchikan on Saturday, and I could hardly contain myself.
Now, when I got home on Saturday night, I danced around like a teenage girl with excitement in my new freedom (blasting the new Britney Spears album like a total fool), but even as I was swirling a glass of cognac before heading to bed, I knew that I would eventually find myself against the grindstone yet again, and even as I write this my to-do list is growing. My steel Titan of a sailboat, Rafiki, sits in the South of Seattle (not unlike the South of France, just a tad more industrial I'm told), waiting for me to bestow my love upon her. Now, I know what you're thinking: Rafiki isn't a female name. But let me interject my opinion on the matter: true, Rafiki is the name of the wizard-Mandrill in Disney's "Lion King," and said character appears to be of the male gender. HOWEVER - I picked the name for two reasons that don't denote gender differences: 1). It sounds cool to me. 2). It's meaning in Swahili can be interpreted as either "friend or companion." Now, what better name for the material soul-mate with whom of dedicated so much of my time? And it sounds cools too! No-brainer. I had considered two other names, Victoria Rose (after my first girlfriend...yeah...) or the Diana K., after my mother. Now, seeing as I like sex, companionship, laughter, home-cooked meals, snuggling, and all the wonderful benefits of my relationship with Aimee, I'd be cracked out of my f*&king mind to name a boat after another girlfriend, so again, a no-brainer. Now, not naming it after my mother was a much tougher decision, but it really came down to matching the name with the boat. A woman is sleek, elegant, loving, nurturing, kind, firm, and good natured, and my Mother is no exception. So when I think of a vessel worthy of my mother's namesake, this rusting steel hulk that is my boat is not what I picture. I'm holding off then, until I find myself with a vessel that embraces it's name, much like a Transformer chooses it's driver, to add a little nerdiness to this topic.
Moving on, I'm currently living aboard the Spirit of '98, a 192-foot beast of a ship, formerly of Seattle's Cruise West. In addition to sleeping there, I do regular inspections of the boat to make sure it's not on fire, flooding, or being lived on my anyone but myself and the occasional out-of-town employee. It is most definitely an upgrade from living on the Wilderness Adventurer last year, and I'm quite grateful that the opportunity was offered to me. Pictures to follow, someday.
For the rest of the summer I plan on spending the weekdays working on my boat, adding a pilothouse, engine, interior, and then launching it in the late Summer or early Fall. On the weekends I hope to be found uni-cycling, riding my trials or downhill bikes, flying kits, playing with cameras, flying helicopters (both real and toy), do some paddling in my kayak (any whitewater folks out there?), and sailing my face off with my dad on Augusta (or on my 12' sailing dinghy, or an RC boat at the S. Lake Union Pond). The list goes on: drive-in movies, lounging on air mattresses on the lake, climbing trips, Whistler trips, a concert or two, summer festivals, 4th of July parties, smoking cigars, smoking the sheesha (FYI - that is a type of tobacco, not weed... : ), checking out the...entertainment...at Greenlake, 4-wheelin' with my truck (finally!), and just kicking back and drinking fermented beverages. Life is good.
Well, I must get to work, as it is a weekday, and I've got some sorting to do this Monday, as there are a lot of loose ends that I need to tie up before I launch into psycho-Danny work mode. I'll hopefully be picking up one of our company's spare Clearwire modems this week, so I won't have to trek ALL THE WAY across the street to Cafe Appassionato for internet service - and that means more CL-ing, blog-posting, and....well, other things. : )

PS - Call, text, or email me anytime you've got something summer-like to do, as I've been missing out for the last 6 years, and would love to do as much as possible with the time I've got!

Cheers,

Danny