State Of Perfection

The journey towards our new life has solidified a number of new perspectives for me. One of them is around "perfection", "a state of perfection", and "ideal" versus a "goal state."

There is a subtle distinction between internally identifying something as an "ideal" and identifying something as a "goal." I'm defining an "ideal state" or "state of perfection" as some ultimate, correct, form. A "goal state" is just a form that you would like to turn into.

For many years, I measured myself against some ideal. An ideal that I had concocted in my head. Some of the attributes of ideal were consciously added, others unconsciously. For example, an ideal that latched itself onto my psyche somewhere along the line is that the ideal state, or perfect state, of earning a living is entering the corporate workforce and becoming an executive. This, I believed, is perfection. This, I believed, is the ultimate state as it relates to working. This, I believed, is what every other working path should be measured against. I was wrong. Being in the corporate workforce, and becoming an executive, is an electable goal, but isn't a state of perfection in the vein of work. It may be a goal state, but it isn't the gold standard.

Another way to view this is by looking at a tree. What does the ideal form of a tree look like? Short of thinking "there isn't an ideal" (the point I'm trying to convey), for any ideal image you mentally create for a tree, I would ask "says who?" Is there some ideal state that every tree is measured against? Who concocted the definition of the perfect tree?

Every person is on their own path, and one must be very careful to not put a state of perfection before themselves. One mustn't have more of this, less of that. One may chose to have a goal state that possesses less of this and less of that. The two views are very different. In my world, there is no state of perfection, only goal states.

Time to return to working on the radar.

Back to Savannah for Boat Time

This seems like a re-occurring theme for our Friday posts, but we are back on the road to Savannah! More boat time!

The car is packed with our new generator, clothes, new cushions, toys and more. We are also taking our portable air conditioner to help cool off the boat at the dock. We saw a lot of other boats at the marina using portable ACs, so we thought we would try ours.

You may recall we had an AC in the boat when we bought her last year, but it was heavy, it didn't work very well, and it took up a lot of valuable space so we took it out. Our little portable 9,000 BTU LG unit does great, so we shall see. I'm curious to see if running it trips the dock side circuit breaker or not.

Each trip brings us closer to Yes!

Costs To Do Bottom Paint On A 32 Foot Catamaran Sailboat

This week we received the bill for all the boat work done in Sail Harbor Marina's boatyard. We thought it would be helpful for others if we shared the portion of the costs related to all the bottom work. For reference, this was done on our 32 foot, Gemini 3200 Sailing Catamaran.

Labor:

Remove existing paint to the gel coat: 14 hours and a total cost of $1,400

Repair blisters and apply 4 barrier coats: 19.25 hours and a total cost of $1,155

Paint bottom (first coat red, second black): 8.5 hours and a total cost of $510

Materials:

4 gallons of Interprotect 2000 for a cost of $387.40

1.25 gallons of Pettit SR60 (red) for a cost of $300.00

1.25 gallons of Pettit SR60 (black) for a cost of $300.00

2.5 gallons vinyl ester resin for a cost of $187.50

1.0 gallon of Interlux 830 Fast Cure Epoxy Profiling Filler for a cost of $123.00

10 x 40 grit 6 inch sanding disks for a cost of $15.00

8 x 80 grit 6 inch sanding disks for a cost of $12.00

6 x dust masks for a cost of $4.50

18 pairs of gloves for a cost of $13.50

2 x Tyvex suits for a cost of $16.50

1 x roll of fine line tape for a cost of $14.50

2 x roller pans and frame for a cost of $10.00

8 x roller covers for a cost of $42.40

4 x large cups for a cost of $8.00

4 x small cups for a cost of $2.00

6 x 2 inch brushes for a cost of $7.50

4 x 3 inch brushes for a cost of $8.60

Grand Total for Bottom Work: $4,517.40!

Honda EU2000i Companion Generator Ordered

YEAH!! We have finally purchased our Honda EU2000i companion generator for the boat. The generator will serve as our battery charing system when the solar panels can't keep up and when we are not in marinas.

Way back when Bill and I decided on the EU2000, I joined the Honda Generator Yahoo users group, I studied how people were using them for extended running, what modifications they were making to them, as well as the best place to buy one for the best price.

From the Yahoo user group, I became aware of a subtle difference in the EU2000 line. We learned we wanted the one called the "companion generator" which features a 30amp plug. Since the generator has a 30amp plug we can use our existing shore power cord to connect the generator to the boat via the shore power outlet. Therefore, we can run anything on our A/C power panels, even while at anchor. For those interested, the 30amp connector doesn't mean the generator produces 30 amps, it just fits a 30amp plug. The amperage count is 16.7. To get 30 amps, one could put 2 of the Honda EU2000s together (they are designed for such operation).

We purchased our Honda EU2000i companion generator from Mayberry's for $999. They had the best price and received good marks from the various forum postings. This priced included the generator, shipping, and insurance. It also included a service kit for the generator, spark plug and air filters for free! The companion is about $100 more than the EU2000i, but having the ability to connect and power the boat's A/C panel directly is worth it to us.

Our virtual friends at www.ZeroToCruising.com are still looking to source their Honda generator, and maybe Mayberry's will ship way up there to the north!

Family Trip to Health Clinic for Yellow Fever and Typhoid Vaccination Costs + Advice

We received a call from a worker at a health clinic that Val had befriended. The clinic had just gotten in a batch of Yellow Fever vaccinations and that we had better get there soon. First thing the next morning, we were all on our way, the entire clan. The clinic opened at 8:15, and we were there at 8:10.

Lesson 1: The quantities of the Yellow Fever vaccinations are very limited. First dips always goes to the military, and then the rest is dolled out to clinics in a region. Make friends with someone at the clinic so they will call you when doses arrive.

As the first people in the vaccinations portion of the clinic, we thought it would be fairly quick event. Alas, it wasn't. We proceeded to wait for 1 hour before being called back! Yes, 1 full hour and we were not only the first, but the only people there!!!!

Lesson 2: Be ready to wait a long time .... even if you are the first and only people there.

When we finally made it back, we met with the travel nurse. We shared with her that we were in to get some Yellow Fever vaccinations. She proceeded to ask us a serious of questions. The first one, "Where are you going?" Ah, that was easy, "We are going around the world." She gave a queer look. "I need a specific place please." I knew this was going to be an experience, but I wasn't ready for how mechanical it was going to be.

I looked at the world map on the wall and started reading off all the countries along the coast of Central and South America. The nurse dutifully typed them all in. With each one, she would pull back out sheets of information. At about country 5, I finally let the futility of the situation carry the next step. I said, "Look, we are just going to Brazil ... let's just do that one please." "Where in Brazil?" Ugh. So I looked at a map and named a city. "You don't need Yellow Fever for that one." Ugh. "Well, that is just our starting point, we plan on venturing deep into the Amazon river, and spend months and months there." "ohh, well then you definitely need Yellow Fever", she stated, "and you should get Typoid" (BONUS! We wanted that too, but were very focused on the limited quantity of the Yellow Fever vaccination).

Lesson 3: Find a specific place that requires you to have the shots you need, and simply go in with that on your agenda. Don't list every place.

Then she asked, "When are you leaving and when are you getting back?" At this point, I just made up dates. She was going by her script, and she was going to be very through (just as one would want a health care professional).

Val paid the fees: $110 per Yellow Fever shot, $60 per Typhoid shot, and $100 for the entire family consultation giving a grand total of $780.

I went first. KJ held my hand to comfort me watching everything close up. Next up was Val, KJ holding hands again. Then KJ. I had to hold her very still, and KJ braved the shots like a trooper. Next up Dy, she too did great. Sure, there were tears, but it was all good.

2 hours 30 minutes later, we were all done. The reality of the trip was made physical as all our arms were sore the entire day!

Oh, once we were done, there was only 1 Yellow Fever vaccination left for someone else and the clinic manager told us that another shipment wasn't due for 30 days.