So like all cruisers’ plans, mine seem to be written in the sand at low tide. I hoped to spend my first few months back in Thailand sailing, writing, and working on video content for my website.
Fate via a broken cutlass bearing had other plans for me.
I am often asked what is the most difficult part about sailing solo with one arm and leg (I still am not accustomed the word disability). People usually ask about waves, pirates, and storms. The fact is, sailing seems to be the easy part. Boat work on the other “metaphorical” hand, (types the one-handed blogger) is really difficult, even with 2 arms. Everything that will ever need repairing seems nearly impossible to access and if you’re lucky to reach the area that needs repairs, it is usually corroded beyond belief. What happens is I end up needing to hire some things out just because of the difficulty on doing the job one-handed, or simply because I need a left hand to get into a tough spot.
Tasks as simple as installing a water pump which would have taken me less than a half an hour with two hands, now results in a broken bracket, two trips to the store, two hours of sweating and contorting myself under the sink, and 247 uses and varieties of the word FUCK!
We had 20 days straight of rain in Phuket preventing the welder from working and me from painting, more fucks to give. My 10 day $1500 haul-out turned into a 28 day $3000 haul out. The welder? Yeah, well he is still not done, more fucks. Tiama is now back in the water and my dinghy outboard doesn’t want to start, more fucks. My original plan to enjoy the boat, save some money for work just before I leave, and hopefully have enough to get a fridge installed has turned into a really expensive month with not much getting done, fuck.
I am often asked what is the most difficult part about sailing solo with one arm and leg (I still am not accustomed the word disability).
Thankfully I always seem to have good people around me willing to lend a hand. Crystal let me stay in her spare room which allowed me to escape the seemingly infinite boat yard mosquitoes. Crystal, Reika, Dominic, Toby, Tom, Terry, Brent, and Glenn were always offering to lend a hand. Though I am incredibly frustrated with Chai the welder, he is doing a good job, albeit at an incredibly slow pace starting after lunch if it doesn’t rain. I’m hoping it will just be one more week of boat work then I will be able to get out and enjoy the boat.
Things to look forward to: The weather is turning for the better and I should be able to get a few good months of cruising in. This will allow me to shake down the boat before starting my trip across the Indian Ocean.
Only about three months to go before I set sail… It feels like a minute.
Here are some pictures of my last few weeks. Yes, it looks like a whole bunch of hard work, because it is. Leave a note below and tell me how your last month has been…
Sincerely,
Your Misadventure Guru
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