Season Warm-Up and Impromptu Dock Reunion

     "Everyone's tryin' to get it right, get it right..."
                                           -Loverboy






     The Great White North hasn't been too white lately.  In fact, the weather this month has been downright balmy- sunny, warm, and dry- highly unusual but definitely not unwelcome.  It feels more like May than March.
     
     Days like this are bonus days, and as with every bonus in my life,  I was doing my best to squander it.  I figured that the more dirt-work I did now around Stately Jones Manor, the less work I have to do in the fall.  I sure as hell am NOT doing it during boating season.

   Which may be why I am still checking off items on the 2008 home maintenance punch-list.

    Anyrake, on Sunday  I decided to take a break from raking leaves (yeah, I know it's spring,  Shaddap.)  and head to Dover with Hilary to check out the  Bridge Yachts open house.

    Once a year the Laevens clan pulls out all the stops for a weekend-long event.  Seminars, vendor displays, discounts, samples, demonstratiuons, and free coffee and donuts. It's like a very compact boat show, with reps on hand from vendors big and small, and practical presentations on electronics, fiberglass repair, anchoring and more.

   Ed greeted everyone who walked through the door, registering all visitors for the door prize draw.  Note the salty looking  draw drum  on the counter.  Ed built it the week before the open house.

  While Ed covered the meet-and greet at the front of the store,  Steve was quietly handling the meat and potatoes at the parts and service counter at the back.

 Meanwhile Debbie and June were...  drinking coffee.

    (This may be the first (and last) documented instance of the Laevens men being busier than the Laevens women.)
   (Yes, I know I am in trouble.)

    After clearing in with Ed, I bump into Jim and Marianne, literally!  We quickly caught up and I promised that SWMBO and I would  come see the new boat.  More on that in the next post.


   The service bays had been cleaned out and cleaned up and turned over to vendors.  Representatives from Harken, Standard Horizon, Kiwi Grip, and a host of others large and small were on hand to answer questions a demonstrate their products...

    ...And to hand out swag.  I had the chance to talk to the Kanberra Gel  rep about their teatree oil- based  air cleaner, and received a small tester to try.    It will be put to use in a 30 day trial aboard Whiskeyjack and I'll let you know how it performs.

   Sudbury Boat Care  was handing out samples of their Boat Zoap, another product which will get tested on Whiskeyjack.

   While I was scrounging freebies, Hilary was fitting out his new-to-him C&C 25, which will be arriving from Sarnia on Thursday.  He introduced me to Peter Bristow, the Ontario Sales Manager for Bug-tek, manufacturer of a biodegradable non-toxic insecticide and spider repellent.  I am not sure how you can make a non-toxic bug repellent, but I am going to see how it works.

  As we worked our way around the "clearance table"  finding some great discontinued and scratch-and dent deals (I bought two cans of Interlux varnish for $20, Hilary picked up a gear hammock for $3), we met Andy and Jordan, from Tempus Fugit and Saphira.  Andy's wife (and Jordan's mom) Yvonne is a real canvaswork talent.  She will be repairing Whiskeyjack's  main sail cover and adding another pair of hand loops to the dodger shortly, so it was handy to be able to touch base.

    After seeing all there was to see (me) and spending all he had to spend (Hilary)  we crossed the bridge to the boatyard to check on Whiskeyjack and Legacy, and retrieve Whiskeyjack's  cabin table to bring back to the skunkworks for reworking.  The view from the cockpit shows the chock-a-block transom to bowsprit and rubrail to rubrail packing of boats in the yard.

   The Dock opens April 15th.  21 more sleeps!

   

 

    Thanks for taking the time to check us out.  Please feel free to "Talk the Dock!"  Link us, follow us, or just tell your friends.