What one learns along the way

After much fretting on my part, Bounty got delivered into the right hands. The right place was found, not on the internet mind you, just simple "let your fingers do the walking", a bygone era advertisement for the Yellow Pages, I found John Kilpatrick Boat Repair. He is not on the internet. He says he has been struggling hard to avoid going to the internet: "too much, too fast, information before I need it".

My fretting began several years ago when I realized that Bounty needed restoration. Myown research via the internet told me that Bounty was a rare boat: built by the Thompson Brothers who believed that a well made wood boat would be a better boat than one made of fiberglass. (see the Thompson description on Wikepedia). Bounty is a solid boat, built right, powered appropriately and of the size that we can use regularly and store indoors for the winter. I would like to keep her. I had been asking around, calling the last person who repaired her port front deck and refinished the hull and bottom, he lives in Oliphant. He declined: "too many things to do." Most local people did not know if anybody would work on wood boats. The Wiarton Marina was not interested. By chance, Bounty's battery prematurely expired and RJ and I went to Peninsula Marine, now on Stokes Bay Road. The previous owner had his shop right on the water at Myle's Bay, next to Old Woman's River Road in the Stokes Bay area. He apparently sold the business and closed up shop. Fortunately for us, the man who bought the business, is an energetic person, growing the business and with space to expand. RJ & I found him back in his shop, one of many, amongst a line of tin boat storage buildings. After the battery purchase he also declined to restore Bounty as he did not have the environmental license to use the underwater paints nor did he have the safety equipment to paint the paints. Apparently, at least according to himself, what we have been doing, sanding and painting Bounty all these years, has been environmentally hazardous and gravely hazardous to ourselves, although such alarming instructions are not on the can of paint, and, all those boats, with their underwater paints, are being launched into our lakes, streams and drinking water reservoirs. He did gave me the name of John Kilpatrick.

We went home and I got out our 2004 AMTEL phone book, checked the Yellow Pages under Boat Repair, and there he was: fiberglass AND WOOD repair. I called: 519-371-0018 and a woman with a thick Scottish baroque answered and said that her husband was not there right now, that the men working on the boats would not be able to help me, leave name and number and he would call back; and," Oh by the way, what kind of boat do you have?" I told her. "And what do you want done?" I told her. " That might be a bit expensive." Anyway, her husband will call back. After a week, and no call back, I called again, this time I left a message on their answering machine. No call back. Two days later I called again, spoke to his wife again, and this time she got her husband and we talked. By my conversation with John, I was left in some doubt about any success in getting him to restore Bounty; "he would take a look at it". I decided to pursuit this opportunity; did I have an alternative?. After two sets of instructions on how to get to the boat yard, and two more calls back on my part because I could not find his boat yard on the internet, Google Earth, Yahoo and Mapquest could not get me to his boat yard, eventually I had to go to the internet county sites for Bruce County and Grey County. You see, I know, after 50 years of being up there, that if you don't find what you are looking for in Bruce County, you need to look in Grey County. Their web sites are a hodge-podge of taxes, land use permits, and county welfare links, but NO maps of the county, at least not recognizable to me until I scrolled through the Grey County web site "Transportation". In the Bruce County web site, I eventually came to a map, of course, not in the heading of Transportation. Bruce and Grey Counties are split by Route 6 up to Wiarton. That's right folks, the Town of Wiarton on the East side of Route 6 (Berford Road) is Grey County and on the West side of Route 6 is Bruce County. I guess the Counties have an agreement as to who changes the light bulb in the stop light smack dab in the middle of the road. Of course, Grey County ends at the bottom of the big hill (apparently at the Brewer's Retail store) just before Route 6 goes on top of the Niagra Escarpment and continuing North to Tobermory.

Once I found a map of the region, and located at least the area I suspected the facility to be in, Kathy and I set off early, on a dark and foggy Saturday morning, I with heightened trepedation. Contributing to the overall downer for me were several facts: the tires on Bounty's trailer were 46 years old, and although they have held up well (right one requiring pumping up every year) just going back and forth from boat house to launching pad they worked fine. However, there was no guarentee that they would hold up at moderate highway speeds (45 mph); the trailer wheel bearings require greasing every year and have been replaced by me on two separate occasions, would they hold up also? ;the license plate on the trailer had been borrowed from one of Bill's boat trailers and that had been obtained maybe a decade or two ago; Bounty is registered as an Ohio boat, last registration update maybe 1965; the engine never has been registered in any state or province; the trailer has what appears to be right and left tail lights but I do not know if they, and I suspect they do not, work; besides, the wire electrical harness connection to the towing vehicle long since went with "Black Beauty", a 1962 black Buick given to me by my mother, with 28,000 miles on it, and eventually sold for $25 in 1971 with 150,000 miles on it. If stopped by the Ontario Provincial Police, the cop would develop writer's cramp siting all the violations. Howsome ever, I had a clear picture in my mind of the route: South on Route 6 through Wiarton to about a mile out of town, turn left (East) onto County Road 17, formally Grey route 1. CR 17 turns South a Wolmsy and proceeds towards Owen Sound. You pass the Kemple Quarry on the left, go to the next road, Concession 10 which becomes Indian Acres Road which ends in a reincarnated Grey Road 1, "Turn left, heading North on Grey Road 1, and we are the fourth driveway on the left hand side of the road, set back a ways so that you can't really see us." Now, there have been some new driveways added since those instructions were devised, maybe some years ago, however, a keen memory that I have, I remembered the address: 308794 Grey Road 1. I started counting driveways, the fourth driveway is 308787, we watched until we got to 308794, and sure enough, a driveway winds into a pine forest and a lovely brick house appears, surrounded by a cornicopia of flowers, gayly livening up this overcast and intermittantly rainy day.

Indeed there are two sheds, flanking either side of the house. We parked in the gravel turnaround, Kathy remaining in Big Red and I walked into the large shed with a regularly sized door open and called "anyone here?" No one was inside and I eventually had to go to the house to find John. However, what immediately struck me as I first peered into the shed, was a very old wood power boat, with areas of bare wood, parts of the cabin gone, almost derilect appearing. Beside it, sat a gleaming 40 foot mahogany planked sailboat, varnished above the waterline, and green bottom paint below, stunning in appearance. Gaff rigging spars, carefully laid aside, await the time for the boat to be put all together and into the water. Subsequently, I was told by John Kilpatrick, that the boat was orginally built in 1900, that he races it on the Georgean Bay but not this year as he had some interior cabin work to do. That the hull has 5 coats of Petitt "Captain's" Varnish on it, last put on in 1996. Since boats of that era had rudders attached to the keel and no engines, he removed the old rudder and installed a "spade rudder" closer to the transom for better steering, and a small diesel engine. The motor launch sitting in the shed would be restored by Spring 2008.

"I see that you found us, eh? Wasn't that a good way to get here?" I said nothing about my trepidations, only to say that I was glad to be here. "Now lets look at what you've got." John is a youngish looking red haired man, blue eyed and medium height and build, square faced and a firm handshake. His voice Kathy describes as "gentle" with a Scottish baroque. We began to talk about Bounty's restoration, how lovely she is, and how John loves the fine craftmanship he finds in wood boats. Bounty's hull and bottom will be sanded but not taken down to the wood, no need to. Topsides, the sun has yellowed the brightwork and he will reduce the yellowing, remove and reglue the windshield, remove the floorboards, sand and fabric them over, clean and revarnish the interior and bilge; restore the bowseat. "How much were you thinking of spending?" not pausing to let me speak he continued; "Last year I restored a boat, originally built by a man in Wiarton, now long since dead, and that was varnished inside and out, that cost $3000, and it was a little bit smaller than your boat." We talked about Bounty's heritage, how I got her as a Christmas present in 1961 at Cleveland Yacht and Supply, and that my children were interested in keeping her as well as I. "She will last another 40 years if they keep it as you have done:" inside storage (Bounty can be ruined in one winter being outside, even covered by plastic), not leaving wet items (lines, anchors, lifejackets, and materials that can block water evaporation: tool box, emergency equipment, flags, horns) in the boat over the winter, allowing her to dry out completely. "I think it will cost between $3000 to $5000." "Let's do it" I said. He asked "Do you have a business card?" I gave him my MSU card, wrote my home address and phone, the cottage address and phone numbers. " He gave me his card. "Leave her anywhere over there," gesturing towards the front of the big shed, " we will be moving her soon and taking her off her trailer. I will give you a call in a couple of weeks." We shook hands. No money as down payment, none asked for. As we drove away, down the winding driveway, away from the worksheds and flower festooned house not seen from the highway, Kathy said he was a gentle man, and I had found the right person to restore Bounty.

Staying a little bit longer

The sky has been overcast off and on the whole day. Winds have been from the North or Northeast for 5 days now and the cooler temperatures that go with those North winds, diminishes the water activities and promotes the indoor reading and talking activities. Such activities we have now. Kathy and I are awaiting Bob and Kathy V's arrival for a 4 day stay. We had expected them in the early afternoon, but, you know how things are in the travel industry for the retired folks, a little less schedule concious.

I called the Scottish Kilpatric boat repair guy with his worksheds South and East of Wiarton just off Grey County road 17, on the way to Owen Sound. He told me he had been building wooden boats for years both in Scotland and in Canada, but has been mostly in the fiberglass repair business recently. I told him about Bounty, its legacy, that I have been the original owner, that it was a 16 foot Lapstrate Thompson and he immediately identified with it. He apparently knows about Thompson wooden boats. He then inquired about how Bounty was wintered (indoors), who had taken care of it (myself) and how "picky" was I? I told him that I was pretty picky, and that seemed to be ok with him. He would go over the boat with me when I brought it down and he could then give me a price for its restoration. He said that he had a 40 foot boat in his heated shed that would not be finished until the Spring. He had a second non-heated shed that he could work on Bounty until it became cold.

Besides the exterior hull and copper bottom, I want the bright work topsides done, the windshield removed and restored and put back. I want the outside aluminum bumper bar to be removed and any dry rot "git rot" applied and then resturn the bumper. I want the inside to be done as well. I have had a tough time with the bow seat, moving it around while I worked on the interior hull and bilge. I want the interior hull to be wire brushed and then all the crud vacumned out and revarnished; floor boards returned to their original setting and the bow seat re-seated.

I know that I am picky, I view Bounty not only as a nostalgic treasure, but a practical solution to our need for a motor boat in the face of a continuing decline in the Great Lakes water levels. This last week, after Bill had suggested it, I tilted the engine up while it was riding on its mooring because in some of its swings around the standing anchor, the lower engine gear ( which draws about 15 inches of water and needs @18 to 20 inches for clearance as the boat is bobbing up and down), came perilously close to some rocks and shoals. With the engine out of the water, and Bounty now only drawing 6 inches of water, she can ride closer to those rocks and reefs, even if the standing anchor is dragged during a gale wind for 3 feet and resets (as has happened on rare occasions). By the way, we had a gale wind 3 days ago, sunny and 35 knots of wind. Whatever monies are used to restore Bounty and give her another decade or two of useful life, means that another boat does not have to be purchased. The relevance of not having to purchase a new boat resides in the fact that Bounty has proven herself capable of taking on the winds and seas of Lake Huron. Any new boat would likely have to be larger since the size and shape of Bounty's hull and its proportional weight are rather unique to the era during which it was built (1961), to be found now in larger boats like a Whaler 18 foot requiring a larger and heavier engine. A larger fiberglass boat, bigger engine means that Mare Nostrum would no longer accommodate such a creature, as evidence that Bill's Tarquin now hits bottom every time he leaves its dock, and the folks across the Bay, the ones who originally placed the red and green buoys for Bay entrance navigation as they went fishing, no longer have their boats on this side of the Peninsula because they can not get to their docks with the water so low. Therefore, my tenuous arguement for restoring Bounty, is that she was built during a time of smaller boats, and with some juditious seamanship, to navigate the Great Lakes waters. Any new boat to do the same thing, ie, navigate the Great Lakes, would of necessity be larger and heavier, and our present mooring location and system would not be adequate. For the time being at least, I still can move the standing anchor a little bit further out into Little Pike Bay each year as the water level receds, and still retain the protection of the rocky point extending from Bill's dock Northward from the pounding seas generated by the prevailing West and Northwest winds. So, restoration makes sense if there is not something terribly wrong with the wood.

By the way, if you google Thompson wooden boats, there is a description of their origin and the company that made them.

Anywho, it is no long afternoon, we still await Bob and Kathy, the sky is clouding up, and we have a fire in the fireplace. Time for a glass of wine.

Views of the News while on the Bruce Peninsula

I have been reading recent media news reports, from here and abroad, which contains much lamenting about the current credit crunch and propheyising the demise of the USA economy. As we all know, manufacturing jobs have moved off shore, service jobs seemed to have filled the void at lower than manufacturing job pay and no benefits. Illegal immigrants take jobs nobody wants at the wage or working conditions available. While this litany plays to the electorate and may have some validity, I am having some difficulty reconciling what is being portrayed in the news, and what my experiences have been over the past 2 months. On our recent travels, and frequent truck stops to fill the gas tank of Big Red, we saw a lot of long distance truck drivers, many of whom were visibly foreign born (Seikes with head dress, Muslim men in head caps, etc.) and accompaning driver families: mom, dad, and young child(ren). At least on the roads we traveled East/West: San Francisco Calif. to the South Shores of Delaware, US Highway 36 and 50, Interstates 90, 80, 70; North/South US 101 and Interstate 5 to Vancouver on the West Coast and I-75 and US 23 &33 through Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, Highway 9 on the Delaware Shores, this summer there were signs advertising employment, truck companies hiring long distant drivers, stores, shops hiring. We met Eastern European people working East Coast jobs who have made the European/USA crossing to work here in the USA for several years now. Our cruise ship, The Statendam, had Filipino and Indonesian staff exclusively; highly trained and seemingly enthusiastic about their jobs, with very little turnover from year to year (our dinner waiter had been on the Statendam for 16 years). The cruise ship would do the Alaska tour, then the Mexican Riviera, then the Carribean, then start all over again. Crew members would sign on for 10 months at a time and would be flown to their home country and back to the ship at the start of the new cruise. The ships would have major overhaul time with the ship's crew (vs the hotel and restaurant crew) remaining with the ship during the refit.

The credit crunch in the subprime mortgage financial markets has effected people mostly living in urban areas such as Detroit, Cleveland, Gary Indiana, St. Louis, Atlanta, New Orlean, Oakland, etc) people with poor credit histories, those with high credit card debt, had taken out interest only loans, people who fraudulently claimed income so called "liar loans", speculators, many of whom were home owners and were using their homes for collateral to purchase second and third homes and speculating on the housing market to go up, all these people suffered a collapsed all across the nation when their loan's interest readjusted upward. Of course the prime interest rate has not change, the only thing changed was the interest rate on the subprime loans as spelled out in their contracts. The news media states that people who had subprime loans who lost their homes, had previously lost their jobs, or they were duped into taking out loans by "predator" lenders. What is evident to me is that: the unemployment rate has steady between 4.5 and 4.6% for the past 5 years; that the people effected by interest rate adjustment on their loans were people who made bad decisions and now the consequences of those poor decisions were coming to fruition. After some noise from Congress, many subprime lenders that were still in business have made adjustments in interest rates downward somewhat, although this recent change has not helped the folks who are already in foreclosure or have lost their homes altogether. Also, loans rebundled and purchased by hedge funds, banks of Germany, France, Japan and China are not as easily unbundled to allow good faith repayment efforts by some homeowners.

I wonder, why are there so many people, legal and illegal working in the USA? why are USA jobs still going begging? Granted, high paying jobs such as millwrights, drill press operators, punchpress operators, lathe operators, assembly line workers and setup man requiring less than a high school education are no longer available. Although, there still are manufacturing jobs in the USA, such as there is a severe shortage of tool and die makers who can read blueprints and are familiar with computer programs that run modern tool operations ($100,000 per year to start). The educational level of the worker seems paramount to having any entre into the job market. I observed that Long distance truck drivers require a high school education, a "clean" driving record, no prior drug arrests, and a willingness to work persistently within the rules. I guess there are not many USA qualified workers for this field and trucking companies are going to India and Pakistan for such workers, paying US wages and benefits to these foreign hirees for driving in the US.

Even in the health care field, personal off work bad behavior is leading to disqualification to the lowest on the rung of patient care providers: a health aide. The Michigan State Police have a web site for entry level workers prior criminal dosiers to be used by hiring health, day care and educational institutions. The issue of worker's on the job and off the job behavior also involves the more highly trained individuals. In Los Angelas, the hospital that was established after the Watts riots almost 40 years ago, the 1600 hospital staff has been repeatedly cited by Federal inspectors over the past 3 years as the very worst in the US and incapable of providing Federally mandated minimum patient care and saftey. The avoidable patient infection rates, handwashing, cleaning surgical equipment, unexpected patient deaths, disregard for patient's basic needs including patients lying on the hallway floors, disregard of monitor alarms, using hospital phones and computers for personel calls and doing personel business while "on the clock", providing fraudulant credentials are some of the listed personal behaviors that were observed. Inspite of an infusion of almost 1 billion dollars over the past 3 years, intensive education and training, the reason for closure of the hospital was its having failed repeated scheluled inspections, and failing in every category at some time or other during unannounced inspections by federal hospital inspectors. The major reason for the three year hiatus in closure, was that the hospital was a major employer of the community. Compounding the tragedy is that these 1600 former hospital workers have been reallocated to other county activities/jobs. If their work ethics and behavior were a major reason why the hospital failed, they are now working in other areas of Los Angeles county, bringing the same behaviors and work attitudes, "bumping" other workers who have less seniority.

Maybe, just maybe, what the global financial markets are reflecting in their current gyrations, is their uncertainty that the USA economy can sustain its economic leadership while some of its work force is unable to perform in a world market economy. For those in the USA who are the poor decision makers, those with poor work habits and ethics, unable to utilize or recognize common opportunities to benefit themselves, in a global economy they will fail, repeatedly fail and go on to lament and blame and accuse others for their misfortune, dissapating energy in excuses. A very dark road to travel indeed.

I do not have "the answer" to a poor performing work force. I believe that this portion of the work force will change or become part of a permanent underclass of citizens, whom no government will be able to help, no world location will be willing to recieve, are vulnerable to itinerant demegogues and soil their own nest with riots and self inflicted social wounds.

We may already be seeing the development of this underclass outcome as reflected in the latest survey of life expectancy in the USA compared to other countries (41st ranking). The major contributor to the 6 year disparity between life expectancy in white men and black men is homicides. Midwestern white women living below the poverty level have a life expectancy 10 years greater than black men in urban areas (79+ years compared to 69 years). Income, health insurance, access to medical care, chronic disease had minor impacts on the disparity amongst 8 different groups studied. Homicide was the major contributor to the life expectancy disparity, and profoundly influenced our ranking in the world of nations.

Maybe the development of a permanent underclass has already begun in the USA. Repeated attempts to blame one person or group of people for this situation is fruitless in effecting positive change. The people who are likely citizens of this impending underclass I see as having to implement change themselves regardless of external circumstances. However, people change only when they want to change, and then, usually, only when the situation is desparate enough. Before one begins the 12 step recovery program of Alcoholic Anonamous, one has to reach "rock bottom". "Daddy, are we there yet?"

"I am reviewing the whole situation"

Those words come to mind, actually from a song of the Broadway musical Oliver. Fagan reflecting upon his situation.

What a summer schedule! Canadian cottage two times in May; an almost 2 month journey starting with meeting Andre and Sarah South of Chicago to lend them the Alero, then Kathy and I taking I 55, jumping off episodically to follow reminants of the original Route 66 (Chicago to LA) on our way to St. Louis MO. As we did so, we encountered Abraham Lincoln's past, mostly pre-American Civil War. In Springfield Ill., we toured the Lincoln Memorial Library and museum. The complexities of Slavery, and the general sense, at least for the leadership, both black and white, that once slaves were freed, that the now freed slaves would want to go back to their homelands in Africa. Obviously, that did not happen.

Kathy and I were both moved emotionally by our visit to Springfield and discussed many related topics on our way to and subsequently through Missouri. Staying a hot and tornado warning night in a State Park with few other campers, we remained off the "beaten tract" for part of the next day as we headed West through small towns and burgs until catching up with I 70 again, making Hesston KS in the early afternoon. From JD and Vilma's wedding reception (State's Side) we traveled the high plains onto Vancouver BC our jumping off point for Yukon Territories and beyond. Whitehorse, a town as far South as the riverboat ferries would go (up the Yukon River, since it flows from South to North and then West in Alaska), where the rapids were so treacherous that traversing them was perilous so the riverboats would collect man, beast, and belongings who had sucessfully either "shot the rapids" or portaged around them, and taken them the next 427 miles North to Dawson City were the Gold Rush occurred in 1898 and 1899. By the time 99% of the gold miners arrived in Dawson City, almost all the claims were staked and there was nothing available. More than a century ago, Dawson City was a town of 30,000 people; now it has barely 2,000 permanent inhabitants.

Making friends with a small group of people was the unintended consequence of doing the Land Tour first as we stayed together for the entire 19 days of land followed by sea cruise. We have promised sharing pictures with each other, but the process of reviewing has yet to begin. There are lots of pictures along the trip and have yet to be edited and transfered to a CD.

The next segment of our trip was related to family in the Bay area, followed by a Western tour, more family then home. Bright and early the following morning, we picked up Nana at DTW and began our family times again, both in East Lansing and the Canadian Cottage where we are today.

This morning to mid afternoon, it has been overcast with spits of rain. Rythm at first did not want to get into the rowboat as he was worried the boat and ride were going to be "tippy". However, after reassurance by Grandma Kathy who stood on the deck taking pictures, I placed him onto the stern seat of the rowboat, and we began to row together. Rythm and I rowed across Little Pike Bay, my hands upon his: "forward and back; forward and back" we said as we were propelled across the water. As of now, @ 3 PM, the sun is poking it head out of the breaking up cloud bank, winds from the South Southeast and a bit humid. When Rythm awakens from his nap, Grandma Kathy too, we will head for Sandy Beach since the shallow warm water has been a magnet, drawing an initially reluctant Rythm into its enchantment, transforming a once stay-on-the-shore-no bathing-suit-please-and-I-will-keep-my-shoes-on-thank-you to a run-across-the-sand-into-the-water-catch-me-if-you-can runabout 3 year old. Repeated trips to Sandy Beach; seeing other young children in the water helps as well.

Bec, Johan and Marcus are due tomorrow sometime and Thursday morning RJ heads back to the Bay Area; Yasmina and Rythm, picking up Nana from Grandma Betsy's will be headed for Washington DC and the "Gentleman Johnny Robinson Family ReUnion", 500 strong held over the weekend.

Kathy and myown summer plans extend to staying at the cottage until after Labor Day. A visit by Bob and Kathy V will be sometime near the 3rd week of August.

There is enough blue in the sky to make a pair of sailor's pants, so we just have to wait for the sleepy heads to arise.

The cottage

Canadian sunsets are not just words, but convey an event, revered by myself and shared with others. The cottage looks across the expanse of lake Huron to the West. The only intervening elements between our island deck and the horizon is blue water. This water takes on the colors of sunset; yellows, oranges, pinks and purples. I have seen, upon rare ocassion, flashes of green; none so far this year. Each sunset is unique and entertaining although not everyone in our party is prone to get out to the deck before each sunset. The beauty and spectacular nature of these events are special to me.

We have been at the cottage for some time, I can hardly keep tract. The endless days of summer still are not enough time to get everything I want to do in one day, done. The warmth of each day, the sparkle of the water, the gentleness of the day's breeze multiply one another so that the product of the whole experience is greater than the sum of its parts. Night time equally contributes to the summer's magic: starry starry nights, a late night full moon gives form to the trees's shadows. The night sounds of the forest contribute to the ambiance.

Trips with the young children to Sandy Beach, even so briefly as an hour, brings joy to thier faces and our hearts. Splash and swim, dive and cough as they gulp some water. The water has been incredibly warm. The undulating sandy bottom has shallows followed by progressively deeper areas, followed yet again by shallows, then deep. Gentle waves come ashore yeilding squeals of laughter and shouting from the children bobbing in their breaking crests.

Another trip to Flower Pot, via "fast boat", swimming in the Georgean Bay at the base of the large flower pot' cold spray from the bow wake of the returning glass bottom boat and a 25 mph head wind does not deter the children from falling asleep in our arms. Another meal in the Little Tub, with lunch a Craig's and dinner at the Crow's Nest, Ice cream at the Sweet Shop, then homeward bound.

My Sail and Cruising World magazines speak to these idlic episodes in one's life, to be had by purchasing a yacht, yet, within our experience, daily, we have it all right here.