Good Ship Monster

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  • We Moved!

    We Moved!

     

    Alas, the time of year has come that our Island accommodations are no longer accommodating. By now, most of, if not all, of the neighboring boats have been hauled out. Most of their inhabitants have relocated to City dwellings and docks or tropical destinations for the winter. The Marina is cold,
    empty, and lonely. The Island Park is too, quite deserted. With the cold dark days of autumn upon us it’s all just a tad bit too isolating. So over the first weekend of November we relocated Monster to our winter accommodations, dockside in the City!

    Prior to settling into our new slip, we detoured through the harbour to the Toronto Drydock where we pulled the mast. After removing the radar dome, casting off the lines and halyards, we removed clevis pins from all the stays, and the mast, via a crane, was hauled up and away! We had some fantastic help from some friends: Jeremy, Pedro, Clint, Brad & Pablo… Thank you so much! These guys braved the first flurries of the season, and everything ran smoothly and quickly. Monster looks rather odd without her rigging, but this will enable us to do some much needed work. We are planning on replacing the spreader lights, re-wiring the whole lot, re-rigging the radar, replacing the wind vane, and most excitingly taking measurements to get started on a new boom and gaff!  We are happily restoring Monster to gaff rig! 

    Now the work begins to wrap up the boat for the season. This year we will shrink wrap the boat, and this will be a much simpler process without the mast and rigging to work around. We are going  to build ourselves a gangway to board the boat on and off the stern. Like last year, we are going to block up all our overhead sky ports with thick white styrofoam, and each of our 16 ports will be insulated. The Hot Start pump will be engaged on the engine once again keeping the engine room toasty. And so, our winterizing list goes on… Most importantly we are certainly going to do our best to keep the condensation at bay this year for a happy & healthy boat! 
    ~~ This post ‘We Moved!’ first appeared on goodshipmonster.blogspot.ca~~

  • One Year!

     

    It was mid week, mid October, that marked us as being full time live aboards for ONE YEAR! One whole year! It is astounding to me really. For one, how did the time go by so fast? And secondly, other than last year’s brutal winter, the transition to living aboard was almost, dare I say? Easy! Life
    aboard was not without the usual ups and downs as far as boat life goes and well, add in the latest, um, err, bump in the road… Looking back there was a rather significant incident with our shore power cable burning out. All in all, any other incidents, if you could even call them incidents, have merely been part of learning and getting to know our boat. Frustrating in the moment, but really just par for the course. Ultimately, we have been blessed with a sound boat as there hasn’t been any surprises along the way. Well done Monster!

    There has been, of course, several changes in our way of life that now, are just the norm for us. Our days and routines living aboard have simply become second nature. I tend to realize just how much our days differ when an conversation opens with, “Oh. You live on a boat?” “Yes. On the island…. No, we don’t have a car… No, no TV, no microwave. We cook on a denatured alcohol stove. We have a cold box instead of a refrigerator,… We have a lot less stuff, it’s kinda like living in a small condo… We live city side in the winter,… And, our Son? He loves it!” Fortunately, we are also super lucky to live in a marina community of like minded folks.  

     


    A year in there is still lots to be done. Like any dwelling space it’s always surprising what you can accumulate in a year. We still have a good number of possessions to whittle down; clothes, toys and stuff. Not to mention the never ending project list on which we slowly toil away. There is even one box left to unpack. In the year ahead we are hoping and planning to focus a great deal of effort on refitting Monster. Ultimately, we are one year closer to embarking on our voyaging dreams!

     


    ~~ This post ‘One Year!’ first appeared on goodshipmonster.blogspot.ca~~

  • A Bump In The Road

    It was a dark Thursday night when Gordon hit a bump in the road. “Cheryl? Are you up? I think I’ve broken my shoulder”. 
    I am now, I thought rousing out of my sleep and racing up on deck. One look at him, after managing to take his coat off, and I knew that he had to go to the hospital. Sooner, rather than later. I ran to a neighbors boat, where the twinkle lights were ablaze, and happy chatter filled the cockpit. “Gordon has fallen off his bike! He needs to go to the hospital!” I gushed. But, the Boy is asleep!?
    We all ran back to Monster where Gordon stood stoically, in agonizing pain. Metro Marine was called, and off he went. Now, almost four weeks later, he still sleeps propped up on the settee, his arm still in a sling. The pain has substantially subsided, but it will be a while yet before he fully recovers. The first week he wore a weighted cast with the idea it would help bring his arm into the correct position for the bone to heal. Since then he keeps that arm cradled in a sling, exercising it as per his doctor. He’s certainly made great progress, and after two subsequent visits to the fracture clinic we are thrilled to say that no surgery is required! For the time being he’s my left hand man.  
    We wish you a speedy recovery Gordon!
    For more pictures of our going-onses check us out on Instagram @ goodshipmonster. 
    ~~ This post ‘A Bump In The Road’ first appeared on goodshipmonster.blogspot.ca~~

  • Septummer

    The month of September started all warm and sunny, with some of the hottest days we had experienced all summer. I was calling it Septummer. Today, fall is in the air. There has been single digit temperatures at night. Burrrr. The heater is on standby. Other than the weather, the month has not really brought much change for us, though the Boy has started school once again. Gordon and I continue to work, squeezing out the last hours of the season. I still can’t believe the summer had come to an end.

    We are starting to cultivate winter plans in our minds, loosely thinking about all the things we would like to accomplish aboard Monster before the cold comes upon us. It seems odd to be harkening back to last winter already, pondering what we might do differently this year from the last. (In terms of winterizing, to continue to live aboard that is.) The chilly winds are a quick reminder of what lies ahead. 

    The Marina is scarce these days. During the week the docks are eerily silent. They seem to echo with the chatter and laughter of the weeks past. On the weekends, the neighborly folks are telling us of their plans to haul out, winterize and shrink wrap. Wait! I say. Summer isn’t over until the 21st! But, I too have packed away the summer dresses, shorts and swimwear that barely saw the sun as it was. Our summer, all to quickly came to an end. At least, the Island and the summer days of next are only a wave away! 

    ~~ This post ‘Septummer’ first appeared on www.goodshipmonster.blogspot.ca~~

     

  • The Dog Days of Summer

    The Dog Days of Summer

    It’s hard to believe that August has come upon and nearly past us so quickly. It’s even harder to believe that thoughts of our Son heading back to school are running rampant through my mind. As much as I want these these lovely hot (?) sunny summer days to linger, I am already fully prepared to
    send our Boy off to Senior Kindergarten. Gordon’s and I’s back to back work schedules have quickly consumed our summer. We were lucky enough to get off the dock to go sailing a couple times these past two weeks. The first, there was no wind and it was spitting rain. We had fun nonetheless. We were able to shake the cobwebs out of the sails and floated about the harbour. After taking in sail we meandered through the Toronto Island Lagoons… It was great to show our Boy this new perspective of the Islands of where we live.

    The second sail we embarked upon found us beating out the Eastern Gap for a jaunt around the Island. It was gorgeously sunny, but a bit on the cool side. 

    With our work schedules as they are we have also filled our days with fun filled amusements close to home. Here’s a few pics! 

    Happiness!
    ~~This post ‘The Dog Days of Summer’ first appeared on goodshipmonster.blogspot.ca~~
  • Toronto Island Narnia

    Toronto Island Narnia

    At this point of the summer the Toronto Island is inundated with activity. Every weekend and often throughout the week, the park is bustling with festivals and events of all sorts. There are people galore, here, there and everywhere. Subsequently, line ups are long for the ferries, the loos and the concessions. It goes without saying that the Island, as a ginormous City Park, is a magical place in of itself. When one boards the ferry, water taxi, tender or whatever floating transport it may be across the harbour to the Island, you can literally feel all your cares and worries melt away. You are on Island time now!

    Now, woe is me, that as a gal that lives and works on the Island it can be a little hectic to bike across at peak hours on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon. Like the TTC at rush hour, the main route from our marina across the Island becomes congested like the Don Valley Parkway. My commute to work is slow and tedious as I wind my way through like a salmon upstream. My wee bicycle bell is rendered useless, and riding my bike is futile. I know, poor me. Regardless, work is work, and a commute is a commute.

    As I go to and fro at these busy times the Marina gates have hence come to symbolize a portal to my sanity. I pass through, and I am almost home. Where once again all my cares and worries melt away. I leave the mad business of the Island behind. It’s like stepping through the back of the wardrobe…. 

    ~~ Image courtesy of Google ~~

    ~~ This post ‘Toronto Island Narnia’ first appeared on goodshipmonster.blogspot.ca~~