Minor Miracle – Today is March 21, the second day of spring—I’ve completed two bathroom demolitions, installed a couple of faucets, laid a tile floor, and earthquake proofed a grandfather clock.  But it still hasn’t warmed up enough to paint.  While it isn’t parting the red sea, the traveler car has been reassembled.  This is a pretty big deal since we dropped all 42 bearings in the boat and recovered all of them.  During  reassembly of the car individual bearings were dropped on the floor at least four times—and still recovered.  The little tool from Harken made it all possible—it is a short piece of fake track.  Of course I had to file down the rough ends of the tool and make five attempts, but finally it went back together.  

 

What I hate/like about me—After the car was assembled, it became apparent that the two pieces of hardware that attach the traveler adjustment blocks do not match.  I need to admit at this point that they don’t need to match, they work just fine.  But they don’t match--it would be nicer if they did match, and the fact that they don't match will annoy me every time I look at that piece of hardware.  After sixty-six years I have discovered that it’s best to just accept that I can be obsessive about some things and find matching parts. (I kind of like my obsessive behavior—but it can also be annoying to me and others around me.)  So far about 8 hours has been spent on the internet and several visits to local stores.  No luck except Barton Marine, Kent, England.  Sent an email this morning asking where I might find such parts in US.  Though I am perfectly willing to go to Kent, Eng, UK and pick them up, I dread the trip on I-5 to the big city.  I guess it’s time to suck it up and visit a good sized chandlery in Seattle.