Beating a dead horse

[pkveazey]

Well, golly gee....... After trying to warn friends and family about the crash that's coming, I'm starting to hear more and more bitching and moaning about how high prices have risen. When I hear that, I bite my tongue and just agree that its bad and will get worse. Now, inside my head, I'm thinking, "You dumbasses didn't listen when I was warning you about this 5 years ago". I think rehashing my warnings to them would just be beating a dead horse. I know for sure that those that didn't listen the first time won't listen the second or third or fourth time.

[JohnyMac]

Or, which I think is sad too, the folks that were prepping before Trump was elected President and stopped prepping. 

[Jackalope]

Or, which I think is sad too, the folks that were prepping before Trump was elected President and stopped prepping. 

My general policy is keep prepping until I'm dead.  But then again, I've been working on surviving since the Reagan years.

[Nemo]

My general policy is keep prepping until I'm dead.  But then again, I've been working on surviving since the Reagan years.

Thats my thoughts too.  And by then I will be so well prepped if I can't take it with me, I ain't going!

Nemo

[gadget9901]

I whole heartily agree.

So many loose site of an enduring truth.

Bad things happen.

They have in the past and will in the future.

[JohnyMac]

This may be a bit off topic, sorry PKv.

MrsMac and I started prepping when we lived on our sailboat in the PNW. At minimum, we had one item for everything that might break.

I remember motoring (no wind) up to Nanaimo, BC Canada. We were on a vacation and there is a great restaurant in Nanaimo that serves GREAT halibut fish and chips. Any way I digress.

We were motoring along with the flood tide and all of a sudden by engine started to over heat. Shut the engine down, grabbed a chart and identified a cove about a mile to our west. Started the engine and at very low RPM's limped Mad Max over to the cove. Once there, dropped anchor and told MrsMac we were swinging on the hook that night. Halibut fish & chips would just have to wait.

MrsMac shrugged her shoulders, opened up one of our food lockers and grabbed 2-cans of clams and some pasta. I opened up the wine cellar (The bilge) and grabbed a nice Chardonnay.

Once our basic needs were met, I tore off the cover to the engine compartment and started the process of looking for the over heating problem.

Was the water intake clogged? Nope. The strainer was clear. Turned the engine on and there was no water coming out the exhaust. Mmmmm.

To make a long story short, I checked the heat valve and it was stuck closed. Okay, we are getting somewhere.

I went to the locker that housed Volvo marine engine parts and voila! I had a new one stashed.

Installed it, started the engine, and sure enough water was exiting the engine through the exhaust just like it was supposed too. Let the engine run for an hour or so to make sure nothing else was not working and all was good.

Turned on the anchor light, opened the bottle of chardonnay, and turned on the ham radio to listen to the BBC from the United Kingdom. Watched MrsMac mix up linguini with white clam sauce, a salad, and garlic bread.

After my first glass of wine, and in the middle of listening to the news from the UK that seemed to be focused on, OJ being found not guilty. MrsMac, turned to me and said, "dinner is done. Please light a lamp and set the table.

That little drama, was amongst many great evenings on old Mad Max. Swinging at anchor in a cove on Vancouver Island. Why? Because I had the part and a serious drama turned into a very nice evening.

It is called being prepared. 

[Jackalope]

   Good story, Johny!  A couple of questions out of curiosity...  How did you typically heat the cabin, if it was needed?  I've seen small wood fired marine stoves, which seem to be pricey.  Also, what did you have on board to repel boarders? 

[Sir John Honeybucket]

JohnyMac -

I do miss the sailing life.  Like you, we had 110 gallons of frech water aboard, months and months of provisions & etc.  Electricity for cruising lights and radios was all solar a several Amp/hour reserve in the 'house' battery.  Cruisers can enjoy this as long as they are not neurotic about such things as schedules and what everyone else thinks.  We also kept a 'ditch kit' in a clear/watertight back pack: fresh water,//Shelter/Water/Fire and comm//) , but the water stopped entering the hull. We were only a couple of miles from land and the dinghy was ready to climb UP in to, should it come to that.  Then, the water stopped...  The wife lost her (previous stated) love of cruising after that, we eventually moved ashore... 



You and I should talk cruising sometime.  A 'Bug-out-Boay" is a very good idea.


- de Sir John Honeybucket

[JohnyMac]

@ Jackalope...Dickerson Diesel heater is how we kept the cabin warm while on the hook. Electric heater when at the dock. 

It was quite the process to get it started. You had to squirt alcohol into a little cup under where the diesel is tuned into a vapor. Start the diesel flowing to early and you had a sooty mess. I got really good at it but MrsMac struggled.

In Canada, big ass boat hooks. In the states a Browning Hi-power handgun.

Funny story, MrsMac and I went down the ICW from Annapolis one year to Ft Pierce. As we entered FL waters just above Jax, a CG Zodiac pulled up along side of us. We were ordered to maintain speed and course. Two guys boarded old Mad Max. One CG guy went below deck and started to do a safety check. Working from aft to bow, be ran into my wife in front of our V-Berth.

He asked MrsMac if their were any firearms on board and she said, "yes. Let me show you".

She turned to the cabinet where the handgun lived and the CG guy said, in a rather concerned tone, "no need to see it ma'am'. He turned on his heels and returned to the cockpit where his counterpart was sitting and filling out paperwork.

He told his counterpart that all was good. The counterpart gave me a piece of paper stating I was good to go. Grabbed his HT and told the three CG guys in the Zodiac to come along side.

They departed with a wave and sped off.

Karen stood up in the companion way holding my Hi-power and said, "this made them nervous."   

@ Sir John....I loved the sailing life. ALMOST everybody we ran into, west coast, east coast we met giving friendly people. MrsMac's back is not too good anymore. If she left me for a young stud, I would sell everything and move back onto a sailboat in a NY minute.

 

[Nemo]

but the water stopped entering the hull. We were only a couple of miles from land and the dinghy was ready to climb UP in to, should it come to that.  Then, the water stopped... 

- de Sir John Honeybucket

The water stopped entering the hull?  That mean it was full and under or you plugged the hole or ? ? ?

Climbing up into the dinghy?  The boat was under water and the dinghy was on top of it or ? ? ?

For us who never get out of sight of land.

Nemo