Rainy Sat

Went to the carpenters to get the wood for the ‘side shelves’ cut precisely. My first ever trip to a carpenters I think. There were boys working at machines and squinting down and angling blocks of wood into sanders. The man that cut the wood had a pudgy face that went lopsided in concentration and he curled his thick slug tongue around his top lip as he worked. But he was skilled, he guided the circular saw through the wood with precision.

this is what I mean by a ‘sideshelf’ A plank that’s been nailed ontop of a plank thats been nailed across the ‘arms’ for structural support

boat with ‘sideshelves’ and wave guards

Neeaww went the saw.

We pulled into the port. Hildo kicked boats out of the way to make space to dock.

Hildo can carry a load of wood stacked on his shoulder and walk along a wet log in flip flops. I’m in my rubber boots with much less weight and I watch the water below lurch toward me and veer away as I wobble along the log.

Nearly done with the boat. Sort of. I’ve am officially an assistant boat builder. I help align wood-to-be-hammered, and I also work by myself melting the brea and applying it and hammering the little nails into the lata.

The lata’s function is to protect the Brea from the sun.

Today it rained so we didn’t work. We need a sunny day to flip the boat over and drive the stopper into the underside of the boat and apply Brea from the bottom.

Guardaolas. These 2inchx2inch wood beams are nailed on either side to block waves

I’d always been focused on building and then rowing a boat. I’d never thought of it in terms of owning a boat. But now I have a big fu off boat, … un botote… un botazo as you might say in Spanish.

Meanwhile Lomo smells horrible but I make no move to bathe him. Though I guess this detached observation brings me one step closer to action.

There is an Argentine staying here that likes to talk and cook. We get along okay. He teaches me things and has brought good things to this place and is dynamic and helpful but sometimes I think he is on the brink of madness. His eyes bulge with a mad glint and he has a lot of manic energy that spews everywhich way like a leaking firehydrant.

 

 

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