After I returned from Rooster, my life with boats was not on hold. The next day, I used $7 worth of gasoline to buy a $6 piece of 1/4-inch aluminum plate, which I needed to make a new mounting base for the centerboard winch for the O'Day Mariner, Bluebird.
I hooked Bluebird's trailer to the car (after first inflating a flat tire) and towed my little prize down to the waterfront on the Delaware River.
There she sits right now, in the midst of an evening downpour, waiting for my next free time at home when I will attack the repair of the winch and the sealing of a leak around the centerboard pivot bolt.
If I am diligent, I may have Bluebird in the water and ready to sail by May 1. Or perhaps not.
For the next week, I'll have free time for boats (except for my day with the grandkids, a must-have opportunity that I never willingly pass up.) My free time is brought to me by my youth novel agent, Jennifer, who, after leading me through six rewrites (if my counting is accurate,) has declared the little book ready for marketing.
I've never been so heavily edited as I've been by Jennifer, nor have I (I hope) learned more from an editor. It's been a remarkable experience. I'm crossing my fingers that some publisher will think the effort has been worthwhile.