The Westlake Pirates

So it's apparently inevitable that we suffer some sort of vehicular damage when we drive down to Raymond. Last weekend Kristin's car windshield was cracked by a stone on I-5. This weekend a stray piece of rusty tailpipe clipped the edge of the van (okay, so mostly I didn't swerve far enough out of the way, but in fairness it was hidden from view by the car in front of me until the last second.) It caught my front passenger-side tire and made the most horrendous crunching noise I've heard from anything that was under my control. Miraculously, we didn't pop a tire, so at the next convenient exit I pulled off to take a look at just what it did do. We pulled into a gas station and Kristin got out, instantly giving me a look of confused horror. Needless to say, I was expecting the worst, like a totally missing fender. Imagine my surprise to see this:

As best we can tell from a few rusty streaks, the tailpipe caught the very outside edge of the tire (thereby saving us from a flat), kicked up, ever-so-slightly scraped the door, and ripped the plastic trim clean off. Those white tabs are what should be holding it on, and all but one of them are perfectly intact and pristine. It was probably a better job than a body shop could have done in removing it. For reference, here's what it SHOULD look like:

So that certainly could have been a lot worse than it was. My biggest problem now has actually been finding someone online that sells that replacement part. Everyone and their brother sells replacement door handles and latches, but no one seems to sell the part most likely to get dented or accidentally torn off. In fact, if you're feeling bored, I'll even put a reward out for the first person to find the correct piece somewhere online. It's a 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan SE. Happy hunting!

Oh right, actual work. Most of this weekend was spent getting everything orderly and prepared for hauling the boat up to Seattle. We stowed away all the electronic gear and nasty things like propane tanks and installed new safety materials, such as a smoke detetor, flare kit and dehumidifier for the closet. If you read the survey in the previous post and worried about a few of those items, fear not! We're on top of it all. The "all expired" note for safety flares doesn't quite do them justice, however. The three that were on the boat (inadequate in number even if they were still fresh) were made in March 1981 and expired in August of 1984. That's right, they're older than my sister, and MUCH less likely to ignite. In fact, the Coast Guard suggests that you ignite expired flares (on dry land, so as to not get accidentally rescued) before disposing of them, due to safety concerns. They're designed for easy ignition, with a striking cap built into the shaft. One hard rub, and poof! Brilliant red light for two minutes... in theory. We actually had to hold these under a butane lighter for two minutes before they showed the slightest bit of smoke, let alone blinding brightness. How those escaped numerous earlier surveys is beyond me.

Anyway, one last photo for the moment; this one of the plumbing beneath the head (that's toilet, for you landlubbers.)

The red tubes are the ones carrying the nasty stuff. This picture was taken to give me a better idea of the layout under there, since there's a diverter valve (top left in this picture, although slightly obscured by the tubing around it) that gives you the option of pumping the toilet directly into the sea... but only legally if you're more than 10 miles from land. I had to make sure it was pointing the right way (to the holding tank) before we start using the system. Wouldn't that be embarassing!

All in all it's getting done. I'll have some pictures from Gary to share tomorrow, showing the work he had "the boys" take care of to bring the propane system into compliance. Beyond that, the next pictures should be of the boat getting dropped into the water next week.