Unfamiliar snapping sound

[Celestialsailor]

Well...2 1/2 weeks after the accident. I'm out of the sling and working at my business 14 hours a day. I'm feeling that I have around 50% use of the arm. The black and blue is gone and a few lumps have appeared but it seems to be slowly healing now. Its very tender if I'm not careful. Diffinately the Mexico trip is postpond until I can crank sheets on my own. Maybe I will do Hawaii (home) instead in April. Time will tell.

[cooper]

l am or should l say was very fit ....out door work all my life with 15 years managing a private 14 acre garden on the side of a very steep hill, "Marty the human bobcat". The garden was sold off and l started on other work. More sit down, but by no means total office work. Doing a refit on my ferro boat, l renewed the rudder bearings. The rudder is a stainless shaft and ribbed, fiberglass sheathed spade. It weighs about 45 kgs. l man handled back into position no problems, lifted it up through the bottom bearing and pushed a block of wood under with my knee. Everything was going "swimingly well". l reached down under and pulled the rudder up to the top bearing. It engaged but wouldnt move upwards, l tried a bit harder....and more....and then started twisting the the whole lot from side to side..and gave it heaps.....Ifelt a POP in my upper back and instantly a wave of nausea swept over me...l went and lay down. Unfortunately l was at the start on my bi annual refit and kept on working for a week. I just made the three and a half hour drive home and two days latter was in so much pain that l couldnt get up off the kitchen floor in tears. My 14 year old son was screaming at my partner to ring an ambulance, he was that freaked out. Two years latter the pain is coming back again, and every night as l try and go to sleep and dream of sailing my new boat a thought comes into my head "MARTIN YOU ARE A COMPLETE AND UTTER DICKHEAD".........why after years of moving objects weighing hundreds of killos using BRAINS and cunning and almost no hard muscle power did l go and do somthing so stupid. It has really had a big impact on my life. .............oh and to finish off my little tale....l lifted the rudder up with newly damaged back in two minutes by simply slinging a rope under it and winching it up with a sheet winch....................you have been warned !!
......PS l just relised that celestial sailor is a "martin" too , so for the record l is not him and him aint me !!!...and in no way does my post imply that as a breed martins have any inhearnt genetic faults. (Hi other Martin : ) )

[Celestialsailor]

I had figured out that you were Martin also. Funny story. Perhaps all Martins are "A" type personalities...Martin

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Marty,
Hey!! This means I might actually get my boat back in the water before you head for Mexico. Got some glass over the port quarter of the deck around the cockpit yesterday. Still have more interior cockpit to do but now I can install the toerail, coaming, sheet winches, etc..
Dry rot is he__!!
Hope you are doing better.
JohnL

Celestial, really sorry to hear abouth the setback. At least you should be abe to find crew for some local stuff. Lots of volunteers where your boat is. May be a good year to cruise the Delta. Mostly motoring anyway. Hard part is getting back to the SF bay through "All Day Bay".
We had a boat in ML named Faiaoahe. A Tartan Black Watch 37' Great name for a boat.

[Celestialsailor]

Thanks John and Kai Nui...I use to be in the North Harbor at Moss when I had my Blackwatch 37. In July, I was going to sail down there before Mexico and do some work to the boat. Unfortunately I had torn 1/2 the inside of the boat apart in order to do new facia's. The D.C. system is out too, so to sail would be technically illegal and you know how the Coasties are here.
John...get your boat going before I go to Mexico???...NEVER!!! Sounds like a good challenge to me. Actually I am thinking of plan "B". Re-coop from the arm injury back home in Hawaii, excersize the arm to get most of the strength back and sail "Faiaoahe" to Hawaii in April and work on her there. Tell me that's a good idea. I wonder how much arm twisting I would have to do to John to get him to do a downwind run from Ca. to Hi.?

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Marty,
If you have a place to keep your boat then it is a good idea. Hard to work on a boat when she is at anchor though. Hmm!! an easy downwind sail to Hawaii. Bet you can find all kinds of crew for that one. It would be fun.
JohnL