I spent the entire weekend in the depths of the V berth putting in trim. The weather here has returned again to searing hot with close to one hundred percent humidity thrown in for good measure, as a result of all of the recent rain. Winds have been close to non-existent and so I dedicated myself to two days of work.

About 150 trips topside to the dock to cut, re-cut, modify, sand, re-sand, cut, re-cut and modify strips of tongue and groove, 1/8” ash plywood and various trim pieces turned me into a writhing zombie on the verge of heat prostration. Around 1900 yesterday I finally had the whole enchilada in place and stained.

Knock another one off of the eternal list.

As a biologist, and also a sailor, I tend to keep a multitude of various and sundry lists. In fact, I have so many lists that at some point I may need a master list to keep track of all of the other lists.

I am a consummate and inveterate list-er, and as a scientist, I belong to the lumper category…just lump things together. Why make so many sub-distinctions in a world already too complex? Let DNA studies sort it all out in the end.

My boat lists reflect this philosophy. Engine items mixed up with deck and living space stuff….it sorts itself out in the end, in a more or less natural process and I kind of self-prioritize things anyway to jump start the whole thing.

Boat lists are not just pieces of paper, they are living documents not unlike the US Constitution or the Holy Bible….they are directional and sacred, not something to be taken lightly at all…..

I have asked a good many other sailors about their lists, and the edict seems to stay the same. Scratch one item off, and two or more, as if by magic, appear. The mysterious to-do list is the Ouija board of sailors. As soon as you put pencil to paper, some unknown and unseen power takes possession, and suddenly all sorts of things appear, some that were lurking in the back of your mind, others that you swear you had no idea even existed in the conscious. Item 211: Fix leaky forward hatch…..item 212: Buy new teak toilet paper holder….hold it WHAT? Teak toilet paper holder? Where did that come from?

However I don’t believe that Dock Boy keeps a list at all. At least I don’t think he does judging from the haphazard condition of his “vessel”, which is now minus the deteriorating plywood dodger. The See-Lyin’ is a conglomeration of cast off marine parts, old threadbare living room furniture and unidentifiable junk. Perhaps there actually is a list there that he adheres to, but I don’t want to think about it, because based on the apparent abstract nature of things aboard his lemon yellow boat, it just appears too near and dear to the lumper category for my own comfort…..

There but by the grace of God?

Yesterday, we were visiting Jim and Janice (Island Time) and Dock Boy was out there with an old green garden hose washing a shallow water sport fishing boat just hauled out, trailered, and sitting at the Anchor Marina ramp, which is situated in view of their front porch.

Dressed in Hawaiian print surf shorts, grimy tank top and green marine jar-head cap, tall-boy beer can in one hand, he was liberally applying a sizeable volume of water to boat and trailer. Afterward the owner attached the ear muff flush cup and continued to fresh water flush the engine for about five minutes.

After it was all over and the owner pulled the now sparkling boat out and headed up Tarpon street to Highway 100, Dock Boy jumped into his O.J. Simpson white Bronco with its rotted out roof and with muffler scraping the street roared off up to the corner convenience store to replenish his now empty beer supply.

Jim says that Dock Boy has still been encouraging hapless boaters over from the public ramp, regaling them with stories of how bad the Port Isabel launching facility is (and in all reality it is pretty bad). Only now not only are they enhancing the PVC moneybox for Dock Boy’s aggrandizement, but as the latest variation of the theme he’s washing their boats using Anchor Marina hoses and water, asking for a donation from the unsuspecting boat owners. To help cover water (and beer) expenses…..