A Bit Overwhelmed

I really haven't had to interview for many jobs. Most of the time I either knew the company and owner well or they knew me and approached me for a position. But the few times I have had an interview, one of the questions almost always asked was "what did I consider one of my major weaknesses." Right now that weakness has reared it's ugly head big time and I am feeling the effects. I never have to hesitate to answer the question because I know the answer all too well. I have always had a tendency to try and do too much at one time and start another project before I finished the previous one. After this weekend, that weakness has taken on a whole new meaning.

Where do I start? I have finally ordered our new autopilot and decided on the Garmin GHP-10 after doing lots of research. I found the best price for the Core Pack at the GPS Store. But their price for the 2.0L pump was higher than I found it at Anchor Express and The GPS Store didn't seem interested in price matching. All of the parts arrived promptly, so I immediately began to plan the layout and started mounting some of the system.

In the meantime, a friend in the marina had offered to help me lower the mast so I could work on the wiring and, more importantly, give it a good paint job. We took it down about the same time as the autopilot arrived. I was in the process of removing all of the hardware and rigging, and re-running the TV coax and wiring for the spreader lights. The mast needed a good sanding and priming before the paint could go on.

Our transmission has been on the list of things that must be done for quite some time. A leak in a seal or gasket has been a bother almost since we bought the boat. We've tolerated it to this point because the leak has been slight and a drip pad under the transmission has been sufficient. We do check the fluids regularly and top off as needed, but this had to be fixed before our next long trip. Well, wouldn't you know it. The planets aligned and the universe said, it's time. Our mechanic could get us on his schedule, the transmission shop wasn't busy and could get to it right away, and we had no plans to go anywhere soon. Besides, hurricane season has started in south Florida and we want the boat ready to move if we need to. So out came the transmission and while it's out, I want to replace the engine mounts, clean up, and paint around the compartment and engine parts while everything is open.

Ahhhh, but we're not done yet. I have been negotiating with the folks at Hard To Top for a replacement hardtop for our flybridge. The canvas bimini was not looking very good and we much prefer a hardtop to canvas. Our sailboat had a hardtop that we built ourselves and we really, really liked it. We finally agreed on a price and it was fabricated and shipped to us a couple of days ago. So Susan and I removed the canvas bimini and began installing the hardtop.

So that's where we are today and why I feel a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I have to stop and prioritize each project if I plan to get them all done in a reasonable time. I do work on each for a couple of hours each day. The mast has been painted and I am in the process of re-installing all of the hardware. It should go back up in a few days and that project will be done. The rest will be much further along by the end of the week. I need to start on relocating the house battery bank so there will be room for the generator, which is another install. But I've promised myself that I will not start anything else until all of these projects are completed. Yep, I promised myself.

Oh, and we just changed Satellite TV providers and the new satellite dish is larger, so I had to reinforce the Track-It system to handle the larger dish. A minor additional distraction. As we get these all completed we will post the details, so stay tuned.