Join us on the SV HideAway as we explore Florida's West Coast seeking enlightenment on a course towards wisdom aboard a 23' Com-Pac sailboat.
While we love sailing, we also like to travel. See how we travel from a sailor's
prospective. Should be interesting....
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Join the HideAways as we tell, through blog stories and videos, what life really is like on a small, 23' Com Pac sailboat. We'll show the joys, thrills and chills of the sailing life, but also what it takes to maintain a boat, trailer and truck. You are just as likely to learn how not to do something correctly as to do it right. That's important too!
New! The Hideaways take to the road!
Follow Traveling Hideaway: Winds of Wanderlust Transitioning from Sailing Hideaway to Traveling Hideaways as sailors learn to travel without heeling, well, not much, anyway.
The Paint Wasters Society unlocks the art of paint squandering with sheer delight, free from the shackles of remorse or guilt. Trust me, a century down the line, nobody's going to bat an eyelash, so why not indulge in some paint splattering shenanigans today? Let's turn those pricey pigments into a canvas of laughter and joy.
One of the cool things about being a member of a sailing club is the
sailboats and owners of same spending weekends together working on their
boats. After HideAway acquired her trailer, her
capt, that would be me, has a fine view of such endeavors from her deck.
A yell followed by loud crash brought me up the forward
hatch to see a Catalina 22 bow reaching high into the air as her owner hung
from her transom in an unsuccessful attempt to slow the boats' return to sea
level.The single axle trailer usually
had concrete blocks to prevent the teeter totter effect but something went awry. Neither the capt nor the equipment suffered any injury more serious than embarrassment.
AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN
Concrete blocks are made to support things that cannot move, like house foundations, the blocks are not the best choice for things that often do, such as single axle boat trailers. Concrete blocks are strongest when the two holes vertically support the load on its exterior walls, rather than horizontal as above. Not to mention their weight. Using concrete blocks is an accident waiting to happen.
Other than finding a
double axle trailer, that doubles the fun, auto jack stands are popular. I often use jack stands when working on
my trailer.While they don’t move
easily with a load on them, I would hesitate to employ them to steady the trailer while I’m on the
boat for fear that my movements may knock them over.
I'm much too old to be riding a nautical teeter-totter
Auto Jack Stands Help
Today I noticed that I have a new slip neighbor. A 22 Capri
sitting on a single axle trailer.I
haven’t met the owner yet, but he has come up with a interesting solution to the teeter totter problem.
Folding Trailer Tongue Jack
Folding Trailer Tongue Jack
Since the tongue jacks stay attached to the trailer you don’t
have to be concerned knocking one over as you move about the boat. The jack stand features a swivel to allow trailering. It might be better to have a jack with a flat foot rather than the wheel since you really can't move boats of this weight around much.
Looks like a winner and it's less costly than a second axle. Such a deal!
FWC, Florida Wildlife Commission, also known by less
flattering names, has decided that a survey of Florida
boaters’ use of Florida
waters might be helpful in drafting legislation. A scary thought or a good idea?
I Took the Survey
The survey begins with an informative video outlining the
next 30 minutes of your day.
Each section, there are six, is preceded by a short audio
recording explaining the reasoning behind questions that follow. The topics
covered are relevant to all boaters using Florida waters. The survey’s first question
deals with Florida
residency. A good start.
A Thought Provoked
The questions are difficult.
For instance, one asks if all local governments should follow whatever
the state legislature passes with little or no ability to adapt the law to
local conditions. On the surface the
local governments, city & county, probably should have a say in how their
waters are managed. There are 22
communities in my county. How can anyone
be expected to know and comply with all the variables likely to develop? From my perspective I’d rather have one set
of rules than 22, but then I don’t live in a coastal community. Wait, yes I do, but the waters are only
suited for kayaks and canoes. Hmmm…
Looking for Common Sense
Quite a bit of the survey is common sense or at least an
attempt to achieve it. Did you know that
you can anchor your boat at the end of the boat ramp, travel lift or as close
to someone’s house as you like? With the
possible exception of the travel lift, I can’t imagine anyone would want to in
the first place. You are then asked to
specify the number of feet from the house/ramp/boat lift that would be
acceptable. (The survey loudly hints at
150 feet)
A Nit Pick or a Bias?
One thing I did not like about the survey is the example
photos. The section that deals with
derelict boats features a photo of a mostly sunk sailboat replete with beard, a
good example of the derelict boat problem.
The section that deals with the length of time a compliant boat can
“stored” at anchor uses a photo of another sailboat that has obvious cosmetic
damage, but not neglect. Most compliant
anchored boats I have observed are not damaged while many derelicts’ conditions
are pretty obvious, if not by sight then certainly by smell. The photos infer that there is not much
difference between the two. There are no photographic examples of power
boats. Surely there must be at least one
power boat of questionable condition in this large state.
In any event, as a responsible Florida boater you should take the survey. It raises important problems you need to think
about.
Besides, if you don’t participate in the answer you loose
the right to complain later.
Many years ago Elaine and I sat on the porch at Boca Ciega Yacht Club in Gulfport, Fl.discussing something
about the finer points of sailing the old Day Sailor I boats used in the SailingSchool at the time. The discussion rambled on as they are wont to
do. Then Elaine backed her chair away
from the table, stood up and announced that we were going sailing.
A Bit of Perspective
I grew up on the Great Plains; North
Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. They all have one thing in common. There are
no natural lakes in any of them. Not
one. Sailors were as common as Hippies
at a National Republican convention. Elaine and Pim lived on a boat larger than several of the
dwellings Linda and I had occupied.
Elaine sailed the oceans, we “sailed” in gravel pits aboard a Styrofoam
boat with a large hole in the bottom.
Elaine was a licensed ships Captain with a capitol “C”… I possessed a North Dakota driver’s license circa 1962.
Intimidated?? OH YEAH!
We grabbed one of the O’days docked at the pier. Somehow I was the first at the tiller; must
have been a moment of gallantry or something.
I managed to sail out of the channel keeping the crew and vessel intact. (Fear focuses the mind.) Out on the bay we found the most perfect day
there could ever be. Sunny skies, warm
but not hot, a light chop, and most importantly, a robust westerly with no
calms. Perfection that meant screaming
reaches clear across the bay on one tack. We took turns at the helm, hiked out as far
as we dared, tacking and gibing, with big grins and loud hoops we tore up the
bay all afternoon. Tired, drenched, and
happy we were eventually forced to sail back to the dock.
The last time I saw Elaine we were relaxing on the Sea
Breeze Patio when she asked me if I remembered that sail we took so long ago. I said yes, but before I could say more, she told me how
intimidated she was asking me to sail with her.
As I continued my very good impression of a deer in the headlights, she
went on to explain that compared with all my sailing experience (Ha!) she was the
novice!
We laughed long and hard when the truth was known! Neither one of us could remember the original
discussion, but it really doesn't matter.
We had shared a special time together and were friends ever since.
I miss you Elaine.
I know when the sun is out and the wind is up you’ll be with
us on those screaming reaches on BocaCiegaBay.
Sailing on the Labor Day weekend in Florida
pretty much guarantees steamy heat with no wind and bath water temperature in BocaCiegaBay. For the HideAways it means a three day
weekend during which, by golly, we will be sailing and spending the night at
anchor sleeping on deck pretending to be cool.
After a deliberately late launch in the hot sun Mr. E, our
sleepy outboard motor, delivered us to BocaCiegaBay at a slow idle to allow for the sail
raising-deck clearing ceremony we all know by heart. Full main and the 150 genoa were ordered by
the capt. While the crew fidgeted with
the big genoa, the capt tied off the tiller and set about removing the dock
protection devices, stowing the sail cover, and running the jib lines. Up went the main sail – then the jib,
followed closely by the dismissal of Mr. E.
The Legend Has It Wrong: The Moon Is Not Made Of Swiss Cheese.
BocaCiegaBay
is. HideAway found one of the holes. Cat’s
paws and ripples circled the windless waters around the HideAways. The sails hung like wet laundry. The crew had a lot in common with the
morning dew. Mr. E chuckled, or maybe
it was a burble, the capt was too miserable to investigate. Boats not far distant were heeling over, their
sails filled with wind. The HideAway filled with heat. Finally, we drifted close enough to the wind
to exceed 2kn of exciting forward motion.
Then more and more until HideAway slid to a stop in another slice of cheese.
Hope was building East by South. The summer storms promised cool sailing-quality
air soon. Mood on board picked up with
the freshening wind. After a delightful
reach to the eastern bay we dropped the jib when we neared the anchored fleet
of holiday optimists. The capt sailed
around the boats, found a choice spot and tacked up wind to let the crew drop
anchor just off Clam Bayou. Then, back-winding
the main sail, set the anchor. The depth
finder read 5 feet at mid tide and we were off the Gulfport channel far enough for only the most
persistent wakes to find us.
We enjoyed an early supper as the sky darkened and began to
swirl. The first water spout formed a
few hundred yards away bearing down on us.
The ugly, evil thing was large and strong; a true “Oh s---” moment. The crew ducked below. The capt grabbed his camera. The water spout vanished. The VHF blared another warning.
The bay turned angry throwing waves and white
caps with abandon. HideAway heeled over
30 degrees and spun on her anchor in the wind.
A wall cloud slid by dangling two large funnel clouds from which several
small tornadoes hopped out and back like hairy roots on a carrot. Chaos reigned. The
capt noticed a bird flying, against all odds, directly into the storm. We watched as it gained then lost ground
flying backwards. Still, the bird pushed
on.
The storm passed.
Cool air, by Florida
summer standards, prevailed accompanied by one of the most dramatic sunsets in
memory.
The HideAways sunk into soft air mattresses in the cockpit
and pondered the night sky. The wind
slept. The no see ums flew over from
Clam Bayou to snack on exposed skin. The HideAways retreated to the protection
of the fan below. The night seemed much
longer than normal.
Up Early
After breaking fast the crew, unable to raise the anchor, wrapped
the shortened rode around the big forward cleat as the capt sailed over the
buried anchor under main sail alone. The
anchor broke free. Falling off the wind we
sailed through the fleet on the cool-morning land breeze raising the genoa
underway. Soon HideAway reached the
breath taking speed of 5kn touring the bay until the solar-powered furnace
fired up for another attempt at baking the foolish. The HideAways beat a hasty retreat to air
conditioning.
On the way home the crew observed that we had been on our
200 yard cruise exactly 24 hours.
Does your boat looks more at home on a sea of green grass than a sea of green?
Sailing in a sea of green -- grass!
Sometimes Its Important to Get Away. .
Get away from sailing. Develop other interests. Ponder deep thoughts. Consider your place in the universe. Smell a rose. Kiss a gnome. Find a guru. Trouble your mind.
Be Thee Warned!
The Weeds Of The World Invade
If you stay aground too long the weeds of the world may invade your cockpit or worse; take root in your mind. The next thing you know you’ll be growing grapes on your back-yard clothes line.
I set out to design a swing arm for my Garmin GPSMAP 640 that would include the depth finder. There are, no doubt, more expensive and modern solutions available, nevertheless, I like the look of wood on a boat. Especially if it lives out of the weather.
First Off - I am Not a Carpenter!
Garmin GPS MAP 640 w/ Depth Finder Swing Arm
Considering the cost of the GPS, the risk of damage to the unit is an important concern. The design is a simple "T" made from 1 x 4 fir, ship lapped and epoxied, then attached to a solid brass door hinge mounted on a home made magazine rack. Be sure to leave space between the companion way access and the edge of the GPS and plan your wire and cable route carefully. It would have been better, in this instance, to mount the arm on the starboard side to be closer to the panel box and transducer however, the magazine rack is on the port side and readily available. Note how the GPS cable extends into the companion way creating a possibility of snagging it on something. So far it has not been an issue.
The ship lap does not extend to the end of the vertical piece. There is no reason for this, I just liked the idea of an undisturbed edge. I'm sure anyone with average skills can produce a better looking result but this side of the mount is not visible from the cockpit. If anybody notices it - Well, the Complaint Department is located at the end of the plank, starboard side, should anybody want to comment about my carpentry skills.
SV HideAway GPS / depth finder swing mount
The arm swings fully back on its hinge and is held in place by a line from the back of the mount to a wood inspection hole cover. The line is loose to allow some movement if bumped.
Yes, those are hinge screws protruding on the face of the unit. They have been filed smooth and are not visible when the arm is deployed. (Comments are accepted at the Complaint Desk above.)
Solid brass door hinge - reversed pin -note angle
The magazine rack follows the slope of the cabin wall. In order to compensate I angled the hinge to produce a level arm. Some day I may finish the end of the arm, but not today.
Line from back of display keeps the unit to front
The line holding the arm to the front has a bit of slack that serves as a sort of warning should you collide with it. The mount looks crooked in this photo, but if memory serves I made the correction later. On a small sailboat such as HideAway, level and plumb are more concepts than reality.
Line from back of display secured
When not in use the line used to hold the arm open is employed along with a shorter line to hold the arm inside the cabin. That way the arm does not swing wildly about during launching and it keeps the expensive stuff out of the weather.
In the interest of maximum security, I thru bolted the GPS mount with stainless steel bolts rather than using wood screws. I let the bolts run long so I could attach the swing arm control lines.
GPS Mount is Thru-Bolted
The electrical wires and cables are not contained. I routed them under the sink top edge, around the back to the panel box or in the case of the depth finder, along and under the settees. Since I installed the depth finder on the starboard side, the depth finder cable and wiring had to run through five bulk heads. A real pain to accomplish, however the potential hole-in-boat problems, the vanity sink drain and the transducer, are isolated from other storage areas and have good access in case of an emergency. See the Video Here
GPSMAP 640 Swing Mount w/ Depth Finder
The GPSMAP 640 plastic mount has a interesting feature. The mount swivels at the center. (See the knob in the center of the mount.) The knob allows the unit to turn when you bump it saving damage to the GPS and mount. A nice feature on a rough day.
This is a simple woodworking project that someone with little carpentry skills, that would be me, can complete to a reasonably functioning level. The swing mount has been in service for more than a year without difficulties or safety issues.
Salt water, in particular, with a little stray current and time can be a real pain in your lower end.
Notice the angle of the damage- The motor was not tipped fully out of the water.
Maybe the Top End can be saved
The only good news here is the top end, the thing with the electronics and pistons, look pretty good. Still, this will put a smile on any mechanics face and a frown on the owner's.
Commonly known as a NRRS; New Rub Rail Snake, came coiled
in an innocent looking cardboard box from Com Pac Yachts of Clearwater Fl.
New improved rub rail from Com Pac Yachts
The old rub rail succumbed to a fuel dock near Johns Pass. The incident involving
a large commercial fishing boat wake
propelled by an excited tide racing for the Gulf of Mexico heaved the HideAways’
against the dock with far more enthusiasm than prudence permits.
The New Rub Rail Is Of Much Improved Quality
The very thing that made installing it a most challenging affair.
Replacement rub rail on left is larger than OEM on right
Bow Plate does not fit new rub rail
The radius of the metal connector is too small to accommodate the new rub rail.
The only viable solution involved surgery and language unsuited for gentile ears.
New Rub Rail - Right - is larger and thicker
I removed the interior lower flanges on the new rub rail (right) and narrowed the distance from the hull by trimming the upper flanges.
I also trimmed the two "legs" to let the rub rail move closer to the hull and allow for clamping.
Clamp and Awl
The trimmed end is best held in place by a good C clamp until you can find the correct alignment to slip the bolt through. Good luck with that. The awl worked well but it does take patience.
By the way, I used a leather hole punch to install the holes in the rub rail.
“Jist leave it in the sun for a piece –
It’ll stretch real easy”
Clamps Clamps and More Clamps Are Needed
Thus a simple two bolt project turned into two days of sweltering fun under a summer sun so hot that only a few moments’ exposure made metal tools too hot to handle without protection, not to mention the HideAways.
Loading the last of the tools from a just finished project
into the truck, a glob of rust on the trailer caught my eye. The rust glob appeared just where the shiny tongue
extender pin should be. A rust glob is never a welcome sight on a sailboat trailer, or anyplace
else for that matter. A couple of taps
with a hammer broke the pin free, leaving a small pile of rusted tongue
extender pin bits on the ground.
Tongue Extender Pin or Hitch Pin?
History was made when my friend, Mr. Google, could not find
a “6 inch trailer tongue extender pin”. After learning about a variety of trailer accessories I’ll
never need, I concluded no such device exists in the digital universe. I eventually discovered a trailer hitch pin with a strong
family resemblance to my tongue extender pin, sans the red stuff, available for
a big pile of the green stuff.
After some deliberation I realized that something made for a
trailer hitch located well up under the truck is an unlikely candidate for salt
water immersion. After all, if you’ve
got your truck in that deep, you have more problems than a rusted tongue
extender pin.
Something Galvanized Preferably Hot Dipped
A 5/8 x 6 inch hot dipped galvanized bolt and nut shall likely
replace the shiny orange handled creation of yore. Yes inches, I haven’t a care to know how many
millimeters the rest of the world envisions.
Besides, a millimeter sounds like a name for nasty bug with lots of legs
and sharp teeth.
A Wiggle – A Shake –
and A Break
Given that we hadn’t planned to launch the boat without a
pin in our extended tongue, the polite thing to do would be to retract the
tongue extender to prevent injury to patrons and or vehicles of guests coming
in hordes to our sailing club annual open house the next weekend.
A Jammin Tongue Extender - What Next?
This good deed left
the tongue extender jammed in its carrier.
Of course no sailor can possibly resist the temptation to
pull and jerk a bit on the tongue in some vain hope of an easy fix. A crash and a bang and another project was
born.
One Good Jerk Did This
In less than five
minutes a simple project became a triple threat
A jack and stand wrestled out of my over crowded garage
along with a box of anticipated useful tools to complement the ship board collection
and a found trailer jack, slightly bent, made up the kit for part one of the
project.
Floor Jack Placed Directly Under Tongue Support
I never trust just a jack to keep anything up in the air for long. A sturdy jack stand(s) are a must. In this case I had to carefully place the jack and the stand beneath the tongue extender supports.
I use an automotive floor jack for jobs such as
this. My only complaint is that the jack
wheels allow the jack to move as the jack is activated. Sometimes several attempts must be made to
center the piece properly on the stand. Once set, I leave the jack under some pressure with most of
the weight supported by the stand.
Finally, all jacked and stable, I moved on to removing the
broken trailer jack to find the bolts holding it on the trailer tongue were METRIC.
Why can’t the rest of the world adopt good ole SAE
measurements?
Of course not one of my few metric wrenches or sockets came along
for the trip. According to my Garmin GPS MAP640 my dwelling is seven miles as the GPS flies from HideAways bow. In Florida
time, this is about 47 minutes of joy filled driving on crowded, tourist-infested
roads.
I knew the trip would be futile exercise in bad traffic
manners so a side trip was in order to look for the pin and also price trailer
fenders – Always have another project-You never know when you will need one. Yes, my venerable tape measure came up short
a couple of inches and no, I did not procure any fenders, long or short. Yet.
Relaxed from all the
slow driving and lost tourists;
I discovered NONE of my small collection of metric
tools fit the bolts
A Jim-Dandy Universal Bolt Removal Tool
Using Come-A-Long Winch
To Remove Tongue Extender
After finishing these repairs, I gave a fearful tug or two on
the frozen tongue extender before resorting to the almighty Come-Along Winch and
a pick up truck to effect its removal.
You can see how well that idea worked out in this video.
It's free. It's educational and helpful. Or to put it another way- Do you know where your flares are? What about that first aid kit you may have put back on board after your camping trip? Have you blown your horn recently, or know where it is? How about that fire extingusher you have somewhere? Your local US Coast Guard Auxiliary provides this service. Sure they inspect things like Fire Extinguishers, Life Jackets, Navigation lights, Sound Producing Devices and the like. Things you never think about until something goes wrong. Like, maybe a pontoon boat suddenly turns and T-bones your boat, which sinks before your mayday is answered -Stuff like that. (This accident happened last week on Boca Ciega Bay near Gulfport Fl when the pontoon boat operator dropped something and turned the boat as he bent down to pick up whatever he dropped - Care to guess if it was a cell phone?) There is no risk. The do not issue tickets if you're missing something. And the inspector, usually a fellow boater, gives a good review of basic safe boating practices. Your Coast Guard Auxiliary sponsers good boating classes to boot.
Thru-hulls always has long been the cause of notable anxiety on the HideAway, likely because one of the two in existence, the one the bilge pump is attached to, failed while sailing off shore.
It began innocently enough; the idea of having a sink and vanity in the forepeak next to the head.
The vanity sits on top of what was a storage access. The fit is perfect with just enough room to accommodate the sink basin, tubing and electrical wires for the water pump. Below the sink lurks the depth finder transducer, another large hole in the boat. With two large holes in close proximity, the area has been declared off limits for storage of anything other than a wooden plug.
The Cure Leads To Another Problem.
While the vanity has been a welcome addition on cruises, the Capt. uses it more often to empty the rain buckets from under five of Hideaways’ six ports. Always vigilant, the Capt. has been known to tear open the vanity top in search of excess humidity, not realizing he was causing the drain tube to crack on both ends.
Sink Drain Repair Sailing HideAway
Obviously a better method of leak checking technology was necessary. Enter the thought of a small access just forward of the vanity.
Join the HideAways as we cut yet another hole in the boat.
We learned from uncounted generations that the best way to experience
all the natural world has to offer is from something that floats, or possibly
in a pinch, a remote campsite in a distant place.
Folks who study this phenomenon have not been able to
explain why we humans are convinced, beyond rationality, that whatever is just beyond
our reach must be better than what we have at the moment.
HideAway has been hard aground
because of a patio
construction project. No, she’s not
getting a patio, and she is not happy about it.
When at last we found and laid the final brick we celebrated the achievement
by having our evening meal on our new veranda.
It was late on a warm spring afternoon. The sun was low in the sky partially shielded
by our sun-fence, a group of oaks planted years ago. Linda pointed to a hawk doing lazy circles on a thermal far
above us.
The soaring hawk was high enough that the rays of the
setting sun illuminated it from underneath.
The hawk’s wings and body glowed golden,
then silver, as it glided in the light, all the while surrounded by an
impossibly blue sky. A slight wind mixed
with jasmine and orange blossoms held us captive in their intoxicating
fragrance.
The moment could not have been more perfect
When your days are harsh and troubles seem none stopping, as
many have recently, it’s good to remember that every now and then nature will
provide a soothing moment of breath taking beauty and peace.
Perhaps in your own back yard -- Just outside of your doors.
What began as a camera test evolved into a story of life on the water and all its challenges, joys and beauty. So come join us as we say goodby to an old friend.
It's a long film, full of all the above, but that's the way life should be - Don't you think?
If you've seen any of our Sailing HideAway cruising videos (and you should, you know) you've noticed our wooden dink happily following the HideAway on our cruises along the West coast of Florida. What you may not know is that our pram is a kit boat from Chesapeake Light Craft. I had great fun building it in our garage over a decade ago. It's been towed and rowed hundreds of miles and has the scars to prove it. Although it needs some TLC it has held up well over the years. When winters up north gets bad enough CLC takes a road trip to sunny Florida with many of their kayaks and boats in tow. This next weekend, 2/07/15 from 10-4pm. they will be along the Gandy Bridge near St Petersburg, Fl. (southwest portion of the Gandy Bridge St Petersburg side.) You can't miss it - Its where all the smiles are Even better, all you need is a life jacket and you can try out any boat you wish. It's the perfect way to get acquainted with your dream boat.
Don't forget to sail the East Port prams - You'll be hooked fast!
I didn’t see the pelican, honest. Mr E and I were busy warping the HideAway
backwards around C Dock. We had been out
on a day sail with family visiting from Alaska
along with our daughter and beau from Chili.
It was a beautiful day on our favorite bay, however as the wind grew, conversation
became difficult. Stories of moose, bear
and Chilean culture became lost amid growling commands to come about or gybe amid
fervent discussion of reefing or heading to port. The decision was to port and Mr E, our gasoholic,
out board was happy to take us there.
I suppose it should be noted here that one questionable
feature of the Gulfport Fl channel is a fish cleaning station and its proximity
that is closer to our destination than desired.
Fishermen, or fisherpersons if you are of that persuasion, clean their
catch throwing the fishy remains to the flock of various birds gathered in the
channel for a handout.
Our pelican was
one of the beggars. Proving it was not choosey;
the pelican received a fish head of epic dimensions then retired to the
unattended C dock for rumination and other biological contemplations.
A loud, strangled squawk hung in the heavy air after the
pelican flew to avoid the HideAway after lightening his load depositing said fish head on C dock. The fish head fell to the dock at the precise
point where a sailor person would stand to warp a boat around the dock.
Have you seen the latest boat shoe fad? Toe Pocket Shoes have toe pockets for each of your
little piggys, a sort of glove for your feet as it were. While their looks describe discomfort, they
are quite comfortable I’m told. All
those free toes provide unparalleled ground feedback, the need of which is hard
to visualize while trouping about on a fusty fish head.
A sliding kick knocked the offending head off the dock
providing some reeking relief and served to contaminate innocent toe pockets causing olfactory hallucinations lasting months.
The much flaunted barefoot shoes were put into a plastic bag
and thrown into the automobile’s back seat for transport. This solution was as short lived as the odor
was foul. Shorty, the malodorous toe gear was wrestled in a sealed container then
relegated to the murky depths of a car trunk owned by our resident double Iron
Man competitor.
The offending collection of toe pockets is still soaking in chemistry
of unknown composition and probably has given birth to some kind of mutant
creature that will likely become an elected official or at least smell like one.
And all of my gloating over the 110 degree temperature
difference between Fairbanks, Alaska and Gulfport, Florida hung in
the air like the fevering aroma of a fetid fish head.
