A Trip to the Lumber Yard
January 27, 2021
My brother once recounted a tale of this phrase being used in the review of a wine that was “like a trip to the lumber yard”. (I gather that is to suggest that there was rather too much oak for the reviewer’s taste.) In our case it was literally a trip to the lumber-yard and hardware store. We were after some 2 by 4s and some 1 by 2s to use in the construction of a gangplank. As we are tied up stern-to at a fixed dock (not floating) it’s sometimes a very large height difference along with some gap between the stern of the boat and the dock. For short, tentative boaters this can be a problem. It seemed worth constructing something as we are going to be here for a month. As it was a “real” lumber-yard, the 2 by 4s came in 8 foot lengths. I was glad to see that mornings are not a very busy time in Key West, so we weren’t knocking loads of people off the sidewalks.
Once we got back to the boat with our purchases, Mike started right in on the construction. The first order of business was connecting to the shore power so that we could use the power tools! As it turned out the sawing had to be done by hand—worst luck. The 2 by 4s were trimmed to length and then joined together with strips of the small stuff. These will act as braces to keep your feet from sliding. The drill was employed to make pilot holes for the screws that did the joining. Now we have a sturdy gangplank and an easy way to get on and off the boat.
The second project was attaching some “hooks” to the pilings of our dock. The idea here is that these hooks can hold our lines when we go out for day sails. Then on return, all we would need to do is unhook the line and tie it onto the boat. If you don’t want to feel stuck in the dock it’s important to make these modifications. This was a tad tricky to achieve as we have positioned the boat nicely between these pilings and now we wanted to get close to each one in turn. Let me just say that once again it’s obvious that my strength is not what it might be!
By this point the day had really warmed up. We had a quick lunch and set out to walk to Fort Zachary Taylor. That was a hot experience! It seemed to take quite a while and some of us were feeling a tad wilted by the time we arrived. The fort is a Civil war era construction that saw service until the Second World War. In fact there was still a radar station at the fort during the Cuban missile crisis. The fort and surrounding area is now a Florida state park. Interestingly it seems to be wedged between a naval air station and a navy base. Could the proximity of Cuba have something to do with this military presence?
In addition to the fort the park has a nice beach and some shady picnic table areas. It might become our “go-to” spot.
Gloria
24 33.709 N, 81 48.093W
Lovely; but, I have to ask:
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't the gang plank end between those two handy hand rails on the dock?
Cheers!
Hi Susan, the hand rails are actually a ladder which would be great if we were close enough to step directly on to it. Depending where the boat is lying (which varies with the wind and tide) the ladder is off to the side and too far away to step onto it easily. Actually with 20 knots of wind from the north the boat has been pushed backwards and to the side and we are close enough!
ReplyDeleteThe 2x4's will make nice fender boards once relieved of duty as a gangplank
ReplyDeleteNice photos of Fort Zachary Taylor. Brick constructed forts were abandoned after the Am Civil War as they couldn't stand up to rifled guns as demonstrated by the Union assault on Ft Pulaski, south of Savannah. Also, nice use of feet as clamps by Mike!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures. I am enjoying your postings and pictures. Thank you for letting me be part of your journey. Your cousin- Jeanne (Breault).
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanne,It’s great to hear from you. We hope everything is going well with you and your family. Give my regards to your mom. Gloria
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