FIRST, because there are minors reading this (not miners, though: wireless is shite underground), I have to apologise abjectly because I said a Bad Word last post. Kids, using language like that is huge and genius not big and not clever and one day when you are like, 40, someone will explain what those words mean.

There, now I feel pure again.

Yesterday, HB came back from visiting family, some of whom were busy straight making new people, which is kind of neat: congratulations Scot and Leigh and welcome to the Universe, Isabella Sage (don’t read the last post for a few years, k?). HB was still mad at me for cussin’ like an old ho, but she still loves me (yay!) and brought me presents (yay!) of books (meh) and half a cookie (yay!) This is good.

We also got the boat out for a sea trial, during which we noticed that the engine problem we were having is still there, despite having billions of dollars of work done on the engine this week. Not that the stuff we had done wasn’t essential: the mounts were shot, which would mean the engine would fall out if we tip too much; and the throttle cable was srsly buggered (see the picture). We now have new of both. Anyhoo, Billy the Mechanic came out on a second sea trial and diagnosed the smoke problem: the exhaust is clogged. The mixing elbow was nearly 600°F, which is a tad warmish. New mixing elbow is called for.

I have been up and down the mast (3x up the mizzen, 2x up the main [note for marketing people: it's pronounced "three times," not "three ex"]) installing the radar and fixing the wind instruments, and just today got to wiring the new Garmin GPS/sounder/radar.

Eh, you get the idea: boats ‘n’ stuff.