Wet and Windy Summer Solstice

First day of summer and we were in long pants and shirts, rainjackets and boots. What a contrast to yesterday's sunny hot weather!

There was a severe weather warning: major rain fall and thunderstorms throughout the day.

Due to the weather or maybe just because our adrenaline is running out of steam, we were exhausted.

We did schoolwork, the kids had some free time and watched a film in our bed.

It was too wet and rainy for our bulkhead work to continue. No point sealing up a hole when it was impossible to dry out today. They'll come back Monday to finish it off.

Matt and I discussed the next boat jobs and what was on our critical path to launching the boat on Tuesday.

After lunch, we played King Dominoes.

Then we went to Lunenburg to pick up some items we had ordered from the chandlery there.

We also wanted to check out a bookstore that was owned by someone we met here at the marina. Just two boats over, there is a gorgeous boat that was built over a period of ten years, a real labour of love.

This boat builder also owns one of Lunenburg's best bookshops on the main street, Lunenburg Bound. We tried not to buy anything but it was impossible. He even gifted us with the book Swallows and Amazons. This will be our family read aloud book. Can't wait to start.

Afterwards we stopped at a fudge and ice cream cafe. They even made their own waffle cone batter. So good!

Tonight, Aila went to sleep first around 8:30pm. She's been having too many late nights and it's been catching up to her.

It was still fairly light out and Matt figured he would get a start on putting the rigging back on the mast.

After a short while, he needed help from Tai and I. The wire rigging was coiled into bunches and required several people to help uncoil and feed it through.

Having multiple people at various points of the rigging helped so it didn't drag on the ground.

Tai was super keen and helpful. He was totally loving it and being part of putting together what is considered probably one of the most important parts of a sailboat. If the rigging fails, the mast comes crashing down, potentially damaging the hull, deck and crew. I also know he loved the fact that he was allowed to stay up waaaaay past his bedtime.

In the end it was great teamwork. Even though it was dark and drizzly, we rigged it all back together. Tomorrow, when there is daylight, we will fasten it tighter at each attachment point.

At 11:25pm we finished. Cold and wet, we had some hot chocolate and now we are in bed. Exhausted like when we woke up, but also feeling accomplished. A big difference.

What started as a blah day ended with a sense of accomplishment.

I love that each day is a fresh start, it is never the same and it is full of possibilities.

Morning spelling test.

Replying to a class email and taking a picture of his workbooks to attach.

Trying to dry out the wood with the hairdryer.

Free time today: playing with clay.

Wet, drizzly and windy. Happy summer solstice!

Cozy in our bed watching a film.

Lunenburg Bound, a fabulous bookstore.

Ice cream cone and new books to read. What could be better? 

Bubblegum Ice Cream! 

What's this black box? The kids had no idea how it worked!

Who rigs a mast in the night, in the rain? We do!

Uncoiling one of several wire rigging. Watch out because if you let go too
quickly the end could snag you in the face. It did to Tai once, ouch.

Attaching it onto the mast with a new cotter pin.

Getting the old cotter pin out.

Attaching the clevis pins and cotter pins to the rigging.

Unravelling a coiled strand of wire. 

Warming up with hot chocolate after a job well done.