The U-Turn Journal #4
Water & tarping

No Philemon yet, but I am surprising myself with my energy in dhow reconditioning. I am focused on tarping, that is, keeping water away from where we do not want it. That is far from obvious especially in tropical rainstorms ^{[more about storms]}.

Deck tarp now over folmali (1),  anchor catchers (2) turned out to need special eye (3) for firmly seizing the anchor, my torn old bike's UNHCR tarp replaced (4).

Deck tarp now fixed with little metal hooks for every eye ((1),(2)). Freeing ports (to drain deck water ((4),(5)) enlarged. The big wooden deck tent clamps will be removed.

That wooden steering deck was romantic but incorrectibly leaking. It is now covered with PVC tarpaulin , folks sleeping under need no more tent! A new acquisition in my hands: an e-reader, "e-ink" no back light but unlike a laptop comfortably readable in the bright light on deck. No more printing misery! Fine to read page by page, but for smooth annotating, quick checks elsewhere in the book and later reference, I definitely need to climb down in the hold to my html-laptop copy of the book). Getting copies in both formats is no problem for the kind of books I read : I never read prize winners, while my favoured time honoured classical works of science and literature are freely downloadable (as well as leaked juicy diplomatic cables). Funny to remember I used to hold my literature and music on shelves covering entire walls, and get books out of libraries by digging through card box drawers. What an astonishing waste of time!

The bottom water pump now has its own outlet