David Wilson is a VERY special guy! I met David...and his family, wife Cindy, daughter Aston, and son David (D2)...through our best friend Sharon Wilson. David and Sharon are first cousins. David is a true "renaissance man"...solid citizen...good husband/father...athlete (make that Senior / Master athlete...he's aging!)...entrepreneur (web design and consulting)...and high-technology gadget guru! I don't know a soul who doesn't respect and admire David.

Most importantly...David is my FRIEND. He's busy all of the time, so we don't get to hang out a lot. Our special treat is to meet at a local greasy (a GOOD thing) hamburger joint...the South Shore Beer Garden in Clear Lake Shores, TX for lunch. I usually use these feeding frenzies  to pick David's mind on computer, audio/video, camera, and any other technology issues du jour. He's helped me out SO much that I could never repay his generosity. I consider David to be an integral member of Team Prime Time! He and Cindy are welcome to join us on Prime Time anytime and anyplace...as our VIP guests.

I've compiled some blog entries about David while we were in Kemah. I hope you'll enjoy reading about my friend...

MS 150 UPDATE...

I had a lunch with David Wilson on Thursday at our favorite hamburger joint in Kemah...South Shore Beer Garden. (Believe it or don't...I had mine WITHOUT the bun...no fries...still on the Plan!) David had been training hard for the upcoming (April 22-23) MS 150, and we hadn't had much time lately to get together. I sat there on the bench watching him pump cheese whiz drenched "tater-tots" into his mouth while we discussed his race scheduled for Saturday. (I guess that guys who do serial 100+ mile training rides can eat all of the double cheeseburgers they want!)

As I mentioned in an earlier entry, The MS 150 is a two-day bicycle tour from Houston to Austin. It's mission is to raise money for multiple sclerosis research. Most NORMAL people do this ride in two days. David's plan was to do the entire 150+ miles on Saturday!

Early Saturday morning (0638) while I'm having a cup of coffee, I get a text message from David...M150 starts in a few minutes. 180 miles or bust. Woot!- David "ride like ya stole it" Wilson. Who in their right mind does this right before a 150+ mile race?

OK...it's 0856...I'm washing Prime Time when I get this...Woohoo! Flying this morning. First stop at bellville. Distance 50.6 miles, time 2:26, avg 20.6 mph, max 31.9 mph- David. I text him back with something motivational...kinda...

1159 and I'm STILL washing Prime Time when I get this...Just past La Grange now. 99.7 miles, time 5:14, avg 19.0 mph, max 33.3 mph. Next stop, Austin! Woot!- David. La Grange is where all of the NORMAL people stop to spend the night! I send a text message back calling him an ANIMAL!

Now it's 1731. I'm up on the fly-bridge with some friends and I receive this...Woohoo! I made it! Final stats: distance 166.4mph, time 9:19, avg 17.8mph, max 35.5mph.- David "looking at the capitol" Wilson. I can't believe that he did this! What a performance...

David did a lot more yesterday than just help raise money for MS. He challenged himself with a HUGE personal goal...stayed very focused...trained hard...and made it happen! I'm so proud of him! I even broke down and had a martini (OK...3 martinis) in his honor.

Do me a favor. Send David (david@summerworks.us) an email congratulating him on this monumental feat. Also ask him to FINALLY finish up his new website and FINALLY get to work on his Columbia 34 sailboat Endless Summer. He should have some spare time on his hands for a while.

"GEEK SQUAD" WANNABE...

I mentioned a while ago that the power supply had failed on Prime Time's on-board computer. This computer runs all of the navigational and communication systems.  This custom-built computer (thank you HWH Electronics) physically resides under the pilothouse settee. The case has handles so that it can be pulled out on heavy duty drawer slides for maintenance. 

MAINTENANCE...Who does maintenance on a computer? I didn't even know that computers had an internal power supply. Some things are BEST left to the experts!

Well, MY expert is David Wilson. If you've been following this blog, you know David. To summarize...He knows EVERYTHING about computers. We ordered a new power supply...it arrived...and I thought that I'd earn some serious respect points from David and install it myself. I opened the box...saw the 6 different  connectors with about 45 wires...and picked up the cell phone! Long story short...David stopped by...He changed out the power supply...I watched and learned...a LOT!

This situation with the computer really opened my eyes. This is an IMPORTANT piece of equipment. Unfortunately, David won't always be able to stop by when Prime Time is in the Bahamas or the Sea of Cortez. I need to be able to maintain...troubleshoot...and repair every single system on this boat. I'm learning more and more everyday.

How cool will it be someday when a fellow cruiser needs help replacing a computer power supply? Very cool...

TOOL GUYS...

I really enjoyed today! I met David Wilson at 9:00 this morning at the Seabrook Shipyard. It was already HOT! Endless Summer looks pretty good with some nice new red Interlux bottom paint.

Our BIG task for today was to remove an old gate valve and replace it with a bronze ball valve.  We were really dreading removing the old valve...it's been in place since the early 70's! Good Karma prevailed and with a little persuasion from a big pipe wrench it broke free...no injuries...no cursing...no damaged tools! We cruised over to West Marine and BlueWater in his Jeep gathering replacement parts. GETTING HOTTER!

 OK...Why is this man smiling? It's probably because he doesn't have a hole in his hull anymore! Well...We got the new ball valve in place. It was a REAL struggle getting a new 2 foot piece of sanitation hose running from the anti-siphon loop to the valve seated/clamped on the nipples. After an hour or so...it was on...project completed...SCORCHING HOT BY NOW!

David drove us back over to Prime Time where we found Anneke and Sharon Wilson (David's cousin). Sharon had brought Pumpkin & Sarah (the killer Italian Greyhounds) over to a big field next to my marina for a run. I've never seen them so "calm and submissive" as the Dog Whisperer (Cesar Milan) likes to say. The heat really got to them.

Anneke and Sharon left at 4:00 with the dogs heading back to Sharon's house. Big Tom Petty concert for them tonight. I'm tired...going to feed the cats...give Bittie her insulin shot...and go to bed. What a GREAT day!

SPLASH

David Wilson called me yesterday to see if I could help him get Endless Summer back to the Kemah Boardwalk Marina from the Seabrook Shipyard. Anneke and I picked David up at his marina and drove us over to the yard. He had scheduled with TowBoat US to meet us for a 4:00 PM splash. While Endless Summer's new bottom paint and power washed decks looked GREAT, she still needed a tow back to the marina.

David wanted to change the shaft zinc anodes while Endless Summer was out of the water. The  "Haul Out Crew" at Seabrook Shipyard are really nice. One of them has been hauling boats for 30 years while the other is a relative newbie with only 25 years experience. They loaned us an allen wrench and some emery cloth to get the old zincs off and to clean the shaft. After getting the new zincs on, they hit the zinc with a hammer to compress a small copper pellet that insures good shaft/anode contact. I DID learn something yesterday!

TWILIGHT ZONE...

I had something VERY bizarre happen today. Let me back up a bit and explain...

My pal David Wilson flew to Panama yesterday to hook up with Alex Dorsey for a week. Alex's story is memorialized on his website Project BlueSphere. Alex is a talented videographer and frequently contributes content for Lats & Ats magazine. He and I are probably as diametrically opposed on cruising philosophy as possible. He's a "minimalist wannabe" and I shamelessly want to cruise in quasi-opulent comfort. I love to read Alex's daily...well almost daily...logs.

David does a bunch of "freebie stuff" for Alex (I have NO budget) Dorsey...site maintenance...computer systems consultation...spare parts collecting/shipping...phone psychotherapy...and MORE! (Now that I think about it, David does a lot of "freebie stuff" for ME!) These two have spoken almost daily for the past three years. The weird thing is that...until yesterday...they had NEVER met!

David and I talk about Alex all of the time. I know how excited his was to FINALLY meet Alex...face to face. I loaned him a huge duffel bag to carry some of the "goodies" down to Alex. I bet the TSA folks at George Bush Intercontinental Airport had a ball...

OK...I'm having a VERY SLOW Sunday morning (too many martinis last night with our friends Lonnie & Jennifer Briggs)! I shook the cobwebs out long enough to wonder if David and Alex were having fun. I even went to Alex's site...read his entry...check the discussion forum...replied to an entry...and then, STILL feeling like "you know what"...considered permanently ending it all.

I was saved by my cell phone ringing. I didn't recognize the number...said hello anyway...and this voice says "Why don't you hire me to get you guys over to the Bahamas?" I asked who the hell IS this, and he says..."It's me...Alex...Alex Dorsey!" He and David were still in cell range aboard Namste...wondering who they could call...and I was the lucky beneficiary. I chatted with BOTH of them for a while and had a ball. They were having a GREAT time diving...spear fishing...and just getting to KNOW each other.

All of a sudden I feel a WHOLE lot better...

HE'S BACK...MAYBE

I think that my friend David Wilson (Summerworks) flew home yesterday after spending a week cruising with Alex Dorsey (Project BlueSphere) near Panama. Alex's last two log entries mentioned how much fun they had together and how fast the time flew. I mentioned in an earlier entry that David has managed the Project BlueSphere site for the last three years and had NEVER met Alex. Well...these two obviously made up for lost time. I think that the local rum supply was depleted and all of the fish are no longer at risk...

I'm dying to hear about this trip. Alex  is cruising in the Contadora/Espirito Santo area. I think that this is where the Survivor - Pearl Island show was filmed...maybe. I'm sure that David took a zillion photos. It'll be great fun to grab a couple of juicy South Shore Beer Garden burgers and hear all of the gory details. I'll spread the gossip about Alex...

DAVID & ALEX...

David Wilson (Summerworks) DID make it back from his week-long visit with Alex Dorsey (Project BlueSphere)! For new readers, David is my friend and technology (computers, cameras, audio/video, juicy cheeseburger) guru. Alex Dorsey is circumnavigating aboard a Westsail 28. David has maintained the Project BlueSphere website for three years...BUT...He and Alex have NEVER met face-to-face. David recently flew down to Panama City...then on to Contadora...and finally made it to Alex and Namaste.

Unfortunately, David returned to a real MESS at work...something about servers crashing and customers screaming. I hate it when his job keeps us from hooking up for a burger. I haven't had the chance to sit down and hear about the TRIP, but he did send me some photos. I actually haven't asked for his permission to use them, but...

Shame and the internet censors prevent me from posting some of the others! I think that my pals David and Alex had a GREAT time finally getting to meet each other...

PS: Any guesses on who's who in these photos? Clue...the guy with the spear gun has been away from society WAY too long...