June 8th is a Fantastic Day

One of the things I like most about the sailing life is that silly American holidays no longer dictate what we should celebrate when. Sorry folks, but I don’t give a rat’s ass about New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, or even Mother’s Day. As far as I’m concerned, if you don’t tell your Mom or your mate you love them three hundred and sixty-five days a year, you’re a putz. Therefore, my calendar is free to fill up with holidays that I find meaningful, and I hereby declare June 8th, Toilet with Fantastic Holding Tank Day.

I know what you’re thinking. Why not just call it Toilet Day? That has a nice ring to it, but Michael is most proud of the holding tank. So that’s what we’re gonna celebrate, loud and clear! The project was a design and engineering feat of epic proportions, and suffice it to say, not every moment of replacing an old head is fun. (Boaters squirm here)

What IS fun is a six-mile dinghy ride on a freezing cold rainy day in wind against current. Honestly, I think the only way to shake off three months of sweat, screw, wrench, pull, crawl, yank, bend, twist, rub, seal, caulk, scrape, file, sand, wax, shine, scrub, drill, tape, bang, fuse, goop, push, crawl, crouch, paint, thread, knot, fix, peel, stick, squeeze, ouch, remove, rewire, reroute, mop the bilge, throw out the trash, repeat, repeat, repeat is to dress head to toe in foul weather gear and let the outboard rip! Over and over, waves tossed us into the air, and something about the wildness was liberating. Water splashing and splattering from every direction washed the frustration from Michael’s face, and just like that, his magnificent smile returned to me. Struck by the realization of how much I missed it, I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Last remarks

For inquiring minds, Michael replaced the port side sanitary system with a 30-gallon gravity discharge holding tank and Raritan Marine Elegance electric toilet. The new head has a Seafresh feature that allows toggling between fresh and seawater flush. It is lovely.

We want to thank ourselves.

Also, we want to thank our lucky stars that the following items exist on planet Earth: wire cutters, oscillating multitools, magic sponges, Butyl, and every other tool known to humans.