《How to get lost: a wanderers guide》If at first you don't succeed... I suppose you'll fail won't you?
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Hello again. Today was rather difficult.
The first problem of the day was finding tools to build a new ship in this old pirate lair. There was a ramshackle forge in one of the caves with some ventilation shafts dug to let in the salty sea air. That same air had rotted the bellows and rusted everything metal in the forge. From the anvil to the small supply of bar stock. They were all coated in a thick layer of rust.
Some fire and elbow grease cleaned the rust off of the heavier hammers, anvil, and saws. But for the smaller pieces like nails I decided to just melt them down and recast them. That was much more difficult that expected. I knew the basics of forging ship components from Ivers memories, but actually using that knowledge proved a challenge.
I had a vision of a small maybe ten foot boat. With a narrow beam and shallow draft. It would be extremely tippy unless I add on a pretty deep keel. I envisioned a furnace and water container at the stern or rear of the ship so I could collect seawater and use extreme heat to turn it to steam which would then be expelled from the very rear of the ship to propel it forward.
Salvaging the wood from the trapped ships went easily enough. And I assembled the ship at the peak of the mountain. Lots of running up and down the mountain today.
The first one I didn't control my fire properly, and the already leaking wreck caught fire, much to Julius' delight, before sinking. I managed to salvage the furnace off of it.
The second one I took my time making watertight. But it was horribly unbalanced. It had so much weight on the back that it just tilted up until it was pointed directly to the sky before sinking like a rock. I had to dive for the furnace and found lunch while I was at it. Some kind of fish. Brighty colored and delicious.
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The third one I added a heavy metal ram to the bow or the front of my ship. Imagining it would be fun ramming through obstacles on my voyage. Sadly while the weight was balanced now between front and back it was to much for my narrow ship to bear and the poor thing sunk slowly beneath the waves. More salvaging happened. Julius lost his enthusiasm for swimming and stayed ashore for the rest of the tests.
The fourth one I shrunk the furnace and got rid of the ram. I used a simple valve system to feed water from the sea into a boiler. Once there was enough water inside the pressure would close the valve and prevent any more water from entering and flooding my ship. Then I just had to heat up the boiler and the steam would be expelled from the a different pipe underwater. Generating thrust and propelling my ship forward. Getting the valves and pipes set was a tricky business. Unfortunately when I tried to use it the whole thing exploded. I guess the exhaust pipe was to narrow or got clogged or something? Either way the steam couldn't escape quick enough. Causing it to burst the boiler.
I skipped five times over the waves from the blast. None of the ship was salvagable. Julius cheered from the shore.
For the fifth one I decided to make it simple. Narrow beam, shallow draft, deep keel. I ignored all the steam ideas and just set up a simple metal funnel pointing behind my vessel. I braced my right foot on the deck and my left behind me before the funnel. Sending tingles rocketing down my left leg I blasted fire out of it like I was trying to fly.
By bracing myself against the deck and keeping a firm grip on some ropes attached to the stern of my vessel either side of the funnel exit. I managed to rather than fly myself propel the entire boat across the ocean.
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It was so light that I could change coarse simply by tilting my body and leaning to one side. Sadly I lost control when I hit a wave head on and the resulting short flight and sudden crash smashed my little craft into kindling.
I thought I had a winner with that one, but if it can't take the beating of the waves then it just isn't a ship. I will have to make it bigger and sturdier. Maybe add a sail so I don't have to do all the work. The simple rocket propulsion idea is good though.
Now I have a good idea what to do for success tomorrow.
It is getting late. The sun is dipping beneath the waves and painting the clouds and water in brilliant reds and vivid violets. I am absolutely exhausted from all the running, swimming, diving, and building I have been doing today. I only have enough material for two or three more ships.
Tomorrow I will succeed and set sail.
Or I will sink and fail.
Goodnight.
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