Cable Up

Living on the water, we have to anchor ourselves to shore in some way.  The choices are heavy ropes or steel cables.  When John designed our cabin, he chose cables.  Steel is strong, but over time (when mixed with water) it rusts.  During storms with heavy winds, sometimes the cables are stressed to the point they break.  That has happened to us several times. Fortunately, not all at once.

The first time for me, I was alone at the cabin for the very first time (read the story of Frontier Jane here). The second time, John invented a tire shock absorber system with steel belted tires.  Those tires and cables have been in place since 2007, but last week one of them snapped at the cabin end, sending the entire system straight down into the lake.  Our remaining three anchor points held us almost in place until the storm subsided.

Here's a video of our John-built tire shock absorber system in action.

Here's what it looks like with a temporary way-too-thin rope holding the corner of our cabin in place. It should hold us until we can get the necessary cable and tires, and reinstall the system.  Even with the buoyancy provided by the water, steel cables are extremely heavy to work with.

The next day Wayne and I had to return to the States. John came up by himself with the materials needed for the repairs.  Here is what it looks like now.  John was able to man handle the heavy tires out of the water and attach the new cable going to the cabin float.

The tires were still in good condition, so he didn't have to change those. He chose a new anchor point that would keep the steel cable from rubbing  so much on the log.

 John always amazes me. He can do so many things alone that be near impossible for two. He truly is a Jack-of-All-Trades. -- Margy