Caveat emptor: Those with sensitive stomachs or delicate sensibilities should skip this entry.
I cleared the sink! [Smug]
It was such a triumph that I really have to share.
I went to Svendsen's chandlery and asked one of the nice youngish-middle-aged women there what I could use to snake a drain. She sent me over to the rigging shop and told me what type of cable to ask for. The nice youngish-middle-aged guy at the rigging shop found the right length of wire that was stiff enough, and had an eye conveniently attached to one end. He muttered over it for a few seconds, decided they were never going to use it, gave it to me with a, "good luck," and disappeared.
Svendsen's rocks. The metal shop left some marks on the stern rail, but I didn't have it in me to make them take it back and buff it up, after the rigging shop gave me a free yard of cable and an expensive nugget of hardware.
Besides, I wanted to get back to the galley. I'm such a slave.
I thought I was getting somewhere, until it felt like the cable had somehow changed. I pulled it out, and realized a couple strands were coming undone. Well, that was no good.
I wiped it off with a shop towel, twisting it back into shape as I did so. I lashed the end with some thread I have for a sewing project, binding it in such a sailorly fashion that it stood up to all the subsequent abuse.
It took a lot of jittering to get it through the hardware and the gently curved rubber pipe, but I got through in the end. Confidently expecting results, I sat back and waited for drainage to happen.
Nothing.
I tried that for more times than was sensible, hoping to knock something loose. Still nothing.
You realize what I didn't use a plunger, right? Imagine a plumbing arrangement which consists entirely of plastic and hose clamps. I'm sure I don't need to draw you a picture.
I sat back on my heels and thought, "h'mm. What did they use to clear drains with, before they had Drano?"
The problem, of course, was glucoproteins. That's the term for the main component of mucus. It's gluey and stringy, refuses to dissolve, and in sufficient quantities can form a very effective plug.
I remembered reading, on the back of a bottle of something, that it could dissolve mucus because it had extra bleach.
Not something I'd normally put in the ocean. Under the circumstances, it was probably the least toxic option.
I put about half a cup in. I put the snake back in, wiggling freely.
Nothing.
I sat back on my heels again, looking at everything in front of me and doing a little free association. I remembered the Archimedes screw that farmers in
I inserted the cable again, making sure it went all the way through to the outside. Then, making myself as comfortable as possible under the circumstances, I sat there and slowly twisted the cable clockwise, so that the tiny channels between the twisted wires would carry the bleach down to the obstruction.
Periodically, bubbles rose. I took this as a good sign.
Eventually, I looked down and noticed a froth spreading out from the cable. More chemical activity; I figured it had to be good.
Suddenly, with no fanfare, everything magically went away, giving a last little "blop" as it disappeared. Nothing but shining sink (all right, only mostly shining) looked back at me.
It may be trivial, but that was a very good moment.
I chased the bleach with a few cups of water, to make sure that things still flowed. I mopped everything up, and sat down to dictate this self-congratulatory squeal of delight.
It says something about me that, no sooner have I noticed my little success, then my mind leaps instantly to the next task. No wonder I have trouble relaxing. Excelsior!
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