The last two weeks have been humbling. Due to a mucked up fuel filter I had done a quick cleaning of the carburetor. On inspection the float bowl was a mess so I'm glad I looked. Afterward I was able to get the engine started but it just wouldn't run quite right. In fact, it refused to idle at all. I did a very complete rebuild of the carb, being oh so careful (or so I thought). Still no idle, although she ran great above 1000 r.p.m. I spent most of the week troubleshooting the electrical system thinking that is where the problem had to be. It didn't help that nearly all the components turned out not to be the correct ones for the atomic four.
Fast forward to a few days ago. The elusive idle remained so as I slipped deeper into frustration. As silly as it can sound, I decided the electrical had to be right considering all the time i had spent on it. Once again apart comes the carburetor, this time with a wire tip cleaning set to test every passage. Of course I found the completely clogged tube within 10 minutes. It was the idle jet supply passage. Go figure.

Its a very interesting time, and a difficult time. As any of us who have owned a boat know, it can be consuming. Make it a sailboat capable of passage making and it is all but hypnotic. 
I have no idea how to balance home, boat, studio. I guess in some ways I'm fortunate that the boat still needs considerable work before it is ready to sail north, else I may throw up my hands, untie the lines and escape.