You can monitor my trip at the link: Second Winds Progress Live
Today was a hang around
and get some chores accomplished. I
slept until about 6:00 and heated up the left over piece of prime rib for my
breakfast.
At 8:30, one of the
local citizens showed up with her husband and between the two of them and their
two cars, 6 of us were herded to Walmart.
I needed some more fuel for my heater, a dozen eggs and several other
items. The young lady waited until we
were done then took us to two different places to get ice before returning us
to our boats. She then took me to a
filling station when I got 6 gallons of boat fuel.
The gal and her husband
work for a small Christian University where they take a 32 foot sailboat around
for a ministry program. She was a
fascinating person who really enjoys the side job of shepherding cruising
sailors around town.
While I was eating my
lunch the boat, which had been sitting idly on the calm waters of the harbor,
began to rock violently. The wind had
begun to blow and the rollers from the bay were driving directly into our
mooring area. My boat banged a couple of
times up against the wooden pilings to which I was tied so I went out, strategically
placed some fenders and tightened the mooring lines. My biggest concern was my motor. Since I was backed into the dock, the motor
was bouncing up and down in a three foot ark about 6 inches from the steel
I-beam and concrete dock wall. If the
motor were to drop down and then drive up into the beam, it would be totally destroyed. I quickly got a couple of more lines and
arranged what sailors call spring lines on each side of the boat. These lines pulled the boat forward to where the motor was bouncing about 4
feet for the wall behind.
The winds continued to
build as the afternoon progressed and our boat and the little one next to me
were bouncing up and down like hobby horses.
I considered heading out and trying to find a protected cove in which to
drop anchor but several folks with wind apps assured me that the winds would
die down as evening arrived
We gathered on one of
the group member’s power boat for hors d’ouevres and drinks before a couple of
us headed out to a hot dog stand that many of the bunch were raving about. It turned out that it was closed so we found
a Jamaican restaurant where I had a goat dish roti that was really good but so big
that I could only eat half of it.
I returned to the boat at about 7:00 and found
her still bouncing around like a bucking bronco. I am not sure what the night’s sleep will be
like.
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