Will it EVER stop raining?!

We have been 'in the weather' since our crossing across the Stream and into Hawk's Channel.  It has let up for only an hour or two at a time, otherwise it has been blowing a gale and a deluge.  It has made preparing the boat for storage a nearly impossible task.



Not the sunny skies of Florida we have come to expect!  We got it all
prepped- dinghy and dinghy motor, cushions, mainsail and such all
stowed down below (still wet, of course).  Today was a good
day to give up on the OCPD thing...there weren't enough towels
on board to keep on top of the mess.

Matt was kind enough to offer to ride along, knowing full well it was
not going to be a 'pleasure' cruise.  Always prepared, he
brought his foulies along.

Meanwhile, Willis begged off riding along.  He was sleeping off last night's
drunken escapade with Uncle Danny on Biddi and the Beast.  Biddi
found him passed out in her laundry bag.

Our last time under the Seven Mile Bridge for this season.
We are taking her to Driftwood Boatyard to be stored up
on the hard.  As soon as we crossed into the Atlantic, we
were in a sloppy mess, blowing stink, 3-4's, and
naturally the wind was on the nose.

In spite of the nastiness, Cap'n was loving being behind the wheel.  I,
on the other hand, put on my wristbands, took my Bonine,
and had about a dozen puke burps.  Willis was in good company.

As soon as the next gale blew up, our jibsail finally
blew out.  We babied it the second half of our trip in the
Exumas, so it would get us home.  First it got speared
on the port side spreader, then is started ripping up
the sunbrella seam where it was patched.  I want you
all to notice my ghetto fabulous job of sewing on the
duct tape with fishing line, after I had used up all the
sail tape we had...it was the only thing that held together!

We didn't get to the boatyard until after closing time, because today, Marquesa was travelling only slightly faster than the speed of smell.  The mainsail had already been taken off and stowed down below, so when the jib gave way, we were left with motoring...in a head wind, slamming into waves, against the current and changing tide, all at about 3 knots.  Geeesh!  We were tired and wet when we finally arrived.  Bessie was also worn out...she is not running right, and wanting to overheat.  Thankfully, she also took good care of us to the Bajamas and back.  It's always something with a boat.  No doubt, it is time to get home and make some money, as tomorrow we will continue with the spending.  We plan to be at Driftwood soon after they open, so we will sign a contract, and pay for the haul out and first month's rent.  As we leave the Keys, we plan to stop at Doyle Sailmakers, drop off the ghetto jib and order a new one.  It's only money...

Tonight, we are joining Willis at Biddi and the Beast.  Dan and Biddi graciously offered their second stateroom for us to sleep in.  It will be a long day of driving tomorrow.  G'night y'all!