We are launched!

Friday Nov 20

We are launched! It took all day. We got picked up at 2 pm and didn't make the 300 yards to the water until 5:30. [dark] Then we had to move from the slip further into the pond to a dock because we don't have our dinghy motor back yet.

Of course the continual rain all day didn't help. We got about 4 inches of rain

We still have a bunch of things to do before we can leave and the most important is wait for the weather to settle. Someone said this morning "Oh yeah, the Christmas winds..." Oh good, this means we will have unstable air for the next month?? Didn't notice it last year; of course, last year we were in Lady's Island SC for Christmas and not in a rush

Our other issue is Customs and what they will say.  Not sure what reaction we'll get when we ask for an extension, but some Canadians are having a very positive experience and some are so dismissive and anti-rules that I wonder why they are even here if they don't like the rues they have to follow. Most are saying they just ignore the regulations. I try to avoid those people...don't want to get tarred with the same brush.

So we are at a dock but no further away from the trains. I cannot wait to get off the dock, and get away from land.  We went to 'visit' our neighbours last night. 'Beguiler' is an Endeavour Cat from Brighton Ont. Rob and Brenda are former Canadian military people who are retired and have a cat here and a cat in Ontario. This will be their first crossing over to the Bahamas.

We still have the 'administrative' things to do...groceries, laundry, tidying up and waiting for the dinghy motor.

My biggest concern is getting Quentin to the Bahamas in time to get him onto a plane and back home for Christmas. I wish he would decide to stay with us over Christmas and go home for a visit in January. We can't wait here until it's time to send him back and we can't move any faster than the weather will let us move safely. Sailors should NEVER be on a schedule.

The next three days are supposed to be rainy and stormy and then next week it supposed to get cold... 60-65 degrees [16-18C]. Good thing I still have blankets on the boat! I hope that everyone at home is surviving what looks like some real winter weather. I know Julie is ecstatic and if it makes you feel better, Julie, the public Christmas trees and decorations are up here and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet!!!

So time to go and get the rest of the work done so we can get outta here!! ttyl