December 16

December 16, 2016: In the Water

Wow, it took awhile to get sea legs back. I am still bouncing off the bulkheads trying to move from one room to the other.

We are still floating in the slip. It was so dark and late last night that they didn't want us to move down to a dock; besides, there isn't one ready for us yet. We will move out to anchor when we have finished the laundry, provisions and sorting the workshop.

We didn't check the bilges when we launched, partly because Rick wanted to move the car out of the way of the travel lift and over to the boat. So an hour later I went looking for him...he was helping them set up another boat. He was covered in mud and needed a shower so by the time we had dinner it was 9 pm. Anyway, we don't have wet floors so w must not be leaking!

There are still big fish in the channel here, not sure what they are but they sound like whales. They chase small fish around body-slam them into the boats to catch them. Sounds like we are being invaded!

The little critters here didn't take long to attach to the boat, either. There is a crackling noise all the time, with these little shrimp-like organisms chewing at the boat...either they are cleaning it...not likely; or they are eating the bottom pain...more likely.

There was a beautiful purple ibis standing on the floating dock behind us this morning, but I couldn't get the camera out before he left.

Today we rig the sails, sort the workshop, fill the trailer with stuff we don't need right now but might need when we come back. We are floating a little low on the port side...200 pounds of t-shirts, art supplies and the tool shed will do that but there is no way to balance off the load according to Rick, "we aren't bad"

Mark and Gail, C-Soul, are waiting for us so we can cross together. We are going to try to get to the Abacos to meet up with Diane and Andy on Windreka for Christmas Day. Our problem is that we have to get our documents from Homeland Security and then we have 48 hours according to the last officer we talked to. Our weather window isn't until next Wednesday, 21st...Cutting it a bit close...

We did the final provisioning today. Got our frozen food and some more peanut butter and coffee.  It was a very long day.

When we were ready to move out of the launch slip [because they were going to drop another boat on us] we headed down to the dock Tim had picked out. Sam [Tim's assistant] came with us because the winds were 20 knots into the channel and we had to make a right angle turn into the dock space. We didn't fit and the wind drove us against the ends of the other boats. This place is unbelievably crowded. 

We stayed wedged in the slip while Tim moved another boat out of a wider slip and we are now parked right beside the launch slip. Bonus...I can access their internet from the boat without going into their office ...at least on the I-pad. My stupid Acer computer, from which I blog, can't do it.

Anyway, we can get over the humps! It's not snowing here!

 

In the water [in the morning]

Burning the sugar cane fields