GETTING READY TO THROW OFF THE LINES

January has been all about the weather and prepping the boat for sea.  Our weather here has been soggy to say the least.  We have had over 10-1/2" of rain here in Punta Gorda this month and a few days with some really high winds.  

We clocked 50+ MPH winds just here in the marina.  We've had alot of local flooding, even power outages and tornados.  I thought this was supposed to be the "dry" season?  Apparently we cannot escape the effects of El Nino, even in Florida.  

John has been making improvements, fixing and updating systems on the boat all month.  We are now proud owners of a couple of 100 watt solar panels which we mounted on top of our bimini.  Although we haven't has a lot of sunshine to charge them, I am happy to report they are working just great.  

As far as fixing goes, having a boat is kind of like having a house - there is always something to fix.  John has gone through the engine, replaced hoses, topped off batteries, reworked both of our heads (our potties for you landlubbers) to name just a few.  He's recoated woodwork, waterproofed canvas, beefed up lines, procured jerry cans - the list goes on and on. 

I have been busy cleaning, organizing and provisioning.  We have found orifices on this boat we didn't know existed and have things stashed in some pretty creative areas.  While there are stores and markets in the Bahamas, we are told some supplies are limited or not available and it could cost quite a bit more.  We have friends there right now who are telling us that a gallon of milk is going for $15 - ouch!

On the FUN front, we have continued to welcome returning marina residents and meet new ones throughout the month.  John ansd I organized a Euchre (card game people from the Midwest and Canada know) party in our clubhouse.  Before we knew it, we had 16 folks signed up and ready to play.   The group met and played for a couple of hours and they have decided to carry on playing weekly now.  Glad we got the ball rolling. 

We have been socializing outside of the marina too.  Went down to Fort Meyers stayed with with Jim and Terri Weber at their condo and saw Arlo Guthire in concert.  His daughter Sara Lee opened for him and we enjoyed her performance as well.  While not all the "old guys" sound good any more, 

Arlo still sounds great.  Hard to believe this is the 50th anniversary tour of Alice's Restaturant!

We also took a quick trip up to St. Petersburg and spent time with our Looper friends Karen, John and Captain Jack.  It was cold and raining up there too but the crew still managed to get some tub time in.  

And as an added bonus, we got the opportunity to see John's niece Katie and her husband Dennis.  Always nice to get some family time in.  Glad our paths were able to cross and we could catch up.

We celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary this week too.  I have to say I found the most perfect card ever - the inside greeting..."Let the adventure continue!"  How appropriate!

As far as the Molly report, all is well.  We have shuffled her from Fort Meyers to St. Petersburg and I tink she is happy to be back on board.  We have been strolling with her alot and she has enjoyed some cuddle time with her daddy.

We are now 48 hours from our expected departure for the Bahamas and the excitement is building!  We got together with the crews of Sea Pearl and Cool Runnings last night and decided we will head out on Sunday unless the weather deteriorates. I think we are all just ready to get off this dock and get going.  Even if it means we sit in another port waiting on weather, at least we will be on the way.

Tomorrow is our bon voyage Pirate party here at the marina with our fellow dock mates.  Can't imgine what dabauchery will ensue.  Too bad we left our pirate outfits at home.  Captain John looks so great in his stripped pantaloons, guess we'll just have to improvise.  Hope we all survive it and are able to sail on Sunday.

As always, wishing you sunshine and good health when ever and where ever this blog post may find you!