Wednesday means Bocce Ball and work

On Tuesday at 2pm the marina plays Bocce at the city park.  

There are two courts and last week they had enough groups to play on 5 courts simultaneously with teams of four.  Today we had a total of 4 people.  (cold and rainy clouds)
Enough to play, barely.  My team won.  Bill, my partner, was good.

I wanted to go by the library and spend a little time looking at the 'Book Sale.'  there was a sign out front.  Turns out the book sale sign was from last week and today was the FREE health screening.  ('free')  I can afford free, so i went in and had the entire head to foot measure and grade.
I passed.  I'm healthy!

VIDEO

I was in the Marina when this couple came in and told the Manager about a 'hurricane sunk sailboat' that they had wrapped their chain around.  "had to have a diver come untangle it."

This is Stitch in his homemade fiberglass dinghy. I watched him working on it 2 yrs ago.

The tree of knowledge is where the old guys sit and 'discuss.'

Lastly Bocce and Winning!  *We beat Roger and Peggy!

Tuesday was a good day!

Sunrise today Wednesday

Broken Zipper blowing in thewind

Tuesday i had a broken zipper replaced, $40.  (same window as the bent pole)

Mike, the zipper seamstress, sews at $25 per hr.

I spent a couple of hours inputting my nautical charts onto my computer.  Here is my planned route for George Town BAH.  (thanks again Roland for your knowledge)

I turned and saw this big guy (4') at eye level in a tree watching me.  when i moved closer, he moved higher.  I decided to stay on the ground for the photos.

Sunset last night

Another Beautiful Day!

The wind has finally died down and clocked around again.  

I am guessing some boats might start to move and head out to sea?  

I guess we'll have to wait and see.

About 6:45am I was up in the cockpit drinking coffee and turned to see this boat coming right up beside me.  They were taking advantage of this calm weather to depart.  (note: the boat on the mooring ball - behind me on the right of the screen - is about 60' away.  This boat moving was very close and a surprise!)

I cant sleep through the air horns!

Last night I was rudely awakened

 at exactly 11:06pm 

by a loud air horn blaring just behind me.  A boat that came in late the night before was dragging anchor.  I sat in the cockpit watching them anchor about sunset thinking they were very close to being out in the channel.  When they anchored, the wind was blowing from the south, but last night a storm came through with 30mph winds and turned to the north.  *See the circle where they WERE.  Imagine the wind coming from the other direction, so all the boats are turned around.  They motored way up into that circle and dropped their anchor.  When the wind changed they were turned facing ME!  I ran up on deck - the cold rainy, windy deck - in my underwear and watched in horror as their lights were shining toward me.  Then i saw the other boats behind them, where they were going to drag toward, were up on their decks turning on all their lights in a form of magic protection.  "If i have my lights on, they can see me and wont hit me?"  The dragging boat tried three times before they finally were able to catch their anchor and wedge back up into that circle.  Part of their vessel was actually in the channel, an illegal area.

This is how close they appeared to me when i rushed up on deck last night.  (lights pointed at me)  It's actually taken at 8am when they tucked their tale between their legs and motored away.  I dont know where they went, but i'm glad they're gone.

UPDATE added Wed 1/30.  I motored over (2 days later) and met the couple on the Catamaran just to the left of the crash zone circle.  I asked them if that dragging boat scared them?  (i knew the answer as they had turned on all their deck lights and stood out on the bow in the cold blowing wind before i got up and after i went to bed.)  The lady told me, "we didnt get much sleep as we watched their boat till 4am."

AFTER my coffee and my breakfast routine this morning, i gathered up my 'broken' hand held VHF radio and Bahama chart books.  My plan for the day was to get a new VHF radio battery.  In addition i had a 10am appointment with Anne, Roland and Lena on their boat Kokamo to discuss their 40 years knowledge of their trips to the Bahamas.  I met Anne last week and she asked if she could buddy boat across the Gulf Stream when i went.  She is a single handed sailor from New Hampshire.  Roland and Lena are her neighbors on the next mooring.

 THANKS Roland for all the knowledge.  I'll try to make you proud!

Great news, my VHF is still under warranty.  I bought the extended warranty on it back in 2015.  So they gave me a new one.  (I bought another extended warranty on this one too!)

I hope everything YOU have is working, or under warranty!

-Skip

Another Bent Project

Every Day here is a beautiful miracle....

I awoke to clouds and no rain Friday.  The wind from the North and the temps much 'cooler.'  My project was to fix a broken bimini pole.  Upon departure from Ft. Pierce and the very strong currents, i sort of bent a pole on my neighbors anchor.  He was unhurt but i took a tiny bend to one support pole.  After some research and careful study i found out my best bet was to cut it off and 'insert a wooden dowel' into the 7/8" pipe, then overlay a 1" pipe over it.  So, i cut the old pipe as long as possible and hammered a wooden dowel into the old end.  Measured three times and cut the new stainless rod and muscled it into place.  If i didnt tell you, it would not be noticeable.

Sunrise

 When i was in West Marine picking up my 1"end cap for the pipe, i spotted Rosa and her husband Phil. They attended my church back in Texas and Rosa was the marina manager where i was living in Kemah for 8 years.  *small world!

Note: the BENT pole center frame

Ahhhhhhhh Priceless!

Now, I'll have leftover Chicken for dinner.  It was one of my best meals of all time.  Bacon wrapped, jalapeno cream cheese stuffed, chicken breast.  Served with green beans, cabbage and Kale.  Yum.  Oh and i also had a piece of apple pie.  

Living the dream.  (today)  xoxo Skip

Alternative Lifestyles?

What are Alternative Lifestyles?

I was in an Uber to the local car rental spot down here in Marathon and the guy picked me up in a brand new Tesla.  I only mention it because he turned on the auto pilot and never touched the steering wheel, brakes, or gas peddle.  (gas peddle?  speed lever?)  he was showing ME the large computer screen and how it all worked while the car drove us to the rental location.  The car sped up and slowed down as traffic went willy nilly all around us.  

 My idea of an auto pilot is the van driven by a dog.

They got to Publix as i was leaving and i started asking questions about the bikes.  "My sister Jane in the Netherlands bought an E bike recently."  I've seen lots of 'powered' bikes the last year.  some are gas powered with tiny tanks and small motors, others are battery with a throttle like a tiny motorcycle.  These Giant brand bikes require YOU to peddle.  But they have 3 different riding modes: economical, normal, sport.  Garry asked me if i would like to ride it?  Heck yes!  Can I?  i took it out on the street and went through the 3 modes.  Then in the Sport mode i down shifted through 5 gears and was going 18mph.  I tried to use the same peddle power that i use on my bike to go about 5mph and was actually going 18mph.  i didnt try to reach my top speed.  18mph was flying!  When you put it into Sport Mode and dropped down some gears and kicked the peddles it felt like a horse taking off under you.  I have no idea how the darn thing works, but it sure does!  

Electric left, my $60 model right with $5 Home Depot crate & drink holder!

 Garry and Jacque living on their power boat and riding their sleek groovy Ebikes

The other day while out riding MY bike i ran into three motor homes.  An old school bus and a new Mercedes conversion van.  The school bus started in Maumelle Arkansas, went west and north to seattle and then south and east to Marathon...

Furloughed Firefighter from NC - out of work during 'shut down'

The Mini Cooper wooden model airstream super mini from Maine.

 this is not a great view, but you can imagine your legs going up under the 'kitchen'

 kitchen

I was very impressed with the 'look' of the little woody, but dont think I would, could fit in it.  (I didnt ask if i could crawl in for a nap)  Funny to think of what is "normal" for each of us.  I've lived on Prodigal for over ten years and it seems pretty normal to me.  I've had people ask me questions that allow me to realize how strange it is for land lubbers.  "Do you eat out all the time, or can you cook on the boat?"  "Do you have a refrigerator?"  "Where do you go to the bathroom?"  (I have 2 bathrooms aboard)  I didnt think to ask any of these other folks where they went to the bathroom...

Wherever YOU are today, I hope you have a place to go to the bathroom!    -Skip