Monday, January 31, 2011

Tomorrow Is Departure Day

SHIP'S LOG:

Well, it has been almost a month but I am finally leaving Fort Pierce. Tomorrow morning, it will be up anchor and over to the Fort Pierce Municipal Marina for a "Pump & Dump" and then down the ICW to Stuart and Hooker Bay. Wednesday night, I will be in one of the marinas down there so that I can dinner with Ron & Roland. Then Thursday, I will be off south, but to just where I don't know. Probably not far as the weather is supposed to be a little "iffy" and I hate traveling in the rain.

Brad finally showed up. It seems he and his brother drove from Fort Pierce to Key West to Tamp and back to Fort Pierce. That's a lot of miles in 3 days but he made it back so that I could get my "spares box" and other assorted items and so be ready to shove off tomorrow.

I installed the new blower fan and it seems to work just fine. I am insufferably proud of myself that i got it in without a hitch. Hopefully that is the very last problem/repair that I will have to face on this trip but I doubt that such will be the case. Then again, it might. Of course if they were all that easy and that inexpensive, it would be no big deal, but that blower fan is probably the exception to the rule.

As I thought last night, the powerboat the anchored close to the channel swung out into it during the night. He didn't really cause any problems but if the water police had come by he would have gotten a big ticket. He must have realized that for as soon as the other large powerboat vacated its anchoring spot and took of, he upped anchor and moved right into it and dropped the hook. looks like he plans to be here awhile. I can understand that. It is a nice spot. But there are other nice spots that i intend to find as well.

I am actually getting excited about going though the trip is less that 20 miles. Having been in one place so long taking off is like beginning a new adventure. I just hope it is not "too exciting." A nice, easy, fairly mundane journey is fine with me me . . . at least for the start. Of course, my friends at NOAA are calling for 30mph gusts tomorrow. Why would it be otherwise?