Friday, 9 March 2018 - I wear sandals most of the time, but lately I've started to think there's something in the air or water here that eats the glue that holds them together. I have, in the last month or so had to re-glue two of the pairs that I wear most, a pair of Chacos and a pair of Tevas, several times. The soles just keep trying to fall off. I've used both Weldwood Contact Cement and Shoe Goo and cleaned them up with fresh water and toluene each time, but they keep on coming apart. The other day I needed to go to shore and both pair looked as if they might not complete the trip without losing their soles, so I dug out another pair, this time Adidas. I headed across the parking lot but didn't make it 75 yards when the whole sole of the right sandal fell totally off. I set it on the curb to pick up on the way back. I guess I'd better get out the glue again! I need to get some of these working again before my last pair of Tevas falls apart. When these go, it's back to real shoes. I don't know if I can handle that!
                    Today started out cool and breezy so I decided it would be a good day to get my taxes together to send to Dan Ray Worrell - Tax Miracle Worker. I did that and now the sun's out and it's warmed up a bit. I need to get off the boat. While waiting for some downloads, I re-glued a couple of pairs of sandals. I'll take a pair out for a walk.
                    Aarrrrgh! This is exasperating. Bob and I went to a movie this afternoon and while trying to get there, my outboard motor died several times, again. It's not getting fuel. On the way back, however, it ran fine. That makes it really hard to trouble shoot.

Saturday, 10 March - On close inspection the female connection on the hose at the tank appeared to be slightly damaged, probably from the broken piece on the prior tank that I changed out. I replaced the connector this morning and the engine ran fine all the way to the marina and back, about 2 miles. I hope that problem is now behind me.
                    Patty Williamson and I went to the Marathon Seafood Festival and toured the exhibitor's booths, then found Bob Dahmer at the amphitheater listening to one of the bands. The first band, a reggae group was very good, as was the next one. Both played for about two hours each, then Tito Puente Jr.'s band came on and played Latin music. A great day and we'll probably go back tomorrow for more entertainment.

Sunday, 11 March - I headed over to the Seafood Festival around one o'clock and had to pass by Patty's boat. She was onboard but getting packed to leave. Her daughter in law is having pregnancy complications that could turn very serious for the mother, so Patty's headed north to be there. I took everything out of her freezer and put it all in mine until she gets back, then took her to shore so she can drive to the airport in Miami. I made it over to the Seafood Festival around 3 o'clock, expecting to meet up with Bob Dahmer, but ran into Mike and Vicky Barber of the S/V Whensday first and sat down with them to enjoy the music, then later Bob joined us. Vicky said that she wanted to go play on the Bungee Bounce Tramp and that was all it took to talk me into it. It's merely a trampoline rigged with bungee chords on harnesses to help you get more air and keep you from falling off the tramp. They're supposed to adjust the bungees for your weight, but got it wrong for little 95 lb. Vicky at first and she couldn't bounce at all. Meanwhile, I was getting so much air that I broke one of the multiple strands of bungee twice, so we actually got to play longer than we normally would have. I could do a front flip and a double back somersault, but couldn't get a triple back. I haven't had that much fun in awhile, smiling the whole time, I'm sure, and so was Vicky. Mike took video, but I haven't seen it yet. Later, they invited me to dinner on Whensday and we talked until about 12:30am, then I headed home and got the dinghy put on the davits just as it started to rain.

Monday, 12 March - Good news from Patty this morning. Her daughter in law was rushed into the hospital for a cesarean section delivery before Patty even got off the plane. However, although the baby is quite small, it is fine and so is the mother. Great news for all!

Tuesday, 13 March - I stopped by Patty's boat on the way to the marina today to make sure batteries are charging, bilge pumps are working, etc., then went to the grocery store. When I arrived back at the dock someone asked me if I was going to the birthday party at the tiki hut. I'd totally forgotten that one of the sailors was celebrating his birthday by smoking a pork butt from a wild boar that he shot and is sharing it with the harbor. I took the groceries to the boat and returned just in time for the pork to be pulled from the smoker. I had some great pork, chewed the fat with some new friends and had a beer. A great day in paradise.

Wednesday, 14 March - Last Friday I came to the realization that my iPhone 6+ battery was fading fast and that I stand a very slim chance of getting anywhere near an Apple Store to get it replaced. I didn't want to have to ship it to them for the replacement, so I ordered one on the internet and got it yesterday. This morning was spent reading the instructions, reviewing YouTube videos on how to do it, and then diving into the guts of the phone and replacing the battery. Works fine now, but I have to break in the new battery by discharging it down to 15% of its capacity, then charging it up fully three times in a row. It's been needing recharging more than once a day lately, twice, sometimes three times in a day.

Thursday, 15 March - I started over on one of the patches on the dinghy today by ripping it off and attaching it, then spraying a sealant over it. Between coats of sealant, I glued the soles back on my Tevas and Adidas again today, too, then ordered a Yamaha gas tank gauge and connector for a broken one on one of my tanks.

Friday, 16 March - I put another coat of sealant on the dinghy this morning, but am already having my doubts that it will work because the spray foams up when you spray it on. The instructions say that is ok and the foam bubbles will dissipate before drying, but the don't. The foam does dissipate, but in doing so, merely form larger bubbles that then burst, leaving large holes like Swiss cheese in the dried sealant. I also adjusted the water pump on the boat and added some pressure to the accumulator. The water on the boat hasn't been getting up to pressure as it should but now does.
                    I ordered three in-line gas filters today. Here's something I can't understand. These filters, or ones similar, cost about $6 - $8 each here in the U.S. plus shipping. I ordered three for $5 from China - shipping and postage included. How can they ship three of them from China for less than the shipping alone would cost me here in this country?
                    Patty arrived back from her trip north to help because her daughter in law had Patty's grandson, so I picked her up at the docks and took her back to her boat. She has visitors coming in tomorrow and will be taking them out sailing for a few days.

Saturday, 17 March - I had advertised my 110 volt window unit air conditioner for sale on the Cruiser's Net this morning, so a fellow came by to buy it, but, when he saw it was a window style, he changed his mind. I'm not sure what he thought I had. I've come to the realization that I'll probably never use that air conditioner because it draws 20 amps to run, so I won't run it with the inverter, probably won't want to run the generator long to power it, and probably won't be in a slip at dockside where I'd have shore power, so I might as well get rid of it and get it out of the cockpit.
                    The dinghy is still leaking, more now than before.

Sunday, 18 March - Pot luck brunch at the tiki hut at the marina with lots of other boaters. I stuck around to help clean up, then returned to the boat and sold a small, steel propane tank that has the old valve on it to someone that still has a matching gas grill on their boat. I decided I didn't need it because I recently found a nice aluminum tank about the same size floating in the harbor. The steel tanks rust up pretty badly here and the aluminum ones don't, and they never expire from old age like the steel tanks do.

Monday, 19 March - Today was reserved for cleaning the growth and barnacles off the hull of the boat, but I broke the large scraper that I use, so I had to give it up for the day. I left the air compressor, generator, hookah setup, etc. out to use tomorrow, then cleaned up and headed off to the Hurricane Grill for pizza and pirate trivia, stopping at Home Depot for another scraper on the way. Something went wrong. The pirates weren't at the Hurricane. They had a female singer there and she was pretty good, but I didn't listen much because when I walked in, a sailing couple that I'd met at yesterday's brunch invited me to join them at their table, so our conversation overrode the singing.
                    The phone is only needing to be charged about once every other day now. Yahoo!

Tuesday, 20 March - With the new twelve inch scraper in hand, I got back in the water and finished cleaning the hull today. I thought I'd only done about half of the starboard side of the hull, but I'd done a bit more and had cleaned the propellor, too, so it didn't take too long today, but I still had to rinse all the tools, wet suit, etc., so I still didn't finish until about 5 pm, then I spread things out to dry and will put them away tomorrow. It was a perfect day for diving on the hull, sunny and in the 80s all day and the water was a nice temperature, too.

            Until next time.

                        "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!" - Hunter S. Thompson

                                          Rick