Thursday, 26 July 2018 - Today was spent charging batteries again, then load testing each one. They all tested right on the break between the Good and Weak on the load tester. Certainly not as good as they should be after only a year and a half, but not as bad as I expected with the performance I seem to be getting and the frequency that I'm having to recharge them.

Friday, 27 July - On the Cruiser's Net this morning I proposed a dinghy drift by light of the full moon tonight and had an enthusiastic response. A dinghy drift is merely a gathering of all boaters in the harbor that feel like meeting their neighbors and partying by congregating in one spot on the water, tying the dinghies together and letting them drift around the harbor wherever the breeze and currents take the party. About 15 boatloads of drifters watched the sun set and the moon rise three or four minutes later, then, under clear skies, moonlight with Venus, Jupiter and Mars above, and watched an incredible display of horizontal lightning in the clouds of a large squall about thirty miles away in the Gulf of Mexico. We started the drift in the main channel near the marina, bumped gently into and pushed off of a few boats on our merry way and ended up near the Bridge to Nowhere down near my boat about a mile away about midnight, at which time I called it a night and retired to Island Time.

Saturday, 28 July - Grocery shopping and I had to move the boat because a moderate squall with winds up to only about 20 - 25 knots that blew through here this evening made my anchor drag again. This definitely should not be happening. I had out more than plenty heavy anchor chain, 90 feet in about 8 feet of water for a scope of almost 7:1.

Sunday, 29 July - This morning I attended a hurricane preparedness seminar at the marina offices. Basically, they said that going into the mangroves in Sister Creek is a bad idea because the mangroves aren't high enough to protect the boat if a big storm surge accompanies the storm; getting hauled out isn't a good idea because a high storm surge could inundate the whole island and float your boat away; staying in the harbor isn't safe because, even if I secure my boat properly, the guy next to me, or for that matter, any one up wind might not secure theirs and their boat could come and knock my boat of its mooring or anchor; and going to Little Shark River isn't a good idea because, if something were to go wrong or I got injured, there's no communications or help available there. Basically, there's nowhere to hide. I got lucky last year, Irma didn't chase me down and another storm didn't come up from the slot between Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula and destroy me while I was out there.
                    This evening I made my first foray up the mast unassisted to put a protective device back on the spreaders and mast to protect the sail when it's furled. I've already reattached it twice, but the cable ties keep coming off, so this time I punched holes in the piece and lashed it on. I think that will be better, but only time will tell.

Monday, 30 July - Most of today was spent researching the Link Pro Battery Monitor, testing its wiring, charging the batteries, and talking on the phone with Xantrex support. I don't really think I accomplished much. After that I started re-reading the owner's manual for the Xantrex System Control Panel. That's going to take awhile to comprehend because it's very complex and the manual doesn't match the physical unit. I've already been through most of it more than once, but I need to know and understand more about it.

Tuesday, 31 July - Before I headed south to the Keys, I made coverings for the companionways to keep out mosquitos. When I did, it was necessary to weight down the netting on the forward companionway because as air moves through the boat from fore to aft, it would blow the netting away from the threshold. I made the weights by merely inserting two 3/8th inch bars of solder into a sleeve at the bottom, but the bars, being separate, frequently slide out of the sleeve. Today, I fixed that by soldering the two bars together. That will reduce one more point of frustration.

Wednesday, 1 August - We had a couple of early morning rainbows this morning. I wish I had a way to get my boat in the shots before the scene changes, but they're too ephemeral...or I'm too slow.
                    Today I've been studying anchors. My main anchor has dragged too many times here in the mud of Boot Key Harbor and other places, too. I've really lost confidence in its holding power. The options are to use one of my other anchors, get a new one, or deploy two at once. My Danforth and my Fortress would probably hold better in this mud, but I don't think they'd sit well in the cat and on the bow roller with the Delta plow anchor next to it. I need to try them out mounted there.