Wednesday, 20 March 2019 - It was another blustery day, although not as rainy as yesterday. The wind didn't keep an inspector for the Coast Guard Auxiliary ashore. I had tried to make an appointment with them last year to do a safety inspection on the boat, but hurricane Irma had taken a toll on their numbers, too. A lady inspector arrived today about 1 o'clock and spent about an hour onboard. I had assumed, wrongly, as usual, that I had everything necessary to pass the inspection in order. As it turned out, my starboard green navigation light wasn't working. She suggested I work on that while she did the final paperwork. Of course, I thought it would be as simple as quickly replacing the bulb, but it wasn't. At first I couldn't even get the cover off the light. The retaining bolt was really rusted up. Just as I was about to give up and just as she was coming on deck to tell me she needed to move on, I got the cover off, jiggled the lamp, and it came on. I turned around to show her it was working and when she looked, it wasn't. I moved it again and it came back on. She passed the boat. I took her to the next boat on her inspection list, returned, and the light was out. Ok, salt water had gotten into the lamp cover and corroded the terminals, so I cleaned them up with sand paper. It still wouldn't work. I removed the blade connectors and cleaned them. Still no go! I started to get impatient and to run out of ideas. About all that was left was the buld itself, but I knew it worked, because it already had. I decided maybe the element was burned in two and that jiggling it made the two halves touch each other and work momentarily, so I removed it and took it below to inspect it with a loupe. No break in the element. What the heck? Then, just as I was about to throw in the towel, I bumped it and watched as the whole element vibrated. One end of it had come loose inside the bulb and was intermittently touching. Eureka! I found it! I replaced it with another bulb...and it still didn't work. Bad bulb. I pulled a third bulb out of the spares box and...finally, success.

Thursday, 21 March - I spent half of the day trying to find a good dentist to clean my teeth and the rest of the day trying to get my databases up and running again. No luck on either count. I did, however, get to watch the International Space Station pass overhead just after sunset and watch the big, cheese colored moon rise a little later. That will be the last SuperMoon of this year. Sure was pretty.

Friday, 22 March - Roland and Leta on KoKoMo had met a group at a bar here last year that they liked so much that they got them a gig at the Hurricane and suggested we go tonight. I had high expectations, but was sorely disappointed. They were some of the worst professional singers and instrumentalists I've ever heard, but...they played a selection of great songs and everybody had a great time anyway.

Saturday, 23 March - Some things on a boat seem like they ought to be so easy and turn out to be anything but. I decided to replace the tungsten running lights with LEDs so I called a fellow in the harbor that stocks and sells quite a few. He didn't have any and suggested I get the online. That's much easier said than done. It seems easy, but you need to know the voltage, the base diameter, the number of contacts, the placement of the pins on the base and whether they are indexed or not, whether they are mounted with the base up or down, and how many watts they consume. That's what you need to know, but none of the sellers online tell you all the specifications. I finally gave up on that but discovered the maker and part number most people seem to use for this purpose...and it turns out that West Marine had the best price on them; and that is unusual. They have a store close by so I called them to make sure they had them in stock. I was told they did, so I went there to get a pair. They had white ones and I need a green and a red, so the job that I thought should take about an hour or two is going to take a week plus an hour or two because they have to order them in. I did get one happy surprise however, I never thought I'd ever have to pay thin much for a light bulb, but I went in expecting to pay the price I'd seen online, $45 each, but when the rang them up on the cash register, they turned out to be on sale for "only" $33 each. I'll take it! Yahoo!...but at $33 each, I won't be buying any spares.
                    On the way back from West Marine, I stopped by the local health center to see about getting my teeth cleaned again...and again they insist on doing a full set of X-rays and dental exam...for $250. I'll pass. I'm not going to pay $250 just to get my teeth cleaned.

Sunday, 24 March - For about a year an a half, every morning on the VHF radio Boot Key Cruiser's net, I announced that I had a "Never ever used Doyle cruising mainsail with a luff of 46 feet and a foot of 15.5 feet, cut for a CSY 44, but will fit a Morgan or other sailboats of similar size. It has two sets of reefing points, flying cringles and is made of good heavy sail cloth. It cost over $4000, but I will let it go for half that price at $2000." I was sure everybody in the harbor and the surrounding area was tired of hearing me say that every morning for so long and were extremely glad when I sold it. However, when I didn't announce it for a couple of days, people wanted to know what happened. When I told them it had sold, lots of people congratulated me...and believe it or not, had me announce it one more time just for fun. That was about six months ago. This morning on the net, during the trivia section, a lady on S/V Invictus asked if anyone other than me could repeat the ad verbatim. Several people came very close! They all still say they miss my ad every morning and that the day just doesn't seem complete without my voice on the radio repeating it. They wanted me to announce it one more time, but I couldn't do it any better than they could.
                    After the net I had to rush to shore because I was in charge of getting tables, electrical cords, and everything else set up for the Sunday brunch at the tiki hut at the marina. About 40 or 50 people showed up and we had a great time.

Monday, 25 March - I didn't type this up on Monday, and now, on Wednesday, I don't have a clue as to what I did on this day. Everything runs together. ;-(

Tuesday, 26 March - I had to be on the bus to Key West this morning at 8 o'clock to get to the VA hospital 45 miles away to have lab tests done before I have an annual physical checkup done next week. I was about 45 minutes early, but there were no other patients there so I was only there for about 10 minutes. That freed me up to go see a museum at one of the three old forts on the island. Chuck Richardson and I had gone there while he was here to visit, but we arrived only 30 minutes before closing, so we decided to pass on that visit. I did want to see it, so when I realized I had plenty of time I walked the approximately mile and a half over and took the tour. The brick buildings of the fort have been restored and kept in good shape, but, sadly, there weren't many good exhibits, so don't feel bad Chuck, you didn't miss much in this one. When I finished the tour, I walked over to an adjacent park to see when and where the next bus would arrive. I asked a fellow sitting there if he knew. He didn't, but yelled at another friend that rides the bus frequently and that fellow pointed to a spot about 50 yards away and said it would be there in about three minutes. Good timing!
                    I returned to Marathon just in time to make a quick visit to the grocery store to buy something to take to a party at the S/V Queequeg, a boat owned by Mike Wagner and Bev Fowers up in one of the canals near the grocery store. Mike and another fellow supplied some good guitar music to go along with burgers, dogs, and other items brought by the other guests. Good music, good food, and good friends.

Wednesday, 27 March - I got a call mid-day today saying that my navigation lights had arrived so I went and picked them up, but didn't get them installed. This evening I joined Bob Dahmer at the library to watch a movie, then went to dinner and to enjoy some music at the Hurricane. It's already getting windy again and is supposed to be pretty windy and rainy for the next few days.

            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