Weather forecast for November 28, 2016:
Turner Marine, Dog River, Mobile, Alabama
Cloudy, low 57 high 76. Chance of showers in the afternoon.
South winds 13 to 18 knots increasing to 20 to 25 knots.
Rough.
Captain’s Log: November 22 - 27, 2016
Earlier today I realized that is has been almost one week since my last entry; I am amazed at how fast the time goes by.
It has been a busy week as each new day brings with it a task list that completely consumes my time and focus. Being the eternal optimist, I wake up at dawn committed to completing every task on the list. By evening I am exhausted and a bit disappointed in myself for not having accomplished as much as I had intended. Tomorrow I will get all of it done and more, I am certain.
We have settled into what Shirley tells me is the typical sleep pattern for live-aboards; wake at dawn with the sun and lights out about one hour after the sun sets. Being on central standard time that puts us in bed around 7:30pm every night and wide awake by 6:00am.
Some notable accomplishments this past week include:
Plumbing the galley sink (the XO can now dump dirty dish water down the sink and into a 55 galloon drum strategically placed outside the boat to catch the drainage).
Running water (via a hose on deck).
All wire race-way covers in place with attractive oval-head screws and finish washers.
Final varnishing of all areas in the Master’s Cabin.
Main and secondary anchors (along with associated anchor chain) loaded onto boat.
Binnacle compass installed (with working light).
All remaining boxes brought from Cincinnati either unloaded with contents stowed onboard or moved to our storage unit.
Installed weather stripping around each of the hatches.
Some notable experiences this past week include:
Attended a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch at the marina on Wednesday where we met several sailors with very interesting stories to share.
Drove to Dauphin Island (about 15 miles south of the marina) on Thanksgiving day and walked for miles on a beautiful, undeveloped beach. Watched the sun sink into the Gulf of Mexico and drove back to the marina even more anxious to get the boat in the water.
Drove back to Dauphin Island on Saturday and caught the Fort Gains/Fort Morgan ferry over to the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. From there we drove to our friend Jeff Greiner’s place in Pensacola where the XO did five loads of laundry while I vegetated in front of the TV. That evening we had dinner at The Oar House on Bayou Grande. On Sunday morning we drove into downtown Pensacola and explored the city on foot; Pensacola is a neat little town.
We have not had rain since we arrived in Mobile and the area has been under a severe draught warning for some time. That said, there is currently a 50% chance of heavy rain/
storms for Monday evening through Wednesday. I am anxious/nervous to see how watertight the boat is; I will soon find out.
This was our first Thanksgiving away from our families. We missed everybody terribly but we were also excited about our circumstances so the holiday was a good one for us. We sincerely hope that it was a good Thanksgiving for each of you as well.
Until next time, may your tomorrow bring fair winds and following seas!