New Year Update

Monday Jan 7.... 8:40 am Well it has been a busy 1st week of the New Year....yes we did have a fun time New Years eve. After Joyce recovered from her Dark and Stormy overdose on New Years day morning I checked the weather and decided that I did not want to be in that crowded anchorage in a 30+ knt blow. Far too many ditch diggers anchored too close on a short scope (not enough anchor line down)Around noon we set course for Marathon. Little or no wind so we burned expensive diesel and motored up ariving about 6:30 pm. On the way up we swapped the new Rocna anchor for my tried and true Buelle. I wanted to see how it worked in a blow. After dropping the hook and 80-90 ft of chain we launched the dink...alot easier now when it was calm than when the wind picks up. Had dinner and crashed early, still recovering from the previous night. The storm hit about midnight. Was up to check the anchor and snubber for chafe. Wind by this time hit 41 knts...a little bumpy to say the least. New Rocna was up for the challenge, set a back up snuber in case the 1st failed. With this kind of wind the chain was like a steel bar, even with 80 feet out in 9 feet of water the chain was straight. To reduce the shock loads we put out about 30 feet of 5/8 in nylon line. It streches about 5-8 feet. That kind of load not reduced by the nylon can rip the windlass right out of the deck. Awoke to a sunny but cold windy morning. No going ashore today...wind still 25-35 knts...we were fine, UNTIL I looked aft to see how the dink was riding...what dink......GONE....some of you might think it blew off during the night...but I use a S/S caribiener to clip the dink to the boat. Yes I did lose the dink a few yrs back ....small line on a big cleat...can slip..Coast Guard returned a week later. Not far from where we are anchored is the east end of Boot Key. There are stories of the rough crowd that lives on this almost deserted Key. Well we called the cops..they wanted me to meet with them...sure...now how do I get in...Insurance company also wanted us to contact the Coast Guard. So here is the situation...we are anchored about 1/3 mile from the entrance to the harbor, wind is blowing 25-35 for the next 2 days.......garbage building up, out of bread and fresh veggies...no salad makings for Joyce...and NO dink. Those that have been on the Lady know I hated that dink...(and just a few posts back you might remember he was describing his "enjoyment" of that dingy) so we checked Ebay...nothing in my budget. Joyce suggested Craigs List...never been there, so we did look and then called a few of the posts...some a boat and motor package some just the motor or dink. It has been my plan to get a new AB dink in Margarita ...they make them in VZ. Paul was up early working on BOTH computers downloading more TV shows and movies (his new Graboid thing - I think he explained a few posts back also)...so in the interest of keeping everyone sort of up to date on what has been going on I'm going to post this - albeit without pictures....and I'll see if I can get him to tell the rest of the story after we go in to Marathon for a bike ride!!!