24 56.42 N
080 37 59 W

Islamorada, Florida Keys, USA

Here we sit like birds in the wilderness, on a branch, feathers all wet, our head hunched down between our shoulders in a drizzly, cold northerner blowing stink.

Forget Paradise. Forget the rum. Pass the hot chocolate and, oh yeah, where are my muffler and gloves? Mother Nature is testing our resolve once again. Misery loves company so we sit in this end of the anchorage with two other trawlers, Arcadian and Slow Life. Oddly, their presence does help.

Arcadian called us inviting Skinwalker crew over for drinks and popcorn. John & Janet are nice folks living on a Marine Trader also. We spent a couple of hours enjoying their tales and sharing a few of our own. Thank you guys for a very nice evening, we enjoyed your company. Something good and different always comes out of these impromptu gatherings. Besides cementing a nice relationship we learned that popcorn is a darn nice treat to share with others for an evening. We will keep that in mind for future events. Yeah, I know. Those of you, non-cruisers, sitting snugly in your warm house with big screen TV and your feet propped up are saying, what does popcorn have to do with anything?

Cruisers are constantly looking for a quick easy inexpensive way to entertain. Drinks with another boat crew is a huge thing when you have been weathered in or out alone for a few days without face time with others. Serving something that is a hit, different from the usual crackers and cheese or chips and dip, yet is still cheap and easy, is a constant concern. Popcorn. Popcorn with favored salt. popcorn with powdered cheese. Popcorn, popcorn, popcorn. It is just a really nice snack we have not thought of before. Thank you Arcadian crew.

Yesterday the weather forecast suggested we would be on a lee shore (in this case being on the up wind side of land, so if the anchor did drag we would drag toward a nearby shore and potentially go aground). Lynn thought me foolish but never-the-less there is plenty of room in this bay so I hoisted anchor and moved out exposing us a little more to some of the wind but separating us from land by a considerably safer margin. I was worried, or at least concerned all day and evening about something, yet there is nothing to fear. It is just windy, rainy and not even that bumpy, yet I had this gnawing concern. As a result I thought I would be up most of the night standing anchor watch waiting for the wind to do its 180 sometime during the night and come in from the NW.

We went to bed to read for awhile as we do every night, knowing this night I would not be setting the book down for hours. It was so weird. I feel asleep almost immediately and had the best sleep of my life without a care in the world. Go figure. Guess I worried myself to sleep. Never did see or hear the wind switch directions. Not even sure it did since we are right back where we started yesterday afternoon.

Currently listening on the radio to two smug gents safely tucked in a marina complaining about how rough it is out in the bay and so glad they were not anchored out last night.

Pussies. We don't need no stinking marina.

The weather service just extended the small craft warnings for the rest of the day and evening due to this cold front. Crap! Now they said another one (cold front) will be here Monday on the heels of this one.

Hmm feels like a soup day to me. Maybe I'll start reading The Da Vinci Code. Anyone for Scrabble? We'll just stay hunkered down until tomorrow and see what happens. Gosh, this is really kinda of exciting.

Keeping warm in the pilothouse today.

Capt'n Lynnie and Skinwalker