December 15, 2011

Thursday December 15, 2011

Fred saw a possible window on Saturday and radioed other boats nearby and they saw the same thing.  Still waiting for the camera housing to arrive, we did some last minute things around Casa Mare’ threw together a quick list of things we needed before we left for Dinner Key and waited for an email from UPS saying the package was delivered at Office Depot.  Bread, fruit etc were things we knew would be expensive once we crossed.  Not that it was an emergency to get those items, I came prepared with a few recipes and ingredients as well as cans of different fruits, just in case.  As soon as we returned from shore, we were under way.   The sky looked threatening but we were ready for that and continued on with our plans.  Soon the sun burst out from behind the clouds, leaving the illusion of  shimmering diamonds over the white capped water ahead.  I couldn’t resist, grabbed a cushion and bungee chord and went to the bow, strapped the cushion on the mast, sat down on the deck and took it all in.  The breeze felt wonderful, the air was full of salt and occasionally I would feel the sea spray mist over my body.  I wondered how deep it was, I imagined 12 feet or less.  The sun was on it’s way down to the West.  Boaters coming in here and there but it felt like the world was mine.  A great time to connect with God and thank him for all the beautiful gifts he filled my eyes with on this day.  I looked up and there they were, a pair of dolphins playing in the waves as they approached us from ahead.  I quickly turned around and got Fred’s attention so he had the chance to experience our first dolphins on this trip, jumped up and went to the Port side of the bow.  They came within 2 feet of the boat, swam along side and we left them playing in our wake.  It was like a Bon Voyage.  My heart was at peace.  Coming into the harbor was amazing.  So many masts, looking like toothpicks in the horizon.  It was only when we got closer, we could see the boats.  I grabbed my camera, not wanting to miss a photo opt of our last civilized port before we hit the islands.  Getting closer, I got up to put my camera below and Fred said, stay there...set the anchor over the bow roller.  Huh?  I hadn’t a clue what he was talking about and didn’t dare ask, I just used my head, headed for the bow where the anchor came out of the anchor locker and looked for anything that looked like a roller, pulled back on the chain lined it up with the cradle of, what I guessed was, the roller.  The anchor snapped tight, dangling over the bow, thirsty to merge with the water below.  I waited for Fred to hit the windless, and release the anchor, making sure my toes were out of the way.  Nothing like dripping blood in an body of water that harbored sharks.  Down went the anchor.  “Tell me the colors as you see them on the anchor chain” he yelled from the stern.  Watching it creak through the rollers I yelled “Red, White, Blue”, (sounded patriotic to me) and the anchor stopped.  I felt it jerk Casa Mare’ setting into the bottom and Fred came up to hook on the snubber (I’m still not sure the exact purpose of a snubber was, I was just happy to find the roller) to the chain and cleat it off, returned to the stern and hit the windless for a few more seconds…”yellow, green” I yelled as he nodded, smiled and turned off the engine.  We were here, the last place to gas and water up. Before we headed for No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne and the Florida light on Cape Florida.  Our plan was to take a bus to West Marine tomorrow morning to pick up a transducer, a water can, planer for my fishing experience  and a few spreader and steaming light bulbs.  Saturday was going to be an exciting day.  Last day in the continental USA.  I could hear party music coming from shore, not unusual for a boating community.  It reminded me of a Saturday night, not Thursday.  I lay there, trying to think of a way not to act excited.  I found that impossible.  God had so much for me to see.  My eyes closed as I slipped into the night.