February 12, Day 232 - In Marathon

Today was another day for doing chores. Gerry continued his work on the flybridge, including taking care of all his fishing tackle, while Linda cleaned the inside. Gerry also took an old hose and cut it in pieces to make chaffing guards for the lines, as gale force winds are predicted for tonight. We washed down the boat with fresh water, but that’s about as far as we got; scrubbing/waxing will have to wait until later. Gerry also adjusted lines and fenders in anticipation of the storm.

After a day of working, we were ready for happy hour at 5:00. The conversation out at the tiki hut centered on the weather prediction, e.g., direction of wind, strength of wind, and how much rain/lightning we’d get. A little after 6:00, we no longer had to speculate. The storm arrived. Everyone scurried back to their respective boats, checked lines and hunkered down inside. The winds were strong and the rain came “sideways”. At that point it wasn’t too bad as the wind was out of the south and we are protected from a southerly blow. Unfortunately, the forecast was for winds to switch to the north right after midnight. We went to bed with an uneasy feeling.