March 21, Day 269 – In Fort Lauderdale

We had planned on leaving Fort Lauderdale today and heading north, but a check of weather last night hinted of strong winds, so we went to bed pretty sure we’d be staying put at least another day. Sure enough, when we woke up the winds were out of the southeast at well over 20 mph. There is also a chance of thunderstorms over the next 36 hours so that may keep us here an additional day. Gerry still keeps checking the weather for a passage to the Bahamas, along with the weather conditions at West End. However, conditions that seem favorable a few days out, seem to disappear as the time gets closer. On another note, his passport expires May 10 and we’re not sure we want to risk the possibility of being stranded over there because of weather and not being able to return by then. After all is said and done, we’ll just have to see what the next few days bring.

We spent the morning cleaning/waxing the rest of the boat and then we quickly washed the whole thing down again. It’s about the cleanest (outside, anyway) that it’s been the entire trip. Hopefully the wax job will last a couple of months and we can get by with just washing it good whenever we are in a marina and have fresh water.

In the afternoon Gerry napped and Linda went for a long walk along the beach. It was very breezy and the water was quite rough, but that didn’t keep the crowds away. Later, we hosted happy hour aboard Monk’s Vineyard. There were 8 of us on the flybridge, so it was a bit crowded but with the wine flowing, no one seemed to care. After happy hour we all walked over to the Quarterdeck for dinner. Another good meal.

If anyone is interested, we are posting a link to another "Loopers" story. They have finished the loop and were interviewed by their local TV station in North Carolina.
http://www.wwaytv3.com/video/topsail_beach_couple_completes_america039s_great_loop/03




When we woke up this morning, it was pretty windy -- as you can see from the blowing palm trees
Linda took an afternoon walk to the beach. It was pretty busy in spite of the windy conditions.

Here's the flags flying at the lifeguard station. Red was for high surf and/or strong currents

This parasailer was out having fun

Here's a couple of waves breaking onto the beach

By the time Linda finished her walk, the beach had pretty much cleared out.

Out for dinner at The Quarterdeck