Photo above: s/v Astrid after the sun set.

The blog post: Angel on a short sail with Neil on s/v Astrid (Neil is my partner in our mobile marine repair work & a sailing enthusiast)

Astrid needed no coaxing to duck into a channel behind the keys for a break. The wide, sheltered dogleg of Johnston Key Channel was easy to see and sail into. The channel entrance is 8 to 10 feet, and deepens from there. As if the diesel's cracked engine mount wasn't enough, Angel's tiller steering became less functional. She was slow to respond and the tiller had an unusual, spongy feel. Hastily finding a spot along the channel's edge, I dropped anchor over white sand in eight feet of water. The bottom consisted of patchy sea grass, sand and hard bottom with sponges.
Birdie, Angel's resident parrot, hung out in the cockpit to sing, take a wing-flapping bath, and study our new surrounds. The little conure was protected from outdoor hazards by a light mesh screen. After tucking Astrid in, Neil paddled over to Angel.
"I think my water tank has a leak," he said, explaining how his freshwater pump was only pumping air. "And the junction box cover fell off my solar panel, but I still have it." I offered to share Angel's water and help with his panel. Then I showed Neil the base of Angel's tiller, where the layers of wood were delaminated at the butt end's attachment points. I'd installed that tiller eleven years ago and kept it varnished and covered, yet water had wicked into the bolt holes and weakened it over time. The day's rough sail had revealed its unseen weakness. I'd have to dig out the epoxy and some clamps to repair this one.
"The way things are breaking, it looks like we'll be here for a while," Neil said with an unconcerned shrug. Sheltered and surrounded by shimmering, translucent waters and an unspoiled horizon dotted with mangrove isles, Johnston Key Channel was a pleasant place to be.