March 25

A tornado of activity from 0700 until 1800 left the boat more ready for sea, but looking like it was hit by a ummm, well, tornado. Second Racor is plumbed, minor carpentry has several months or possibly years of provisions secure, dinghy bottom is clean, dinghy chaps are secure, waterline is clean, but bottom and prop will wait for somewhere in Las Perlas. Looks like two or three days there and then off (as in away, rather than not quite right just in case you were unsure).

Forgot to warn everyone about the ides ten days ago. If your ambitions run to emperor, you just dodged a bullet. April could work for you, but cool your jets in May, July and October. Not saying they're not dictator friendly, but why take a chance. I'd go conquer Gaul or something until the holidays when there's a four month window of ideslessness. Also, Popeye makes a living playing off a guy named Brutus, but you just don't need the aggravation. Anyway, who would tag a kid with that name? Mental illness probably runs in the family.

Some cruisers have a float plan on their blog. Don't quite understand why as nobody has a 'hit a whale and sink plan' or a 'catch fire and abandon ship plan'. Those might be useful as saviors would be ready to come to your aid, but if you plan to stay afloat nobody cares. Although bobbing about on the surface was the only option considered, don't want to broadcast it around and be completely ignored. Conversely, don't want to plan on disaster and have various rescue agencies hovering. It just seems like good sense to keep them guessing.

Jack