Well, 'tis the season, hurricane season that is. And one of the main reasons that Sheryl left her job and we moved our boat to this liveaboard marina is that we want to be here to take care of Prudence and do all we can to make certain that she weathers any tropical systems.

The advisory above shows Barry, who formed in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday as a tropical storm. Today, he has weakened as he moved inland and is currently rated a tropical depression. The forecasters are predicting that he will become extratropical as he moves our way, which means that he will have characteristics like many winter/spring west-to-east moving low pressure systems. The rain started here late this evening, and it looks like we are going to be in for a wet day tomorrow. Still seems questionable how much wind we may experience.

I think that we should be fine, though our thoughts go out to friends who are out on the water. A large group of Whortonsville Yacht and Tractor Club members sailed out to Ocracoke for a festival; however, they turned toward home as the predictions for foul weather became apparent.

Other friends whom we met through this blog, Chris and Gretchen, are headed out of Washington, NC on a 4-day charter sail tomorrow morning (destination to be determined). They hope to use the time to 'test the waters' regarding whether they would like to take the path toward the cruising lifestyle. We had a few drinks with them last night, and enjoyed breakfast with them in downtown New Bern this morning. We hope that the weather does not put too much of a damper on this first opportunity for them to sail again after a fairly long land-based hiatus.

For those who read the previous blog entry, Last Drive, and sent your sympathies regarding our car's transmission, I have an update. The car is fixed. It seems to have healed itself. If you are approximately my age, 38 and counting, you may recall seeing the Steven King movie "Christine" in high school. Briefly, the story is of a teenager who lovingly and painstakingly restores a car which a bunch of bullies then vandalize to the point of no return. In true Steven King style, the car has paranormal powers and can heal itself. To watch the classic scene where this capability is revealed, CLICK HERE.

Actually, I did some reading of the owner's manual for our Chrysler PT Cruiser, and it appears that there is a failsafe mechanism in the electronics of our transmission which automatically shifts you down to a lower gear so that you may, and I quote, "...safely limp to a dealer for repairs." Of course it goes on to tell you that the failsafe can be reset by stopping the car, placing in Park, and shutting off the engine. When we drove it the first time today, it operated normally. We had unwittingly 'reset' the electronic transmission system. Of course, the CHECK ENGINE light still came on. However, after running a few errands, that too stopped lighting. The optimist in us wants to believe that it is all fine now. Only time will tell.

Finally, before the rain came we spent some time at this weekend's New Bern festival: Neuse River Days. CLICK HERE for some photos from this water-centric event.