One nice thing about being an armchair sailor is one is separated from all the unpleasantries of living on a sailboat. The dampness. The smells. The worry that one's anchor might be dragging - or that it will drag if that thunderstorm comes our way. I actually pulled out the emergency second anchor this afternoon when a squall threatened. I think I will keep it handy from now on. It seems like true sailors either don't mind these things, or they relish them. I don't know yet whether I am true. I guess time will tell. I'm not giving up the "great" for the good just yet, but the thought may have crossed my mind when we returned from a long hot walk to the Walgreens and Post Office to stock up on prescription meds and candy to find the dingy 1/2-way deflated and filled with water. This happened once before at the Whitaker docks in Oriental. I filled it up and it held air without trouble since. This time there was a gash about an inch long towards the bow right around the waterline. I didn't know this until my inspection later on. I knew I didn't want to camp out on the dock with the dogs so I pumped out the water, pumped up the deflated chamber, and made a run for the boat with the dogs as the tube became flacid (did I just use that word). Got everyone on Tropical Dreamer and pondered my situation. I was not having pleasant thoughts. I figured I better get the engine off and stored on the sailboat so I didn't lose it overnight if the dink sank. It was an awkward exercise, but I did it. Then I unloaded the rear cabin of the sailboat, obtained the patch kit for the zodiac, and reloaded everything back in its place. This brought back the memorable sensation of being exhausted while covered from head to toe with sweat that Matt and I shared every day during that refit month in Oriental. I was not having pleasant throughts at all. I tied the bow of the dingy up out of the water where I could reach it and proceeded to install the patch. The space around the gash didn't allow as much patch material as I would like, but its decent considering the circumstances and conditions. I'll let it dry overnight and see if it holds air in the morning.