There was a 30% chance of rain yesterday and 60% today. It rained almost all day yesterday, at times quite hard. It rained a bit today, around noon. This picture was taken yesterday afternoon, after the rain had let up. Bud had to bail out the dinghy so we could take Fuzzy ashore. He’s standing in about 6 inches of water!

So we didn’t do much at all yesterday.

Today was much better as our friends Jon and Arline came to visit. Their boat is on a mooring ball in Stuart, and they have a car down here. It was about a 40-minute drive they said, from Stuart to Vero Beach. They arrived in the rain; Bud went in the dinghy to get them. Their two dogs, Sara and Blue, were with them. I got a towel for Arline and she dried the dogs and brought them below. Bud and Jon took off for the store. The dogs all settled down in the boat, Fuzzy and Blue on opposite settees, and Sara on the rug in between. The whole time Jon and Arline were here the dogs never made a peep.

I’d made bread for the occasion, Bud made Jambalaya and Jon and Arline brought champagne. We celebrated being broken down in Florida, which is certainly better than being broken down in the north. They are waiting on a part for their autopilot, having just finished some fairly major engine repairs.

We may still get to sail with them. We all want to get to the Bahamas as soon as boats and weather allow. Bud and I have a more urgent deadline; we’re still determined to get to Georgetown by January 8th, if we can do it safely. We discussed weather windows and crossing routes and promised to stay in touch. We’re not sure if we’ll stop in Stuart this year since we’ve had this forced stay in Vero Beach, but we’ll try to see each other again somewhere along the line.