Wish I could say Sun, Sand and Sea......but we're not quite there yet. We've been in Beaufort for just over two weeks and it appears we'll remain here for at least another - we've decided to try and finish most of the remaining work on the boat here before continuing down to Florida.

We've invested in a new, smaller outboard, a four-stroke Mercury 3.5 hp, in addition to the Yamaha 15 hp, which we're still fixing. It's convenient to have two outboards. The smaller, lighter one is handy in anchorages close to the shore, whereas the larger, heavier one is ideal for longer distances as it will actually put the dinghy on a plane. Besides, there's safety in numbers - they have minds of their own and don't always work!! We also repaired the anchor windlass; marked the anchor chain; and are in the process of relocating both outboards and our (yet-unused) stainless steel barbecue to Strider's port side in an effort to correct her slight list.

For the past few days, Wimpie has been sanding down Strider's teak interior in preparation for a couple of coats of varnish, and in order to escape the clouds of dust we've moved into an apartment overlooking Beaufort Docks for a week or two. I'm looking forward to getting stuck in with a paintbrush!

We had a minor incident one evening while still on the boat - we were cooking supper and chatting in the galley when I suddenly noticed a fireworks display inside an open cabinet in the aft cabin (leading to the cockpit). Our boat was on fire! After staring at the sight in utter shock for what could only have been a second or two, Ferdi grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher and ended the crisis. It turned out to be a short at the shorepower inlet, which was duly repaired the next day. We did get quite a fright though - what if we had been away from the boat at the time?

Other news is that Strider now finally has her name affixed to the stern. The job was done by a local signage company, which is also putting together a name card for us and has designed some Strider T-shirts for her crew and friends. We decided against the customary champagne-bottle-on-the-bow celebration (not after her recent spray job!!) and opted for a beer or two in the local pub instead.

This morning we woke up to a white world outside and by the end of the day were trudging about in five inches of snow. We really thought we would be in warmer weather by now (especially since we are so close to the Gulf Stream). However, sunnier weather has been forecast for later this week.