Wyvern's Wanderings

Not much going on today. We have done everything we need to do in Marathon, and we are just waiting for the winds to go eastward. Charlie and I started to bring in the 2nd anchor. Had to go slowly, because of the glue like mud that stuck to the chain. Charlie washed it as I pulled it in. Charlie had mud all over himself. I only got the dregs as I pulled in the chain. But, sticky and mucky really doesn't describe it adequately. Jack and Kris moved Caprice off the mooring and came down to the west end of the harbor and anchored with us. They may not think it was such a good idea when they have to pull their anchor up. The four of us dinghied into Burdine's dinghy dock and walked west on Highway 1. We stopped at a roadside grill and had lunch. They had an excellent lobster bisque. We stopped at a junk marine shop, but it was closed today. Then we walked across the street to a tourist shop with a lot of ceramics painted in bright colors, metal sculped wall hangings and lots of shells and coral. They had pink flamingos, of which I have wanted one for ages, but just can't bring myself to buy one. We walked back to the dinghies and went for a short dinghy adventure up a canal behind the marina where they keep the crab boats. Not much there, but a long seawall with nothing on it. At the end was several small mobile homes and tiny houses built right on the water's edge. Some empty slips. Interesting. Back at the boat, Jack and Kris came aboard for a cold drink. While they were aboard, the clip holding the topping lift on the mainsail boom broke. Then the topping lift blew around, caught itself in Chewy's blades. So when they left, Charlie had to pull me up the mizzen mast to get the topping lift down. Chewy is wounded, he lost a tip off his already shortened blade, so he will be out of commission for the rest of the trip. Charlie did go out and put the rubrail on the side of the boat back in. It has a rubber insert that either got bumped or rubbed and popped out in spots. Then we put the dinghy up on the davits which pretty well signaled the end of the work day. The wind has clocked to the east, but is still up above 15 kts. all day. Seems to be subsiding a bit again this evening. Not, just checked. Sort of hazy clouds all day, but enough sun. Warm and the breeze wasn't too cool. Plan is to go to the fuel dock first thing in the morning. Get a bit of fuel and water. Then head off to the Little Shark River in the Everglades.