Sadly Leeway is currently high and dry and safely ensconced in the storage yard here at Indiantown which is, by all reports, one of the safest locations in Florida.
When Cindy's schedule forced her to return to work I stayed on at Indiantown for another month to get the boat ready for storage and haul-out. I must admit that it seemed a little surreal to be getting her ready for lift-out when the weather was hot, humid and brilliantly clear every day. But, our insurance provider has this thing about hurricanes (the wussies) and wants the boat out of the water from June until November. And, so we comply like just about everyone else sailing down here.
I was amazed how much harder it is to prepare the boat for hot weather storage than it is for our normal storage preparations for a Canadian winter. Back home we usually just pour antifreeze into the engine and plumbing, pull on a tarp, and wait out the cold and snow until next season. But, down here, mould, mildew, and an unrelenting sun are the main concerns and they can quickly wreck havoc on the interior of the boat if you don't do all you can to prevent them.
We wanted to make sure the boat was jammed packed with every mould fighting trick we could think of before putting her away for the season. And, so for days on end, it seemed that I polished stainless steel, scrubbed canvas, changed engine fluids, washed cupboards, disinfected shelves, and ....
What???
OK! OK!!
I know I'm not going to get much sympathy for any of you but it's not all fun and games all of the time down here ... just most of the time.
Of course the other thing you have to do is make sure the boat is ready to withstand high winds and that everything is securely stowed away. All equipment has to be either stowed below or tightly tied down; all tarps must be secured so that they don't become potential sails during storms; and the boat itself must be secured to the ground by heavy straps attached to large shackles buried deep into the ground.
Somewhat mind boggling to say the least and a lot of work for a novice from the Great White North.
But, my time at Indiantown was not all work and no fun. I talked with a whole raft of cruisers returning from an enjoyable season in either the Bahamas or the Keys; made friends with two boat crews, one headed for Columbia and the other for Australia; worked with a friendly and helpful marina staff that truly made me feel at home; had a 9ft. alligator as a dock mate (see accompanying picture); and, got to see a glimpse of life in small town Florida.
So the sad part of this story is that the boat is out of the water for a while, and for the first time in over 25 years we must amuse ourselves with shore side activities for the summer. The bright side is that Indiantown was one more incredibly enjoyable experience.
Here's hoping the weather cooperates.