MIDORI ADVENTURES

Saturday, November 30:
First order of business this morning was to call the City Marina office and get a mooring ball. We have been assigned N11. Brian has a sore throat and a runny nose, but first we have to hook MIDORI up to the mooring ball. Once that is accomplished, we lower the dinghy from the davits into the water, and then lower the dinghy motor from the stern rail to the dinghy, attach the gas line, and get the motor running in order to go into the City Marina office and register. Once that is accomplished, we head directly back to the boat. The dinghy motor stalls a bit on the way back. Brian is not feeling great and I think we are both exhausted from the last few days of traveling. MIDORI is secured to a mooring ball. We can relax.
Brian checks out the dinghy motor first, before we lift the dinghy up on the davits. This is our practice, in order to keep the dinghy safe as well as preventing algae growth on the dinghy bottom.

Sunday, December 1:
Brian is full of cold - blowing his nose, coughing, sore throat. We will need some bottled water to keep him hydrated and some cold medicine and a few groceries. So he dinghies me into the marina while I walk to Walgreens and Publix (about 1 1/2 miles) and back. With our two wheel dolly to carry groceries, getting a case of bottled water is no problem! Brian waits for me in the comfort of the marina lounge. When I return, we head directly back to MIDORI. The dinghy motor is not running well. This is not good. We get back to our safe haven. We have everything we need. Brian needs to rest and get over this cold bug, but he takes some time to check over the dinghy motor before we lift the dinghy up.

Monday, December 2:
Brian is not feeling any better. He wakes up with chills and a fever. Tylenol takes care of the fever. He is concerned about the dinghy motor. He calls on the help of Joel on INVICTUS (who is known in the harbour for fixing small motors). Joel dinghies over after lunch and actually takes the motor off and back to his shop.

Tuesday, December 3:
We are stuck aboard with no dinghy, but Brian really needs to rest and get over this bug. Joel returns the motor at 3:00 p.m. We do a garbage run to the marina to test it out. Seems good!

Wednesday, December 4:
I call the local medical clinic and got an appointment for Brian to see a doctor. His cough is concerning. We have to dinghy in to the marina and then walk about half a mile. Dr. Morelli confirms that Brian has an upper respiratory infection, but says his lungs are good. He says there has been a bug "going around". He prescribes amoxicillin for seven days which is filled by the Pharmacy right there in the same building and which was free due to his age! The cost of the visit was reasonable too. We are very pleased with this experience dealing with the American medical system.

Sunday, December 8:
Brian is feeling much better. We go for our first breakfast at The Legion and it is as good as we remember it. Then we do our three mile walk to the grocery stores. On our way back, we bump into Nadia. We originally met her and her husband, Bob in our boat yard. They each owned a boat, but they were working on her boat and she was eager to sail to the Bahamas before her six months was up and she had to return to Switzerland. When we last saw them in Boot Key two years ago, they were preparing and waiting for a window to the Bahamas. Bob was quite ill then and we had heard that he passed away last year. Nadia is preparing for another crossing to the Bahamas with sailing companion, John. They plan on departing tomorrow.

During the rest of December we settle into a routine. We start doing Yoga held at the City Park Amphitheatre twice a week; we walk every day; we participate in a Happy Hour at the Tiki Hut; and we also attend an 83rd birthday celebration at the local Hurricane Bar & Grill for Roland. He and his wife, Lita, are a vibrant example of how sailing life keeps you fit and active into your 80's. People are busy preparing stockings and collecting donations for children in need. The annual Bike Auction is in progress. There is a boat parade through Boot Key Harbour on December 14th. We see the latest STAR WARS movie at the local theatre. Brian volunteers to help prepare the turkeys and carve them for the Cruisers' Christmas Day Dinner at the City Marina and I volunteer to help with the food tables.




Lynn