The ferocious wind howls at me as I raise my head out of the cockpit. My uncut and unkempt hair due to coved 19 and no haircut blows into my face covering my nose making it hard to breath. I shake my wild curls back to prevent me from suffocating. The rain starts to comedown in sheets so dense I can barely make out the back of the boat only 12 feet away. This is not making for a good start for the day. The waves have doubled in size and are crashing over the stern of the deck. What the heck is that prayer about wanting following seas. The water will soon be flowing in and filling the boat. Now I’m wishing I skipped the last four rum punches l had before going to bed.

NOT. The only excitement around here is in my mind. Yes the wind is blowing helping it stay a little cooler and bug free, the seas have doubled from one inch to two inches in the bay and there is a slight mist falling from the heavens that will dissipate with in minutes. “I’m just sittin’ on the dock in the bay, watching the tide roll away. Oooh I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay, wasting time.” This Otis Redding song gets more familiar and real with every passing day.

To ease my boredom, I hired a local man by the name of Vision to help me strip the old varnish in the salon area of my boat and refinish it. An added bonus is learning about the Rastafarian religion and way of life. No alcohol but planting of other stuff. I always have poor results when I try to do it myself so I am watching, learning and helping out whenever I can. Maybe it is as simple as just using the other stuff instead of wine.

My original plans for this year’s birthday was for me to be on a bike trip in Italy sipping on a glass of red wine. That didn’t happen. The morning starts out with a surprise gift of fruit, wine and chocolate. All bases got covered there. In the afternoon I indulge with sitting on the beach watching the sunset sharing a glass of Prosecco with a friend. We were even blessed with a green flash. Not a bad compromise. It was then topped off by a surprise zoom meeting with many friends and family members wishing me a happy birthday. My friend who organized it shared with me that she thought my face might be very tired the next day from smiling so much.

Time to walk to the fresh vegetable market and restock for a few days. This is a big plus being stranded here, lots of fresh produce grown right here on the island.

Take care and stay safe out there.