The Best Laid Plans
07 June 2018 | Stymied in Stuart
Sally - summer weather patterns are here
Are often foiled by the Army Corp of Engineers and trains. We packed our bags and all things needed to spend Monday night on the boat. The idea being to off load everything possible into the car that wouldn’t be needed for Tuesday’s trip up the river to Indiantown for summer haul out.
Since my last update we have been sleeping at the condo with its much appreciated A/C. We’ve done a few day trips up to the boat to finish our projects. Scott repaired the dingy as best we could between downpours. I finished off loading most everything we could for summer storage in the climate controlled condo. Finding places to stash it all is no small feat. More layers of teak oil were applied to the exterior teak and most of the lockers have been cleared of their contents where practical. We are pretty much set to put her to bed for the summer.
Our plan on Monday was to pump up the dingy (we had to let the air out of her for the new patches to cure), tie her into her summer storage position on the bow, take the sail cover off to be repaired and stored, stash the battans down below and wash down the decks one final time for the summer.
I had suggested to Scott that he might want to verify our haul out with the Marina and it’s a good thing we did. When he called we were informed that the railroad bridge over the river was closed and would be until the 14thof June. That came as a surprise to us. The Marina had tried to notify us but apparently misplaced our phone number. Thank goodness we called before we pulled out and gave up our dock space. We would have quite literally been up the creek.
This has quite literally thrown a monkey wrench into our plans. Scott is scheduled for jury duty the week of the 11th which could really delay our exit if he gets picked up on a jury. Secondly our dock rent is up on the 14th and while we can probably extend it the cost to do so can be quite pricey. Per diem rates on the dock add up quickly. We might go back out to the mooring field but that would mean launching the dingy and its motor, both which have been put to bed for the season. In addition, the weather here has already moved into its summer pattern of thunderstorms being a constant threat and the “season” has begun with its threat of named storms. We’re trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, to take it in stride.
The picture was taken when we visited Indiantown Marina to arrange haul out last month. It shows the entrance to the marina from the waterway.