That has been the common question at Burnt Store. We have been back at our slip for five days and the wind continues to blow, at times, near 20 knots, with higher gusts. It does look like the end is in sight. The forecast has the wind backing off tomorrow.

Returning has not been all that bad. Whenever we are out overnight, we monitor the power consumption of our refrigerator system. In the past, the refrigerator would draw 2.3 amps per hour, or less. Last week, it exceeded 2.6 amps per hour. This may not seem much but over 24 hours and several days, it adds up. So, when we got back, we contacted our refrigeration technician. He checked our system and reported all was in order. He concluded that the system was 18 years old and may not run as efficiently as before. This will give us a project for the summer—reinsulate the system.

Assuming the forecast is accurate, we will head out again tomorrow or Monday. We will probably head for the Pelican anchorage and hope to meet up with friends coming up from Fort Myers Beach. After that, we will probably head south, taking advantage of other anchorages. It will be good to get back on the water.