As mentioned in the previous post I did a repair of our dinghy transom. Also, just when the kids were coming for the holidays, our dinghy motor started acting up. Tohatsu outboards used to be so reliable but this one has had several somewhat minor issues that cumulatively have been very annoying. Once again it started having starting issues and would not idle. The first time this happened, I replaced the carburetor. Expensive. This time, again suspecting a low speed carb jet issue, I took the carburetor apart and cleaned the parts in a solvent. When I put it all back together again, it worked! I usually feel comfortable replacing things but getting into the inside of engines, etc (a complex carburetor in this case) is more intimidating (and risky). Things don't always go back together correctly, parts get lost or you run out of skill and then you are stuck on the boat and unable to get to service. Not quite the same as having an on land issue. For that reason I waited for the kids to leave before attempting the repair. It turned out successful and the outboard purrs like a kitten. And should, for about two years. That's how long it seems to take before ethanol in the gasoline causes problems. Again. Sigh.
The Celtic Fest was early in January and we again volunteered. It is hard work for about 3 hours each day of the weekend. We work at the beer station pulling beer and taking in the money. Hard work but it is also fun. In exchange for volunteering we get entry to the concerts and the grounds of the festival. Free t-shirts, etc., too. Two of the musical acts are first rate. The others are good but Albanach and the Screaming Orphans are top of the line. Especially the Orphans. Google or YouTube them. The energy they both bring in their live shows is amazing.
About 2 weeks into 2023 our first norther came through. A classic. The Christmas cold spell wasn't really a norther, what we call a cold front down here. A rapid wind shift to the north, 20 mph or more with a sharp drop in temperature. 60° or less. Brrr. It was 80 again in less than a week, however.
Cleo started rapidly losing weight recently despite always being hungry. Drinking and peeing a lot, too. Suspecting diabetes, we did a couple of blood sugar tests. They read low but we learned that cat blood does not test accurately with some human glucometers. After a $700+ vet visit we learned she has hyperthyroidism. Manageable with pricey meds. Sigh.
In mid-January we went under the boat to clean the bottom and the props. We need to do this at least monthly in these waters or the boat will be hard to get underway. The props will not generate thrust and the barnacles and plant growth make for too much drag. Friction. Tried out a new system for us, an extra long air hose so the compressed air tank does not have to be carried on my back. That is getting to be impossible for me on the boat. The tank stays on deck or some people put it in a dinghy. The downside is it is more work to breathe, harder, but the upside is it is less work than surface breathing and then diving and scraping.
While underwater I was confronted by a Giant or Goliath Grouper. He was only about 2 1/2 or 3 ft. long and a foot tall so a little on the young side. A few years ago I met one closer to 4 ft. long while under the boat. He really got my attention but left me alone. This one pushed on me several times and came at me (slowly) when I backed away from him. I left the area for a bit but when I went back to work he kept getting between me and the hull I was scraping. He came up to my facemask and stared at me, too. These are generally slow and non-aggressive fish but their mouths are big enough to swallow an arm and they have several rows of teeth. An amazing encounter for sure but I prefer to observe a creature I meet if it's safe to do so. Him reaching out and touching me was a bit more worrisome.
I am not entirely sure we agreed on our places in the food chain.
Carol's brother developed a hiatal hernia and required hospitalization (where he got Covid) and surgery. She flew up to New Hampshire to help the family out and was away from Marathon quite a while. This left me to deal with the cat's health issues (giving pills) and to get in (or cause) trouble regarding the community's desire to protect the local grass flats and Monroe County's desire to follow their bureaucratic rules and procedures which are more important, it seems, than actually protecting this critical environmental habitat. I served as a conduit for information between the person who took action to protect our neighborhood, the County Marine Administrator and our local boating community. Took some heat, got some praise but did little compared to the guy laid out over $3400 of his own money and put his neck on the line. I helped raise a few dollars to help offset a small part of his cost. Being annoying is a skill set I possess. You can ask Carol.
When Carol returned to Marathon from New Hampshire, she had some vision issues. A local ophthalmologist suspected a retina tear but after an urgent trip to a Miami specialist it was merely a symptom of old age. Vitrial thinning. We will need to keep an eye on it. Ok, that was bad. It was a very stressful day and a half. Scrambling to get a rental car, arranging for someone to watch the boat and fighting the traffic on the round trip. Did get shopping at BJs at Homestead in, however.
The last couple of weeks of February were very warm and humid. Mid-80s and above. Playing pickleball became a health hazzard for old people. Did it anyway but after a low blood pressure scare I got more cautious and took more rest periods and doubled my hydration. Survived. Didn't stop.
The end of February and into March had great weather. Warm (85ish) and less humid. We will probably leave just as the weather starts to go downhill. Wrapping up our winter stay gets a little rushed as we try to get prepared for departure: stock up on food, get taxes done, have the boat bottom professionally cleaned, change the engine oils and more. It's tough dragging ourselves away from here. We enjoy the weather, the activities, the people, the entire lifestyle too much.
Although we do not get to our northern home until May just thinking about the cold up there now is depressing. Makes us want to stay but we do know how hot is here in the summer. Oh, BTW, there are hurricanes then, too.
Our departure date changed several times. We were going to leave on Saturday, the 11th. Then the weather was deteriorating, with a strong cold front on the mainland. The weather window kept moving to earlier in the week. First Friday, then Wednesday, then Tuesday. Tuesday was too soon, we would not be prepared, so we started looking at the next window... Sunday the 12th of March. This would mean we would not be in the Miami area on a weekend. This is a positive. It is very crowded on the water and in the anchorages in South Florida on weekends. Extremely noisy, too. Everyone feels they have to blast their own personal favorite 'music'. $50,000 boats with $30,000 sound systems added. Not fun to be around.
So, we will see how our decision works out in the first few days of our northbound passages.
