Day 9 – Sat 7 Oct 2023
Docked – Clearwater, FL (Clearwater YC)
[It was a mostly cloudy day and taking photos never occurred to me, today.]
Bud’s alarm clock must be off because he thinks 0430 is now 0500. We had a nice walk on the property, but he loves to try to go underneath all the boat racks, sheds, trailered boats, and anything that would allow him to escape the harness. I was able to avoid any major issues and got him back aboard after a half hour.
We went a whole week without having to defrost the refrigerator, but all it takes are a few food or beverage items that are not tightly sealed and the moisture winds up as heavy frost on the evaporator plate. My abbreviated method takes about one minute of actual work after turning off the power for 90 minutes, so it is not a burden.
At 0900, we walked the short distance to the Island Market where, surprisingly, we scored a tomato, bell pepper, and some deli meat. Their sister store had a replacement rum bottle (“Why is the rum always gone?” Said Capt. Jack Sparrow). The best part was by using a $50 bill in each store and asking nicely, we came away with badly needed $5 and $10 bills for dockhand tips. Somehow our stash on the boat was not replenished.
I was at the pool by 1030 and a few members joined me before too long. It was a great group, and we enjoyed a lot of fun conversation. I left to get a little lunch onboard and when I headed back Diane was walking down the dock towards our boat with a large paper towel seemingly soaked in blood. She had skinned her shin the other day and it opened again when hit it while she stepped on someone’s new boat by invitation.
She put a bandage on it but several hours later the bandage came off and she had blood all over our boat, too. It took a very heavy gauze pad and lots of tape pressure to keep it from bleeding further.
The fun gang at the pool apparently decided not to come back after their break and I had the place all to myself for a few hours after lunch. I went back to Diva Di until supper time – pan-seared salmon and a large salad. Having started the “party” just before noon, we wisely elected to stay aboard after supper and make it another early bedtime.
Tomorrow, we have a longish run south, across Tampa Bay, and into the Manatee River to stay for two nights at the Twin Dolphin marina.
divadiblog 