Record Low Temps In Florida!

Along with the rest of the country Florida has had record low temps for the longest stretch in years. It was difficult keeping warm. Most cruisers didn't have a heat source they could use. The stores selling warm clothes were sold out as well as stores selling portable heaters. In the after math the strawberry crop and corn crop was destroyed. The local grocery store displayed a sign stating there will be no strawberries for an indefinite time. Florida just isn't equipped for cold weather.

One week ago we rented a car and drove North to North Fort Myers to visit Larry's Mom and Dad. It just happened to be the coldest few days of the cold snap. Their furnace struggled to keep up and there were power outages in nearby housing developments. In spite of the cold we had a nice visit with Mom and Dad. We don't get to visit with them as often as we would like. I also got a chance to visit with my girlfriend Karen from NY. She was also visiting her Mom and Dad here in Florida.















This past week we got a call from Brockport Yacht Club friends Larry and Trish Beneway. They were here in the Keys for a few days. We made a plan to get together for dinner at Porkey's. We have not seen each other since Larry and I left NY in 2005. It was great to catch up on the happenings in each of our lives since we last were together.
















With a break in the weather friends from last season Chris and Divia on S/V Maggie M treated us along with about thirty other cruising couples to a opera on the water. Pictured here are Chris and Divia at the stern of their boat.

This picture shows a few of the many dinghies rafted up behind Maggie M. You can see the sky was threatening to drench us all but held off for the occasion.

The weather has finally given us a break from all the layers of clothes but is still cool at times depending where you are. When the wind is blocked and the sun is on you it feels quite nice. With this break several of the cruisers have taken the opportunity to jump off to the Bahamas. Our friends Tom and Cathie on S/V Interlude left yesterday morning and spent the night at Rodriquez Key and when we spoke this morning they left for their crossing. One week ago the marina had a waiting list now they have open mooring balls.

This morning I helped Larry change the joker valve on the head. It went the smoothest it has ever went. That should have been our first clue to trouble. Latter in the afternoon trouble reared its ugly head. The toilet would not pump, of course we had used it. We figured some of lime that builds up on the inside of the hose broke loose and stuck a few feet down the hose. Larry tried with a coat hanger and a small snake we borrowed but no luck. He is now at Home Depot purchasing a larger snake. I hope it works. We had already planned to change the toilet and the hose this Summer, I hope we wont have to do it tomorrow. It's getting late so we'll see what happens. Hopefully we won't have to resort to the old fashion bucket for the night.