We are anchored across from downtown Miami waiting for tropical storm Noel to pass. The winds are up to 40 mph, but we are well protected in our hurricane hole. A friend of mine, Matthew Pellar, lent us his car for a few days, so we have been getting the last few things we need before our crossing. Getting to and from the boat is a challenge in the wind, rain and waves with the dinghy. (three loaded dinghy rides latter, and the boat is finally provisioned.)We felt like those rediculous weathermen standing in the middle of a storm, while reporting on how windy and rainy and dangerous the situation is.
The generator is working just fine again. It ended up being an issue with bad fuel and clogged fuel filters. We were just about ready to ship it back to the manufacturer when we figured out what the real issue was. It took us an entire day to empty the spoiled fuel, dispose of it, change the filters and refill the tanks. Every one has asked what do we do all day long when we cruise, well, there went one day.
On our way from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami (on the outside because of a fixed 56 foot bridge in Miami), we encountered a couple of squalls. One was wicked, and I (Sue) was at the helm. All of a sudden, there was a wall of rain coming toward us fast! The waves were already 4-6 feet and the wind kicked up to 25 knots in an instant. So after yelling to alert Mike to come out of the cabin, he promptly pulled in the head sail (with all his might I might add). He was grunting with each pull and when he was done, Phillip said to him while patting his back, "You are my big, strong man!" (sorry, no pics for this one)
