Day 6 (Christmas Eve)
Day 6 was a pretty relaxing day. We knew we weren’t going anywhere so no need to prepare to set sail. So we used this day to work on some more projects. We are attempting to get our 3G router working so we can stream live video from the outside of the boat when we’re in range of 3G/WiFi. Looks like we might be short a few parts.
Speaking of, we are seriously gonna need to do laundry soon! Though there are means to do it on the boat, it isn’t as easy and convenient as a regular washer/dryer. Even the small things like emptying the trash, going grocery shopping, taking a shower, etc are hard to pull off on the boat.
We decided in the early afternoon that we needed to go to shore to get some groceries. We wanted to get all the ingredients needed to make tacos. Think of it as our Christmas dinner! But, when Chad went to shore he couldn’t find anything more than sandwich meat. Apparently this island is pretty isolated.
But, while Chad was on the island and poking around, he discovered a few bars. So after the sunset, we decided to step off the boat for a couple drinks. Especially important since the boat lacks rum!
We showered up, jumped in the dingy, and headed to shore. Let me say that being in that dingy is probably the scariest thing I’ve had to do so far. It isn’t exactly designed for a big bay. Canals are one thing, but open water with a flimsy boat can be scary!
After running around temporarily in the dingy (yes I know, we have terrible luck with running aground), we were finally in the channels. We zipped our way up to the end of the main channel, docked up, and walked to the bars.
Obviously the bars weren’t anything like what you’d expect from Gainesville or Tampa. More like the bars you’d see in a smaller town. Full of interesting characters. This bar was no exception. Within minutes of being there, we met Sailor Jim. This guy has been all up and down the eastern seaboard from Maryland all the way down to the Keys and then all the way down to South America. He delivers boats for customers as his main source of income. This guy sails boats by himself. He told us how he trusts sails over motors, and that having no motor really isn’t a big deal. Of course, he has a tri-hull boat, that draws like a foot of water. So you don’t have to worry about running that thing aground! Anyway, we listened to his stories for hours. He definitely had some great incite into sailing, and venturing out of the country. I’m much wiser for listening to him.
We left the bar right as the other drunks started to get rowdy. We didn’t want to get too wasted considering we had to drive a small dingy back to the boat. So we got a lift from Sailor Jim back to where our dingy was at, then we headed back to the sailboat. The wind definitely kicked up since we left! It was extremely nerve-racking trying to get back, but we made it. Made some spicy roman noodles and called it a night.
