All is right with the world...except the weather

As in all boatyards, everything comes together on a Friday afternoon…or it doesn’t until the next Friday afternoon. The generator is fixed, all the spare parts are on board, the toilets work, and the little ship Steel Magnolia is ready for her voyage to the Southland. Everything got done right at 3:00 p.m. when the workers go home. I went by the office and paid the bill by American Express, giving me enough frequant flyer miles to go back to Burgundy. I got a free sweatshirt and a warm cap from Sheila, the owner, and said my goodbyes to everyone here in case I get to leave this weekend…which is looking doubtful but possible.

It’s snowing outside and blowing hard. Seas in Lake Michigan are up around 14 feet. However, there is a chance that we can leave Saturday late afternoon and hug the western shore of the lake to work our way south. Since the winds are from the west, we will be in the lee (does this sound familiar to anyone?). Anyway, we’ll wait and see tomorrow.

My only remaining tasks tomorrow are to purchase groceries and a bell for the boat (Coast Guard regulations). Right now, I am fortifying myself further against the cold winds with a little glass of Wild Turkey. I am typing this entry only because there are no local TV stations here that can be picked up with the boat antenna. Deprived of news and entertainment, I move back and forth between blogging and checking the weather. I’ll report back tomorrow if I’m still here, or later if we actually get underway.