Head In Our Hands

Deltaville  

The weather report was accurate and we were glad to be securely tied up in our slip, connected to power, and toasty inside. Heavy rain fell all morning and the wind gusted up to 60 knots for several hours. The combination of precipitation and blown-in water made for a super high midday tide. We watched as the water continued to rise, eventually topping our finger pier. We took some solace knowing that it was rain and not the snow that was falling to our west. We were content to take it slow. Barry gave Netflix a workout while I did an hour of yoga downstairs. A check-in with our security camera showed several inches of accumulation at home.

Following lunch, it was time to knock out a few final boat projects. The temperature continued to fall and by 2:00 snow was falling here at the marina. I worked on updating the backsplash in the galley. Barry tackled our final big mechanical upgrade, replacing our overboard discharge pump. The snow stopped and blue sky appeared as the sun set. All seemed to be going well right up to the point where it wasn't. A stuck valve has turned a three-hour project into an indefinite delay. 

My head is completely disassembled, needing a hose before it can go back together. West Marine, the source of all boat parts, closed early because of weather. The boatyard where Crossroads spent much of the last four months was also closed. The valve must be changed with the boat out of water. Tonight we sit here with our head in our hands, waiting for the morning to get a new plan. We're running out of letters -- maybe we're on "Plan S" by now. We'll find out in the morning if/when we can get a quick haul. It's hard to stay positive with so many setbacks. The combined lure of warm weather and blue water and dislike of cold and snow is strong ... hopefully strong enough to get us off the dock one more time. We'll all find out tomorrow.