The guys at the boatyard parked "Maranatha" nose to nose with another Catalina 30. This poor girl (on the right) has been living in the yard for 15 years. I think they positioned us here on purpose to motivate us not to let Maranatha suffer the same fate. As you can see, neglect has taken it's toll. For us, it's a reminder to get back down here soon. Conditions during Florida summers can be harsh. Rainfall in a recent season was 7 feet! Add to that sunlight, extreme temperatures, high humidity, hurricanes and a plethora of insect life and you've got a pretty hostile environment. We've done our best to prep our boat for these punishing conditions, but really there's only so much we can do.
At the advice of the yard workers, I drilled a small quarter inch hole in the bilge for drainage. Apparently more boats sink on land than in the water, and with the batteries disconnected and no bilge pump working, this is our best chance of avoiding a cabin flood. That said, it was a little unsettling, drilling a hole in our boat.
With "Maranatha" snug as a bug, we said our farewells. She's been so good to us, taking us over 1000 miles without a complaint. We will miss her dearly, but we are excited about the next stage of our lives.
And so we're off to Fort Myers, where a real bed awaits us (for the first time in almost 4 months). Seriously, we're exhausted. Can't speak for Marianne, but I think I'd like to order a really big pizza, drink some beer and generally just be a sloth for the next 20 hours. Hopefully, this will prepare us for our re-integration to life as landlubbers. My memories of life on land are foggy, but I have a vague recollection that it involves pizza. Mmmmm pizza. Flight leaves in the morning. We can't wait to get back to the land of maple syrup and free health care! Mmmmm healthcare.
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