Week 8 (days 89-95) Not much going on this week. Again. We like it that way.

Day 89, Tuesday, March 4.

Resting up after yesterday’s outing. Listening to the wind building.

Raising and lowering the dinghy engine is a bit of strain on my back. It was good to lay around and read.

Day 90.

Sunny. Breezy. Some calm patches. Not the hellacious gusts in some of the forecasts. But breezy enough that we didn't want to try and go anywhere in the dinghy.

Day 91.

Really big winds last night. Falling temperatures through the day. A great day to read. The peak gusts in the afternoon bounced us around wildly.

Because of the current in the Matanazas Pass, Red Ranger is not always aligned with the wind. It makes for a lot of noise when the halyards start slapping the mast. And there's not much we can do about it because the various little tricks we use to secure the halyards only work when we're aligned with the wind.

Day 92.

Big sigh of relief. Much calmer today. Slightly warmer. We can go ashoere for shower and laundry day.

We made two trips. The propane fuel use was 8m out, 20m39s back to Red Ranger and then out again, 9m back for the final leg. Total 37 min. This fuel tank is almost full, and still weighs well over 30 lbs.

Today (again) the engine just would not start. My current theory is some left-over propane condensing in some part of the fuel line or engine. To counter this, we're going to try turning off the fuel at the cylinder and letting the engine burn out the last of the propane until it dies. We’ll see if this helps the engine to start better.

Day 93. Saturday, March 8.

A beautiful day. Shrimpfest parade today. Not going anywhere near Fort Myers Beach. It would be nice to go ashore again.

About 19:05 or so the sky was dark enough to n make our Mercury. Seeing Venus, Jupiter, and Mars is easy. Mercury was barely visible with the aid of a binocular. There’s some haze near the horizon and a lot of urban light pollution.

Day 94.

Another gorgeous day. Not much to do today.

Expecting rain tomorrow. Then, Tuesday looks good for groceries. Wednesday, we start working our way back to Charlotte Harbor.

Day 95, Monday. March 10.

Blowy. Bouncy. Rainy. A good day to stay below decks. Looking forward to a calm day Tuesday to make a grocery run.