November 9, 2001

It has been a while since I wrote, and I am sorry but we have been very busy. This retired life is hell. How did we ever find time to work?

Speaking of work, we left Killarney Sept 25th. The departure was delayed one day due to a road wash-out. Yes, the only road into or out of Killarney was closed. Luckily, only for 36 hours. But, it certainly gives you that isolated feeling.

Once we did get away, we headed to assist my mom with her move. From there, visits were made to the rest of our family and friends in Ontario. Oct 17th, found us headed south to our boat once again.

We took the suncover off and unlocked the hatches. What was that awful smell? I explored below decks while Murray checked out the engine etc. The bilges were full of water ( due to 15 inches of driving rain during hurricane Gabrielle ) and this had encouraged the growth of mildew. But the worst smell was coming from my box of canned goods. I cautiously lifted the lid. Yuck. The pop cans had exploded and their contents had drained into the box and rusted all of the rest of my canned goods. Hundreds of dollars of stores. Destroyed. Another lesson learned – don’t store carbonated beverages over the summer in the south, as they blow up!

So, our work was on. I washed all of the inside of the boat with vinegar & water or bleach and water to destroy mildew spores. Murray waxed the hull, and prepped the bottom for paint. We hired a sign painter to touch up the name and prepare a decal for the stern. A fiberglass wizard was also hired to fix the chips in the stern due to contact with dinghys.

Eventually, Windswept IV looked as good as new. The insurance survey was done, our lockers were full and it was time to set sail for another adventure. Did someone mention a hurricane? Just then Michelle popped up in the Gulf to give us more grey hairs.

We did leave the dock on Nov 6th and turned the bow southward. Well, sort of… it is the St John River and meanders in every direction.

Now, plans are to spend some time at the SSCA gathering in Melbourne, meet friends in Vero and then wait for a window to cross to the islands.

We will be in touch.

Heather & Murray aboard Windswept IV