Florida Sea Base News

The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America, including the Florida Sea Base, is closed today to celebrate Labor Day.  Here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia about Labor Day:

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City.^[1] It became a federal holiday in 1894, when, following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with the labor movement as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congressunanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.^[2] The September date was chosen as Cleveland was concerned that aligning an American labor holiday with existing international May Day celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair.^[3] All 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

But I guess I don’t understand the concept of “federal holiday” and “state holiday”.  A lot of people will be working today.  Me, maybe you, military, police, fire and EMS personnel, restaurants, lifeguards, amusement parks, theaters, hotels, motels, botels (hotels where you can dock your boat), gas stations, grocery stores, retail stores, and on and on.  So a “federal” holiday means the top dogs and “non-essential” personnel get a day off?  The banks are closed.  Mail delivery is interrupted.  You can’t see a doctor unless you go to the ER.  I think my barber is closed.  But aren’t barbers generally closed on Mondays anyway?  It would be interesting to know what percentage of employed US citizens work on Labor Day.

Don’t get me wrong.  I certainly appreciate that many people do get the day off.  I just think it’s weird that the federal and state legislatures take the time to debate this, declare it a non-working day, and then so many people are working.  I know, let it go.  Tell us what’s going on at the Florida Sea Base.

Everyone was off yesterday.  I saw Capt. Rich for three minutes, Capt. Carol for two minutes and had an unofficial business meeting with Paul Beal, the General Manager, at his residence for about 30 minutes.  I don’t think I even saw any other staff members.

I have been selected to represent the Florida Sea Base at the Sam Houston Area Council’s celebration of the BSA’s centennial on 08 – 10 October.  I was a Cub Scout in that council back when they recorded dates in Roman numerals.  I think it was in MCMLIX through MCMLXI. The “SHAC JAM” will be held at the Texas World Speedway on Highway 6 south of College Station, Texas.  Do not confuse the Texas WORLD Speedway with the Texas MOTOR Speedway north of Fort Worth.  In the mid to late 1970s I went to the Texas World Speedway to watch races.  It was billed as the fastest oval track in the world due to its outrageous banking in the corners.

The cars could go full throttle from the green flag to the checkered flag.  Brakes were an option.  The best day I had there  was a double race.  The stars were “King” Richard Petty (my personal all time favorite) and local Houston hero A.J Foyt.  The first race was a 250 mile sprint in stock cars.  The second race was a 250 mile sprint in Indy cars – same drivers.  It was incredible.  I left sunburned, dehydrated, deaf, and grinning from ear to ear.

Oh yeah.  Sea Base news, not recollections of an old man.  Let’s see.  Weather!  We had some weather yesterday.  It was mostly sunny and HOT.  We had a thunderstorm about 22:00 to 23:30.  Today’s forecast from the National Weather Service:

Labor Day: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 90. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 81. East wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Tropical Storm Hermine was born overnight.  That’s the system on the Campeche Bank I mentioned yesterday.  It is NOT forecasted to make hurricane strength and should make landfall tomorrow near the Texas/Mexico border.  The remnants of Gaston are still threatening to return to Tropical Storm status, but haven’t made it yet; maybe tomorrow.  Another wave has emerged from Africa but it’s WAY to early to know where it’s headed.

College Station (where the SHAC JAM is being held) is the home of Texas A&M University.  My dad taught fire fighting at the Fire Sciences school there for a few years while serving as the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of the fire department at Carswell Air Force Base.  My dad wanted me to attend A&M.  I applied and was accepted.  But I decided to attend a smaller university where I didn’t feel so overwhelmed.  My dad was thrilled that I went to college (and graduated) but I know he was disappointed that I didn’t attend A&M.

Anyway, the Sam Houston Area Council serves about 600,000 of America’s youth (according to their website).  They send several crews to the Florida Sea Base every year.  The SHAC JAM is advertised as the second largest BSA Centennial celebration – second only to the National Jamboree.  So maybe I will see some friendly faces while I’m there.  Maybe I’ll see you on Saturday, 09 October.

I hope you are one of the lucky ones who gets to enjoy a day off today.  The work load will be light around here.  I’ll try to stay on topic a little better tomorrow.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Good morning from the Florida Sea Base.  I have very little to report this morning.  Earl is no longer a worry for the US.  Fiona is gone.  The remnants of Gaston are being sneaky.  There are arguments to support the theory it will reorganize and that it won’t.  I’m going to err on the cautious side and prepare for its possible reorganization.  We should have a much better idea of Gaston’s intentions on Monday (Tuesday at the very latest).  Hope for the best……  Invest 99L, near the Cape Verde Islands, disappeared overnight.  There has been a little system sitting in the Bay of Campeche (north of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico) for several days, maybe a week.  It has now been designated Invest 90L.  Most of the computer models have it staying over land, but one model is forecasting it will go north-northeast towards Louisiana.  It’s getting close to the time of year when hurricanes will be spawned in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.  Those storms are frequent visitors to Florida.

Traffic in the Florida Keys is as thick as molasses.  I ventured to the Publix grocery store in Marathon yesterday and lucked out.  I don’t plan on leaving the base today or tomorrow.

Megan Ware – please go to the post of 02 September.  Click on the comments.  Someone is trying to get in contact with you.

Yesterday was very slow around the Florida Sea Base because everyone was off.  Lindsay Kuc assisted me with a BC/regulator sale.  Teri Wells has working plumbing in her sailboat, including a head (toilet) and water heater.  She was beaming yesterday.

I cleaned/reorganized some of the v-berth and galley on Escape yesterday.  I found a few food related items that were out of date (2007) so I threw them away.  But I also found two packs of sugar free Kool-Aid®.  The powder was a solid block.  I mixed up one 2 quart pack and drank it.  Yuck!  It reminded me of lemon flavored cold medicine made with brackish water.  I trashed the other pack.

Okay.  That’s enough.  I obviously don’t have any more news.  Enjoy your Sunday.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

I awoke at 06:00 to the sounds of light rain beginning to fall on deck above me.  By 06:30 we were experiencing and decent thunderstorm that looks like it will last an hour or so.  The wind is out of the southwest hitting Escape on the port quarter (left-rear) and causing her to dance about in the slip.  Nothing severe, but a little too much to sleep through.  A nap may be in order once this passes.

The Florida Sea Base is located a little northwest of the center of the Florida Keys.  Generally speaking, it is a rural area.  There is one road in, US-1, and that road dead-ends in Key West.  Most of the “highway” from the mainland (about mile marker 125) to the end of the road (mile marker zero) is only two lanes wide.  There are a few stretches where the speed limit is 55 but the vast majority of the way the limit is 45 mph.  Drive time from Miami to Key West is over three hours.  The drive on a holiday weekend like this or during spring break is closer to SIX hours or MORE.  Getting out of Key West will be worse.

I went into the Galley early yesterday morning and started preparing for breakfast.  Thank goodness Capt. Martin Ivy showed up – he actually knows how to cook.  Anyway, I declared the experience a success.  We made hash-browns, bacon and cook-your-own-eggs.  It seemed to be a good morale booster.  Then I went over a little before lunch and caught Capt. Martin already in the process of making “Philly Cheese Chicken Sandwiches” (his name, not mine) for the staff.  So I put together a salad and again the troops were well fed.  I went back at 17:45 an no one was around so I assume they are eating out tonight.  That’s fine with me.  I had a great salad an some grilled, marinated chicken for dinner on the boat.

For those of you interested in the Divemaster Academy I have added FAQs to my LINKS page.  It is a work in progress.  If you are a DMA graduate, or former staff member I am interested in your input.  I will add questions as they are received from this year’s candidates.

The wind picked up a bit last night and switched to the south.  I was hoping to pull my jib down today or tomorrow but it looks like the wind won’t cooperate until Sunday at the earliest.  I should have done it yesterday.  Could of, would of, should of.  The jib needed some TLC before our trip this past spring, but was damaged more during the crossing from the Bahamas back to Florida.  There’s a good chance that the sail is toast anyway.  It came with the boat so I have no idea how old it is.  It isn’t cut properly.  It’s probably time.

Hurricane Earl is now a threat to Friend of Sea Base Rich Kuras in Massachusetts.  I spoke with Rich briefly today.  He is a long time BSA volunteer, father of Past Staff Member of the Year Laura Kuras (who will be back on staff in less than 2 weeks), married to the beautiful Cheryl Kuras, annual spring time volunteer at the Florida Sea Base and GENUINE nice guy.

Fiona is down to 30 mph winds and a slight a nuisance for Bermuda.  Tropical Storm Gaston is being counted out by some folks.  But the National Hurricance Center is giving him a 70% chance of redevelopment over the weekend and the wave behind Gaston has a 30% chance of development over the weekend.  ”Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’, though those streams are swollen, keep them doggies rollin’, RAWHIDE!!!”  [From a 60's TV theme song if you don't recognize the words.]

PLEASE CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

I’m going to make some coffee, listen to some iTunes and wait for the wind to settle back down.  This is a good opportunity for me to do a little organizing and packing for my trip home.  I hope you have an enjoyable weekend.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

The traffic will be easing past the Florida Sea Base enroute to Key West later today for the start of the Labor Day weekend and the end of summer.  Capt. Rich and Capt. Carol have friends visiting and will likewise be west bound tomorrow.

Capt. Rich was a huge help today with the seasonalization of the 2011 budget.  It really is much easier to do with two (or more) people instead of doing it alone.  Lloyd King of the National Office was also a big help in getting me started.  It’s hard to remember how to use this software when you only do it once a year.  Mr. King is the BSA’s Microsoft Forecaster® guru.

It looks like Hurricane Earl is starting to fizzle.  That is great news for the northern US Atlantic coast states.  Hurricane Fiona is going to stay well east of the US.  TD Gaston apparently floundered yesterday but the National Hurricane Center says this the storm may regenerate.  We’re not out of the woods yet.  The wave that I mentioned yesterday should become more notable in about 2 days and another wave will spill off Africa 2 to 3 days after that.  Busy, busy.

Locally the weather is gorgeous.  Except for the tiny but potent cell that hit us at about 02:10.  I poked my up to see if everything was okay topside.  A couple of night fisherman had found temporary refuge at our fuel dock.  As soon as conditions allowed I saw them heading back out, soaked but in good spirits.

Lindsay Kuc sold two sets of scuba gear and one regulator yesterday.  She was born for retail sales.  She also painted in the Thomas Building for much of the day.  Dave Rumbaugh slaved away working on scuba tanks all day.  He is a hard worker.

I’m headed in early today but to the Galley, not the office.  We are without a cook currently so I went to the store yesterday and plan on helping the staff prepare some bacon, eggs and potatoes this morning.  It will be a nice change from bagels and cereal.  I’m hoping for hamburgers for lunch, but we’ll see what happens.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

The Florida Sea Base is celebrating the birthday of Capt. Rich Beliveau today.  Capt. Rich is the Program Director for all of the Florida based sailing adventures.  If you go back to some of my earliest posts you can read the accolades that I have afforded Capt. Rich.  I think there’s even a post where I argue that Capt. Rich is actually the Archangel Michael.  Needless to say, Capt. Rich is an incredible person.  He has excelled in every venture he has undertaken.  He even proved – in just one year – that the Facilities Department can be organized, efficient and effective. Capt. Rich would say that what he does is “no big deal”.  But he has succeeded where so many others have failed making it obvious that he is gifted.  Thanks for EVERYTHING Rich.

Capt. Alex, Maya and Lenka departed at 05:00 this morning.  Capt. Alex has been my right hand man for the past several seasons.  It’s going to make my job much more challenging without him by my side.  He put up with everything I could dish out.  Alex is a friend and I’ll miss him.  He is taking a huge step in moving to Europe and starting a life with Maya.  Thanks for your contributions to the Florida Sea Base, for helping me with so many personal projects and for letting me pick on you.  You’re the best fake crier I’ve ever met.  Come back and see us if Maya will let you!!!

Dave Ball, world famous Scuba Instructor for the spring seasons aboard Schooner Conch Pearl, Divemaster Academy and National Jamboree, is an active Scouter in New Jersey.  Keep you eye on Hurricane Earl buddy.  If he forgets to turn right at Charleston, SC he could end up in your back yard.  All of these storms are wearing me out.  It’s the anticipation.  It’s like waiting in your room for your dad to come home and spank you.  You know it’s going to happen.  You know it’s going to hurt.  But you don’t know exactly WHEN it’s going to happen.

The sale of used scuba gear is going well.  We had a slight glitch in getting some of the orders in the mail, but Lindsay Kuc and Dave Rumbaugh got all orders received to date sent out via UPS today.  If your order was sent previously, it is on its way now.  And for what it’s worth, there should be no more shipping glitches.  Please remember we don’t ship items out very often.  It took a few days to work out the process.

A new Administrative Intern arrived yesterday.  Her name is Megan B.  No, B is not her last name, but I’m old, only heard it once and forgot it overnight.  I’ll try to remember to ask her again and post it tomorrow.  Sorry Megan.

Time to go to work.  It’s going to be wierd without Capt. Alex to pick on.

Capt. Steve
Aboard  S/V Escape

I’m still not feeling great but it’s time to get back to work.  The Florida Sea Base was visited yesterday by the Islamorada Fire Department.  One of the pull-down alarms in the Galley went haywire and activated repeatedly.  There was no activity in the Galley yesterday and no signs of deliberate activation.  I am sure Capt. Keith will have someone from our alarm company out today to fix the problem.

I had a fairly productive day yesterday.  I was successful in replacing the idle pulley and belt tensioner pulley on my truck.  That took care of the grinding noise being generated by failed bushings.  I also replaced the throttle position sensor but that did not fix the issue I was having with the engine.  The problem almost has to be with the distributor.  Not the rotor or cap – I have already replaced them.  I will have to call Divemaster Kevin Wilson so he can remind me of what he thought needed to be done next.

Earl is now a hurricane.  If the forecast holds, we should get some rain and wind but not much more.  Hope for the best….

Capt. Alex Bergstedt has today and tomorrow to wrap up all things scuba.  He and Maya are heading for Valparaiso, Indiana to spend some time with Alex’s parents and then they are on to Slovakia.  Capt. Alex has done a great job for me for the last four or five years.  (I’m not very good with dates.  That explains my history grades.)  Alex plans to find a job in Slovakia so he can be with Maya.  Maya is working on her Master’s Degree in Business.  She does not seem to be enthused with returning to class.  I sincerely wish them the best of everything.

One of my chores for today is to spend more money.  I need to order air testing kits for the scuba liveaboard boats.  It was decided that the Florida Sea Base would continue to pay for quarterly testing of the compressed air on the boats, but we are going to have the vessel owners submit their own samples to the lab.  I also need to work on winter staff hiring and reviewing applications for the 2010 Divemaster Academy.

Capt. Dave Muenzel on S/V New Horizon was really stoked yesterday.  He is going camping for a week or so with his grandson.  You could see the excitement and pride in his face.  I have never seen him this happy about anything.  I hope you have as good of a day as Capt. Dave is having.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

It’s very quiet at the Florida Sea Base.  The staff are sleeping in.  I’m still struggling with a major head cold.  The weather is typical for this time of year.  Danielle is no threat to us.  Earl will come quite a bit closer but should miss us too.  The computer models on Invest 97 still show it turning north before getting to the Bahamas.  I hope they’re right, but I have an uneasy feeling about 97.  Maybe it’s just the NyQuil® and Alka Seltzer Plus® cocktails.

Capt. Dennis saw yesterday’s blog and sent this reply:

Peep. Stop. No jail. Stop. Trip home ok. Stop. Working on Ghetto House. Stop. Slow and steady wins the race. Stop. Haste makes waste. Stop. We hope to have a home/house in November. Stop. 2011? 2012?
Dennis and Ellen

That was definitely authored by Capt. Dennis.  It cracks me up, even at 06:30 with a head cold.  But it also makes me wonder what Ellen’s version is.  I have some thoughts that I tried to put into words, but I deleted them.  [When I went to school we "erased" our mistakes or "corrected" them on a typewriter.  Now we "delete" them.  Which brings up another sign of old age.  The other day I had to refer a staff member to Wikipedia to look up "typewriter".  They were unfamiliar with the device.]

That’s it for now.  I may post a follow-up if I start feeling better or hear anything of interest.  Have a great weekend.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

We made it through the night at the Florida Sea Base without a thunderstorm.  I apologize for posting this late, but I have caught a cold and I slept in a bit this morning.  Please excuse any typos.  I am jacked up on NyQuil® and Alka Seltzer Plus®; plus the gallon of diluted hydrochloric acid (brand name Afrin®) I have squirted into my left nasal over night.

I am sitting on Escape, sipping on hot, black coffee and hoping my left sinus passages will drain soon.  Currently there is no rain within 100 miles of the Florida Sea Base.  At 08:00 it was 85º and we will get in the low 90s this afternoon.  The wind is 10 to 15 from the east and the skies are mostly clear.  In short, it is a gorgeous summer day.

The tropical weather is very busy.  Hurricane Danielle has made it to Category 4 status but is turning east and will only affect shipping interests.

Tropical Storm Earl is forecast to be a Cat 1 hurricane on Saturday night, Cat 2 on Tuesday and Cat 3 on Wednesday.  It is forecasted to turn north but will come closer than Danielle.

Then there is Invest 97L.  It’s too early for the computers and experts to make even an educated guess about the path of 97.  There is a high pressure system in place that has turned Danielle and should turn Earl to the north and then east.  97 may follow the same trajectory.  But there is a chance of Earl slipping south of the high pressure system and becoming an issue at the Florida Sea Base.

Stay tuned!!!

The first round of my budget did well.  We had a meeting on 04 August and used a crystal ball to predict the 2011 attendance figures.  Those are in turn used to set our projected income.  So we pitch our best guess and reasoning to the GM who ultimately decides the magic number.  He reduced my magic number yesterday which reduced my income projection by $175,000.  That stings a little but is not a huge obstacle.  The good news was that my preliminary spending figures were unscathed.

Since I haven’t gotten off the boat yet I’m not sure what the seasonal staff are doing but I have a good general idea.  Capt. Alex and Dave are probably working on scuba tank maintenance, Lindsay probably helping them or filling orders for used scuba gear, and Capt. Aaron is probably helping Capt. Carol with boat maintenance or working on sailing program equipment.  The facilities staff is working on the Thomas Building conversion from staff housing to conference housing.   The galley staff is working on lunch and dinner.

My understanding is we are scheduled to take two Newtons and maybe the Corinthian dive boat from the Brinton Center to the boat yard on Monday.  (I had an English teacher tell me a long time ago that you can’t have a one sentence paragraph.  So here are two more sentences.)

I haven’t heard a peep from the Wyatts.  I hope they aren’t in jail for killing the contract who was working on their house while they were working here this summer.  He seems to be VERY slow but does good work and charges by the job, not by the hour.

Again, I apologize for this being late.  I’m going to fix something to eat and then I will consider going into the office.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

It is sad seeing all of the staff departing the Florida Sea Base.  Capt. Dennis and Ellen Wyatt are departing this morning.  They have kept me sane for the past several years and it is difficult to see them go.  They are headed to Lady Lake, Florida to see all of the wonderful improvements their contractor, Hylan, has completed while they were gone for the summer.  I feel certain Capt. Dennis and/or Ellen will send me a full report as soon as they can.

We got smacked by a thunderstorm cell last night.  I woke up around 23:00.  I glanced at the radar on my iPhone while in the head.  I saw the cell approaching but it didn’t look as fierce as it was.  At 23:40 the wind speed was 2 knots.  Ten minutes later the wind was 16 knots.  Ten minutes after that, at midnight, the wind was 38 knots gusting to 41 knots – which is tropical storm strength.  Just as the system was hitting, I decided that I wasn’t going to be able to sleep through it so I would go to the office and work on the budget for an hour.  By the time I actually got onto the dock the wind was screaming.  I was surprised to see Capt. Rich on the dock and then I realized that Capt. Luke was trying to back S/V Lady Nell into a slip.  Capt. Luke was backing into the wind and it was requiring full throttle to make progress.  A gust hit so hard that it almost knocked Capt. Rich and me off the dock.  I asked Capt. Rich what was going on.  He said Capt. Harman (S/V Dutch Love) had called about an hour earlier from Key West saying the storm was headed our way.  Capt. Rich was aware that Capt. Luke and Capt. Michele (S/V Excalibur) were at anchor not far from the base.  Capt. Rich called them and they decided to head to the dock.  Of course they got here just as the most severe part of the storm arrived.  Suddenly the dock was a beehive.  It was dark and raining hard but I’m sure I saw Dominic Alesandrini, Capt. Martin Ivy, Capt. Carol, Richie Chapman, Capt. Dave (S/V New Horizon) and maybe some others (plus Capt. Rich and me) all on the dock assisting Captains Luke and Michele.

Once the two boats were secured, everyone scattered for shelter.  I decided to go to the office, change clothes and work on the budget.  I secured some dry clothes from my office and was headed to the bathroom to change when some palm fronds blew into the transformers next to our building and knocked out the power.  Joe Schreiner showed up to see if all was well.  Brittany Haury also showed up.  I called the Facilities Director, Capt. Keith Douglass, and he called the electric company.  An hour later there was still no electricity in the office  (therefore no access to the server and no working on the budget).  The wind let up a lot and the rain let up a little so I returned to S/V Escape.  There was power on the dock so I knocked out this much of today’s post and now I am going to go lay down for a while………

I’m back…..

The weather at the Florida Sea Base this morning is very characteristic of late summer.  NOAA’s forecast for today is “A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a high near 93. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.”  Danielle dropped from hurricane status to a tropical storm yesterday but should re-intensify.  Invest 96L is also intensifying.

I went to bed early last night so I could get up early and finish my first draft of the 2011 budget.  Obviously that storm was nixed by the weather.  I am considering putting my spear gun on the desk and shooting the first person to interrupt me today.  Even closing the office door has been ineffective.  But today is the day.  I WILL finish my preliminary budget today.

Used scuba equipment sales are steady.  We have a guy scheduled to drive down from Miami today to buy five BC/regulator sets. At only $325 for a BC, regulator, alternate air source, pressure gauge and depth gauge how can you go wrong?

I received two applications for the Divemaster Academy yesterday.  If you haven’t sent yours in yet, there’s no huge rush but I would suggest trying to have those in around 15 September.  Go to my LINKS page for DMA information.

It’s time to see the Wyatt’s off and get to work on the budget (assuming the electricity and server conection have been restored).

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Good morning from the Florida Sea Base.  I tried writing the posts in the evenings for the past week or so and that is not working out very well.  So I am back to the early morning writings – at least for a while.

Prior to 17:00 yesterday Danielle became at Category 1 Hurricane.  During the evening she increased to Cat 2 and she is forecasted to be at Category 3 by 14:00 Wednesday.  Let’s hope she stays to the east of Bermuda.

5 pm Monday

5 am Tuesday

As promised, a new tropical wave has come off the coast of Africa and rapidly made it to Invest 96L designation.  This one is a long way off, but it looks like it may take a very similar course to that of  Hurricane Danielle.  It doesn’t show on this chart, but in the next few days the track lines should show the forecasted path turning more to the north and staying east of Bermuda.

Christy Clemenson and Lindsay Kuc spent most of yesterday cleaning the staff lounge.  My understanding is it may take another day or two to finish the job.  We may not have a staff lounge next year.  The staff members responsible for trashing it are never the ones who clean it.  And the ones who clean it won’t tell me who’s trashing it so I can’t break the cycle.  Capt. Alex and Dave Rumbaugh worked in the scuba area.  Captains Aaron Foster, Steve Harrison and Dutch Vanderlaan worked on securing boats and the sailing beach.  Dom Alesandrini and Teri Wells drove the Scuba Liveaboard crew to Bahia Honda State Park for the day.  The ranger staff worked on moving staff furniture out of the Thomas Building.  The Galley, Ships Store and Commissary staff members were also very busy.  Capt. Rich and I worked on the 2011 budget.  Paul Beal moved the budget due date up from Friday to Thursday.  I may be able to finish the first draft tomorrow if I can get the information I need from our Registrar, Nancy Wells.  ALL of the staff did their best yesterday to help Jan Vanderlaan with a HUGE problem in the snack bar.  Apparently we were overstocked with ice cream.  The staff rolled up their sleeves TWICE yesterday and forced down as much ice cream as possible.  I’m not sure what the final outcome was but I’m sure they will be up to the task again today if needed.

I suspect that most of you are used to linemen climbing the utility poles for servicing and repairs.  Most of the power lines in the Keys are over water.  I got this picture yesterday while on my way to Key West.  How much do you trust YOUR pilot?  PLEASE click on the photo to enlarge it.

Click on photo to enlarge.

Today’s weather should be very similar to yesterday; high in the low 90s, moderate winds and a 30% chance of thunderstorms.  It’s about 05:10. I got up around 04:00.  I think I’ll clean up and go to the office.  That will give me about an hour to work on the budget without interruption.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape