Hurricane Seasoning

Hurricane seasoning is not a spice, although it sounds like it would be a good one. Hurricane season is the dreaded time of year that sends boaters flying, sometimes quite literally. It is that six months or so during the summer months that the intense heat lends favorable conditions to the formation of afternoon thunderstorms, and occasionally, a tropical storm or hurricane. It only makes sense that these things are to be avoided, and most prudent boaters keep a close watch on the weather during the summer months. Some, like us, spend the summer hurricane seasoning somewhere "safe", at a marina or a dock. It is really hot in the tropics too, and we choose to refresh the pot-o-gold this time of year by, well, by... working. There. I said it. Nothing better than a paycheck to put a smile on your face, and nothing worse than a Monday morning on your way to earn the thing. So, we continued our Reverse, Reverse.. Take it Back Now , Ya'll theme and headed for Miami again.

We lifted the anchor at Mackey Shoal, on the Bahama Bank, and pointed the boat due west, toward Florida. It was a nice morning, but by 10:30 the wind had almost stopped, and so did we. So we motored our way the last 20 miles to Bimini, and pulled up to the dock. This was the first time we had been in a marina since we left the same spot a couple months before! We almost felt guilty plugging the power cord into the power pedestal and turning on the A/C! Almost. Guincha was in climate controlled canine heaven.

It was just a few hours later that the anvil shaped clouds started circling the boat, like angry Indians with huge bolts of lightening instead of arrows. The rain that came was amazing, and if it were not for the gajillion volt lightening bolts, it would have been good to scrub a bit with the deck brush. The salt was all gone from the boat by the next morning, and we had plans to go by ferry to South Bimini, and check out Ponce DeLeon's fountain of youth. It is supposedly located there, and we wanted to see it and bring back some water for our friend Lisa who told us about it.

However, by 09:00 in the morning, the clouds were again circling us, and the war-cries of angry thunderclaps were getting close already. We decided to stay inside the covered wagon, and guard the air conditioning. We were actually pretty tuckered out, and the thunder and rain was a bit too much for us. Sorry Lisa, next time. You look great anyhow.