Letter to some cruising friends.

Bob and Judy,
Good to hear from you. Florrie has gone back to NJ to sing at a friends wedding and is dealing with the aftermath of the hurricane. Our condo did OK and the little boat we bought is fine. The dinghy we kept at the condo has disappeared. The yacht club, 1/2 block down lost the launch driver's shack and Freezer at the end of the dock and a lot of boards. Boats on the hard in the main boatyards got slammed and lifted off the jackstands by a 14 foot tidal surge. Looks like dominoes. Some friends had major damage to their houses but no one lost their life, There were five boats who decided to sit Sandy out on the moorings fully exposed to the wind and waves and all are still there. We did lose a lighthouse in the middle of the bay. Nothing but a rockpile and cement slab left. It seems really strange that Florida did fine and NJ got hit by the hurricane. I am sure you are aware that the Bounty, a replica used in the movie, was lost at sea along with her captain and one of the 16 crew. They had gone out to weather the storm at sea. and were about 90 miles offshore of the Outer Banks of NC.

I am still in St A and waiting for the guy to come and give the heat exchanger an acid bath. Although only the port engine needs it now, I will have them do both. I have learned that this what you have to do on a catamaran, It is the last thing on the list although, last night, the toilet decided to quit and will be my job for today. Oh Joy! If they get the engines working, I will leave tomorrow and go down the ICW to stage at Vero for a crossing.

Your boat, Greenstone, looks fine. Right next to a working generator. We did have some electrical problems over the summer here so the dehumidifier didn't do much. I need one that will turn itself back on after a pause in the power. A little mildew but not too bad.

Last night was interesting, It was almost dark when I heard a "who, who whooooo" from outside. I went out to scare the pigeon when a hugh owl flew away from the top of my mast and flew over to the top of a mast of a boat on the hard. Of course, he returned later to my boat but only for a short while. I hope that doesn't mean anything about rodents on the docks.

Hope to see you down the "road".
Lew