Flash to bang

We are tucked in at Boot Key Harbor and preparing for the cruisers' Thanksgiving Day Potluck in a few hours.  We are all strangers who share a common bond and obligation.  Like when lightning strikes.

Two nights ago a fierce cold front bashed through here in the wee hours with many direct strikes in the harbor.  I remember one especially close strike allowed me to see through from the inside of my eyelids while trying to sleep through it.  I should have taken a clue from the unpercievable flash-to-bang time. 

We learned the next morning on the cruisers' radio net that two boats were hit, one lost their chart plotter electronics, another lost a lot more.  Somehow (in the oven?) they had saved their handheld VHF and put out a request on the net for any available assistance.  Boats all over the harbor responded with 12 volt fridges, spare parts, etc.   Others' dinghies were swamped and kayaks blown away in the corresponding torrential rain.  National Weather Service reported 40 kt gusts in the outer channel.

I thought we had escaped with just a dinghy full of rain water but last night we found our masthead anchor light (and later found our masthead navigation tri-color) were blown.  It is mercifully a modular (=$$$'s!) part and we happen to have one aboard.  But it means a trip to the very tip top of the 60' mast out in the harbor, a spooky task with which we have very little experience, to secure small screws against loosening, juggling a very expensive spare part, and trying to get the wiring joint all sealed against the weather up there.  That will will have to wait for Saturday when the weather is expected to back off a lot. 

In the meantime we are watching for our window to get Across and at least it doesn't look like it will arrive before I have a chance to get up the mast. 

So we wish you all a happy Thanskgiving, we are missing our families yet thankful ourselves for where we are and who we are with. 

HYATS