Letter from Esperanza, March 5, 2009

It is into the second day of a front coming through… Yesterday I went ashore and began work on some graphics for Stuart and Natalya’s new bar and pizza restaurant , Lazy Jack’s… We cut the plywood as part of this project and primed it, but could go no further when the primer was still tacky… Instead Stuart started on the next phase needed before selling pizzas, actually figuring out how to make a pizza and actually making one… The most important part of any good pizza is it’s crust and Stuart was insisting on a crispy thin crust… The first batch of dough, using yeast and proofing was less than successful, although the pizza was beautiful it was firmly stuck to the pan and the dough wasn’t acceptable… We tried various fixes and finally Stuart tossed it and started a non leavened dough, adding spices to the dough, not following any recipe, deleting the yeast and Voila! A very good pizza, the crust wafer thin and nice and crisp… By the time he had finished his 6th or 7th pizza, each one going faster in prep and quality, The weather had started going weird and the boats, including mine, were pointed to the West, the winds has shifted 180 degrees and was now coming from the direction of a front heading east towards us… This helped explain the dead air and high humidity, which normally proceeds an incoming front … We are forecasted for several days of rain, which is great, my decks need a fresh water rinse and hopefully I will be able to gather some water in my tanks… When it started a light drizzle I decided time to head back to the boat while I still had a chance of getting there somewhat dry… As the winds were now coming from the West my dinghy had been blown under the dock, as my dinghy’s anchor was in my hands, just recently recovered after being stolen a few days ago, kids on the docks can’t help themselves I am told… Of course my dinghy, now under the dock would be more like Stuart’s dinghy next to me, well away from the dock with a stern anchor, which I now held in my hand along with a heavy rucksack full of groceries… Sitting down and removing my backpack, which I placed next to the anchor on the dock and started trying to pull the dinghy from under the dock in the twilight hours, just after sunset with rain… As I was to find out there was a concrete footing running parallel with the dock just under the surface as the tide was out… Pulling on the dinghy, against the wind and waves I managed to get the bow out from under the dock far enough to try and step down into the dinghy… Although I have done it under all conditions countless times, once committed to dropping down into the dinghy there is not a second try… Landing on the boat I gained my balance just as a wave surged under me kicking the dinghy under the dock and, not being prepared was hit by the dock in the chest and knocked backwards over the side into the water… I hit my back on the concrete footing just under the surface, which would become more painful later that night , but was hardly even noticed as I now had the dinghy on top of me , with my dock line and cable I lock the boat and motor with tangled around my right foot keeping me from getting out from under the dinghy that was rocking and rolling over the top of me in the surging water… I could see the tangle and was able to release it with little trouble and get out from under the dinghy, while in the water I pulled it out from under the dock, the job complicated by the surge, and the concrete footing just under the surface which was allowing the hull, but not the motor to pass over it, I waded under the dock and worked the boat out and away from the dock… Once clear, I pulled myself up into the dinghy, fumbling with the outboard motors key I finally started the motor just as I was heading back under the dock and was able to catch the dock long enough to clear my dock lines and hold the dinghy off, but was too far away from my backpack and anchor to grab them… I backed away and around from the dock, reproaching slowly, cutting the engine and sliding towards the dock stopping the dinghy from going under the dock and now able to reach my bag and anchor from the dock…., running back to the motor and backing away before another surge, pushing me towards the dock… So much for staying dry, being cautious I always carry my phone, wallet and camera inside a zip lock plastic bag to protect them from saltwater, just in case… Rinsing off with my swim platform shower and hanging my wet cloths to a lifeline so they will get the salt rinsed out of them when it rains, I went below and put on another dry swimsuit… It was an interesting day…