Day 66 - Shokolate — Captain Father John

Miles cruised 0, fuel purchased $0, slip fee TBD, daily high temperature 76*F, total days in PSJ = 23 and counting.

We hope all our readers in the U.S. had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

The Port St Joe Marina is only closed 3 days per year – Christmas, New Years and Thanksgiving. The bad news is there will be no newspaper delivery. The marina provides a free newspaper everyday delivered to the boat. Except today.

We had a wonderful visit and sundowners with George and Pat Hospodar on Wednesday aboard Reflections. George and Pat have written two books about the Great Loop. Reflections of the Great Loop and Preparing for the Great Loop. Their publisher wants them to write a third book but they cannot think of a theme. They are close to becoming Gold Loopers which means they have completed the Loop twice. Once they have completed the Loop twice they will fly the coveted gold Looper Burgee.

Thanksgiving was celebrated with 40 Loopers at the home of Linda and Huen in Port St. Joe. Five years ago Linda and Huen were heading from Florida to Texas in their boat. Huen had a serious bout of vertigo and was hospitalized for several days and he still suffers to this day. They decided to buy a house in PSJ and invite the vagabond Loopers to celebrate Thanksgiving with them each year. It was a blast to hang out with so many Loopers in one place. This was the largest group of Loopers we have seen since the Rendezvous. They cooked enough food for 100 people.

The table is set for 42 Loopers.

Our hosts Linda and Huen

A yard full of Loopers.

Eddy the Weather WAG’s – Good morning fellow Loopers:

By now there are several of you who have taken to searching weather websites several times a day in hopes of finding that illusive, unpredicted weather window. This is a natural occurrence that happens every year when Loopers have been waiting for more than a week in “The Land Where Time Stands Still”!

Hopefully these new weather-watchers can recognize the totally unstable conditions that pervade the Gulf. One thing that stands out to me is how forecast wind and wave action sometimes builds up at night, when normal weather patterns have them both die down. Trust me, being in the Gulf, at night, in total darkness when seas begin to build is scary!

I certainly don’t see an opportunity developing for a crossing anytime before the weekend. Beyond 72 hours is mostly just a wag, but maybe King Neptune will overeat on Thanksgiving and take a break over the weekend; at least long enough to get some Loopers across the Gulf. Someone send him a pie!

Brain clutter: Only U.S. president with a doctorate: Woodrow Wilson.

Be well, keep safe, and stay happy!

Eddy J – the weather wag. Of course wag stands for Wild Ass Guess.

Post script – our southern waters mentor Bill Valters is no stranger to transmission problems. He commented that we were lucky to have not been in the Bahamas when we had our breakdown and that the parts were available in the US and we did not have to pay to air freight them from ZF in Germany. We have much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving.

Carl Wooden’s dog Chokolate is ready for Christmas in Tokyo.

Carl (Chef) Wooden – quote for the day.

The sea is the same as it has been since before men ever went on it in boats. (Quote by – Ernest Hemingway)