OH NO!!!!

January 27, 2012  Dateline: Marco Island, FL USA

The wind at Marco Island has been blowing me onto the T-Head of the dock since I arrived here on Wednesday.  Rich and Carol tried to take the new dinghy out for a ride, but the wind has been so strong that they were uncomfortable to go out.  This morning before the sun fully rose, the sky suddenly opened up, rain poured down and the wind bounced me around like I was a rubber ball.  The storm was over in a few minutes, but wow did I get pushed around.  I would hit the dock and my fenders would bounce me off then back against the dock I would go. The sky to my stern was black and the clouds looked like they came down to the ground.  A few minutes later the sun came up and was awesome. 

Today, Rich and Carol went to the grocery store, not a big deal but it is what they came back with-----salt.  Not only was it the first time in over 24 years they bought salt, but they bought Morton Salt, not North American Salt Company (NASC) salt.  For those of you who don’t know, NASC was the deal that enabled Rich to buy me.  I hope there is not a pox on him for having been sacrilegious.  If you don’t already know, the salt in my name (SALT N’ SAND) has nothing to do with the ocean but with Rich’s NASC affiliation.

The wind finally died down this afternoon and they were able to take the new dinghy out for a ride.  Carol told me that this dinghy is much better than the old one.  The hard bottom makes it track straight and it does not flex as it goes over a wave.  The bow has a small cushioned seat in the bow, so Carol no longer has to sit on the floor.  This bird is standing about where Carol sits.

This afternoon, there were some dolphins playing, perhaps feeding, around me.  Carol tried to get pictures of them, no luck so no dolphin pictures, yet.   

I forgot to post this picture of a boat I saw in Naples, I wonder what the name means, there is a steel logo in the "G" of its name.

The cloudy day today gave Marco Island a dramatic sunset tonight.