Well, for once the weather gods are not laughing at at us. Usually, when we are provisioning and preparing within the last month before leaving, it's glorious weather and perfect for cruising! Which drives Ron absolutely bonkers, since he gets to champing at the bit to leave towards the end, especially when the weather is lovely. But right now, oddly, as we're still working and getting required maintenance finished up, the weather has been lousy! Wind, torrential rain, thunderstorms...not exactly nice weather, nor is it nice offshore either, as the National Weather Service is reporting:

Hazardous marine condition(s):

Gale Warning
Hazardous Weather Outlook
Short Term Forecast

Synopsis...HAZARDOUS BOATING CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE BLANKETING THE EASTERN UNITED STATES GENERATES A LONG FETCH OF FRESH TO STRONG EASTERLY WINDS. CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE THROUGH SUNDAY AS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS OVER OR NEAR THE FLORIDA STRAITS AND LIFTS NORTH.

GULF STREAM HAZARDS...EAST WINDS 25 TO 30 KNOTS WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO GALE FORCE AND SEAS AROUND 15 FEET THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

Seas to 15 feet?? NO thanks! (While the boat can handle it, the crew doesn't want to do so.) Besides, we're still finishing up work -- Ron didn't like the look of one of our A/C compressor units, so that is getting replaced, and in the course of an inspection of the mains by the John Deere technician, we found a leak in the starboard raw water pump, so that is getting replaced this next week. (While we do the routine stuff, we like to make sure we're not overlooking anything so get a certified technician in to check as well.) We also need to replace the valve cover gaskets, and do a few other, more-involved required maintenance items. Thus -- we're not going anywhere just yet. Our departure date is always tentative, depending on our being boat-ready and the weather favorable, but we're thinking that perhaps next weekend we can cast off the lines. We shall see! In the meantime, there's plenty to do to keep us busy as we prepare!