Last night Paula was up late, talking on the phone to a family member, when the rain and wind suddenly intensified, and C Ghost leaned to port for a moment, as if reacting to an especially strong gust. It didn’t last long, and C Ghost’s rigging made no special noises above the usual. So, Paula, engrossed in her conversation, didn’t think much of it. This morning we met a sail boater in a slip closer to the marina’s exit. He had been up last night as well and stated that a microburst had formed over the marina very near his boat and had torn his boat’s canvas awning. The sailor pointed to large tears and shredding of the marine grade fabric. Not to be daunted, he got out his sewing machine and made a repair that would last until he got the canvas to his marine upholsterer. This event was likely what Paula heard and felt, but we were farther from the epicenter of the downdraft.
Today’s weather was more of the same for most of the morning – high wind and rain (but no thunder today). While there is a slim chance we could leave tomorrow afternoon, our departure now is looking more like Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning. Around noon time today, there was enough break in the hard rains to allow us to walk to the Garden Mall. On the way we crossed over the first two drawbridges we’ll need to traverse (in the featured picture we are waiting at the gate of one of these bridges). It was amazing how much stronger the wind was as we were crossing the bridges, versus on the sidewalk with buildings to act as a windbreak. We stopped at Paris in Town, another French café, and had a nice lunch.
The mall itself was very high-end for the most part, housing a Tesla dealership, many pricey jewelry and clothing shops, and expensive eateries. Fortunately, on the one end they also had a Sears, and Tommy was able to get a needed pair of cargo shorts, which will serve as his “dress pants.” The walk back and forth was long enough for us to really stretch our legs and get rid of the confined feeling that anyone gets when stuck inside a lot because of unfavorable weather.
Once home, we both rested. Dinner was baked fresh mahi-mahi (on sale from Publix) and Paula served the remaining bay scallops and shrimp in a Parmesan cheese sauce. Taboule and the olive rosemary bread completed the meal.