Ft Lauderdale-April 14-15

 Yesterday, Dennis spent making lists; Lists of what wasn’t working, lists of prices from West Marine, and lists of people to call and who had called him about insurance issues.  Progressive’s agent said if we began replacing the equipment before an adjuster came out on Monday that they would “consider” reimbursement.  That word caused a shift of thinking from “immediate action” mode to “be patient and wait.”  Wayne and Dennis did make a trip to WM to buy the antennae, check out prices and make sure they had everything he needed in stock to make the repairs.  Michele and I hopped the 50 cent trolley with them and rode around the city winding up at the Galleria Mall to do some walking and window shopping.  Later the other Mariners in the Bahama bound group caught the trolley over to have dinner and bid us farewell, knowing we might not see each other again until June.  They were optimistically encouraging that we would soon get our repairs completed and join them in a week or so when we have a weather window to make the crossing.  Before leaving home Dennis and I had decided that if we had to wait more than a week to cross we would not go, and we still feel that it is a realistic goal.  So that gives us 8 days to make repairs and let the window for crossing to open again.  Time will tell, and by this time next week we will either be Bahama bound once more, or headed for a new destination along the coast of Florida.

 As planned at 4:30 this morning five boats, four catamarans and one monohull sailboat, passed under the Ft. Lauderdale 17^th Street Bridge, through the Port Everglades Inlet headed east to find the rising sun, and West End, Abacos in the Bahamas.  All five arrived around 3:00 this afternoon with a little rough weather, but safe passage.  So happy they all made it safely.  Michele Sharp is also writing a blog while they are there and you can follow their adventures as we will at:   http://lenabea.blogspot.com/  

 We on the other hand, met with the insurance adjuster around 1:00, had a check in hand and were on the trolley to you know where by 2:30.  The agent had said that WM might give a volume discount, and to our delight the manager did.  With two shopping carts full and much of the check spent, we called a cab to get us back to the marina.  First on the fix-it list was the battery charger, it purred to life, lighting up the instrument panel and power throughout Aurora.  Second, the VHF marine radio, again, a first time installation success story, and planning tomorrow to snake the cable for the remote mic for it to the helm station.   By then it was dinner time so we called it a day with the thought of getting Aurora back to cruising order over the next few days, and maybe, just a few days late, be Bahama bound.