Beryl

We are prepping for Beryl. It looks like we aren't in any danger. However, Mike has put up some tarps so that we don't have to keep the boat sealed up like a submarine. He is also looking for the appropriate hardware to add another anchor up front. We have water. We won't be able to cook unless we use the Roadpro to warm up food. Wish us luck.

Que syrah II: 19 mars 2011

Que syrah II: 19 mars 2011: Un mot d'abord sur la ponctuation....nous avons maintenant un ordinateur anglais,et nous n'avons pas encore installer le clavier francais....
Your boat is dragging. Charleston Harbor. Almost hit our boat.

What now?

Okay. It has been a while since I posted. We have been on the hook for approximately four months now. In December, we had to move off the dock at the City Marina because my contract ended with CCSD. With all of my projects completed and no more money in their coffers, I was no longer employed. Christmas consisted of a discount steak and potatoes, no gifts for each other. I qualified for unemployment with South Carolina but once again, they succeeded in making it impossible for me to file. In January, I was contacted by an employer to work remotely. I've worked with them before and really like the tech manager. Between my work and family, we were able to survive. Things that have broken since we have come out on the hook, the Westerbeke engine, the marine stove (back to cooking on the Coleman propane stove again), new leaks, packing gland needs to be replaced, Mike got stranded with a single oar and no power for the dingy, my laptop keyboard for the second time, my cellphone, and me. I have a new cell phone. Mike figured out the battery problem, but the motor still isn't strong enough to counter wind and currents unless everything is perfect. Mike was able to catch mullet twice with the cast net. I spent $150 at the doctors getting a UTI treated. I have been working a little with a company in California and making between $17 and $380 a week. Never sure how many hours I might get but I'm always ready to work. Not enough to survive on. Not enough to fix our boat and the stove. I had a chance at a job that would pay well and pay for lodging for four days a week. I thought that this was the chance I needed to help pay for survival for six or nine months. Plus, the job was going to be a challenge. I was really looking forward to pushing up my sleeves and getting into a project that had little or no documentation. It is a tech writer's dream. I had a great phone interview and was asked to come to Jacksonville for a second interview. I made arrangements and spent $180 of our remaining money to get there. The client canceled because of a death in the family. We lost the money. Second chance for an interview came this week. Monday, I received a message that they wanted to interview with me on Thursday. I was overjoyed. I made reservations for a rental car and my niece graciously invited me to stay with her. I was looking forward to seeing her and her daughters. I printed out my Google maps today and Mike dropped me off on the dock. I took the Yellow Cab to the Avis office. The taxi drive was really nice. He was in the Marine Corps some 20 years ago. We had a nice talk and I truly enjoyed the ride. It was nice to speak to someone outside of the boat world. He dropped me off and wished me luck. I take out all of my paperwork and put it on the counter. The agent is on the phone explaining rental rates. Not a problem, I'm 20 minutes early for my reservation. I ask the rental agent if I can pay cash for the car because I want to use the debit card for gas. He told me no. They don't take cash. Okay. No problem. Then he told me that because I'm using a debit card instead of credit card, there would be a credit check and a $200 would be held on the account. That was a problem. He looked at me kindly and said that my credit rating wasn't high enough. He suggested Hertz would let me rent if I had full coverage on a car that I owned. I thought that giving my car up was the most humiliating experience I had ever had, but we called them and told them to take it back. This was far worse. This was crushing. I thanked him and headed out. I called Mike and told him what had happened. I was trying not to cry. He told me to come back to the dock and he would pick me up. I stood there on the sidewalk for a good ten minutes deciding whether to go to Crisis Ministries or go to my husband. I called Yellow Cab and asked to be taken to the City Marina. I chose to stay with my husband. The taxi driver was very nice.