Trolleys and motors

Day 29
Jan 30, 2016 Saturday
West Palm Beach, FL
ICW mm1022

We got our early start from last nights anchorage and arrived at the Flagler Memorial Bridge in time for the 9:15 opening.  We anchored , 3 times, in the city anchorage area just off a park area and the arts and entertainment district. I say 3 times because last year we did it 5 times. It is a small area and you need to know when you have out adequate scope you will not swing into someone else. Harder than it sounds. We hailed Windbird and before we could get our dinghy down to take Handleys to shore to meet Mark's brother they had rowed to shore. He has problems with his outboard motor so we were going to play taxi. 

We planned to go to shore to the Saturday Farmers Market but saw when we arrived the area that it is usually held in was full of runners in pink.  It was a race for breast cancer and it was ending about the time we got ready to leave the boat.  We waded through a large crowd of racers and spectators and found a reduce size farmers market was in a nearby park area so we wondered over there. We bought some fresh  baked goods and I got the most beautiful tomatoes. Lee went to the tourist center which was close by and got town maps and trolley information. Then we walked to a trolley stop and made a loop to Publix and back to where we started.  Then headed back to our boats.  

During the afternoon Lee decided he was going to adjust the idle speed on our dinghy outboard motor.  He has it so it won't go out of forward gear. He called the manufacturer and then when he got no where there, he called a repair place that is working on Mark's motor.  They are supposed to come see about it tomorrow morning if we can get it to shore.  In the mean time we are rowing with a damaged oar lock or getting a tow from Stricklands. 

We had planned to eat dinner ashore so Stricklands towed our dinghy to the dinghy dock which is close and we all went to eat a short walk away. Martha and I have bad knees and are not keen on long walks. It was warm until evening and very nice not being cold or wet. 

Speaking of wet.  There is a leak somewhere that is putting water under my mattress making the sheets and sleeping bag wet when it rains or we get in rough water. I finally got Lee to take a serious look this evening and there is clear evidence of water standing in some of the storage areas under the platform the mattress rests on. the sheet was wet too. I dried my sleeping bag on the deck today.  The large mattress is impossible to remove it is bigger than the door and there  is no way to get it completely off the bed or out of the room. Poor planning on Island Packets part. Lee put some plumbers putty here and there but neither of us think that is a serious solution. He is going to look further into it tomorrow.