Weather to go.

    Just thought everyone would appreciate an update of where I am and what's been happening. Days a blurring together, so please forgive me if I don't mention when exactly something happened.
    I managed to get a new, group 31 battery from Bennett Batteries in Atlantic City. The guy was great, gave me a great price, let me pay cash, and delivered the battery to my boat. I recommend anyone in the area look him up if you need a new battery.
     Once I got my battery I still had to wait a few days for a weather window. Impulse took off the day after we'd arrived, someday left the following day, so I was alone to wander around Atlantic City for a few days. I made it down to the Casinos and boardwalk every night, just for something to do. The library had Wifi and I could check up on weather. Spent some time looking for a book exchange, but no luck there. Finally it looked like I'd have the wind I needed, but it was a cold miserable day. I didn't want to go out in it, but it was the only day for a while I'd have the conditions I needed. So I bundled up the best I could, raised main and jib in the channel, and set off for Cape May. The sail was a wet and dreary as I'd expected; every five minutes or so I'd clench my hands to wring the water from my gloves, and suppress the shivering.All went well, and as the winds picked up near the end I tucked in my first reef and at one point Cassie and I were skimming along comfortably at six knots. That was a nine hour sail with only a little respite provided by my autopilot.
    When I reached Cape May I found Impulse and Someday comfortably anchored a little ways in where I joined them.Someday was attempting, unsuccessfully,  to repair their engine, which conked out on them just as they had reached Cape May. That evening there was more excitement. Someday's anchor was rather poorly constructed, so that under sustained load the retainer for the shank bent and wouldn't hold the anchor or the boat in place. The winds picked up overnight to a sustained 20 knots or so. I got a call from Impulse asking me to contact Scotty and let him know Dan didn't need a ride back to the boat that night. When I looked out my hatch for Scotty, however, he wasn't there. Nor was Someday. They both had drifted downwind and were in danger of being blown into the large wall in front of the yacht club. It was tense for a while, but Scotty managed to get a second anchor out to stop the boat, then they jury rigged their companionway stairs as a mount for their dinghy's outboard so they could motor out and re-anchor, not realizing that their 22 pound danforth was now bent and useless. They managed to pinball off my boat at around 2am, and then subsequently ram Impulse. Steering a 4ton boat in 20 knot winds with a 6hp outboard is tricky after all. Givng up, they woke up the crew of Impulse and both decided it best to raft up for the night. The following morning Impulse towed them to Utsch's Marina where they are stuck waiting for, what I believe to be, the part that will fix their engine.Impulse spent a night at Utch's as well, then moved back to anchor with me, and took off the following day as I helped Someday diagnose their engine troubles.
    Cape May is a beautiful place, full of kitschy tourist shops and absolutely picturesque historical buildings, part of me doesn't want to leave, but the rest of me is cold and wants to just get on with it. Today may be the day, but its looking like Wednesday is more likely, and SomeDay should have their engine up and running to join me by then. We'll see and I'll take whatever weather window I can get. Until next time, live living.