Staying Put

We awoke to gray skies and rain this morning. Actually the rain continued through the night and the sound of rain drops hitting the deck was so welcomed. After looking at the weather forecast, at probably 4 or 5 different web sites, we made the decision to stay put. Initially we thought of heading to some islands north of Corfu in order to get a jump on our crossing to Italy, but it was still calling for a Force 5-6, just out of the marina, with thunderstorms. In addition, the forecasts always show really variable weather patterns in between us and Italy. The maps look like a vertical rainbow, the colors indicating different wind speeds, anywhere from a Force 6 or 7 (winds around 24-28 knots) to a Force 2 or 3 (winds around 8 to 12 knots, much more favorable!). It makes the planning really difficult, especially if we are considering doing an open crossing overnight to Crotone, Italy. We really don’t want to be stuck out in a Force 7, at night, with 50 miles to the nearest safe harbour. So with all of that information and the winds subsiding tomorrow, our cozy cabin on a rainy day was just too hard to resist. And we made the most of it by watching movies, making nachos, and just hanging out which was the best part. I think we really needed this day to spend together, no boat projects, no decisions to make. Just spending the day together.