No guarantees...

I have often said there are no guarantees in life.  When we were working for the whale watch company, we often heard, "Do you guarantee whale sightings?"  They are wild animals; they go where they want (and where there food goes), so no one can "guarantee" a sighting.  A company can offer another trip for free on a space-available basis, but that isn't the same as a guarantee.

Out on the boat today, and there is no guarantee we will see dolphins.  In fact (Spoiler Alert!), we didn't.  Watching the weather, today is the best day to get the boat out of the water... oh, there would probably be other opportunities, but we don't want to leave everything for the last minute.  It is a lovely day, and a good time to run some fuel out of the tank.  Plus, we just got a lens back from Nikon (repair) and this would be a good opportunity to check it out.

Heading out...

Yep, it is focusing like it is supposed to.  We generally amble along at 5 or 6 knots; today, we were looking to use up some fuel and clean some crud off the hulls, so we ran at 12 - 14 knots most of the time.  Well, not in the turning basin, because...

Another test of the lens focusing.

We cruised out to the jetties (the opening to the Gulf)...

Not a dolphin to be seen anywhere.  No dolphin watch boats.  In fact, as pretty as the day is, I was surprised that there weren't more boats out and about.  In the jetties area, we could see one of the new pavilions being built at Isla Blanca County Park...

There have been two large pavilions that people use for picnicing and getting out of the sun, but those have been torn down and these new ones are being build further back from the shore; part of the plan to make more of a dune to protect the beach from erosion.

Also in the park, the new amphitheater looks like it is close to being completed...

Heading back towards home, we took a minute to enjoy the color of the water today...

A beautiful blue/turquoise today.  Coming back past South Bay, you can see the construction of the launch facility for Space-X taking shape...

That's a couple miles in the distance.  The first test launch may happen in March or April of this year - they are moving right along with it.

Turning back into the Port Isabel Channel, we saw this shrimpboat heading out...

With the bow wake he was kicking, we thought there might be some dolphins bow surfing.  Nope.  We came back around our island, into the canals and back to our dock.  Off-loaded some stuff out of the boat...

We got the car and boat trailer ready, then Joan shoved me off from the dock; our usual process: she will bring the trailer around to the ramp while I drive the boat around.  She backs the trailer in and I pull the boat up onto the trailer.  Heading out our canal for the last time for a couple months...

Enjoying some views along the way...

Joan was delayed at the ramp - some dumbass was parked across the entrance to the ramp, where his granddaughter was selling Girl Scout Cookies (to people crossing the bridge).  She tried to back around them, but finally had to ask if they could move so she could have access to the ramp.  I might have bought some cookies, but I do not believe in condoning dumbassery.

Joan backed down the ramp just as I was getting close...

Less than 2 minutes later, we were pulling away.  Joan hooks the bow strap while I turn the motor off and get it raised.  I get behind the wheel and we take the boat back to our driveway where the cleaning begins.  We had everything ready: power washer, hose, scrub brushes, and rags, before heading to the ramp.  She used the scrub brush, I did the power washer.  I hooked the muffs to the motor, flushed it, then disconnected the fuel line to run the fuel out of the motor and line.  We repositioned the boat/trailer, then Joan put stuff away while I wiped down the boat.

It is a lot of work, but it was only about 90 minutes from leaving the dock to finishing up the cleaning.  This boat is easy.

Tomorrow, weather permitting (another front coming in overnight), we'll get the boat put into our storage unit.  I already miss the dolphins.  ;-)