Day 24 began early. 5am, in fact. That's approximately the time that the good ship Faith cleared the breakwaters of Clearwater Harbor and sailed majestically (had anyone been awake to see it) almost to the gas dock at Clearwater Marina. We were moored, squared away and having breakfast at the marina's little dinner by six-thirty. Brian called in his cousin DJ, who used to run the local parasailing business, to join us. I called in my friends Mike and Meg Stack who agreed to swing up from Sarasota for an early visit. We spend a wonderful afternoon sacking a great seafood restaurant, Brit's, and returned to the boat, bellies bursting with swag, for an evening of threatening the locals. Security came by to shut us up about an hour after we'd retired to bed. Thoughtful of them.
I'll take this opportunity to explain a bit about waste disposal, as we have had some interested parties asking concerned questions. Faith is equipped with a marine toilet, something like the type you'd find in a camper from the '70's and modified to "marine" by putting it on a boat. No, seriously, it draws water from below the hull (yet another silly hole in the boat located below the waterline) for flushing, which it does into a five gallon plastic container. Simple, right? Try using it while underway, especially in heavy seas. Imagine yourself in that camper mentioned above, attempting to relieve yourself while the driver is doing seventy miles per hour over a badly rutted mountain road. Between hanging on for dear life and trying to maintain your position while being pelted by unfastened objects you just might remember why you are there in the first place. If you're lucky everything comes out all right. If not - there's really no more appropriate way to put this - you're shit out of luck. This great technological advancement in the history of the Faith was installed by dad, Captain Joe Faul, circa 1979, replacing the much more primitive "bucket" which emptied "over the side." I'm sure Lake Michigan, and all inland and coastal areas, are happier places for it.
Sleep well.