I finally submitted my application for a VHF license with the FCC. The bureaucracy and paperwork tied together with a very old school website (one ring to bind them!) had defeated us several times before. While technically I don't need one in the US, other countries still require a license, unless you already have one from your country. Since the FCC knows this there was no test, just $220 in fees.
This process also gives you a call sign (kind of cool) and an international MMSI number. This number gets programmed into your radios and EPIRBs. In the event of an emergency you push a button and your radio or EPIRB sends out a hail with this number, and hopefully your GPS lat/long location too. It becomes your zip code tying this hail to you and your contact information. You can get an MMSI in seconds from the BoatUS website but their database only works in the US. If the message is received by someone outside the US they go - huh?
We got the outboard propane tank filled, and the second galley tank at the same time. The outboard tanks lasts for about a month of daily usage, and the galley tanks even longer. With less than four gallons of propane to top them both up, this is definitely one of the more frugal aspects of boating. Also, I'd rather not have to look for propane while we're in the Bahamas.
We had dinner at Kelly's again, where Heather had the special of three Maine lobster tails for $20. They were certainly on the small side, but still a pretty good deal.
On Wednesday I pulled Heather's luggage out of the back cabin. She goes back to Arizona 3 - 4 times a year for some medical appointments, but this time I'm staying to work on the boat. She's staying with our oldest daughter Chelsea, and Friday just happens to be Chelsea's birthday. I'm sure they will find a way to have fun.
We had lunch at the Las Vegas Cuban food spot then did errands. I needed some supplies for a few of the projects while Heather was gone. When done with errands we still had some time and we ended up at a little Tiki bar off one of the canals. After wasting enough time we headed to the airport. While I've been to the FtL airport many times, I don't know if I've ever parked there, just returned rental cars. Well that was a whole different process, and involved a couple victory laps. We ended up closer to terminal 2 than 1 so we had a bit of a walk. Then Southwest counter was really bad. I'm no longer A-list (something about not flying in almost a year) so that didn't help. After an extraordinary amount of time to check one bag Heather was finally off.
I made it back to the boat in the dinghy by myself without getting wet, cooked some dinner on the bbq on the back rail, and fell asleep after a pint of Phish Food. An excellent start.
The fellow below, about three feet long, was sunning himself on the dock when I saw him. I must have gotten too close. Just after this picture he darted off the dock, diving four feet into the water, only surfacing when he was about 20 yards away. Not the sort of behavior I expect in a lizard.
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