SANDY AFTERMATH: DAY SEVEN: The End

It was one week ago yesterday that Sandy was raking the harbor with gusts up to 90 MPH and severe coastal flooding. Taking BIANKA for a trip across the harbor and knocking out power for millions of people destroying the homes of others. Today a number of things have come together that mean things are coming to an end at least for me. I had just about given up ever finding the Honda outboard that went to the bottom of the harbor seven days ago when Sandy flipped over the dingy. After several hours using a grappling hook without success one of the boatyard guys suggested I try off another dock where he had seen some bubbles coming up. I did and on the third try I snagged the shaft of the outboard and was able to bring the Honda 2 HP outboard to the surface:

Some fish and crabs fell out from inside the coaming but, the Outboard looked in good condition. I flushed it with some fresh water and took it back home and placed into a bag filled with fresh water. I'll try and resuscitate it in a few days. I have hopes it will once again run. On the way to the house I noticed Utility Company trucks were on the block. So it it looks like the power outage at the house will also soon end.
Today the mast was also unstepped from BIANKA to be stored until next spring.

It means the end of the 2012 sailing season for me. Though I will be sailing in warmer climes over the winter it won't be on BIANKA. But it will be something to look forward to. Tomorrow BIANKA will also be pulled to be stored on land for the winter. Just in time before the next Nor'easter arrives in the area.  So this will be my last night on BIANKA too. Though I will be frequently be on board over the winter working on projects or sometimes just hanging out and staring thinking about the next season. So in some ways it's not the end it's the beginning of the wait for the next sailing season.