Cloudy, Complete with Silver Lining

Sometimes it's tough to leave the dock.  We had planned to stay in Wrangell a couple days around the 4th of July and then move on.  Then we needed another day for phone calls and internet stuff.  Then we decided to leave but found out the fuel dock wasn't open, so we ended up waiting another day.  When we finally left, the weather turned crappy.  So far this trip we have been experiencing incredible weather.  I have got a sunburn several times, and we are rarely using the heater in the boat, even at night.  Our trip out of Wrangell was the exception, with winds slowly building and heavy rain.  We decided to push on anyway, but didn't get too far before we heard a call on the marine radio from a boat that had lost power and was drifting with the wind.  His radio was weak and he couldn't communicate with the Coast Guard, but we could hear him fine.  When he finally gave his position I found out why, he had passed us just a short time before and was within sight behind our boat.  I turned around, got a tow line between the boats, and informed the Coast Guard that we would tow him to the nearest harbor.  Not only was this a good deed, but also gave us the excuse to stay in the harbor for the night and wait for better weather.  By the time we got him towed into protected water, a friend of his from town came by and took over so we were free to anchor and relax, warm and out of the rain.  It's always nice when unexpected events turn out to have a silver lining.