Deer Island has turned into Devils Island for me. I awoke with no energy. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep from waking up or that every paddle stroke in the Gulf is earned. When I finally got moving I paddled out about 100 yards and realized it wasn't going to happen. Every wave splashed my boat and I took on water. I headed back into shore frustrated. I decided instead of just sitting there to walk. I pulled my boat in the water along the shore. There are times that I feel I could walk faster than I am paddling and now I have my chance to see. It felt like I was walking a dog that didn't want to walk. I was bare foot and every so often I would step on a shell. I put my sandals on but the sand quickly worked it's way between the straps and rubbed my pinky toe raw. I went back to barefoot. My boat got stuck on a sand bar and I had to dig in and pull. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my foot. I pulled my foot up and shook it. A crab went flying through the air and splashed down into the water. That was it. I sat down on a log and hoped that the waves would die down so I could get off this island. While I was sitting there I saw 2 girls walking towards me. I had no idea how they got there. When they came up they asked if I had seen an injured dolphin. I said no I have been stuck on shore all day. They were from a local rescue and had gotten a call. I took their number and said I would call if I saw anything. They left and I was alone again sitting in the sun helpless. I realized that about 50 yards behind me was a backfill that led out to the East end of the island. I thought it was better than nothing to give it a shot. I unloaded and drug my boat across the island. I thought I was home free, but the water was only a foot deep. I kept getting stuck and the sun beat down more and more. When I got to the end of the island I had to decide if I should stay on the island that had haunted me all day or continue on. The only thing is, it is about a 4 mile open water paddle to land, and 7 mile open water to the next bend where I would have to go eventually. I decided I didn't want to be on that island any longer. At about mile 3 I was joined by some dolphins. Not the injured one. I asked them. At mile 5 the storm that had been chasing me closed in. I peeled of and headed the mile to shore. I barely made it before the storm. I pulled out my tarp and just wrapped it around and sat down. I am starting to think that when I just throw the tarp over my head, it is kind of like when people say you are giving up on life. I am hoping that at some point someone sees me doing this and gets a picture because I'm sure it's funny looking. The storm passed and I set up camp. As frustrating of a day it was today, I know tomorrow is a new one. Now will it be a good one or a bad one?