Repo (Owners Return)

For the past couple of months we've have had the use of a GMC Envoy at our disposal all because of the kindness of Rick & Deb Smith from M/V Broulee. While they were out looking for warmer weather to the south we had custody of their vehicle. Let me tell you we put it to good use. We were able to start a shuttle service here at Legacy and help replenish the cruising kitty. We made several trips to the airport as well as the local attractions. We even had one trip to Atlanta and back. But my favorite was the Naples swamp buggy races in which we placed in the top three! I think all the mud is off by now.
Just kidding Rick & Deb! Pam & I can't thank you enough for your generosity. It made those trips to Wal-Mart so much easier than walking. And since as I get older I suffer from C.R.S. syndrome (can't remember sh-t) Having the roof top carrier sticking up above all other cars made it easy to spot in the huge parking lot. No more aimless wandering up and down the rows pushing a cart trying to find the car.

M/V Broulee

Rick & Deb heading to Docktails
Thanks again to the Broulee crew. Hope your trip home is safe and that you all have a great summer. Izzy included!

The Best Made Plans........

Like so often happens in boating, what you set out to do takes a left turn. By staying at our new favorite anchorage longer than planned we ran smack dab into the threat of some approaching heavy weather. With discretion being the better part of valor we decided to abort our visit to Goodland and head back up to the Ft. Myers area. Once again we ducked into the mooring field at the beach to sit out the rain and top off the fuel tanks before returning to Legacy.

Coming off the Gulf we had to alter course for this guy heading out to sea.
Rain. Usually it interferes with boating but this time it was welcomed. Tourist was covered with salt from the runs offshore and the heavy rain that came on Sunday washed it away. Less wear on the cleanup crew (Me!)

When we left the Beach on Monday we saw a couple military inflatables at the upper end of Ft. Myers Beach. It appeared that they were dragging a net with floats on it between them. Not so. What at first looked like floats turned out to be men in combat gear complete with helmets in the water wading to shore. The spring breakers are gone so I can't imagine what they'd be assaulting the beach for now.

Our trip back up the Caloosahatchie was uneventful since most of the snowbirds (kamikazee's) have returned home.

Out and About

Here we are. All alone in the world, so what do we do? Start cruising! Well not in the sense of a world cruise or even a Bahamas cruise. How about a cruise to Goodland. Goodland is a small town near Marco Island with a couple of bar/restaurants and supposedly a marina. Time will tell if we get there or not.

We left Legacy on Tuesday and travelled the 21.9 miles to Ft. Myers Beach where we stopped for fuel at Ballard Oil fuel dock. A wooden pier sticking out into the water with the cheapest fuel around. Like $2.79 a gallon cheap compared to $3.14 plus everywhere else. Normally I'm suspect of the cheapest places but this guy fuels the shrimp boats. As we pulled up a large yacht was just pulling out. He took on 3000 gallons of diesel! Ouch! By the time we got done fueling it was closing in on cocktail time so we decided to pick up a mooring ball and spend the night.

One of the largest boats coming in and out of the beach area is the Key West Express (http://www.seakeywestexpress.com/) . A large catamaran that runs daily to Key West. About a three and one half hour cruise. Freddy! Freddy! A boat of a different variety houses a pizza delivery service to boaters.  No pizza for us tonight!.

Wednesday morning we left the beach area and headed south. Winds from the east provided beam seas that covered Tourist with a coating of salt by the time we came back inside at Gordon's Pass near Naples. Continuing south through some shallow waters we came upon an anchorage that is one of the best we've found so far in the time we've spent in Florida waters. It has an endless beach. Turquoise waters. A no wake zone. Dolphins that play around the boat. And fantastic views. If I told you where it is I'd have to kill you!

Our travelling companions again are the Kasey's Choice crew. Donnie, Marilyn, and Chloe. Of course Chloe is our favorite. So much so that Pam wants to kidnap her! The picture says it all.

Parental Whirlwind!

Pam's parents rolled into town this past Tuesday for a quick visit. Tired and hungry after a 2 day drive from home, we took them next door to Joe's Crab Shack where they attacked a bucket of crab legs. Once back on Tourist it wasn't long before Pam's dad hit the sack. Her mother on the other hand was just getting started. She and Pam stayed up quite late catching up on everything we've missed since leaving in January.

Wednesday dawned bright and sunny with winds under 10mph. A good day for a boat ride. Down the Caloosahatchie we went. Destination....you guessed it!...Gramma Dots. While on our way we passed through a time warp to the time of Columbus. We passed the Nina and the Pinta, two of Chris's ships cruising up the river.

Lunch at G-Dots was good as always and while we were waiting to be seated a group of dolphins entertained us just off the stern of Tourist. Of course before we left we had to take the family picture.

Thursday was a shopping day for the girls and a waitng day for the men. Nothing happened however until the girls had coffee and a battle over who got the computer to play spider solitaire!

Before returning to Tourist for an afternoon nap we stopped at Coconuts for a few appetizers.

Later in the day we went out to Carrabas' Italian Grill for dinner. Of course we arrived in time to get the 2 for 1 drink special! A big drawing card for those of us on a fixed income!  After dinner the girls again stayed up until 1am talking and watching a movie.

Friday came early. Like 4 am early! Pam's dad wanted to be on the road headed north. The car was loaded. Coffee filled the thermos. And the nest in the passenger side of the car was ready. And so at 4:45 am we said so long. A whirlwind visit that seemed like it just began!

It's now Saturday and as I write this Pam is still sleeping, trying to make up for the sleep time she missed from staying up with her Mom

Cast Off the Lines!

After waiting all winter for the Florida weather we all hope for, it finally arrived. Temps in the 80's with light breezes. That can only spell one thing for Tourist & crew. Get out of Dodge! Off with the dock lines and out we go. We travelled at trawler speed in company with Kasey's Choice down the Caloosahatchie. Traversed the "Miserable Mile" (actually 3 miles) and headed north for our first overnight anchorage just off of York Island.

As is the case any time you venture out on the waters around here you encounter either a Sea Tow or Towboat U.S. boat. Usually lurking around some of the notorious trouble spots created by shallow water and inattentive skippers. This journey was no exception. In fact at our second anchorage we watched as a sailboat ran aground and had to be pulled off by Towboat U.S. Towing insurance is a must in these shallow waters!

Pelican Bay at Cayo Costa State Park was our second night out and thanks to Kasey's Choice we anchored in a spot that had only 2 other boats, good protection, and plenty of swing room. The sailboat that ran aground was trying to get into this same spot. We liked it so well that we stayed here for 3 nights and spent time walking across the island to check out the beach. Dinghying around the island finding a crocadile along with a few manatee in a small cove. Good thing we did the walk first or Pam wouldn't have gotten out of the dinghy!

The anchorage provided for plenty of boat watching opportunities with over 40 boats in it at one point. We spotted this Wisconsin fan cruising around the anchorage.

On our way out we watched a small sailboat try to leave with his anchor still down. He'd power up only to hardly move and when he let off the power the anchor would grab and pull the boat around. Once that occured both people on the boat would look over the stern as if the motor was at fault. They tried this same procedure several times with the same results. At last sighting they were finally moving only because they got to deeper water where the anchor no longer could touch bottom.

Our last night was spent off Sanibel Island at the Ding Darling Nature Preserve. Nearby we spotted this abandoned sailboat. Most of the valuable gear had been stripped away already so no salvage opportunities this time! After exploring the preserve and an afternoon nap we had Easter dinner aboard Tourist. We are now back at Legacy preparing for the arrival of Pam's parents.

Projects

The past few days have been dedicated to boat projects. Our Onan generator was due for a valve adjustment so after a call to Cummins and a scheduling mess up on their part mechanic, John showed up to perform the task. Clearly not Johns best side in the picture but it gives you an idea of why I don't want to perform this task. Human pretzle comes to mind.

Another project stems back to 2003 when we ordered Tourist. We had the option of ordering a satelite tv receiver but opted not to for various reasons that made sense at the time. Then came last June when all of the tv stations started broadcasting in a digital format (whatever that means). Since then we have not been able to pick up any tv stations on our antenna. I'm now happy to report that we now have a digital descrambler installed and working! So now we get some of the major networks as well as 3 spanish stations here in Ft. Myers. Se habla espanol? It was a bit of a project since all of the cables and wiring for the tv is concealed behind a panel that holds 2 six disc cd changers. 1 dvd player. 1 am/fm radio. and 1 Sirius radio controller. All of which had to be removed so I could cut a new hole in the panel to accomodate the digital whatchamacallit.

On Tuesday myself and Donnie from Kasey's Choice crewed for Captain Eric Ravenschlag who was delivering the M/V Blue Goose (53' Hatteras) across the Caloosahatchie to The River Forest storage facility. (http://www.riverforestyc.com/)  It was a pleasant days ride through 2 locks and a more rural area than we've seen for awhile. River Forest has 2 buildings that are climate controlled and can accomodate approximately 140 boats under cover. Impressive place! It is the first travelift I've ever seen with condoms on the straps. That's right. The straps have a heavy clear plastic wrapper around them! Upon completion of our duties we were picked up by a couple of hot babes (Pam & Marilyn) and given a ride back to Ft. Myers.