Busy Doing Nothing

I just realized the other day that since we arrived here in Ft. Myers back in November we've only ventured away from the dock three times! For some reason whenever we think about going out for a few days one of us has some half baked reason for not being able to, like getting our nails done or a hair appointment, etc.

Our latest reason is Pam's quest for footwear. If you know Pam you know that she would rather be in heels than in deck shoes or flip flops. Thanks to an e-mail from the Captain the other day we think there may be a shoe that could satisfy both desires with a little modification.

Pam's new heels.

Although better suited for in water activities we think that with a few changes they would make the perfect deck shoe for females and cross dressers.

I can't throw all the blame for staying in port in Pam's direction. I wasted a perfectly good cruising day by staying put so I could paint a section of the anchor chain that had worn off from repeated usage. Our markings are every 50' so we know how much we've let out.

I raided the dumpster to find something to lay the chain on so I didn't paint the dock.
Of course while I'm taking care of these little projects I've found my Princess sneaking off to the pool to catch some rays.

Pam says it's hard to read with my incessant talking!

Of course Docktails continue on a nightly basis highlighted last weekend by fireworks from the Edison Festival of Light celebration.

Edison Festival of Lights fireworks.

Occasionally we venture downtown for dinner at Ichiban or the Twisted Vine. Wherever we go we always seem to end up at the Cigar Bar for after dinner drinks. It's nice to have a place to enjoy a cocktail and a cigar without being looked at like you're a criminal!

Celebrating Valentine's Day with Rick & Sarah of M/V Private Affair. Okay. Maybe we look a bit happy!
All in all we're very fortunate to be this busy doing nothing.

Tentacles

February 13, 2012     Happy Birthday Ryan!

Hope you have a great day Bink!

Seems like we've been here in the marina now forever. It has a way of attaching tentacles to the boat and not letting it out of their grasp. About the time you think you can head out for a few days the weather turns ugly or Pam has to get her nails done. If that's not enough we now have to schedule around having our curtains replaced. If it's not one thing, it's another!

Pam & Vyktoria removing the curtains.

Some guys dream of having two blonde's in their bed. For me it's just another expense!

Along with having our curtains replaced we also had our front isinglass repaired. We had been running around for the past several months with a crack right at the bottom of the front smiley that I look through. Fortunately it wasn't in my line of sight so we had Kieth from Riverside Covers (http://www.riversidecovers.com/) sew a patch across the bottom that matches our existing canvas. Now it looks like brand new and cost much less than the curtains!

Very clear but not much protection.

Repaired smiley. Good as new!
Pam just reminded me to stop whining about being dock bound. I forgot that we did get away all of 14 miles last week. We travelled up the Caloosahatchie to the park by Franklin Lock and spent an overnight. Dockage was only $24.00 which includes water and electric. The docks are part of a campground run by the Corps of Engineers and kept very clean. Nice slabs for the motorhomes with hookups and stationary docks for the boaters. Toss in showers and laundry and it's the complete package.

Tourist @ Franklin Lock Park

We dropped the dinghy in and took a ride upriver to Hickey Creek where there used to be a camel kept by a local land owner. We didn't see the camel but the creek was like a ride back into the old south with low hanging trees and Spanish Moss dripping from the branches. Kinda cool. Unfortunately we didn't have enough gas to explore further up the creek and had to head back to Tourist.

Hickey Creek

We did spot a few cows cooling off in the water.

Our escorts for the dinghy excursion. Donnie & Chloe of Kasey's Choice.

Upon our return to Tourist we had just enough time to clean up before cocktail hour. Don't want to be late for that! We were able to sit at one of the adjacent picnic tables and watch the boats come and go from Franklin Lock while sipping a bit of rum. Later we joined Donnie & Marilyn on Kasey's Choice for a delicious turkey dinner prepared by chef Marilyn. Before we knew it it was approaching midnight, way past my bed time!

The next day we hung around for a few hours before locking through and heading back to Legacy. A quick but relaxing trip with the added benefit of flushing fresh water through all of Tourists systems. Once through the lock when headed East you're in fresh water until passing through the St. Lucie lock near Stuart on the East side of the state.

Trawlerfest 2012

Since we've been dock dwellers for a week or so we decided to blow the stink off and drive over to Ft. Lauderdale to attend the boat show portion of Trawlerfest and kick some rub rails. We blasted out of town around 8:20 am and went about 20 miles before pulling into a Waffle House for something to eat. I'm not sure why we like these places.....We just do!
Back on the road and a couple hours later we pulled into the Bahia Mar parking lot where the Ft. Lauderdale Trawlerfest is located. I had registered and paid online so we should be able to check in, get banded, and go right in. Wrong! For the second year in a row our reservation was goofed up. Once resolved we were on our way. (Next time no pre-register. Just show up, pay and go in.)

Passageway to your dreams!

Our first stop was at the Kadey Krogen exhibit where they were displaying a new 52, 48, and a used 48. Of course we liked the newer vessels. The 52 was still in the commissioning stage so it was missing some electronics and the bimini top. Pam particularly liked the galley for it's size and accessibility either from inside or through a dedicated door to the outside. My take on it was that it was a stretched out version of the 48 but with a Portuguese Bridge. True Krogenites would probably notice a zillion things that are different. All in all it was a great boat with fit & finish done the way you would expect from a serious cruising boat.

Krogen 52

Krogen 52 Helm

Some of the other boats we looked at were a 1998 57' Nordhavn. Honestly the first Nordhavn I've liked. The others were all smaller and had more elevation changes than a mountain range.

57 Nordhavn

We also looked at a used 62 Nordhavn, a boat I've been intrigued with for some time. I just like the shippy look of the exterior. The interior wasn't a bad layout until you get to the maze of guest staterooms. I'm sure there are other layouts more desirable. Both Nordhavns are built like tanks and would surely provide a safe feeling for the crew while cruising.

62' Nordhavn

We looked too at the Hampton's. A used 55 and a used 68. For the life of me I can't figure out how these people sell boats. The 55 was filthy with scratched counter tops and dirty carpets and a less than clean galley area. The 68 wasn't as bad but still not in a condition that I would be proud to have in a show. As for the layouts Hampton does a nice job allowing room to get from one area to another without the need to get skinny.

68' Hampton

There was a 56' Altima in the show that we looked at last year. This one has replaced the pilothouse helm with a huge U shaped dining area and left the piloting to be done from the flybridge. With only a canvas and isinglass enclosure it just doesn't seem right to me. Apparently I'm not alone since this boat has been around a couple of years.

Krogen Express had a new 2009 52 footer in the show. How do you get new out of a 2009 model? However you can explain it we like this boat for our style of boating. A simple interior layout with accessible storage room. An almost stand up engine room. Good speed if needed and not too much boat to take care of. Time to double up on Powerball tickets!

52' Krogen Express

We looked at a couple of 53' Selene's which always show well provided they've been cared for. These had been and continue to be on our list of boats to consider when the lottery picks our numbers.

There were a few Grand Banks, Mainships, and a couple of American Tugs which surprised us with a nice layout and good fit & finish.

One of our favorite boats was a 1999 60' Grand Alaskan which had been recently redecorated on the interior. We have always liked the layout of this model and this one was no exception. Perhaps a little more boat than we're looking for but a sacrifice we could make.

60' Grand Alaskan
By 4:30 we had been through all of the boats we wanted to see and headed to the hotel to get rested for dinner. Looking at boats is exhausting and almost kept us from going out to dinner. My need for food won out in the end and we put on our spiffy shoes and headed out the door.

No I'm not a cross dresser. These are Pam's!

We retraced our path to the beach area to a spot we fell in love with a few years ago. The Casablanca Cafe. (http://www.csablancacafeonline.com/) Of course there was a line waiting to get in but fear not, they have a great bar where you can prepare your pallet for the upcoming meal. It only seemed like minutes that we waited because of the good service and great drinks. Our table was on the patio and of course the food was fantastic. Now that we had our second wind we trekked back to the bar for an after dinner drink. Chocolate espresso martini's. Yumm! As a bonus the piano bar was now in full swing and guess who closed the place down?

Fortunately they left the lights on so we could find our way out!

Sometime the next morning we woke up. A little sluggish but overall in pretty good shape if you know what I mean. Following our daily preparation routines we loaded the car and headed out. Of course no visit to Ft. Lauderdale would be complete without stops at Boat Owners Warehouse, Sailorman, and now the new West Marine touted as the biggest in the U.S.

The new West Marine. HUGE!

The great thing about the location of all three places is that they surround a little spot called Lester's Diner.
(http://www.lestersdiner.com/) Snoring all night creates an appetite and Lester's is the place to satisfy your cravings.

Lesters' Diner. Nothin fancy. Just good food.

Now completely stuffed and broke we pointed the car towards Ft. Myers and headed back to Tourist.