Tourist Chronicles

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Another Italian Captain???

Recently another ship strayed off course and had an accident. This time right here in the middle of our country. The M/V Delta Mariner which carries parts for our space program from Alabama to Florida picked the wrong span to pass under of the Hwy 68/80 bridge over Kentucky Lake. Anyone who has done the loop has passed under this bridge located right next to Kenlake Resort & Marina. A place we stayed with Tourist for a night this past autumn.

Ky. Expedited Bridge Replacement Program

The bridge was built in 1932 and is slated for replacement in the upcoming years. I'm guessing this will move that project forward slightly.

Fortunately no one was on the span when the impact occurred and little damage was done to the ship. I'm guessing however there may be a couple of crew positions open on the Mariner! Interested parties may apply at Lowestbidder.gov/mariner/capt.

Kenlake Resort Hotel.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

More from Glover Bight

1/20/12 Friday The weather has been fantastic this week with temps in the upper 70's and clear, sunny skies and calm winds. All you need when hanging on the hook. Just to make it a bit better we have been seeing more dolphins in here this time than in our previous stays. It's like being anchored in Sea World.

Of course with good weather come the fair weather boaters. Deckboats cruising through the anchorage nearly running into the anchored boats because the driver is looking back at his passengers and not at what's in front of him. Sportfishermen of all sizes rushing to get out to catch that elusive fish. Often times it looks like a Nascar race with boats four wide trying to squeeze through the narrow channel. Patience is often a forgotten virtue with these guys. Mix in a few kayaks, jet skies, and the week-end sailors and you've got a giant cluster ----. A good time to be sitting still just watching.

By late afternoon the anchorage starts to attract a few boaters looking for a place to spend the night. Needless to say with all the room in Glover Bight a couple sail boats had to drop their anchors right behind us.

Boats are closer than they appear!

By nightfall what breeze we had died down and the water was flat calm making for a restfull night.

Saturday dawned and by 8a.m. the parade had started again and this time they started coming into our space and anchoring. I thought the sail boats were close until a couple of Sea Rays settled in right over our anchor! I wasn't too concerned figuring they were only there for the day. Wrong!

Again, closer than they appear.

After lunch we took a ride in the dinghy around the corner towards Cape Harbour Marina passing through the little lock that separates the salt and fresh water canals.

Cape Harbour Lock.

We explored the Cape Harbour area and just a few of the many canals.

Cape Harbour condos & marina.

That evening we had a visit from Rick & Deb (M/V Broulee) who drove down to make sure we didn't have to drink alone on a Saturday night. Mission accomplished! We managed to suspend all drinking just in time for them to get back to shore and find their car.

By nightfall the anchorage was getting full. The surprising thing was that with the exception of us and a boat from Chicago all the boats were from Cape Coral, just around the corner. One thing that confuses me every time we anchor is the use of those solar powered landscape lights as anchor lights. Really. Don't these boats have enough battery capacity to power one white bulb for 12 hours?

Sunday dawned bright and sunny once again. Another day in paradise. Of course since it's Sunday it's Bloody Mary time!

Cheers!

We chilled for most of the morning before heading back to Legacy in the early afternoon. We had to get in in time to rest up for the evening. No, not the football games. We, along with Rick & Sarah of M/V Private Affair were invited to a Chinese New Year celebration by the owner of Ichiban, a Chinese restaurant that we frequent.
The festivities didn't start until 10 p.m. so I almost needed two naps to make it through the night. Ming and his family put out a huge variety of Sushi and Chinese food along with an open bar for all of the guests. As usual it was all very good. Unfortunately I'm not sure what exactly we ate since it wasn't labeled. The highlight of the night however wasn't the food. It was Karaoke done in Chinese. I wanted to sing but I just couldn't read the lyrics at the bottom of the screen. What a hoot! We managed to stay until 1 a.m. before we left. The party was still going strong, just without us. Happy New Year!

Monday morning in the marina it's work as usual for the boaters. Cleaning, waxing, installing.

Boat projects never end.

Of course all work is suspended once it's time for Docktails!

Docktail Time!
This may be the last blog for awhile. This is the week we get the prices for Tourist's makeover. I fear a heart failure coming on! Bring on the Rum!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Glover Get Together

1/16/12 Monday Long before Pamster was ready for the day we were greeted by fellow Galenian's, Marc & Michelle McCoy with a request for a group picture. We have all been in Legacy since November but except for a few docktail encounters haven't been able to get together. Now it was time for them to leave before the Legacy vacuum sucked them in for good. Of course Pam politely refused but in conversation found that our friends were only going as far as Glover Bight to stage for heading into the Gulf on Tuesday. Then the light bulb went on. We have a car! It was quickly decided that we could drive down and meet them at Marker 92 for lunch. So that's what we did.

Marc's Ark escaping the Legacy Vacuum.

Upon our arrival at marker 92 we looked out into the bight and saw Marc's Ark just getting the anchor set. What we didn't expect to see was another boat just ahead of them. Lindonia, who we had last seen back in Mobile.

Marc's Ark with Lindonia in Glover Bight.

We enjoyed a great lunch with the McCoy's and bid them Godspeed as they continued on their Loop adventure.

A long way from Deadmans' Slough.

While having lunch I noticed Lindonia's tender going in the water and Don & Lindy setting off to explore the area. At first I thought they were heading our way but around the corner they went. When they didn't return right away I guessed that they might be at Rumrunner's not far away. Again having wheels enabled us to drive over there and see if my hunch was right. It was. Their jaws dropped as we walked up to their table since they had no idea we were there. We enjoyed a quick get together and made plans to meet them Wednesday evening for dinner on their boat.

1/18/12 Wednesday Before heading to Glover Bight we met with Viktoriya, a design consultant about giving the interior of Tourist a makeover. Totally confused from looking at fabric samples we set sail around 3:30pm for Glover. I'm sure I'll be suffering from color swatch overload for the next few days as well as price shock once we get the quote!

Shortly after arriving in the bight we secured Tourist and headed over to Lindonia. It was fun getting together again and filling each other in on what has gone on since our last meeting. Lindy made a great spaghetti dinner complemented by Pam's salad and a cheesecake desert. We stayed until 11 drinking and dining and drinking some more. On our way back to Tourist the water was flat calm. About half way there we heard a whoosh sound, then another, and another. We were surrounded by dolphins breaking the surface, exhaling then diving back down. The perfect ending to a great evening with friends.

Dinner on Lindonia.

1/19/12 Thursday Pam & I awoke in time to watch Lindonia raise their anchor and head off to Stuart where they"ll spend the winter.

Adios Lindonia.

After lunch we took the dinghy into the canals of Cape Coral and checked out the homes and boats along the way. We returned in time for a nap and to watch the dolphins play around the bight area before watching another beautiful sunset.

Sunset @ Glover Bight

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Escaping Illinois

With the Holidays behind us it was time to pack up and head South. For a twist we decided to drive Pam's little 2 seater back to Florida. I was a bit apprehensive at first thinking that my butt would be blistered from dragging on the pavement for1400 miles but it proved to be more comfy than I had anticipated. One of the benefits of the small car was not much room to bring more stuff back to Tourist! We had just enough room for a carry on sized bag, a laptop, and of course a few pair of shoes for my Princess!

We pulled out before the sun came up and headed down the road with our first stop for breakfast at the Jubilee Cafe just outside of Peoria. Good food. Reasonable prices and that down home vibe that you can only get in a small town diner.

America at it's finest!

Back on I-74 and around Peoria crossing the Illinois River over the bridge that we anchored below just a few months ago. We had a good view of the Peoria Lock as we crossed over and noticed a towboat just pulling out heading south. The Illinois stays open to navigation year round in spite of the cold winters.

Once at Champaign we turned south on I-57 travelling through some of the most fertile land in North America. Fields so flat and wide that you wonder how they plowed so much land with only a horse drawn plow back in the day.
Along our travels from top to bottom in Illinois we noticed several wind farms dotting the horizon.

Illinois wind farm. No fertilizer required.

Before long we were approaching the bridge over the Ohio River crossing from Illinois into Kentucky.

I-24 Ohio River Bridge

The Ohio was running so high that Lock 52 upstream from the bridge was completely under water allowing the river traffic to pass over the dam.

Across Kentucky passing over the Tennessee River and the Cumberland on our way towards Nashville.

Kentucky Dam from the Tennessee River bridge.

We buzzed through Nashville. Over Monteagle and back down to the Tennessee valley crossing the Nickajack Reservoir upstream from a spot that we anchored in this past fall. A beautiful area but now too dark for pictures. We slipped through Chattanooga and into Dalton, Georgia for our overnight. An easy day of some 800 miles with no butt blisters!

Our second day of travel found us again on the road before daybreak. Our biggest hurdle today would be getting through Atlanta before rush hour. We cruised into the North side on I-75 and picked up the HOV lane and cruised right through downtown without a hitch. Whew! Atlanta can be a bear if you hit it at the wrong time. We continued on to Macon where we stopped at the Must Stop restaurant when travelling in the South. Waffle House! No less than 3 employees said "Good Morning" to us as we entered the door. My breakfast choice? Waffles of course!

It don't get any better!

Once we left Macon it seemed like no time until we entered Florida. Only 330 miles to Ft. Myers. I put the car on auto helm, took a nap and before we knew it we were coming across the Caloosahatchie looking at Legacy Harbour, our winter home.

Legacy Harbour at the base of the High Point Place condos.
No rest for the wicked. One day after arriving at Legacy we joined a small armada and headed down to the mooring field at Ft. Myers Beach for the week-end. We spent a couple of nights hanging on the mooring balls socializing and checking out some of the local establishments.

Tourist on the ball.

Church on the beach.

Sign over the urinal in the Surf Club Bar.

Down Simba!

Duck!!

Into the night we go.

Full to the bursting point we came back to Legacy riding lower in the water than when we left. Once secured at the dock I had to pack a bag in preparation for my flight back to Illinois the next morning.

My flight took me from RSW(Regional Southwest) to ORD(O'Hare) to MLI(Moliine). I arrived in Moline at 12:30pm, walked off the plane. Hit the head and walked into the lobby where I was greeted by my parents who were waiting for me, their chauffeur, to get behind the wheel of their car and drive them to Florida. That's right. I enjoyed our drive down so much that I volunteered to drive them down also! Two days later and we were back in Ft. Myers escaping the blast of cold and snow that hit home the next day.

I think I need a nap!

P.S. We arrived in Ft. Myers on my moms birthday. Happy Birthday Flower!

Mom & Ryan

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Tis' the Season

Thursday December 29, 2011 Happy Birthday Drew!

Hard to believe Pam & I have a grandson turning 17 today. How does that happen? After all I'm only 19 (although my body keeps telling me differently). Hope you have a great day today Drewski!

On the home front it seems like a month since we've felt the gentle rocking of Tourist beneath our feet. Fortunately the weather here in NW Illinois has been unseasonably mild since we came home. It's been a busy time spent shopping, getting together with friends & family, the holidays, dentist visits and doctor appointments, etc. On the doctor note we had a good report for Pam concerning the small lump they discovered in her breast back in June. She recently had it removed and all was clear! We're both very relieved with the report and want to thank everyone who kept her in their thoughts and prayers.

The patient.

Christmas was the traditional Hillard family Christmas with a family gathering at our house on the 24th with the centerpiece being a dinner of chicken casserole or chicken sh-t as we all call it. On the 25th we reconvene at my parents for gifts and our traditional meal of KFC! And this year we hosted the evening meal for Pam's side of the family and started a new dining tradition, Manny's Pizza! It just doesn't get any better than that!

Nothing says Christmas like Chicken Sh-t and KFC!

We'll be home through the New Year holiday and then head back to Tourist hopefully before winter decides to rear her head!

The motley crew on Christmas after KFC. Some ate so much they couldn't get off the floor!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Loop Reflections

Having crossed our wake at Grafton, Illinois back in September we put the final exclamation point on our loop adventure when we pulled into Legacy Harbour in Ft. Myers, Florida in November. Since arriving back in Florida many have asked what our favorite part of the trip was. Simple answer, All of it. Perhaps a more appropriate question might be what part we liked the least since we liked almost all of the places we visited.

Occupying that low spot would be Carolina Beach, NC. Probably because we were stuck at the marina there for over a week with no loaner car or transportation while we waited on the plotter/transducer debacle to get resolved. Customer service is somewhere below the waterline at Joyner Marina. Now that I've got that out of the way on to more positive things.

Some of our favorite places/things are listed below.

Favorite City New York
Favorite Marinas Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers, Ky. & Grand Harbor in Counce, Tn.
Favorite Anchorage Behind the Statue of Liberty on Memorial Day
Favorite Waterway All of them
Favorite Meal Curry Original in Kingston, Ont.
Favorite Drink Chubby Mary at Ricks in Leland, MI.
Favorite Watering Hole Commodore Yacht Club @ Green Turtle Bay
Favorite Laundry Facility Demopolis Yacht Basin (new marina section)
Favorite Grocery Wal-Mart (who would have guessed!)
Favorite Buddy Boats Coconuts & Tumbleweed
Favorite Unusual Boat S/V Lollygag (homemade)

Places we want to go back to explore further:

Chesapeake Bay
North Channel
Tennessee River

Would we do it again? In a heart beat. As much as anything I love the logistical challenges that you face every day. Weather, tides, bridge openings, finding an anchorage or marina, harbor traffic, etc. If you've done any distance traveling in a boat you know firsthand that it's not like driving your car along the interstate. There aren't facilities at every exit. Planning is the key and having 2 or 3 plans for each day is insurance that should keep you out of trouble. On the flip side planning can get you into trouble if you set deadlines to be somewhere by a certain date. Mother nature will always have a say in what you do.

We're often asked how we manage in such a small area. "Don't you get on each others nerves?" The answer is not often. (Except when we're picking out a movie to watch.) Since we started cruising on a more full-time basis in 2008 we have developed our own habits and spaces that we occupy. Additionally Tourist at 48' and two levels (3counting the engine room) offers us enough area to get away from each other if needed. However, I'm happy to say that I couldn't ask for a better cruising companion/deckhand/chef/friend/lover than Pam. We've heard stories of boats pulling into marinas and the wife saying to the marina operator,"Take me to the airport!" Fortunately neither of us has ever felt that way.

Another question is "Do you ever get homesick?" For me coming from a travel background the answer is rarely. For Pam the answer is yes. We try to get home every 3 months for a brief visit with family and friends. So far that seems to be keeping everyone happy.

Many asked if we "Buddy Boated" while on the Loop. The answer to that is only a couple of times. Once through Canada where we had a great time traveling with Coconuts and made a lasting friendship. And with Tumbleweed on the Tennessee. Pam & I enjoy people but are very content to travel by ourselves. Too many chefs spoil the stew and the same can be said of too many boats traveling together. Maybe it's just because I'm an only child but I don't like the idea of stopping quick and having 3 bow pulpits climbing over my stern. That doesn't mean that we didn't meet some great people along the way because we did. Many however failed to recognize us as "Loopers". Perhaps because we were in a Sea Ray and not a trawler?

Now what? After walking the docks of Legacy for a week checking out every boat that came in and watching with envy those that went past we/I have settled into a more sedentary life. It's now time to take care of all those little things that have been put off while on the move. We'll spend the Holidays at home and get back to Tourist in January and prepare for our next adventure. Bahamas anyone?

Have a great Christmas everyone and a prosperous New Year!

A few pictorial highlights;