Company and Adventure

Ft. Myers has done a great job with their downtown area over the past few years that we've been wintering here. Almost every weekend there is something going on in the downtown area. Bike night. Old car night. Art walk, and  music walk just to name a few of the activities.

Last week we strolled downtown with visiting friends Frank & Peg to check out the old cars. Frank recognized most of them. Something about parking in his youth? Me, not so many unless I read the vanity license.

This one I recognize. My first car was an identical 1967 Mustang that looked just like this one except for the wheels. Wish I still had it!

While Frank & Peg were here we took a ride out to Captiva Island to visit Frank's nephew Sean Kelly who runs a small charter fishing operation on the island. Our intent was to meet him and go for lunch somewhere on Captiva. Sean had other plans. Before we could object (yeah, right!) we were in his boat and heading towards Cabbage Key for lunch. We cruised over the shallow water of Pine Island Sound and around North Captiva Island before arriving at Cabbage Key.

Sean and Pam. Not a good hair day!

Homes on the lower end of N. Captiva. Powered supplied only by sun, wind, & generator with all access by either boat or small plane.

Cabbage Key Restaurant.

Dollar bills hanging inside Cabbage Key. Reportedly $67,000.00 worth which they donate to various charity's once a year.

Picked up a hitchhiker while we were going slow.

We had a great unexpected day on the water. Sean kept us off all of the shallow spots on Pine Island Sound where the average depth is only 4.5 feet! If you need a guide for the area Sean's your man.

While Frank & Peg were in town we visited the Shell Factory in N. Ft. Myers. Interesting is the best I can say. I've seen a million of these tourist traps and this ranks right up there with the best of them. I will say that lunch at their restaurant was good but I think we were there over an hour before I saw a shell.

Stuffed animals in a shell factory?

Even Elvis was looking for shells!

Pam found a pirate that she tried to run off with but he wouldn't budge!

We finally found the shells!

Before our guests left town we got cleaned up to head downtown and have dinner with some of Frank's relatives.

As usual my eyes are closed when posing for a picture.

One of the nice things at Legacy is the annual appreciation party put on by the marina. This year it was a western theme with an assortment of barbecued meats, baked beans, and salads. Needless to say a good time was had by all.

Harbor master Eric and part of his harem!

The highlight of the night is the drawing for free stuff. Eric is being assisted by his two daughters and office manager Sheila. I was the big winner of 25' of dock line!
All too soon it was the weekend again. Saturday morning started early since I had to take Pam to the airport to catch a flight back home for an Oscar fix.

My Princess waiting patiently for her flight.

Once Pam was through security I headed back to Legacy to go with Donnie inland to Turkey Creek to pick up his brother's boat and bring it back to Ft. Myers Beach. The boat fired right off and we departed around 9:30 a.m. but not before my back decided to go out when I bent over to pick up a dock line.

The wind was picking up but locking through wasn't a problem. It was an uneventful ride across the Caloosahatchie as we passed through 2 locks and only needed one bridge to open for us. We passed by Legacy after lunch and we noticed the wind picking up in intensity. The boat was running good and we continued on towards the gulf and Ft. Myers Beach. As we passed under the Sanibel bridge we were feeling good about the time we were making and started calculating exactly what time we would arrive at the dock. At the same time the wind on the open water was kicking up 2 to 3 footers with occasional 4's. Still no problem since we only had a few miles to go before we would duck in behind Ft. Myers Beach.

Oops! Half way between the bridge and Matanzas Pass the engines quit. Now we quickly became a cork bobbing around in the open water. We both figured it must be a fuel issue and went down to investigate. Of course by now we had turned broadside to the waves which tossed our 37' boat from side to side. To gain some stability Donnie went forward and let out the anchor (not as easy as it sounds in these conditions) which quickly set and pointed our bow into the waves. Somehow he then crawled into the engine room and managed to change the racor filters. Meanwhile I'm getting in touch with TowBoat US to arrange a tow if needed. Fortunately one of the engines fired and we were able to pull in the anchor and limp towards Matanzas Pass. I called TowBoat again and advised them that we were underway. We made it into the marked channel and were feeling good about our chances to make it all the way when the engine sputtered and died again. Crap! This narrow channel is busy and no place to be floating powerless. To complicate things the local Pirate Ship was heading our way. Donnie went back to the engine room while I hailed the Pirate and advised them of our situation all while we were drifting towards the edge of the channel and very shallow water. After bouncing off the "Resume Normal Speed" sign we quickly dropped the anchor to keep from grounding. At least it was calmer in this spot and we were now out of the channel.

Donnie worked on the problem with no success and I reacquainted myself with the TowBoat dispatcher. We waited and watched as boats came and went through the pass.

Donnie waiting patiently.

The Big M Casino boat passed by while we waited.

Help is here!

Underway again.

The TowBoat captain did a great job of getting us to our destination and in spite of the wind was able to get us into the dock without bouncing us off the dock. The unlimited towing feature on my Boat US membership came in handy as there was no charge for this tow. Without it the cost would have been in the hundreds of dollars.
Pam made it home safe and sound too making it a great day!

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.

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.

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!

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