Well, we didn’t leave for Cayo Costa this morning. We simply slept too late and had to take the dog into
shore.
 |
| Slip A19 just waiting for us |
At least I found out we are
supposed to be in slip A19 next Monday when we get to the marina. I figured anchoring out with Jen and LeAnn the first night could be too abrupt of a change from their cushy landside life style.
A boat anchored near us appeared to be oddly familiar to me but I couldn't quite make out details. But sure
enough Mike called me from his boat, Voyager. They are from Michigan and I think he’s a retired farmer.
We had hooked up
with them a few years ago in Smokehouse
Bay at Marco
Island and anchored together at Cape Sable. Actually
that was in February of 2015. He was having
some engine trouble back then and so we agreed to stay with them until they reached Marathon. We had a nice cocktail party anchored at Cape Sable in the Everglades as I
recall, and she had this superb sweet and spicy jam she brought over. The billion mosquito's that suddenly attacked from shore a good 1/2 mile away broke up the party and drove us all inside.
I fixed our Nav computer this morning. It wouldn’t even boot up but I somehow coaxed
it into starting, copied some files I wanted and then ran a long check disk check which logged a bunch of disk errors but corrected them. I keep saying I have to replace the machine and yet we go through this exercise every few months. But one of these days ...
Had to update the firmware on our Bullet 5 wifi
booster. It suddenly ceased looking at
frequencies below 5.7GHZ, consequently not seeing my phone which was running a
hot spot at 5.2. The 5 ghz wifi band is
usually between 5.2 and 5.8. So now we
have 5 ghz internet capability again except I have to re-install the wifi
booster back on its outdoor antenna.
It took only a half hour but I discovered a leak in the DDD
(dead dog dinghy). This is our micro tender as some other owners refer to it. It's 7 feet long and when Mary and I are both in, the sight has sparked wails of laughter from a few of our fellow cruisers. Anyway this is only 1 leak (so far) so I will patch that and then try and resurrect the Nissan outboard which
isn’t cooperating. It wouldn't start. Not even a hopeful rumble. Having the micro tender leak free with a functional motor will eliminate us having to haul down the big dinghy every time the dog has to go to shore.
Mary wasn't feeling well so she didn’t do much all day. And it was one of those pleasant, calm days
that were warm and not too hot, with enough sun to make the solar panels hum.
Met a guy named Tim when we went in to take the dog for its evening
walk. I always seem to get in
conversations during dog walking time and I swear I don’t initiate them
either. He’s doing the Loop on a Bluewater 52 and is from Cleveland.
We scrambled around and were preparing to take the dog into
shore this morning when Mary, even before coffee, said skip the dinghy and just let me
walk her while you take on water and pump out. We have been anchored across from the marina and I was going to fill the fuel and water tanks before we left for Cayo Costa.
So we pulled up the anchor and went out the channel but had to wait for about 15 minutes for the fuel dock to clear. And as we were waiting I figured since we had to return to pick up the kids, I'd just wait until then to take on fuel. We were in somewhat of a hurry to make it to
Cayo-Costa before nightfall anyway. But if the fuel price jumps a dime we'd be paying $15 more.
We pumped out. And then loaded about 100 gallons of water as best as I can
guess. The timing was about perfect and Mary
returned just as I was coiling the hoses.
We left and were followed by a
Trumpy motor yacht of an old
vintage Really pretty. We snuggled into the fuel dock right behind him earlier.
 |
| Lady Catherine an old Trumpy |
They passed us a few miles down river. It was just a couple running it. Beautiful boat!
It was nuts on the waterway. Especially in the
Miserable mile. So many boats zipping around and larger boats
tossing big wakes. Like rush hour on a
freeway. But lots of dolphins playing in
the wakes.
 |
| No Dolphins but nice a nice warm breeze |
Mary was napping so missed most
of them, but was up with the dog on the bow for the last few miles.
 |
| Pelican Bay anchorage at Cay Costa |
We pulled into the Cay-Costa anchorage,
Pelican
Bay, in the late afternoon. And there were quite
a few boats here. But the 9 foot hole further up in the anchorage was rather
open so we anchored there.
Enjoyed a
drink on the fore deck as the sun started to drop.
We piled the dog in the dinghy and took her to shore and
then back aboard we ate dinner and I had the generator running and off by 9pm.
We seem to be going to bed very early these days.
 |
| Cayo Costa Welcome sign at the dock |
Took dog in again this morning and paid our $2, the entrance fee for the state park. It was a quick walk and were back aboard within an hour.
Then a few hours later we went back to shore and walked to the
beach. With no dog since dogs are not permitted.
We were gone several hours and returning to the park docks I helped a bunch of boats tie up. They were day trippers, having had lunch at Cabbage Key and were here to see the sunset at the beach. I tried to warn them about the bugs showing up at sunset by no one seemed interested so I let it drop.
 |
| Anchored in Pelican Bay. Nice calm water this morning |
As we left I thought a short speed run to blow the dinghy outboard out was in order. So headed out to the channel at a sizzling 22 mph! It was a little rough once outside the bay so the blow out ride didn't last too long.
Later back aboard we talked with Dave and JoAnn who are staying in a vacation rental near St. James City on Pine Island very near us. It wasn't looking too promising weather-wise for a dinghy ride over to
Cabbage Key to meet them for lunch. From the anchorage here, its only a few miles taking a route out the backside of the anchorage. In fact we can see the island from where we are anchored.
Grilled a steak tonight and then, over cocktails, decided to stay here an additional night.
Per the morning ritual, we loaded us, and the dog into the dinghy went in to shore. The dog did poop, but we didn't pay the fee since no one was around and all I had were 20 dollar bills. I'm a big tipper but ....
Talked with Dave and JoAnn and we decided to postpone
Cabbage Key visit.
 |
| The twisty channel into Barnacles |
Later in the afternoon though it turned into a rather calm, sunny
day so we decided to take the dinghy about 5 miles back east to
Barnacle's on North Captiva Island. I had mentioned we were going to try this to Dave and JoAnne and they met us there. So wonderful see them again!
While we were there a couple with this humongous dog was walking around the tables. It was a friendly beast but on its hind legs stood a few feet above me.
 |
| Tied up at Barnacles docks |
 |
| From the dock looking into Barnacles. Very reminiscent of the Bahamas |
 |
| Where you go to sit and eat |
 |
| Someone had this giant dog here |
The return ride was a bit bouncy but we were able to retraced our route through the backside of Pelican
Bay. Dave and JoAnn though had to go around the west side of Pine Island and I could see plumes of spray as they made their way through the growing swells.
Later after we had returned, we took the dog to shore and met a guy who was preparing to fly his drone. But an off duty park ranger was there and warned him there was a $500 fine for
flying a drone in any Florida state park. Rather surprising park rule, but Ouch! Any of you drone fliers, beware!
Back at the boat we watched a few Frazier episodes and went
to bed. We are getting up early tomorrow for the return trip to Ft.
Myers
 |
| Picking our way out of the Bay |
We woke up to damp air. And increasingly dense fog. It was about 8:30 when we went to shore with
the dog. Returning we couldn’t see our boat until it was within a 100 feet or so.
The solar panels weren’t putting out much power so the
batteries were starting to flatten (12.6V).
That meant I'd have to start the engines so there would be enough power to
hail up the dinghy.
I powered up all the nav systems and radar and then started
the engines and we hauled the dinghy up.
Then we fired up the windlass and hauled up the anchor which was surprisingly clean. No muddy chain or big mud chunks on the anchor.
Starting out through the anchorage in dense fog, I noted a sailboat who was also leaving. And, following us out of the anchorage. He was pretty close on our tail, maybe 30 yards. Radar showed most of the anchored boats, many which we couldn’t see because of the fog.
Once out in the ICW, I let the autopilot steer and
watched thee radar. There was plenty of boat traffic even in this fog.
 |
| The miserable mile. It looks benign but believe me, it isn't |
Once we made it near Sanibel Island the fog had lifted enough that
I shut down the radar and we just followed all the other boats through the
miserable mile on to
Fort Myers Yacht Basin.
I wanted to fuel up and pump out but their pump out was broken
so I decide to screw it and just go to the slip. They do have pump out fittings at each slip so that wasn't the concern. I was really hoping to be able to fuel up though so we wouldn't have to deal with that later when we left for Marathon.
Instead of backing into the slip I bowed in so the setting sun would be on the bow, heating up the forward cabin. Aren't I a considerate father, making sure our daughters are toasty warm?
We’ll
have all the A/C units off line for a few days when I take the malfunctioning aft unit in to Mermaid Marine on
Tuesday.
I walked to Publix while Mary did laundry. The
Art Fair was just closing down. Still there was plenty to see. I took a few cards when I saw a nice beachy /
seaside piece of art. I'm looking for some artwork to hang on a bulkhead facing the dinette table.
Back at the boat Mary took the the dog out for a walk and I
took the re-cycling out to the recycling bin. Exciting!
We watched only a little of the
Super Bowl. And then went to bed at 9 with full knowledge that we weren't one of the 111 million other people watching the game.
Today was take out the aft cabin AC unit day. It was loads of fun. Just ask Mary! It's rather easy. By way of documenting this, all we have to do is ...
- remove stateroom door and laundry center closet door
- access the washer dryer from the stateroom bulkhead
access panel
- remove the dryer vent and washer drain hose
- using a large screw driver and 2x4 block, pry up the washer
and move it forward, tip it back and using the screwdriver again, pry the laundry center forward
until the foot pad clears the ridge on the door frame.
- disconnect the water lines and use spare garden hose shut off valves so the boat wide water can be turned back on.
- move laundry center into the stateroom (using a small rug as a
pad so not to scratch the floor) and angle it so it can be tilted allowing enough room
for me to squeeze out of the stateroom into the tiny hallway ( should I gain 10 more pounds, this will not be possible).
- remove the access panel to the AC unit space
- removed the AC water lines after
shutting the AC sea cock in the engine room
- remove the unit's electrical connector from the AC control box
- remove two hold down lag bolts
- Remove the condensate drain line.
- Manhandle the AC unit through the rather small access panel. Its heavy.
Compressor, the heaviest part is nearest the stairs.
- Return the laundry center so its partially pushed back into it's closet
 |
| The inoperative unit, out and ready to be taken in to Mermaid. |
Nothing to it. Yeah ... sigh We had it all out and things put away by 3pm. Only 4.5 hours!
Mary took another load of laundry up to the marina laundry facilities while I fought
with the pump out system here trying to pump us out.
As it turns out
it, the pump out system was not functioning correctly. Mark,
the dock guy, added oil to the new (just installed last Wednesday) pump. That cleared the fault and it began to work again. But I still had to fight with it, clearing out an air lock
in the hose before I could actually pump out.
But it finally got down leaving us with an empty holding tank for when our daughters arrive.
Had a nice chat with Mike and Diana on Voyager again. Found out Mike used to live around here in his youth.
 |
| A passable sunset |
Also met a couple on a Jefferson 48. They left Tennessee
and are here in Florida
for the winter. Turns out he is a boat
mechanic sort of working once in awhile when he wants too. We had a great
conversation. His wife's name is Heidi
and they have this cute white haired dog. Does anyone who lives on a boat, not own a dog? I should have started a doggie poop bag company!
Later I walked over to see Mike again because they invited us
to eat with them but I declined because Mary was making something. They suggested cocktails but I saw them at
their boat before they came over and mentioned we were about to eat. I spent a good twenty minute talking with them
drinking my own cocktail.
Also talked with the Louisiana captain of tugboat named Joe tied at the fuel dock taking on 3,000 gallons of fuel. They were headed back to Louisiana this
evening. Joe is a big old rusty tug made
of steel and its got a ton of barnacules.
The captain, whose name I didn’t catch, talked in the old southern drawl of which I can decipher every 5th word. The gist was, they were heading back that night and he was quite earnest telling me, "you have a safe journey where
every your going". He also made a few
jokes about me and my cocktail glass but the details were too hard to understand.
Took a nice walk run on the bridge tonight. On the way back there were two guys tossing a
frisbee to a black lab on a little grassy area near the bridge entrance. A gust of wind took the frisbee out over the
water and the dog, without any hesitation went sailing off the sea wall into the
water after it. Once he
had it, he swam back to the wall but couldn’t get up so the owner had to wade
in after him and lift him back up to shore.
He was soaked. His friend,
standing nearby was laughing at the predicament until the dog ran up to him and
shook himself, soaking the guy. The guys
were laughing thank goodness. It was,
really funny.
The couple next door on a large sailboat just arrived and she and I had a quick
chat. Her husband has cancer and goes across the
river twice a week for treatments.
 |
| There are other Bubbies out there! |
Also talked with the couple that also have a B
oston terrier, Sweety. This dog is only 4 and plays tug of war. Our dog, Bubbie, is 11, and basically watches the young one with disdain for a few moments before falling asleep.
Was up early and got the car at 9AM. Came back to the marina and loaded in the AC
unit. By then Mary was up and the dog was walked. We went to
Mermaid where good old David came out to greet me. David was the tech guy who made the repairs last year on this same unit. He was appreciative about
me leaving the unit with him for a few
days this time. They dunk test it to find any small leaks.
Then we went to West Marine for some liquid rubber for the big dinghy. There are some worn spots in the fabric that makes up the air filled pontoons and the only real fix is to paint the worn areas with liquid rubber.
 |
| You can never have to much when there are visitors dropping in |
Next was a stop at Home Depot for some wire
and a flange for the dryer vent.
 |
| Ironically the gave us a mini van even though I reserved a Malibu |
Figuring we had a shot at a new shopping record we hit the nearest Walmart where we bought all kinds of stuff. In the end we had to lug it all back to the boat. Ugh …
There is no marina dedicated parking aside from a few spaces which are all taken up by the live aboards at the marina. So I could either park 1/2 mile away at a parking garage or park on the street where the meters are enforced 7AM until 6PM. I chose the street.
 |
| Dave, JoAnn and Mary at Ford's Garage |
The dog was fed and walked early before Dave and Joann
showed up for a few drinks prior to us walking over to
Ford's Garage for dinner. We always have a good time with them!
I was up at 7: 30 to plug the parking meter.
We went to a
Dollar Tree for various holiday and birthday cards. In keeping with our habit, we of course bought another $14
worth of other stuff. And I complain that the boat is settling another inch in the water.
Then we made a stop at Publix.
 |
| Bed components that transform a bench into a bed |
Back on the boat we cleaned up the forward stateroom and put the dinette in
bed mode, by lowering the table and stowing all the loose stuff underneath
there. The difficult part of this is the "stowing of stuff". Hard to find places that aren't full any longer.
Mary cleaned the head(bathroom) and made the bed while I prepped the big dinghy for some liquid
rubber.
The “gray” was supposed to lighten up as it cured. It didn’t as I applied it so now we'll have some dark gray
spots. I'm just calling them racing accents like you see on go-fast cars.
We washed off the dirty decks, and then I walked to the Subway near Publix for dinner. Sandwiches and a movie. Hard to beat.
We didn’t go play with Dave and Joanne though. Probably later this week.
 |
| All fixed and ready to re-install |
David from Mermaid called about 9 this morning. AC unit was ready to pick up. David said it was a needle again valve so no charge. I went to get it and brought it on board
and got it in the cubby where it goes.
Hooked up most of the hoses but had to leave to get Jen. Her flight was early. We did the circle around the terminals 4 times before she popped
out the terminal door.
We went to
Manatee Park to see some Manatee's. And we saw exactly none! Weird little place. Water temps coming out of the power plant
into the runoff where the park is located were in the 90’s.
 |
| Mary and Jen at McDonalds |
We then went back to the boat, but had to leave soon to get
LeAnn. Horrible traffic on Colonial
parkway and we had to make a stop at McDonalds for Mary. Then on to the
airport.
I let Jen and Mary off and started on my circle route again
as they waited for LeAnn to get her luggage. 5 circuits this time and I was warned
by a police officer to get moving because I stopped along the curb to text them trying to ascertain how long it would be.
We finally got her and went directly to the boat where I
dropped all three of them off and then returned the rental car.
I put the AC back together and got the laundry center back in the closet and hooked up. LeAnn helped me get the
laundry center back in place. The newly repaired AC
doesn’t work but that’s because of a raw water pump problem I’ll tackle
tomorrow.
 |
| LeAnn, Jen and Mary at Ford's Garage |
We walked to
Fords Garage to eat and then LeAnn and I walked to
Publix so I could get some cash and a few minor things.
We all hit the sack around 9.
We intended to leave by 9AM this morning.
So much for good intentions. We
got up a bit late. Then Mary couldn’t
find her wallet so we had to locate it before we could leave. I found it nice and secure under my shorts in the stateroom. Who knows ...
 |
| Pumpout! |
Filled the water tanks, pumped out, and we were ready to
go. Heavy northwest winds so we had to
finesse the starboard aft line off the post.
Good job LeAnn!
With all the lines off I backed out and of course the
wind pushed us right away. I anticipated
using the outer piling to pivot the boat and I did but only for a few seconds.
 |
| LeAnn and Jen on the bow as we make our way to Sanibel Island Marina |
The ride to Sanibel wasn’t long and not terribly rough since the
wind was at our back.
 |
| Approaching Sanibel Marin entrance |
As we approached the marina entrance I couldn’t raise them
on the radio but did talk with Mike on Voyager who had just left there. He said try them on the phone. So I finally called
Sanibel Marina on the phone
and they at first wanted us to go into a slip but I reiterated what I had
requested a month ago regarding being on a T-head. They agreed.
The entrance is quite narrow and was, so they tell me anyway, just
dredged.
 |
| Inside the marina basin |
Had to go past the marina to spin the boat around where
another canal joins the main canal where the marina is located. I was a little leery about this because it was so shallow. We kicked up a lot of mud but never went aground so far as I could tell.
A brisk wind kept us off the dock. The dock hand took a bow line and tied it off
so I could spring off it and snuggle the stern up but it got loose and the guy
kept securing spring lines and an aft line while we were 6 feet off the
dock. All I needed was a well secured
and rather tight bow line and this would have been so much easier.
 |
| Tied up on a T head at Sanibel Marina |
I finally got off the boat and we re-tied most of the lines
and hooked up water and electrical while Mary walked up to the office to
pay. Yikes. Expensive.
As she was returning I had finished up with the lines and connections. The kids wanted to
eat so why not try
Grandma Dots for lunch.
It's in the same building as the marina office.
 |
| LeAnn, Jen and Mary at Grandma Dots |
We had to wait 20 minutes. The food was ok, nothing spectacular. Jennifer had the shrimp and dunked them into
her water glass to remove the “icky” tasting marinate.
Bathrooms and two showers are located in the restrooms at
the restaurant. This is a rather odd arrangement especially if all three of us decided to shower at the same time thus eliminating the use of bathrooms for the restaurant patrons.
General consensus was to rent bikes since traffic on the
island is horrible. So we all walked the
2 miles to
Billy's Bike Rental and rented three bikes. I walked back to the boat not needing a bike
since we have on board.
 |
| Fine bikes from Billy's Bike Rental |
I took a route back that wandered by the beach and met the kids there briefly. They were gawking at the beach. Mary had gone directly back to the boat.
Her bike riding skills are a tad rusty but she made it back and didn’t
run over anyone or hit anything!
After I saw the kids I discovered a nifty little road, Anchor Drive which is a nice walk between
the marina and the public beach a few miles away.
Back on board there was some scrounging for dinner stuff
since we cant grill on board according to the marina rules.
Tomorrow its 12 miles on the bike to and from
Ding Darling but I may stay back and finish up some boat projects. The rest of the week looks to be sunny and in
the 80’s, thus motivating me to fix the
AC water pump.
Internet here absolutely sucks. So we are using phones as hot spots, primarily Jen's cause
they have over 20 gigs left for the month.
The kids were up early and pedaling around
Sanibel Island while we old folks staggered out of bed around 9ish this morning. I took the opportunity to patch the small dinghy and fix the dryer venting. I once
again tried to bleed the aft stateroom AC water pump and it wasn’t spitting air
but wasn’t pumping any water either. I’ll
have to check for a clogged hose or bad impeller blades next.
I had to fix the big dinghy electrical problem first though. The dinghy radio and depth sounder are inoperative until get that fixed. That took an hour and then we were ready to
take the dinghy out. A Coast Guard boat
had come into the basin where the marina is located and stopped a fishing boat and gave us a slow pass with
hairy eyeballs as all 4 of us climbed into the dinghy. It can legally carry 4 people but it looks a
might over crowded. And the authority paranoia I seemed to have acquired in the 60's is alive and well as we cruised by the coasties. I still shudder when under the hairy eyeball scrutiny of people with badges.
 |
| Going up one of the canals |
 |
| And a little bridge we had to go through. The marina is on the other side |
We were going to take a nice little run up the many canals here. A 30 minute ride up a canal
lined with palatial homes. Coming back
the Coast Guard boat was tied up at the marina. Not because of the Coast Guard boat, but we took a turn to port (left)
and went out into the sound. Some boat
wakes made it choppy but the dinghy, as usual,
powered right up on plane with all of us aboard.
 |
| Sanibel Beach |
We ran south to a beach near the lighthouse and pulled into
shore for a beach walk. I had the dinghy
semi beached with two anchors but the boat wakes were pushing it sideways so we
re-anchored with the bow out, but that just made getting in more
difficult. Meanwhile Mary went off to
find a bathroom and when she returned we un-anchored the dinghy, clamored
in and took off around the point to see the main, big beach facing the Gulf.
Decided not to beach the dinghy but instead run the 5 miles back north towards
Ding Darling Park and T
arpon Bay. But Tarpon bay was a long channel in towards
the mangroves so we turned around opting to ride bikes to the beach instead.
As we came into the marina basin I shifted in neutral for a
few seconds to allow a boat to pass and then tried to shift into forward again
but the boat remained in neutral.
Odd. So I shifted into reverse
and it went into reverse but would get out of it. No neutral and no forward. Luckily we were right next to the boat and so
I managed to do a 360 in reverse and back into the swim platform.
Thankfully this happened next to the boat and not out in the
sound!
The kids took off to the beach while I fiddled with the
dinghy. The linkages all seems fine
meaning they moved the way they were supposed to but I couldn’t get it out of
reverse. Not good. I'm guessing something is amiss down in the lower
unit. My initial and amateur diagnosis is the
shifting rod is either broken or the end pins have come loose or corroded
off. Ugh …
Called a Yamaha repair place and they will call me back
Monday. Also Monday the marina has a
Yamaha mechanic here in the morning so we may get lucky. Meanwhile the little dinghy patch seems to be
ok. We’ll test it tomorrow and then I can try the little engine again with
fresh gas this time.
I went off to walk over to the lighthouse beach and met the
kids riding on their way back. Met a
nephew of Billy, of Billy’s Bike Rentals.
Interesting. He’s worked for
Billy for 20+ years. They were here in
the mid 70’s when we first visited, but he couldn’t open his bike rental shop
until the mid 80's when the local authorities granted him a license.
We all eventually met
back at the boat but not before I ran into Mary and the dog taking a
walk. LeAnn called and asked to me to check
on her glasses which Brant overnighted to her here. Yes, she forgot her glasses!
At Grandma Dots, the restaurant, I asked about a package and they checked for me and found nothing so they called the marina owner who
came back to open the marina office and look.
LeAnn and I waited for a bit and then I checked back with the nice waitress
who I first talked too and she had the package and LeAnn had her glasses. At least something
went right today!
We had beef and broccoli tonight (we cant grill here in the
marina) and watched a House episode, and then a Frazier episode and then the
rest of the American President movie we started last night. Then bed!
Re-patched the micro dinghy today because there was still a small
air leak. Girls (kids) went off biking to the causeway island and a farmers market there.
We did some laundry aboard and the washing machine/dryer
work fine. Dryer seems to be working
better now that I’ve cleaned it out. But
the small cage fan is rather weak at pushing air. No way I can replace that easily.
We went to lunch at Grandma Dots again.
Then, after hanging around the boat a little I tackled the
port shifter cable and discovered that the Morris shifter mechanism was quite loose and moving around a bit. Only had two
screws on one end. The other two screws
had no nuts. And I didn’t have any
onboard. Fine thread 10-32. Hardware store tomorrow for me.
 |
| Biking to the beach (or in this case from the beach) |
We all then went to the beach using SeaGrape Road for
access. We brought all the beach stuff, including the beach umbrella.
 |
| Ahhh ... the beach |
 |
| Jennifer and LeAnn in the ocean |
Once we were all set up, Mary and LeAnn took off to the left. Jen and I turned right and we walk a
ways, 10,000 steps or so her wrist band
do-dad says. And I stepped on a shell which
lodged a segment in my heel. Jen pulled
it out.
We arrived back at our beach umbrella which now has a broken screw
base. Ugh ... We left shortly after.
 |
| Big cones here |
I stopped for ice cream. Those on bikes did not. Then we had dinner, cocktails and watched a movie before going to
bed. Early morning for us tomorrow.
Girls went to Ding Darling an a tour today. I stayed back and talked with Mike the
mechanic who surprisingly came right over and looked at the dinghy motor and he agreed
it was something with the shift rod or gears. He said they had to pull it out of the water. So he drove it backwards to the launch ramp
where less than an hour later the owner, an old guy who came all the way from
his house to open the store after hours in search of LeAnn’s glasses the night before, saw me and asked that I tell Mike to get over
and help him haul the dinghy out.
 |
| There it is, our dinghy on a trailer |
Next time I checked it was on a trailer. Meanwhile I tested the patch on the mini
dinghy at it was fine. Except I found another leak. Great.
I took a break and rode to the hardware store for some bolts, nuts and washers to secure the Morris shifters and had installed them as
soon as I returned. Then I wandered over
to where the mechanics were working and Mike hailed me saying the dinghy was fixed and tied up
behind our boat. Only an hour of labor and a
haul out fee. And it was the shift rod. The two nuts on top and worked loose but we
couldn’t see that with the boat floating and being unable to look down at the
linkage from a decent angle. Anyway he
re-attached it and tested it and all is well.
Really impressed with them here. The mechanic, the management. All very good!
I took a few minutes and re-patched the micro dinghy for a third time noting that I’m out of
glue already.
The girls took an
Uber to the park but couldn’t get one for
the return so they started walking but Mary wasn’t doing well after a mile so
they hired a cab for $15 and rolled in a few minutes after. While this was going on I wanted to check out the dingy so Bubbie and I went for a joy ride.
We went out to check the nearby bridge clearance (25
feet) but it was a bit rough. I wanted to
fuel up but the tide was out leaving the dock pretty high so decided to wait.
Later, LeAnn and I took the dinghy out to see how rough it
was in the sound. It was rough so no
dinghy beach run. But she and I did fill
it up. 4.3 gallons. Instead of a ride around the point to the
beach, we opted for a little cruise up
the canals honed out of the mangroves.
Slow speed but nice trip. Mary and
the dog stayed behind.
 |
| Cocktails on the bow |
We returned for cocktail hour and then dinner while watching
an old movie, The Red Shoe as I call it.
It’s official name is Sneakers, but I feel this is a naming mistake. My suggestion for a rename has so far been met with silence.
Tomorrow Jen leaves early, Ubering to the airport or if that
doesn’t work a cab or as a last resort I’ll dinghy her over to Ft. Myers beach to
catch a shuttle.
Valentines Day.
 |
| Bed back to dinette / storage place |
Jen left this morning via an uber to the airport. Very cheap!
We put the dinette back in order and then took the dinghy
over to St. James (5 miles) and
Monroe
Canal where we ate at the
Ragged Ass Saloon.
 |
| Going up the Monroe canal on Pine Island |
A smokey, more biker type
place but the food was surprisingly good.
The dinghy dock was pretty nasty and we ended up tying on the end of it
where a 2x4, set vertically was a few inches from hitting the boat. And the tide was coming in. So we hurried to
eat and left in time. Much to my chagrin
we went around a sharp bend right passed a set of docks we could have used when we first pulled
in. But they were full as we passed
by. Valentines Day revelers.
We took another canal back towards the south which paralleled the Monroe canal we used coming north.
Then a turn to port through another canal and soon we were in Matlacha Pass and on our way back to
Sanibel Marina. It was a little choppy
on the return trip.
Back at the boat I confirmed that the mini Dinghy has yet
another, different leak. Ugh ..
Washed down the dinghy and then LeAnn went off for ice cream
and when we returned I took off on a walk to the beach.
We enjoyed a cocktail after, and then dinner while we watched a Frazier episode. It was such a nice night I took another walk to the beach. Sanibel, at least on this end of the island,
has no street lighting so it was marvelously dark. Lots of stars out over the Gulf.
LeAnn isn’t feeling well so she was in bed when I
returned. I showered and went to bed
too, joined by Bubbie. Mary was up and
watching some murder and mayhem show.
Tomorrow it's supposed to be stormy. Rain and maybe a thunderstorm.
We were up reasonably early.
Early enough to go to the Lighthouse Café about a mile walk from the
marina. It was surprisingly good. Not cheap, but good.
We got the kayak down and LeAnn when paddling off in through
the canals. The wind was beginning to
blow and it was rough out on the sound.
She also forgot the back support which forms the seat on the kayak.
We also put the dinghy back up on the sundeck.
Back at the boat I started tackling the non functional depth sounder on the dinghy. Took all the
wiring apart and tested for current.
None. Switch seems to be bad, or
the contacts are corroded. It took a
few hours to get the switch off and all the wiring disconnected without
screwing up the other electrical stuff.
Next we found the mini dinghy leak and with heavy clouds
rolling in I used the last of the inflatable glue to attached a patch. We’ll see how well it holds tomorrow.
We decided, since it's our last night here, to eat at Grandma
Dots again. LeAnn had a penchant for
crab.
After dinner she and I took a walk to the beach. Cloudy so not may stars but nice anyway.
LeAnn, being young an energetic was up early and took off
for a walk while we more mature folks took our time getting out of bed. We did a leisurely prep for getting
underway. The weather was blustery. I was considering just staying here at the marina
until the following day, but everyone else wanted to leave or Cayo Costa so I figured leaving
about 11 would work. High tide and the
wind gusts were supposed to be decreasing.
LeAnn came back, and we filled the water tanks, got the
lines all set and cut the power over.
But before that I went to the dock office to tell them we were
leaving. Met the owner on the way back
and he and I chatted a bit. He told me
his grandmother was the real Grandma Dot and his daughters insisted he name the
restaurant after her. So he did.
We left the dock without much trouble and once out in the
sound the wind was really wiping. We
weren’t effected all that much except for the cold. Must have been 60 up on the fly bridge.
It took us about 3+ hours to get to the anchorage. Not that many boats in there but there were
two occupying my favorite spot near a 9 foot deep section so we anchored in front
of them in 6 feet of water.
The wind was still blowing pretty hard creating a chop in
the anchorage. I could have gone further
in and rounded a point which would have provided better wind protection at the
cost of a longer dinghy run to take the dog to shore. But the spot we were in seemed just fine, so
we stayed.
We had a drink or two and then took the dog to shore and had
a little stroll before heading back.
Grilled chicken and watched some TV before going to bed at
9. It’ll be a cool night, down into the
40’s but that makes for good sleeping!
Took dog in to shore and LeAnn went off walking down the
beach.
We took dog back and then Mary and I went to shore to walk
the beach. I had a nice talk with a guy
from Sarasota, an auto mechanic married to a high powered real estate broker
who won't retire. He wants to go cruising.
We walked the beach and then made it back in time to dress
up / cleanup for cabbage key where we met Dave and Joanne. Great time again. They followed us back to the boat for a
cocktail and then headed back to their place on Pine Island. LeAnn, demonstrating her sure footedness made
a daring leap on to the swim platform but didn’t make. We call that full body immersion.
 |
| Swimming around the boat |
I guess the full immersion incident tickled her desire for a swim so in she went.
We skipped dinner since we had such a late lunch. Sat out on the bow with LeAnn watching the
stars for awhile before heading to bed at 9. 9PM seems to be our witching hour. Party on!!
LeAnn was up early and took off in the kayak.
Meanwhile we took the dog in to shore to do her thing.
 |
| Bilge pump work around |
Back to the boat and I tested the dinghy bilge pump
which spins up and whirs but doesn’t eject water. So I took the pump I just bought and made up
a rube goldberg setup and used that to pump out the dinghy bilge.
 |
| Walking the beach |
 |
| The sand spit |
LeAnn returned and then, before the expected rain showers,
we all dinghied over to the sand spit where the dog romped around the beach and
rolled in the seaweed and other debris on the beach. The nice clean sand were an affront to her.
Back at the boat the rain began and continued until about
9pm. But no big wind gusts, just very
calm conditions. The rain washed all the
salt off the boats. Yeah!
After a schnitzel for dinner and a few Frazier episodes we
did dishes, let the generator run for an additional half hour to top off the
batteries and went to bed anticipating an early departure tomorrow.
We left at a reasonable time and enjoyed a non exciting journey to the marina. We fueled up at the fuel dock and I sadly noted that the price had risen a dime per gallon. 130 gallons at 10 cents is ... ugh. Never mind.
After filling up with fuel, we made our way over slip 49 again and tied up. Same as before.
Tomorrow we are meeting Jeff and Judy, and Pat and Chip. They are some of the people we did the Loop back in 2013.
We cleaned the boat this morning and did a "last" load of
laundry.
Jeff and Judy ended up here early and we went to the boat to
wait for Chip and Pat. They arrived
shortly after and we talked for an hour or so and then went to our usual spot,
Fords Garage.
 |
| Jeff and Judy, Pat and Chip |
 |
| The gang with LeAnn in the fore ground |
Great time. Lots of laughs. LeAnn joined us for a while too.
We talked with Martha and Marilyn
on the phone, and after several hours, we slowly walked back to the marina when they both left.
We didn’t make dinner just readied the boat for leaving
tomorrow. After a Ford's garage lunch who could eat any more!
But … as I look at the weather, its going to rain
Wednesday. We were going to just stay
anchored in Smokehouse Bay in
Marco Island. But thinking about it, subjecting
LeAnn to a damp sunless day on an anchored boat isn’t to pleasant. We’d have limited electrical power and would
have to take the dog ashore probably in the rain. So at this time we are thinking of just
staying here until Tuesday when most of the bad weather will be gone. The winds, will turn westerly but not too
bad.
Mary was doing a last load of laundry and as we were talking with her, she pulled out underwear which drop on the ground. Picking it up, the comparison with granny underwear and young women underwear was rather apparent! We all had a good laugh.
Decision time this morning.
Considering my reluctance to subject children to the rigors of anchored
boat life during all day thunderstorms, I figure we’d just stay here until Thursday
when all the bad weather makes an exit, or so they are predicting. That will give us enough time to make a
leisurely trip down to Marathon, arriving on
Sunday.
Leann was up early and walked to the marina office where I
made the arrangements to linger here another two days. Then she went off on a walk over the bridge
while Mary woke up and took the dog for its walk.
 |
| The grocery cart brings back fond memories of Newbars when I was 6. |
 |
| Like I could pass up Thin Mint cookies from the Brownies? |
I did some computer stuff and then when LeAnn returned we
walked to Publix again for necessities.
I finally put the 5Ghz wifi booster antenna up on its mast so we are now getting much
better wifi reception.
I wired up the dinghy bilge up switch and then took the pump
apart and cleaned it out before installing the switch again and completing the
wiring. The pump works. Well it goes on but I'm leaping to the
conclusion that it will pump water since the impeller looked fine.
Mary and LeAnn went off to downtown to shop while I took a
run over the bridge and stopped in an appliance scratch and dent store to
check out their stacked laundry centers.
Alas, they are all 220 volts.
Ours is 110V and can be run off the inverter. They guy I talked with said 110V version were
rather rare. Great…
Returning we, (Mary and I), had a cocktail while LeAnn made a
scrumptious dinner. Fresh Stir fry yum!
I took a walk later while they indulged in murder and mayhem
TV. And then we all went to bed at the late hour of 10PM.
It rained pretty hard in the morning which was a nice wash
down for the boats. The weather isn’t
great with these north winds but ts manageable.
We have to be in Marathon by the 26th. I’m glad we decided to stay here and ride out
the rain. Its sort of cold and damp
which isn’t all that much fun when anchored.
We didn’t make breakfast.
I spent some time checking the weather and refining some routes we are
going to take. Then LeAnn and I went to
Edison/Fords museum. Mary was having leg
problems and didn’t go.
 |
| Long line to get in the Edison Ford Museum |
We spent over three hours there. The initial line was long, like a 20 minute
wait just to buy tickets. The guided
tours were full, the next available was 3PM and it wasn’t even 1PM yet. We we opted for the self-guided audio tour where
they give you a little radio thing which plays when you select the a number
indicating a particular exhibit. It was
fine. And it seems we were always within
earshot of the guided tour anyway.
Mary and I have been through here several times. Still an impressive site. Gotta love those porches Edison
did on his house.
As I recall, back in the 70’s we were able to walk in the
houses. It’s not allowed any
longer. Instead they have glass partitions
in the doorways where you can peer in.
Even the lab is barred off, whereas back then we could walk in the
lab with the admonishment to not touch anything.
We did learned that Ford was in a lawsuit and was subjected to 8
days of questions testing his intellectual prowess. He thought the revolutionary war was fought n
1812.
 |
| LeAnn and Pinchers |
After the marathon museum visit we went to
Pinchers for
lunch. Late lunch as it turned out. So, so food.
Nice view though up on the deck which overlooks the
Edison/Ford Marina.
Mike and Diana stopped by the boat earlier and then later in
the evening. They want to cruise down to
Marathon with us.
We leave tomorrow at 8:30.
LeAnn was up early to see about the Farmers Market and I
followed to get the boat ready to leave.
Mary was up a bit later and took the dog out while I pumped out the holding tank and
filled the water tanks.
When she was back, we left.
Mike and Diana, on Voyager were just leaving their slip as we passed
by. We were going to cruise with them to
Marathon.
 |
| Breakfast on the bridge leaving Ft. Myers |
The ride down the river was fine. Once we were in
the Gulf
though we had 2-3 foot seas on a very short period so it was rough and we were
rocking. The dog wasn’t pleased. Mike and Diana decided to duck into
Naples to get out of the
rough seas. LeAnn did great until we
were getting close to
Macro
Island and then began
feeling “unwell”.
 |
| Enjoying the canals leading to Smokehouse Bay |
Entering
Marco
Island inlet was like
surfing with the high rollers. We made the turn into the channel which led us to
Smokehouse Bay
and anchored among 6 other boats. The anchorage is adjacent to
Esplanade Marina.
We did
not anchor on the south end basin near the park. It didn’t look right to me and the charts were
way off anyway with the markers having been changed and not depicted correctly. There are no depth marks either.
Next we fed the dog, cleaned up the mess from the rolling seas getting here.
 |
| Taking the dog to shore |
Then LeAnn, bless her
young heart, took the dog into the marina for her nightly walk. And on the kayak because I balked at dragging
the dinghy down just for a ¼ mile trip.
She went to the marina which is rather sensitive about anchored boats using the dock to tie up a dinghy. In this case no one said anything and Bubbie enjoyed a new experience.
After she returned, we ate dinner and then enjoyed the free internet I was grabbing from the
Marina. We were also treated to really, and I mean
really, loud music from a wedding somewhere on shore.
LeAnn took the dog on the kayak again this morning. But this time to the nearby Winn Dixie which
has a nice dinghy dock. It's a bit further, but the dock was reported to be much nicer and without any fee's or angry dock masters shooing you away.
The other boats didn’t appear to be preparing to leave. Just us.
After LeAnn returned with a tale of tall docks and tossing the dog up onto the dock, we raised anchor and slowly made our way out the
channel back to Marco
Bay and the inlet.
Out on the Gulf, the swells weren’t nearly as bad as
yesterday. Still though we rocked a bit
until we passed Cape
Romano where the swells were
hardly noticeable.
We had never anchored at Panther Key before. Our normal spot here was in
Russel Pass
which lies on the channel leading to
Everglade
City. But the surrounding islands lie in the
Everglades National Park and dog are not allowed in
the park. Panther Key is not part of the
Everglades National Park, but is part of the
Ten Thousand Islands National Park which allow dogs on shore.
 |
| Panther Key |
We pulled in and it was a bit more open than I was
expecting. We were getting some swells
coming in from the Gulf, but nothing too severe.
In retrospect I probably should
have gone further in which would have made a small difference in the swells we
were getting.
 |
| LeAnn and her kayak on the Panther Key Beach |
LeAnn went off in the kayak to the beach. We followed a bit later using the big dinghy
which we had to take down, since there
were swells and I figured the dog in a kayak wouldn’t work too well. I really didn’t want to haul the big dinghy
down but …
The beach was littered with clam shells. It was like we invaded a clam shell city.
Met a nice couple in a small skiff with two dogs who were letting them run the beach.
The big one loves crabs and chases around trying to grab them before they duck back into their holes. Great fun.
I let Mary off on the beach and she, equipped with our fake grass mat, asked the couple to let her try and wipe one of their dogs butts with it. We are trying to prime the mat with
interesting smells so our dog will pee on it when we can't take her to shore
tomorrow night.
I took the dinghy out for a bit of a run to get the battery charged up a little
and when I came back, anchored at the beach
near the couple. I asked if a lady with
grass mat talked with them and the guy had a good laugh and said hope it
works. I dont think Mary was too successful.
 |
| My first dead beach artifact. A clam shell that looks like an ear. |
We walked the beach, and I, thanks to LeAnn took my first
dead thing from a beach. It was a clam shell in the form of an ear. In fact it really looked like an ear!
Back on board LeAnn swam around the boat in the stiff current
and then we showered, fed the dog and took her to shore. We had shrimp scampi when we returned. Thanks LeAnn.
Yum.
 |
| Evening at Panther Key |
A few Frazier episodes and then to bed. We leave for Cape Sable at 9 AM tomorrow. But we have to take the dog to shore and get the dinghy back aboard before raising the anchor. We won't need the dinghy tonight because dogs are not allowed on shore in the Everglades.
We took the dog into shore and she took 20 minutes because
Mary was trying to capture her, ah, essence on the green grassy door mat for
later when she won't have shore access. The scent capturing effort yesterday wasn't too successful other than giving that couple on the beach a good story to tell.
We left shortly after with smooth seas and a wonderful
day. It was an 8 hour, 60 mile
cruise. Mike and Diana on Voyage left
from Marco Island and were a bit further out to sea. They made it to middle Cape
and hour before we did.
As the afternoon wore on the winds began to pick up as did
the swell from the west. By the time we
anchored we were rocking pretty good.
 |
| Anchored at Cape Sable with Voyager |
My guts said, don’t stay, move around
East
Cape to escape the west winds and swell. We didn’t.
Voyager did and last contact with them was a report of nice and
calm. Ugh … But it was too late to try. Navigating around here at night can be risky with crab pots, debris and shallows.
We stayed here with a sailboat, Not on Call. We were both bouncing around. And there is no internet to look up the
weather which, when I last checked this morning, was supposed to be 10 knot
winds and 1-2 foot swells. Ha!
We had cocktails, and fed the dog. Then the circus began.
 |
| Mary trying to talk the dog into peeing on the grass mat. LeAnn was obviously enjoying this. |
LeAnn and Mary put her collar on and walked
her around the deck a few times. After
the second circuit I snuck out ahead of them and strategically placed the grass
mat on the bow before they came around.
The plan was for the dog to notice it, sniff it and pee on
the mat. She walked right over it as if
wasn’t even there. Several more attempts with various mat placements proved
futile. She wouldn’t go. Stubborn old dog!
 |
| Adding a plant to the mat was, yes. A total fail too. |
I even added a plant to entice her.
To add to the difficulties there was a park ranger zooming
around. So even
if we could get her to shore we’d have been fined. The Ranger did zoom over our way and we quickly flipped on the anchor light. The sailboat anchored close by didn't, and the ranger stopped and had a chat with him.
Went to bed after watching
Ghostbusters without her peeing
a drop. This wont be a relaxing night.
Well, it wasn’t a relaxing night. The wave forecast was for 1.5-2 foot swells. We had 3-4 footers rolling into
the anchorage. We were taking them on
the bow but then the wind switch around 2AM to a more northerly direction orientating the boat so that the deep swells
were hitting us in the beam while the wind kept us pointed 90 degrees to the train of
swells rolling in. No one got much
sleep. Mike and Diane moved east of East Cape to escape the swells but ran into high tidal
currents which put them beam on to the wind.
They didn’t find much relief either.
We left at a bit after 7AM with the 2-3 foot waves pushing
us along on our stern. Somewhere along
the first 30 minutes I began to notice the boat was responding sluggishly but just
chalked that up to tidal currents.
It wasn’t until a few hours later than LeAnn pointed out we
were towing a crab pot!! Somehow a crab
float had lodged it self in one of the swim platform struts and we ended up
towing it probably 10 miles as far as I can figure.
Crab Traps are large rectangular or odd shaped boxes. The ones I've seen are made out of wood. Crabs enter through a one-way door to get at the bait inside.
I slowed down and put the engines in neutral and with a
knife at the ready, used a boat hook to haul the line up to where I could reach
it with the knife. A moment's hesitation, and then I cut the line and the trap literally sprung free.
LeAnn pointed out, as I was hesitating, that we could have had a whole bunch
of crab. Except we didn’t have a license for them and where the heck would we stash a dozen or more large crabs on board?
I had to pry the float out from under the swim platform and
set it free. Mary would have kept it as some sort of "art" but it was pretty grimy. I was feeling bad about dragging that crab pot for such a long distance. The poor crab guy probably wondering what the hell happened to it since there were no debris or anything to mark its general position.
We rolled under
Seven Mile Bridge and began trying to call
Marathon Marina on the radio. They finally answered after 4 calls. We were assigned slip 48 which turn out to
be right at the corner of the main dock.
And its not a slip per say, but a piece of dock we would side tie to. It was too windy to try and turn the boat around so we could leave the port side free (where are dinghy can be lowered). So we tied up bow in leaving the port side towards the dock and figuring we'd turn it around the next day when the winds were less.
I spied Rob and Sue leaving their boat as we approached the
dock and couldn’t resist using our quite powerful
hailer to blast out a “thanks for the help
Rob” as they began walking away from us.
The whole marina heard that much to everyone's amusement.
Mary took the dog for a walk right away since she hadn’t
pooped on board . But she did pee on the
fore deck as we approached the bridge. The nice $40 grassy pad we
had for her was in the sundeck rolled up in a corner. It was
never used. And apparently is not necessary. The dog, of course received
many treats and sighs of relief since she had gone over 24 hours before peeing.
Later, we all went to the pool and ran into several old friends from last year when we stayed here. The pool temp was in the 80’s. So nice.
 |
| At Lazy Days |
Then, being lazy, we went to the on-site restaurant
Lazy Days for dinner. And then to bed. We were all exhausted.
It was a nice sunset though
 |
| Sunset at Marathon Marina |
The next morning I was on a mission to move the boat before the winds picked up. Down here mornings are rather calm, with winds building throughout the day. And our boat mimics a sailboat when the winds pick up making it difficult to control sometimes.
 |
| The boat bow in |
We unhooked all the lines and I moved the boat out into the fareway, spun it around and started backing it up towards the dock. But I had to make some large corrections because the winds were shoving us to one side. By this time it seemed everyone was out of their boats and waiting to help.
I got parallel to our spot and just kept the boat from moving forward or back while the wind shoved us gently on the dock. Perfect! I even received several comments on how well the maneuver went. Maybe I'm getting ok with this boat docking thing?
One of the guys at the dock helping us owned a boat almost identical to ours.
 |
| Turned around now with the bow pointing out |
After we were all re-tied and hooked up, LeAnn took our, ah, "bike with character" out for a spin. While she was off exploring I worked on Mary;s phone and reset all her passwords. Then we walked over to the marina office and quickly renewed for next year.
Since it wasn't all that late, we all walked over to
7 Mile Grill for a late breakfast.
Once we were back on the boat, Rob wandered over for awhile. After he left I made the last repair possible on one of our laundry carts.
No one else was interested so I went over to Rob's for sunset cocktails. Sue wasn't feeling well and Jeff and Mary weren't around so it was just us. Nice time as usual.
After, I returned to the boat and we had dinner and watched a Frasier episode.
This morning I rode off to Home Depot in search of fittings for the AC raw water pump assuming I would have to replace it. And I bought another solar powered night lite too.
Back at the boat Mary washed the decks while I tackled the
malfunctioning AC pump. I was, after an hour, able to
pull the hoses off (welded on from years of salt and corrosion ) and disassembled the pump and
found nothing amiss. What the hell. It had to be a blockage up on the inlet side
at the AC unit.
So I reassembled the water pump and went and then removed the bulkhead access panel from the AC closet moving the washer/dryer out of the way, always a fun
job. Took the hoses off and sure enough
there was an internal plug in the hose.
It was meant to keep debris out of the cooling loop but I must have
missed it when I re-installed the unit.
Double Ugh!! …
 |
| The missed plug I had to remove |
I removed the plug and put everything back together and returned the bulkhead access panel. And then turned it on. The
burst of cool air from the AC unit brought ecstatic joy. Cool air
again!!
Next we straightened up the boat in anticipation of Mike and
Diana stopping over before we went to the Fat Tuesday party the marina was throwing.
Sherry and Steve from Stevedore called this afternoon as
did Curt and Marilyn. Steve and Sharon are at
Banana Bay Marina on the Bay
side. Curt and Marilyn are in
Key West and driving back to
Miami tomorrow.
Marathon is an island with one side facing the bay, Florida By, and the other facing the Ocean, Oceans side. Navigation around the island usually includes the qualifier Ocean side or Bay side.
 |
| Fat Tuesday Party. Can you spot Mary there at the head of the line? |
Mike and Diana stopped over and then we went to the Fat
Tuesday party where the obligatory group photo was taken.
Except this year its a video!
There were yummy things to eat there. My chili dip was not one of the favorites
though. I may need to tweak that recipe?
 |
| LeAnn at Seven Mile Grill. |
LeAnn and I went over to 7 mile for a dinner while Mary rested. And then we walked
to
Faro Blanco marina where we ran into Jim and Rita.
 |
| Jim and Rita's KK 42, Daisy at Stuart |
We met them in Stuart earlier having heard
about them from Rob and Sue. Jim and
Rita's Daisy, is the last Krogen 42 ever made. Nice boat!
They a expressed interest in a massage stuff having heard
that LeAnn is a therapist. So maybe LeAnn can work while vacationing? We'll see ...
We returned to the boat and went to bed. Exciting I know.
