January 28 , 2010

Lots of Boat Traffic
Fort Myers Beach to Fort Myers, Florida - It was sunny and warm, a beautiful day. Lots of boat traffic with lots of rocking and rolling. I hate Sea Rays and Vikings, or at least most of there operators. We checked into the Legacy Harbor Marina which is downtown Fort Myers.

January 26 - 27, 2010

Vistor Centre at Sanibel Island
Sign at Sanibel Island's Most Famous Establishment
Cocktails at the Mucky Duck
I Had Some Plastic Surgery
Moss Marina at Fort Myers Beach, Florida - Sunny and warm today. The temperature got up to 78 F. We rented a car with Roger and Karen and drove to Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Stopped for a cocktail at the Mucky Duck. Checked out a few of the marinas we passed to go to Fort Myers Beach. We made the right decision. Another beautiful day, we went on a beach walk for 3 miles. Karen went with us and Roger stayed on the boat and worked. To-date the nicest beach is Clearwater Beach.

January 25, 2010

One Skinned Shin
Fort Myers Beach Mooring Balls to Moss Marina at Fort Myers Beach - By morning we have had enough. The wind was howling and it was a thunder and lightning storm with torrential rain. The rain subsided so we were gone and by the time we got to the marina it had started to rain again. We looked like to drowned rats by the time we got the boat tied. Roger and Karen came in after us and Danny went to help them and fell in the water off the slippery dock. He got quite bruised and cut.

January 24, 2010

Winds Up to 34 Knots
Sanibel Island Lighthouse
Mooring Field at Fort Myers Beach, Florida
Cabbage Key to Fort Myers Beach, Florida - Sunny but very high winds up to 34 knots. We by passed planned anchorages due to high winds. The Sunday boat traffic was large with a lot of inconsiderate boaters. We took a mooring ball at Fort Myers Beach in very high winds and current. It was very difficult because they had no pendants on the ball as advertised. It was also a long dinghy ride to take the dogs to shore.

January 23, 2010

Views From the Top of Water Tower
Climbing to the Top of the Water Tower
Roger and Karen on the Manatee Hunt
Our Find on the Manatee Hunt
Rare Sighting "Yellow Headed, Pink Breasted Split Tail - She Made Her Mom Proud
Bar Walls Lined with Dollar Bills
La Costa Island (Pelican Bay) to Cabbage Key - Overcast and windy in the morning by afternoon the weather was sunny, hot and calm. Got up to 80F. The marina here is pretty rough, with no garbage, no water and pets have a 10 x 20 foot of grass and all this for $2.00/foot. When we arrived the marina was empty but before we got tied up the marina was full with the lunch and bar crowd. They serve approximately 500 meals per day from about 11.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. We walked around the island and up to the top of the water tower. We went on a hunt for manatee. We never found them. We did have a rare sighting and photographed a yellow headed, pink breasted split tail. Oh by the way the washroom was a 100 feet away. We had a hamburger at Cabbage Key Restaurant which apparently was a hangout for Jimmy Buffet where they claim he wrote and sang Hamburger in Paradise. The bar was lined with dollar bills which started when the fisherman had good days when they would come to the bar after selling there catch they put money on the walls with their names on it so they could still have a drink or a meal when they did not have a catch. The tradition continues but only people put there names on them and address.

January 21 - 22, 2010

Karen Anne and Potest Fieri Anchored in Pelican Bay
Welcome to LaCosta Island
Danny and Susan on the Shell Beach
I'm Sending Danny Down This Trail
Cape Haze Anchorage to La Costa Island (Pelican Bay)- Anchored in Pelican Bay in six feet of water. The entrance to the bay was very shallow and Sea Tow sat in wait, hoping to make a buck off of some person who might make a mistake. It was warm but windy with a thunderstorm and then foggy. We did get out to walk to the other side of the island where the shell beach was. Karen and Roger's boat were still having trouble with the generator so Danny helped Roger with the repairs. They did get it working.

January 20, 2010

After You Leave Venice Dock You are in a Ditch
Fisherman: Note Where His Motor Is
Large Boat on Lift
Potest Fieri Coming for a Visit
Venice Florida to Cape Haze Anchorage - We got a late start as they had to repair the genset on Karen Anne. Its not only us that has problems. It was a beautiful day and a great cruise. It was a busy anchorage with lots of private property so it was a long way to take the dogs to shore at Don Pedro Park. A strange coincidence we met up with John and Joyce Blott on the 32 foot Nordic Tug from Thunder Bay called Red Griffon. We had dinner a board the Karen Anne and Potest Fieri came to visit. So we tied her up against Karen Anne.

January 19, 2010

Shallow Water Crane Just Out of the Chanel
Miz Scarlett with her Smart Car Aboard
Dead Fish
The Venice Town Dock
Sarasota Florida to Venice Florida - A beautiful day to travel, warm with no wind. There is no room for error even in the marked channels. Its pretty bad when you think 7 feet of water is deep and when you get into the double digits its extremely deep. Let Karen Anne lead the way as she draws less water. Hundreds of dead fish floating around Venice that died from cold weather recently. Fish were mostly Jacks and lots of them were in the five to ten pound range. The birds are having a feast. We tied up at the town dock and walked the two miles in town for a root beer float.

January 18, 2010

Wedding Chapel at Fuel Dock
Sarasota - The Cummins Service Tech arrived earlier than promised. Computer analyser shows shorted wires. After one hour he located, repaired and repositioned the wires. Numerous checks and all is well. The admiral and captain are relieved. A wedding chapel came into the marina for fuel. Never seen one before. The captain of Loose Stones "Bill" loaned us his vehicle and we headed to the stores to get some more provisions.

January 15 - 17, 2010

Potest Fieri with Sarasota Downtown in the Background
Fountain at Bayfront Park
Banyon Tree
Sarasota Bay Front
Sarasota - Beautiful day, prepared to leave and once again the engine would not start, the same problem as in Clearwater. Danny and Roger spent a frustrating day trouble shooting and calling for Cummins service tech with a engine analyser. Earliest appointment was on Monday. Danny did the hardest thing he closed the engine hatch. What good location to be stranded in. Karen and Roger thought so to and decided to stay with us. I had a chance to walk around the area and take some pictures.

January 14, 2010

Unconditional Surrender
Schatz's Spaceship (Mathamatical Shape Called Oloid) And I Thought It Was a Clam Shell
St. Armands Key
Sarasota - We decided to stay another day here as we got in late last night. Marina Jack's is a premium marina right downtown Sarasota. Danny, Karen and I walked over to St. Armand's Circle and Roger biked. It was approximately 2.5 miles each way. Many sculptures were seen along the way. We had a easy relaxing day.

January 13, 2010

Bridges Lifting So We Can Continue South
Beautiful Homes
Boat Skelton
Tampa Bay Skyway Causeway
Ringling Bros. Museum (Circus Fame)
Clearwater, Florida to Sarasota, Florida - Sunny, warm with light winds. We had trouble starting one engine in the morning. A fuse was blown. Lots of beautiful condos, houses and beaches. There were quite a number of bridges that had to be opened so we could go through. The Tampa Bay Causeway bridge was very impressive. We were planning on anchoring in the Manatee River but tide was low and we had two soft groundings so we turned around. We also attempted to get into Long Beach off of Long Boat Key and we had three soft groundings and Karen Anne the boat we are travelling with had four soft groundings. Did not find the way in so we gave up. Danny was sick with a bad cold and was not having a good day. Water depths in area were exceptionally low so we forgot about are anchoring plans and headed to Marina Jack's in Sarasota.

January 11 - 12, 2010

We are still in Clearwater, Florida provisioning the boat to get ready to head south and hopefully warmer weather. The kids are leaving from Orlando tomorrow. We will miss them but I think they had a great time.

January 4 - 10, 2010

Ella and Evan's First Visit to the Magic Kingdom
Show at Cinderella's Castle
Mickey and Minnie Topiary
Ella at her Birthday Luncheon with Cinderella
Ella and Evan at the Christmas Tree at Animal Kingdom
Lori, Tony, Ella and Evan Waiting to go on Expedition Everest Roller Coaster
Ella and Lori on Expedition Everest Roller Coaster
Musical Nemo at Animal Kingdom
Grandpa and Evan Ice Fishing
Ella and Evan at Clearwater Beach
Ella and Evan Brave the Weather to Look for Sea Shells
Lori, Tony, Ella and Evan have arrived in Kissimmee, Florida to go to Disney World. The weather is very cold, have been breaking records for cold. We met them to join them in taking the kids to Disney World. Ella had her 7th birthday in Florida and Grandma took her to Cinderella's castle for lunch and to meet all the princesses. She is usually a shy little girl but became very confident when she met Cinderella. She wants to become a princess when she finishes school. Evan and Ella dragged grandma on all the roller coasters, I am sure my fingerprints are sill embedded on the safety bars. We took the kids back to the boat on Friday to see the beach and do some fishing. Evan is fish crazy but because of the extremely cold weather they couldn't buy a fish but he would not give up. Lori and Tony came to pick them up on Sunday and we stayed on the boat so they could have a few days at Disney by themselves. I think everyone had a great time in spite of the weather.