The Iceman Cometh

Considering that with ice readily available here at Burnt Store, still, we are constantly seeking to replenish it. That brought us to the revelation that we really needed to do something about ice supply before we head off into the great unknown where ice may only be available every once in a while. Soooooo---we added to our arsenal of "stuff" necessary to support us in comfort by purchasing an ice maker at the local Target store. It really works!!! And doesn't draw an alarming amount of electrical power. Life is good!!!

Well, as you can tell, we are back at the marina at Burnt Store after a few days sabbatical--Diane to the loving arms of her daughter and three grandchildren; me to Houston---eh---. I did have a great visit --and meal--with our good friends, the Dormers, but the rest of the visit was involved with what we do a lot of----moving stuff and fixing stuff. Oh well, it had to be done. Diane and I flew together to Houston last week where I got off and she stayed on to Colorado Springs. She to take care of three sick kids---flu, strep and pneumonia---and I to move and fix things. Then, on Monday, I met her again for the flight back to Ft Myers, and here we are. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent restocking our depleted stock of food and essentials in preparation for moving on down the coast and on to the Keys and the Bahamas----YES----we really are going there. We hope to be in the islands by around the 11th or 12th of March if the weather cooperates. Chuck Kiefer will be sailing with us as far as Nassau. This was a wonderful surprise. It will be great to have him aboard as crew. Just before we took our sabbatical we sailed the two boats down to Pellican Bay for an afternoon and overnight, and while sitting on the beach we discussed the possibility that Chuck might want to sail with us from Marathon over to the Bahamas. He, however, suggested that he join us when we depart Burnt Store as he was very interested in what lays in store on down the coast---for future reference when he and Nancy decide to go cruising beyond this area. We jumped on it. Tomorrow we depart for Naples, then on down to Everglades City and from there to the Little Shark River and from there to Marathon where we hope to see an early weather window for our crossing of the Gulf Stream. (The crossing is quite an undertaking. The stream flows north at a rate of between 4 and 6 knots and if even a gentle wind with any northern component is blowing, it pushes up against the northern flow of the current creating large to huge waves and making for a very uncomfortable crossing. Thus, we are looking for a wind with a southern component that usually results in a smoother sail across---or even no wind which requires motoring across but over a flat and smoothe sea.)
We are excited about getting underway again. Even though we have thoroughly enjoyed this area and are planning on leaving the boat here when we return, we are ready to move on to see what lies ahead----and we couldn't be more thankful that we'll have some help with Chuck aboard-----(At this point I can't remember if I explained who Chuck is---Chuck and Nancy are from Independence, Mo. and keep their Catalina 350 here at the marina--right next to us--which is how we met. Chuck is a retired--get this--trial lawyer (insurance defense) and Nancy is an RN and runs a cath lab back in Independence. She travels back and forth as her job requires, while Chuck hangs out on the boat doing absolutely nothing productive. Nancy will retire this coming fall and they are planning on doing some cruising once she is able to get loose--thus their interest in Chuck joining us for the journey--to gain some experience. We have become, very quickly, very good friends with a great deal in common---and it doesn't have anything to do with the fact t hat they have a car here and make it available to us for our running around. They really are great GOOD people and we truly value the fate that brought us together.
Soooooo---tomorrow it's off to Naples and beyond. Bahamas, here we come!!!!! Be sure to follow us on SPOT.