WE DONE DONE IT !!!!

   Well, we've been on the boat at Legacy Harbor Marina in downtown Ft Myers for about a month. I drove down the middle of Jan. with a car completely full of "boat stuff" and clothes. There literally was no room for Diane in the car. So she flew over a couple days later (There were other reasons she didn't drive with me--but the car really was full.) I arrived at the boat around 11 AM on a Monday and was immediately overwhelmed with the huge learning curve that I realized was in store. I'm glad I came early as it gave me an opportunity to clean her up and at least familiarize myself with enough systems, mostly electrical, to begin at least basic operations before Diane arrived. I drove over to pick her up in Ft Lauderdale--about 2 1/2 hours away (cheap airline tickets on Spirit Air)-- and brought her back and watched as she began to experience the same level of panic and overwhelmedness (is that a word??) that I had experienced a couple days earlier. The first two weeks were spent cleaning her up and out and getting familiar with all the systems. The previous owners had left an incredible amount of material--from engine spare parts to binoculars, safety equipment, to pots and pans and linens. The first order of business, however, was to provision the boat with food, drink and even the spices that we all have had in our pantries for years (probably expired). Think about it in terms of stocking a kitchen for the first time. Fortunately, this marina is located right downtown--walking distance to everything, including many fine restaurants in the very quaint downtown. We're even just a stone's throw from the Edison Ford home/museum. A fabulous location. The Publix grocery store and liquor store are a 10 minute walk--but with the amount of stuff we needed we used the car.
After a couple of weeks I felt like I had it down. Figured out the  water systems, electrical systems, including operation of the generator and achieved a basic familiarization with the 2 240 hp diesel engines. BUT---I had yet to operate her. I hadn't had her out of the slip. Driving this boat is a whole different thing from Assisted Living(our previous sailboat). I have been told by many people that once you get the hang of it it's easier than a sailboat. I had yet to try out that theory. So, we hired a licensed captain for a morning and took the boat out and up the river and back and practiced getting her in and out (backwards) of the slip and tying up to a "side tie". It actually went surprisingly well, such that after our learning session we decided to take her out, fuel her up and head down river to a couple of our favorite anchorages--off St James City on Pine Island and in Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Island, our clearly favorite anchorage in the area. We spent two nights on the hook and returned to the marina on Super Bowl Sunday around 2 in the afternoon to prepare for the pot luck Super Bowl Party at the marina. Of course returning to the marina meant I had to back her into the slip without any captain standing by to rescue me if I got into trouble. No sweat!! Nailed it on the first try. (Of course there was no wind nor current to complicate the task.) When a known novice is engaged in this activity all the owners of the boats in the immediate area stand nervously by their boat and watch nervously. This was no exception. No problem--I do my best work in front of a jury.
                                       I wanted to insert a photo of us at anchor in
                                       Pelican Bay in this spot but I'm having trouble
                                       posting photos.
                                                          
I didn't figure it out! Must be something wrong with the web site!
I'll have Diane tell you about the marina and people we've met and what our plans for the immediate future are. I hope you enjoy the Blog. Again--you can sign up to be notified of new postings and can click on "SPOT" in the upper left of this page to see where we are. I just reactivated it. Life is good!!! And SPOT is now working!!!!!!!






Diane here:  Hard to believe we have been here almost a month but we have needed every minute of it to get acquainted with this boat and new lifestyle. Regarding the boat,  it doesn't disappoint.  There is so much more room and so many different features than a sailboat.(Where was this boat 4 years ago??)  Having a fly bridge is literally living in a 2 story. Our inherited marina is first class and very active.  Monday night is movie night, Thursday night is pot-luck and then there are special events (like Super Bowl).  While there are several sailboats here, this marina in overwhelmingly a power boat mecca and the majority of the people we have met are from the East Coast.  All of them have more experience than we have doing the "ditch: (the Intracoastal Waterway) and it has been a delight to share stories and adventures with them.  The cruising community is truly a helpful and interesting group.  We have been encouraged and intend to join the American Great Loopers Cruising Association.  There are numerous benefits to this but mostly a camaraderie. (The Great Loop is the route up the ICW of the east coast, thru the Erie --and other- canals into the Great Lakes to Chicago and then down the river system to Mobile and then into the ICW again and down into Florida until you "cross your wake" wherever you started from)
We hope to take off in the next week or so.  We will be moving up the Caloosahatchee River, across the Okeechobee Waterway(think Seminole Indians)  to Port St. Lucie.  Basically we are just crossing from the west side of Florida to the East Coast.   Then South to Ft. Lauderdale.  From there we will take our time traveling up the Eastern Coast.  Waiting for warm weather but enjoying beautiful sunsets!