Messin' Around in Boats

Since my last post we've just been enjoying the Punta Gorda area and all it has to offer, especially the fabulous sailing. We invited our neighbor, Chuck, to sail with us down to Cabbage Key for lunch at the famous (Cheeseburger in Paradise) restaurant and a walking tour around the island. We anchored on the other side of the ICWW off of Useppa Island and dinghied over to Cabbage Key to the restaurant and inn's small marina. The cheeseburger was indeed delicious and the island, if not truly Paradise, a close approximation. We took the short walking tour on their nature trail and climbed the water tower for a very nice view of the area.
The following Monday Diane and I sailed back to the same anchorage for an overnight and then on to Captiva Island to explore Tarpon Bay and the wildlife preserve located there. We were under the belief that we could rent bikes and explore the island there, but never found the park HQ. (It may have been the building at the far end of the bay but that was just too far to dinghy --at idle speed because of the manatees--and we had already dinghied about a mile and 1/2 from where we had anchored the boat. After a cold beer and a short nap we weighed anchor and moved to the other side of the channel off of St James City on the very south end of Pine island where we dropped the anchor for the night. The next day we motored al the way back to the marina as the wind was very light and what there was was directly on the nose.
After a day of reprovisioning on Wed. and relaxation we prepared for the visit from my cousin Marsha and her family.
Thursday at around 12:30 Marsha, her husband Jim, their daughter Emily and her husband John and their 4 children, Cade, Gracie, Brooke and 4 month old Ashley, arrived for an afternoon sail. (They are all from the Holland, Mich. area and staying for a while at Siesta Key, south of Sarasota) The day could not have been more perfect for a boat full of "rookies". The wind was around 13, the temp at 82 and the sea was almost flat---It was definitely a "10". It was great to see the cousins and enjoy this beautiful family (pictured above). But to top it off, tomoroow Marsha and Jim return along with my other cousin, Jane, from Ft Lauderdale. We'll either sail down to Boca Grande or to Cabbage Key for lunch and back that evening. This should be an entertaining get-together and we have been looking forward to it for a couple of weeks--ever since we learned that Jim and Marsha were in the area.
This is truly a marvelous area for what we like to do. I played golf again today with the group that I played with last week. This will be my last golf game for a while as we leave next week--Diane to Colorado and I to Kingwood to take care of a little business. When we return on the 28th we plan to take off on the final legs of our journey to the Bahamas--back on track. We will miss this beautiful and friendly community and the many new friends that we have made here--but it's time to move on. We wil probably be back on the return trip and may end up leaving the boat here for the purpose of future exploration and cruises.
I probably won't post again (except for some random photos) until we return and get underway to the islands. See ya later. Life is indeed good.

Manatees

They claim they are an endangered species. I don't believe it. At least to the extent that the term implies that they are in danger of extinction. They're everywhere!!! We have at least 2 dozen of them right here in the marina, right off the back of my boat, feeding on the grasses that grow at the bottom. They submerge for 3 or 4 minutes and then come up to exhale and inhale. They sound like a dolphin blowing out--or a small whale. We even have one here who has asthma or at least severe bronchitis. You know when he comes up to breathe---sounds like an old man doing that blow his nose thing without a hanky. It's actually quite annoying.
But seriously---they really are all over the place and they are really endangered at least from the standpoint that they are very vulnerable to injury from boat props. The boaters here are very conscious of them and try to go very slowly and carefully through the marina. It's fun to watch them in the middle of the day when they are particularly active. Mostly they just poke their snout out of the water to breathe but occasionally one will come up for a rest and reveal a good bit of his body. They will occasionally stick that fin-like round tail up out of the water like they're waving a fan at you. I am curious however how many the experts think there are and why they are considered endangered---probably because it gives some scientist a job that wouldn't otherwise be available--kind of like that global warming thing---you know--the "Climatologist Relief Act."
We picked up a car yesterday and continued our pattern of land based exploration. We spent most of the day shopping for a bunch of things we needed but did manage to enjoy lunch at a marina cafe in Ft Myers Beach and a fabulous seafood dinner at "Red's" on Pine Island just south of here.
Looks like the mini-reunion will take place: Cousin Jane is going to drive here on Sat the 19th and Jim and cousin Marsha will come down from Sarasota. Hopefully we can get a nice sail in before we settle down to cocktails and "cousin talk". Still waiting to hear from my sister as to whether she'll be able to make it. We're also trying to plan a sail the week earlier to include Jim and Marsha's daughter, Emily, and her fam. It's just plain fabulous the way this has all just "happened" and we couldn't be happier to see everybody.
Immediately thereafter, Diane will fly to Colorado Springs for a 5 day visit to help out Kristin and see the little ones and I'll take the same flight but get off in Houston to take care of a little business there. We'll both get back here on the 28th and prepare to continue the voyage down the coast and around to Marathon in the Keys and then on to the Bahamas. Thus, we hope to be in the islands in early March, weather permitting.

A view of the dunes at the beach and Diane in "the jungle

Assisted Living at anchor in Pellican Bay off of Cayo Costa Island

"

Boca Grande and Pellican Bay

I guess we're not welcome here!!

Downtown and on the beach at sunset at Boca Grande

After securing the anchor and the tether to the mangroves at Boca Grande Lagoon we dinghied ashore for a short walk into town to stretch our legs and pick up some provisions for dinner that night aboard the boat. Hudsons is a little grocery store about the size of a typical convenience store--it's the only one on the island--but it has absolutely everything. It is ingeniously stocked including an excellent meat and seafood section, wine selection and everything else one might need. Instead of having 7 varieies of baked beans, for instance, they have only one or two---but, they have baked beans. It really is a gem, and the prices are not too bad. We picked up a couple of very nice steaks for our feast that evening.

While we had planned on renting bikes the next day it turned out to be cheaper to rent a golf cart for a couple of hours---so we did and toured the island. We drove to the southern most point where it looks out over the pass out into the Gulf. It was very windy this day and the pass did not appear very hospitable. I would not have attempted it under these conditions. The beach was gorgeous, however and we decided to walk back later that night to enjoy what promised to be a beautiful sunset. After a brief nap in the sun we returned the golf cart and went across the street to the legendary "Temp" (Temptations Bar and Restaurant) for a glass of wine and an appetizer before returning home for dinner. (We had decided against dinner at the Pink Elephant after previewing their prices--besides, we have found that we enjoy eating on the boat more than throwing a bunch of money at fancy restaurants where we tend, too often, to be disappointed in the quality. It's a different thing if we are familiar with the place and the quality of the fare----Like my Uncle Bob said to my Aunt Sally years ago when she was trying to get him to take her to some fancy restaurant that he hated, " Crap Sal, you can't eat atmosphere!!!"

So it was back to the boat. On the way back we happened upon a little specialty store that had some very nice looking crab cakes. We bought some and had them for dinner before returning to the beach for the sunset pictured above--you really can't very often capture sunsets in photos can you? Once in a while with luck.

The next morning we waited for a thick fog to lift before setting out for Caya Costa Island and State Park where the sign, pictured above telling us we weren't welcome on the island, hung on the park headquarters building. You can tell from Diane's expression how she felt about it.

After motoring in 0 wind for about an hour we worked our way very carefully through the shallows that guard the entrance to Pellican Bay where we dropped the anchor, had lunch and dinghied ashore.

After paying our $4 at the ranger station we set out on the 1 mile walk across the island to the Gulf side to an incredible beach. We dropped our back pack and towels. etc and continued walking another mile or so down the beach picking up shells, sand dollars and small brown (dead) urchins that had washed up on the beach ( a lady showed us how you can dry them out, scrape off the spines, shake out the remaining dried up innards, and you have a very pretty shell --just make sure you do the drying-out part outside and away from your olfactory senses.) WE spent quite a while on this gorgeous and mostly deserted beach--caught a few rays and then took the mile long walk back to the ranger station where we splurged with a cold diet coke from the small store they have there---They were out of Snickers ice cream bars.

It was a great day---one of a little exercise but a whole lot of relaxing. Life is Good!!

Next morning we were underway back to Burnt Store Marina. Decided to sail on by it as the wind and water were perfect for a very nice, comfortable, quiet sail around the bay. We arrived back at our slip in time to prepare for dinner with our new friends, the Oredniks--I hope I spelled it right. They are the friends of friends from back in Houston and they live down here 4 months out of the year--the rest of the time in the Chicago area. After dinner they introduced us to some neighbors who have been sailing their trawler here for many years and are quite familiar with the area waters. It was a delightful evening with some of the many new friends that we have met along this journey. This has truly been one of the best, but totally unanticipated features of this trip--meeting and getting to know people along the way.

Tomorrow will be laundry and cleanup day and then Superbowl!!! Go Steelwers!!!!

Oh yeah---I forgot to mention. My cousin Jane lives in Ft Lauderdale and we have been planning on seeing her somewhere, sometime during our stay in Florida. I e-mailed her about getting together and she wrote back that another cousin--Marsha Nelson--and her husband,Jim, are coming down from their home on Lake Michigan to spend a month at Siesta Key, just south of Sarasota--not 2 hours from here. So, we are now working on the logistics of us all getting together for a little mini-reunion. I've even suggested to my sister, Barb, up in freezing Pittsburgh that she come down as well and she's looking in to it. Whodathunk??

Well, it's time for me to make the coffee and wake ujp Diane. It's now Superbowl Sunday. Tomorrow we pick up a rent car and start to do some land side exploration. Looking forward to it. So far we really like this area.

Sailing and Discovery

Gasparilla Inn

Assisted Living and Other Boats at Anchor in Boca Grande Lagoon

We departed Cape Haze marina on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011 at around 0900 on a very low tide. We had some worries about getting out of the marina and back into the waterway but it turned out those worries were unfounded. We had plenty of water beneath the keel.

We crossed through the Boca Grande Toll Bridge ( the one we payed $5 to cross over the day before) and headed toward Charlotte Harbor and our destination of the Burnt Store Marina on the southeast side of the "bay". The day was magnificent, with temps in the high 60's and, despite fairly light winds---8 to 13 kts---we had a wonderful, quiet (no engine) smoothe sail across Charlotte harbor to our destination, arriving around 4:30 PM; and after several really lame and embarrasing attempts to back the boat into the slip, safely secured her, bow-to, by around 5:00.
The marina gets its name from the area---everything around here is named after "Burnt Store"---the story is not too exciting--there was a trading post that the indians burned down when they got pissed at the settlers---big deal---I think that happened a lot. Certainly nothing to name several hundred square miles of geography over---

BUT---The area is very nice. Lot's of "old people"---Hey! That's us!! NIce residential area---high rise and single family--golf, tennis, clubs, a restaurant or two, and a very nice full service marina. Diane asked for and got a slip right by the "facilities" so we don'thave too far to walk to pool, bathroom, showers and laundry--in fact they're right at the dock we're tied to.

This is the area we decided to put down some roots to explore the area for a few weeks. It's about 10 miles south of Punta Gorda proper, 15 miles from the PG airport and only a few miles farther to Ft Myers and its airport. WE will explore the area by car and by boat and Diane will leave me here for a few days as she travels back to Houston to take care of the taxes (unless we can figure out how to do it from here---all the files and papers are, of course , in Houston. She's also taking care of her Dad's taxes and estate as well, so, we may have to send her home for a few days.)

We met the people in the boat next to us--Chuck and Nancy from Springfield, Mo. They keep their Catalina 350 here year round and come down and live on it 4 months out of the year during the winter months--another variation on the "snowbird" experience. Nancy still works as a Cath Lab nurse but pretty much calls her own hours---she returns today for a couple weeks for work, then she'll be back. Chuck is a retired---get this---insurance defense trial lawyer. Go figure.

They have a vehicle here and have offered it to us, and Chuck will take me over to Ft Myers on Monday to pick up our rent car.

We also met Paul and Eileen Orednick--friends of friends from Kingwood. I may play golf with Paul friday if there is an opening in his group, but we are also to have dinner at their home on Friday evening. They also offered the use of their car. We have met and enjoyed the nicest and most generous people on this trip, and these are no exception. We are truly looking forward to our stay here.

Right now we are at anchor (actually--we have a bow anchor out and are tied at the stern to mangroves, along with 5 or 6 other boats) in Boca Grande Lagoon ( By the way, they pronounce it "grand" and don't sound the Spanish "e" on the end).We were told about this anchorage by everybody we have talked to and are truly enjoying it. We arived yesterday--Tues.-- and after spending about 2 hours getting secured (with the very generous help of Jack from New York, aboard a 27 foot Watkins, who just happened to be passing by in his dinghy as we were unsuccessfully trying to swing the stern around to get it tied up to the mangroves) we dinghied over to an available dock and took a short stroll into town, sat for a glass of wine at an outdoor cafe--and some delicious O rings-- and stopped at the local market for a few things. We'll rent bikes tomorrow and see more of the island and probably have dinner at the "Pink Elephant"--a restaurant that is part of the Gasparilla Inn complex.

The weather has been outstanding---70's--finally, we're in shorts and sandals. The blue ski jacket and long undies have been retired to the plastic tubs in the "garage" and life is truly good.

We had a great jib only sail over here--about 2 hours-- on Tuesday. We'll spend another night here and then on to Pellican Bay off of Coya Costa Island, just north of Captiva Island. We'll save Captiva and Sanibel for another discovery expedition because I plan on being ensconced in front of a TV watching the "Steelwers" prevail on Sunday---How 'bout them Steelwers, Bill and Peggy and Barb!!!!!

So now it's time for lunch aboard and then dink over to the island for a bike ride, etc.

BTW------Our hearts go out to all of you experiencing the worst storm/cold front to ever strike the Continental US while we are comfy and cozy in the tropics. You know, it's a crappy job but someone had to step up and do it---That's me!!! Hope all are safe and warm.

West Palm and Friends

The Dormers and Livingstons at" The Blue Martini"

Delray Beach

Last Wednesday we jumped in our little Hyundai and headed for West Palm Beach to meet up with Teresa and Ed Dormer who were staying for a week at a Marriott time share there. We have been friends for many years, have traveled together extensively, foreign and domestic and gone on cruises together, and truly are inseparable friends. (I even bought Ed a very expensive original oil painting in St. Tropez for which he has never reimbursed me----an inside joke)

The trip was about 170 miles across the state, along the southern end of Lake Okechobee. Rather long, but we didn't mind as it meant that we would finally get to talk to someone other than each other.

WE got into WPB at around 1:30 in the afternoon and after a get reaquainted bottle of a very good Presceco (the girl's favorite) we set out for a late lunch at a supposedly famous seafood restaurant on the waterway---which turned out to be closed for lunch---so we went next door to the Crab Shack which turned out to be a Landry's restaurant. After enjoying the company and the expected less than mediocre/ overpriced Landry's food we took off on a car trip to explore the area. We fouund ourselves in downtown WPB--a beautiful, art deco architecture, city and decided to go back there for dinner that night. Diane and I still had to check in at the hotel we were staying at---Ed and T only had an efficiency---. WE did so, took a brief rest and freshened up and were picked up by the Dormers for our evening out.

We went back to WPB and had martinis at the "Blue Martini" in a very attractive new restaurant section. The "tini's" were great but then it was on to BB King's Blues Cafe for some live music and a pretty good dinner.

The next day we took another road trip down Ocean Highway past some of the most impressive "old money" mansions I've ever seen. (This area is truly beautiful--and once again it is difficult for me to comprehend the level of wealth represented here.) We ended up having a late lunch at a Cuban restaurant there, accented by a couple pitchers of excellent sangria. By this time, although we had already checked out of our hotel we had decided to check back in for an extra night and get an early start home the next day. (We had provisioning to do along the way and also needed to go to the post office at Boca Grande--just south of Cape Haze marina to pick up ---get this---Diane's microfibre towel--a gift to us from Linda Sitton of "Sea Yawl Later" ---that she had left in the shower room in Ocean Springs---the harbormaster graciously offered to send it to her and she picked Boca Grande out of the air as the place to send it.)

Great choice----Boca Grande is on Gasparillo Island, the last of a string of barrier islands just prior to hitting Charlotte Harbor and the pass back out into the Gulf. You have to cross a toll bridge--$5--to get onto the island and once there you are greeted, once again, with signs of extreme wealth. This is a winter nesting ground for the rich and famous--particularly those who like to tarpon fish in the alleged best fishing waters in America. Amazing!!

The town is quite quaint, highlited by the Gasparillo Inn (see above) and golf course. Once here we vowed to return and spend a bit more time.

Sure enough--the towel was here and Diane is relieved---These towels are perfect for a boating life. They dry you like a chamois and dry easily overnight. Cotton towels never seem to dry out in this always moist environment. They're not soft and cuddly like a good, warm cotton towel, however.

We stopped at the Publix grocery store that turned out to be just a few miles from where our boat was parked and prepared for an early AM departure for Charlotte Harbor and the Burnt Store marina.

Treasure Island to Charlotte Harbor

A bit of overkill???

WE departed, somewhat reluctantly, the Treasure Island Marina at around 9:30 on Sunday, the 23rd and motored south in the direction of Tampa and ultimately, Sarasota. Why the late start?? Well, these old fogies danced our legs off at the yacht club until about mid-night, Saturday night. We went there for dinner (New England lobster for $23 for me and crab cakes for Di--fabulous) and did not anticipate the excellent band that would be playing during and after dinner. It was a 2 man band--two very talented black guys who specialized in blues, R & B, and some rock. They were great. The lead guy played keyboard with his right hand and synthesizer with his left--horns, strings etc. The other guy played drums. The lead guy had an incredible voice. There were just a few people in the bar/dining room and no-one seemed to be paying atention to the band until we started clapping for each song. Finally others joined in to show appreciation. We decided to stick around and have an after dinner drink. We ended up meeting several people on boats at the marina, some members, some not--but really struck up a friendly dialog with the bartender, Joe. ( What is it with us and Joe's???) Pretty soon we couldn't sit still and were dancing. It didn't take long for the rest of the bar to join us. Some people even got up from their dining table to join in. The band quit all too soon and it wasn't 'till then that we realized how late it was. What a night---great food, great service, great company and conversation and outstanding music.

BUT--we had to leave and get going south. We're still reaching for the tropics. (My friend Dave Koplin writes that he judges whether he's in the tropics by whether or not there are coconuts and mango trees. By that standard we're not quite there yet)

The motor down the ditch to Sarasota was uneventful except for the constant view of the most gorgeous homes you've ever seen--one after the other, hundreds of them lining the beach on our starboard. We're talking minimum 10,000 square feet--back yard to a bay or the waterway, front yard to the Gulf of Mexico. Where did so many people get so much money??? I wonder if they are enjoying their life on the same relativity scale as I--if so, I can't imagine such joie de vivre. We all know that such incredible wealth does not automatically bring with it the kind of happiness we all seek --but I sure wouldn't mind putting it to the test.

WE had a nice motor sail across Tampa Bay, constantly in sight of the Skyway Bridge, back into the ditch on the south end and more mansions and some more modest but very nice dwellings on the waterway and finally a lovely sail across Sarasota Bay to our marina--Marina Jack-- right in the downtown area. We had the beautiful skyline of Sarasota in view all the way across the bay. We wished we could have spent more time exploring Sarasota from the marina but we needed to move along.

The other remarkable aspect of this part of the GIWW is the bridges. Oh yes, the bridges. Every where else they open on request. Here they open on a schedule. Usually on the hour and every 20 minutes thereafter. The problem was as I was pulling the dinghy we were slowed a bit by the drag that it put on the boat plus we seemed to constantly have a strong current working against us and these factors slowed us down enough that we had trouble making a 20 minute schedule between bridges. They all seemed to be just out of reach , so we would arrive at the next bridge about 5 minutes or 10 minutes after its last opening and have to sit there and circle for 10 or 15 minutes. Not all of them, but enough that it got old after a while. AND--there are a lot of bridges. I estimate that over the last 2 days we have gone under 15 bridges?? It got a bit better south of Sarasota--the last several bridges (in less dense traffic areas) opened on request. You can imagine with all these heavily populated barrier islands that they need the bridges to get everyone back and forth--and they certainly could not spend the kind of money it would require to build them all at the 63 foot height that we had been used to in Texas, Louisiana and Miss.

Again, the next day was more of the same until we arrived at our current stopover--Cape Haze Marina in Engelwood, near Stump Pass. A nice little, out-of-the-way marina just short of the mouth to Charlotte Harbor. With another bout of very bad weather on its way--very high winds and thunderstorms--we decided to park here while we rent a car and drive over to join our friends, Ed and Teresa Dormer in West Palm Beach--they're from Kingwood but vacationing in WPB for the week. I haven't seen our good friends, with whom we are somewhat inseparable, since the end of November. I am really looking forward to the reunion. When we return to the boat we'll move on to explore Charlotte Harbor.

OK---the explanation of the dinghy on the forklift--- We tied up where instructed at the Cape Haze Marina but the problem is the laundry, bath and office facilities are a pretty long walk over to the other side of the harbor--so we decided to dinghy over and transport our considerable laundry that way. When I got into the dinghy it lowered the stern enough that the little drain hole in the transom--the self bailing device --was now under water and a considerable amount of water was leaking in despite my attempts to close it tight. When we got over to the other side of the harbor we were met and assisted with our stuff by a couple of the guys that work here and run the dry stack operation (thus the fork lift---this thing is used to lifting up to 12 tons of boats and depositing them in the water or on the racks where they are stored. I started to manually lift the dink onto the dock and one of the guys offered to ease my strain by lifting it with the forklift. He did and we found and fixed the problem. But I thought you might get a kick out of seeing my 100 lb dinghy on this lift---I did.

From there we walked about a mile to a delicious breakfast and back to continue laundry and boat cleaning operations in anticipation of leaving the boat for a couple of days---what better way to spend a bad weather day??

Now I will announce another major change in plans---We are so enjoying the previously undiscovered west coast of Florida that we have decided to stay here for several weeks and explore Charlotte Harbor, Captiva, Marco Island and other islands, plus some off-shore sailing. So We're going to negotiate a long term rate at one of the Charlotte Harbor marinas, probably the Burnt Store Marina because of it's very short and easy access to the islands and the pass leading out to the Gulf, and enjoy exploring this part of the world. It was Diane's idea and I didn't have to think too long on it. We are considering leaving the boat in this area when we have completed this journey and this will be an excellent opportunity to explore and see if it is everything we want. We know it's relatively easy to get to--a 1 1/2 hour flight and a rent-a-car away-- and fairly affordable--both transportation and boat storage. We'll give it a go and see how we like it. This also alows the weather to settle a bit more before we head south and over to the islands, but still gives us plenty of time to do what we want to do in the Bahamas.

The future blogs may not be quite as interesting (They are aren't they?) but we'll try to keep up and describe our discoveries as we explore this part of Fla. Life is good!!!

Treasure Island

The Club House (Our sail cover in the forground)

The Pool (Bar on the right; fire pits in forground; cabanas in the background)

The Marina (Mostly sport fishing boats and trawlers, but a few sailboats)

The Marina (The ICWW is just beyond the farthest boats in the picture--a great location)

Clearwater/Tarpon Springs

Lunch on the beach at Frenchy's in Clearwater Beach

The sponge docks in Tarpon Springs

We decided to spend a few days in Clearwater Beach, rent a car, drive up to Tarpon Springs and later take in a movie--I've been trying to see True Grit since Pensacola.

Having arrived on Sunday, Monday was a day of rest and the day to say good-bye to Joe. His friend picked him up around 1 PM. It was a rainy start to the day but the afternoon cleared up a bit and we took a stroll out to the beach road and around the neighborhood. I also firmed up plans for the next day to have the wind generator installed by a local "boat guy" that had been recommended to me by one of our neighbors at the marina. The day did clear and turned quite nice. I took advantage of the down time to pull the dinghy "L'il Liv" off the deck and stenciled the TX numbers on, dropped her in the water, installed the outboard and took a short spin around the bay. It started on the first pull---always a relief. We are very happy with our decision to join the Waterford Yacht Club back home before we left as it gets us some variable form of discount or reciprocity when we arrange to stay at other yacht clubs.. The facilities here at the Clearwater Y.C. are very nice and the people, very accomodating.

Almost the entire day Tuesday was spent installing the wind generator. There was about a 2 1/2 hour delay as we determined that the pole that John brought was too short by 2 feet and he had to go back to his shop in Tarpon Springs to get an 11 foot one. But, we finally got it installed. Even the wire run went smoothly, much to my surprise. Still, an entire beautiful day was spent at the effort. It tested out fine the next day when we went to Tarpon Springs. On return I found that it had kept up with my electrical usage pretty well--not completely--but I only expect it to help me buy some time at anchor so I'm not constantly having to run the generator or engine to recharge. Looks like I accomplished my goal. (As long as the wind blows)

Next day we rented a car and drove up to Tarpon Springs, to the sponge docks, walked around ---in shorts!!!!--had a great lunch at Dimitri's , bought some overpriced sponges--one for the boat and one for Diane's back--. We even managed to do our laundry while we were out gadding about and stopped for groceries on the way home---saw True Grit that night and went to bed exhausted.

We had planned to take off for points south the next day but had some business to transact before we could leave and we were concerned that we might not have enough time to get situated for the night if we didn't leave until early afternoon. Fortunately, we met and talked to a couple aboard a large trawler who had come in the day prior and they told us about Treasure Island Yacht Club, just about 25 miles down the ditch. They described it in glowing terms and we decided to head that way after: closing on our refi of or Colorado condo,returning the rental car, riding the trolley to the Western Union to pick up some money that had been wired to us by our son (loan payback), dep-ositing that mone at the Wachovia Branch and lunching at Frenchy's on the beach. After a 40 minute return trip on the trolley--very circuitous route---we battened down the hatches and departed for treasure Island around 2:15. On checking the charts we realized we had five bridges we had to contend with between here and there and since the weather was warm (70) and windless (0 to 10) we opted to go back off shore for the 2 1/2 hour run down the coast to John's Pass where we came back in. We arrived at the Yacht Club (having made a reservation) at around 6 and were met by Les, the dockmaster---a nicer guy you could never find. After helping us get tucked in he gave us a tour of the facilities-----WOW!!!!!!

This place is fabulous (and the least expensive place we've stayed). It is actually the Treasure Island Yacht and Tennis Club. The club building is 3 stories with locker rooms and baths on the first floor. A fabulous bar and restaurant, huge workout facility, more bath rooms and shower facilities, a free game room, massage room, sauna all on the 2nd floor and banquet facilities on the 3rd. Additionally they have a huge 8 lane olympic heated pool with several fire pits around it, cabanas, and a very nice outdoor bar that appears to be very popular with the members. To heck with the Bahamas---we're going to stay here the rest of our lives. Oh, did I mention the courtesy vans--2 of them-- that will take you "anywhere you want to go". Life is good.

Friday was spent walking into "downtown" Treasure Island picking up a few things for dinner, a stop at the hardware store, etc. We stopped at their open air market and browsed and went for a very nice stroll on their gorgeous beach. I am beginning to understand the popularity of Florida.

We planned to leave this oasis on Saturday morning but reversed that decision--very wisely--when another weather front hit much harder than anticipated. Right now we are ensconced in our boat at the dock and I'm actually a bit "seasick" from all the rocking we are doing in the 30 to 40 knot wind that is blowing ceaselessly. It's cold, too---in the 40's again. Once again Diane made the right weather call. So tonight we will visit the club bar for a cocktail or 4 and then sample their dinner fare which we understand to be excellent. We hope this wind moderates by morning so we can make an early start and get well on down the coast. As the Gulf is probably pretty well kicked up we'll stay in the waterway this time and contend with the bridges. (Unlike all the bridges to this point, these bridges do not open on request- they have their own schedules and you have to hit them just right to make any kind of time.

We have finally realized that we do not need to be in a big hurry to get to the Bahamas. We are having a wonderful time exploring Florida. The only thing missing is the truly warm air and water (and the views and beaches and rum drinks and.........) So we will keep on trucking along at our leisurely, comfortable pace and enjoy the trip. Along the way we are learning more and more every day about the places we visit, ourselves, our boat and the people we meet. This whole adventure is definitely a "10" for me and probably about an "8 1/2" and growing for Diane.

Buffalo Joe

We met Joe in Moss Point (Pascagoula) Mississippiiiiii. Joseph Gray Stephens was raised in the D.C. area by a very conservative military family. He was, for a while the black sheep of the family as both his brothers attended theNaval Academy. He tried college at Stetson U. in central Florida for a year or so but found it unexciting, and became a 60's hippy instead. (Now one of his brothers lives a rather eclectic life as an aspiring musician and music store owner in Aspen--so Joe's now not the only black sheep) Drugs, alcohol, free love and the anti-war movement were his life for several years. He eventually found his way to Leadville, Colorado where he worked in the molybdenum (sp?) mine until he earned enough to make the back payments on his truck. He started crewing on river raft rides and eventually found his way to the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon where he made 33 raft and kayak and motor raft trips down the gorge--for other people and eventually for his own company, Buffalo Joe River Trips (Headquartered on the Arkansas River out of Buena Vista, Colorado.) He sold that company in 1986 after 9 years, spent a winter windsurfing Baja, went to work at Tubac Golf resort in Arizona and apprenticed as a golf pro and eventually got his PGA card. He worked as golf pro for several years in the US and Mexico and taught golf in Palm Springs for 3 years. He then moved to N.C. and did 3 years of fraternity and sorority composite photography. This was seasonal and allowed him to crew on Cap't Ron's boat in the Western Carribbean, where he fell in love with the sailing life. He then spent 4 months in the transportation department driving people around McMurdo Station in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. (Where he will return soon as director of transportation)He then tried his hand at running a water garden emporium with his step dad back in N.C. and then ran a landscape business back in N.C.

He bought his Hurricane Ike damaged boat (Tatonka) in March of 2010. This is about when his girl, Karin, of 21/2 years decided that there were better things to do with her time than work on a boat and sought greener pastures. He's been sailing ever since. He is currently tied up in a marina in Key West.

Joe is a Liberal. He voted for Obama and still is dillusional enough to think he's great. After a great deal of discussion, however, we have both decided that we are not Liberal or Conservative or even Progressive---We are "Regressive"--We both like things the way they used to be.

Joe never met a stranger.You can imagine how entertaining he is with the incredible diversity of his background and experience. Did I mention that he is also a professional musician---in a way-- He carries his mandolin and guitar everywhere and hooks up with bar bar bands every where he goes. He didn't have them with him on the trip so I haven't heard him play. He is, despite his "liberal politics", a most delightful person to talk with and explore the humorous side of life, love and politics. We will never forget Buffalo Joe and also know that this is not the last we'll see of him. I believe we have initiated a life-long relationship with a most interesting person and look forward to running into him on down the road. I also look forward to the opportunity to pick guitar with him somewhere along the way.

Joe is a unique person--the kind of good heart coupled with a fine mind and an outlook on life that I admire more than I can express. We couldn't have made the trip across without his help, and so appreciate his willingness to go out of his way to help us. None of this would have happened if Diane hadn't taken an immediate liking and attraction to him in Moss Point (You know how I am --a bit standoffish--takes me a bit longer to establish a relationship with anyone--especially someone you meet in a bar in Moss Point, Miss.)

So, as we sit here in Clearwater, in the rain, I type, Diane reads and Joe gets ready to leave us for his next adventure and his next new friend. He's off for 4 days of golf somewhere in Florida. We will miss him, his wit and repartee and his infectious personality.

Good Luck, Buffalo Joe !!

IT'S WARM !!!!!!!

We made it!!!! We're in Clearwater after a brisk but fairly easy crossing.

We left Saturday morning at around 7:15 as planned. Temps were in the low 40's but winds were calm (starting out). We had studied the weather very closely on the numerous weather sites that we use and that have proven (fairly) accurate. The clear consensus of all the sites was:

Saturday, winds starting from the northeast at 10 to 15 kts moving around to the east and dropping at mid-day to 5 to 10; further moderating to 0 to 5 that night and all day Sunday. This meant that we would motor sail then just motor most of the way across the passage on mostly flat seas---not too thrilling but easy (and quite acceptable to Diane). As we motor without stressing the diesel at around 5.5 kts this meant we should make the 160 mile passage in about 29 hours. We planned our departure so that we would be sure to arrive after daybreak ("Never enter a strange harbor in the dark")

NOT!!!

While the winds were fairly calm when we left they had built to 10 to 13 by mid day and to 15 to 17 by mid afternon. The seas had a definite roll to them with waves out of the northeast at 2 to 3 feet. But they were confused--while the swells were coming out of the northeast in a steady pattern they were all boiled up for some reason adding a definite and somewhat uncomfortable chop. By that evening/ sunset the wind was up to a steady 17 to 20, the seas were up to 4 and 5 feet with an occasional roller that would toss us sideways and rock the boat pretty good from side to side. Fortunately (and with good planning) the wind and seas were mostly behind us so it was mostly comfortable although stressful not knowing whether the weather would build anymore. (Fortunately it didn't) Not one of the weather sites we use had predicted this kind of weather. It was supposed to be calm, flat and boring. This sail was anything but boring. The great thing about it was that we sailed with reefed mainsail and roller furled jib at over 7 knots. Once we got accustomed to the unexpected conditions it was a fabulous sail.

Once again, Diane surprised mostly herself. Because from time to time we would get broadsided by a broaching wave we decided to steer manually because the autohelm was just working too hard. Diane took the toughest-- by far-- shift from about 5:30 to around 8:30 that night and steered a perfect steady course. By the time I took over from her the seas had moderated a bit and I was able to put "Auto" back to work. Diane and Joe went to get some rest and left me on watch. Because I was on autohelm (automatic steering) I was able to hunker down behind the dodger (windshield) and stay out of the chilly wind. Temps by this time were in the 50's-even that night--getting better. While I was on watch until around midnight thirty the wind and seas continued to drop until I had several hours of winds in the 12/13 range with 2 foot seas. I rested and relaxed---far from the steady 3 hour steering effort Diane had experienced--and occasionally heard the sounds of whales calling to each other off to port. It was a very spiritual experience. I was in sailor's heaven!

Around 12:30 Joe relieved me and after brewing up a pot of strong coffee for him I went forward to the V-berth to join Diane in what I hoped would be a few hours of rest during these calmer conditions. NOT!!! In the V-berth you hear every clang, creak, whisp, whirr, pound, crash, squeak, bump (Did I mention clunk?)----It's noisy!!!
Diane was asleep---I didn't know how, but she was. Finally, by scrunching myself into a ball in the corner I was able to catch a few hours of shut-eye, only to be awakened by increasing noise and boat motion. While I had thought with conditions subsiding during my watch that this trend would continue on into the subsequent watches. NOT!!! The winds had built back up to 17 to 20 and 5 and 6 foot seas. Once again we were clipping along at 71/2 knots. By this time all three of us were up and enjoying each other's company on deck. It had started to get chilly again so we were bundled up pretty good under blankets in addition to the 3 or 4 layers of clothes including thermal undies.
By this time we realized that at the rate we were traveling we would be arriving in less than 24 hours and probably before day break, so we actually slowed the boat down by further reducing sail. Whoodathunk??
We arrived at the first sight of the tall buildings on shore shortly after day break and as the conditions then decided to moderate we had a very pleasant --and warm-- sail into the channel and arrived here at the Clearwater Yacht Club at around 11:15. In the process of getting our dock lines secured, etc. I shed my flannel lined rain slicker, my sweatshirt, my long undies top and was eventually down to shirt sleeves. The weather was beautiful--70 degrees, very little wind. We celebrated our arrival and safe passage with a prayer and mimosas. We even enjoyed the yacht club Sunday brunch at around 12:30 (Very expensive--$5.99 each) Life is indeed good!!!!

We Love Apalachicola

One of the City Parks in Apalachicola

Apalachicola--Gateway to Warmth (We Hope)

We left Port St Joe at a leisurely hour on Tuesday the 11th for a 5 hour motor cruise up the Gulf County Canal to rejoin the ICW about 5 miles north of PSJ. This began our leg into Apalachicola through a huge area of swamps, bayous and creeks and LOTS of Bald Eagles. I didn't see any swoop down and grab a fish as I had in Louisiana but they were more numerous and spectacular.

We arrived at Apalach around 3 PM and tied up at Miller's Marina right on the Apalach River just short of the Hwy 98 bridge. It's from here that we plan to leave Friday or Saturday to jump across Apalachicola Bay, through Government Cut and out into the Gulf for our 140 mile sail in open/offshore water across the Gulf to Tarpon Springs and the main Florida Peninsula--and hopefully warmer weather.

If you read earlier posts you will recall that we met a guy in Moss Point, Miss. who goes by the moniker--Buffalo Joe. He's actually Joe Stephens and he is cruising his Island packet sailboat in the general direction of Cuba. He left Moss point a day after us, passed us up in Pensacola and is now in Key West. We have stayed in touch with him along the way, and he graciously offered to come up here to crew with us across the Gulf. He has a car here in Apalach that he arranged for us to pick up and use and for me to drive to Tallahassee to pick him up at the airport. He has a number of friends here and some business interests and this worked out perfectly for both him and us. So the plan is to take off either Fri or Sat morning--depending on the better weather window.

Meanwhile, we have truly enjoyed Apalachicola. Had a great dinner at Tamara's Cafe (downtown) on Tuesday night--Tabasco Fried grouper with green beans and macaroni and fried softshell crab tacos with coleslaw---We had the leftovers last night and it was just as good the second night as the first. Wednesday we walked all over town including a jaunt to the Piggly Wiggly about 6 blocks away for some needed provisions, had lunch of a couple dozen of the best oysters we've ever eaten--3 different ways--raw, steamed with a parmesan topping and raw with a relish type sauce--MAN they were good as was the bottle of Pinot Grigiot. (At Up the Creek Oyster Bar on the water) We had also connected with Joe's friends--Phillip (marine mechanic) and Kristin (artist) and picked up Joe's little Mazda Miata. Later we drove over to check out the town of Carrabelle where a lot of boaters go to stage for the hop across the "arm pit". Nice town--mostly just marinas, lots of boats and an IGA--but we didn't stay long or explore in too great a detail. It is a very pretty drive over there, along the Bay with a view out to the barrier islands. This is a very pretty and relatively undiscovered part of Florida. Lots of development opportunity.

Later that night after our leftovers we watched a movie--SALT--and hit the pillows.

Oh yeah----the weather. It's cold--very cold. The wind has blown a steady 12 to 18 knots since we arrived, supposed to moderate today. But the temp is the real story. Last night it got down to 28 degrees. It's 10 AM as I write this and it is still around 35 degrees. It's supposed to get all the way up to 46 degrees today.

Today we'll do a bit of laundry, but otherwise hunker down in the warm boat and later I drive to Tallahassee to pick up Joe. Looking forward greatly to getting across the big water. It's supposed to be fairly gentle winds but still somewhat cold. I'm thinking I'll close up the salon, fire up one of the generators and crank up our little space heater down below so at least those not on watch can stay warm and toasty---maybe watch a little TV--you know--"roughing it". Life is good!

Port St. Joe, Florida

Diane relaxing with a sudoku at our marina in PSJ----Ain't she purty!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Am I a lucky guy or what???????????

Breakfast With The AGLCA

The AGLCA is the American Great Loop Cruiser's Association. This is an organization of boaters--primarily power boaters---who have traveled all or part of the Great Loop. The Great Loop is the Intracoastal Waterway--starting wherever--It runs from Mobile Bay, around the Gulf (like we've been doing) down through Florida, around and back up the east coast of Florida, on up the east coast, through New York Harbor, up the Hudson River, through the Erie and other canals, through the Great Lakes, through Chicago and down the river system to end up again in Mobile Bay. There are variations along the way. It's mostly power boaters because of the bridge restrictions that require sailboaters to remove their masts.
We breakfasted with about 50 members, all about our age, mostly in power boats--some big trawlers. Very nice people. They clearly have a lot of fun together---We were recruited heavily.
But--after enjoying our FREE breakfast we set about refueling, doing laundry and other boat chores. As is the pattern, we will stay here in Port St Joe several nights as another monster weather event is about to unload 30 degree temps and 25 kt winds and rain--and possibly snow or ice.. Then it will be on to Apalachicola where we will plan our crossing of the "arm pit" to Tarpon Springs. Looking for a 3rd crewmember to help us with this crossing. (Any takers?????) It looks like a weather window will open next week-end. Once we get across this stretch of water we'll be back in the ICW and on our way south to warmer and bluer waters. I'm particularly anxious to get to Tarpon springs as we understand it is a town of great character--the sponge diving capital of the world--heavy Greek influence with lots of Greek restaurants in town. So far this trip has been great, even in spite of the weather--but it is only going to get better from here. We can't wait.

Turning Southward At Last

After spending all of Friday on the hook in Destin Harbor we left Sat morning at around 5:15 AM with the plan to definitely get as far as Panama City and possibly on to Port St Joe if we were to make good enough time.
Friday was miserable. The wind blew all day at 25 to 30 kts and gusting up to 40. The temp was comfortable but it's never fun to be at anchor in 40 kts of wind with the boat rocking in 2 foot waves-- in the harbor! But we put up with it--even put the dink in the water and dinghied to shore for a very mediocre lunch at one of the Boardwalk restaurants (We have had 2 excellent meals ashore in Destin---La Famiglia and Louisiana Lagniape---Don't bother with the restaurants on the Boardwalk. It seems they specialize in overpriced mediocrity. The view is cool but hardly worth the disappointment in the cuisine.)
Dinghiing back to the boat against the wind and waves left us a bit damp.
We studied the various weather sites all day and they all semed to agree that the weather on Saturday would moderate enough to allow us to go back offshore for the run down to Panama City or beyond.--Remember--we can't take the ditch from here as the bridge just beyond where we are anchored is only 47 feet---we need 53 feet of clearance. Those bridge builders were certainly not thinking of me when they built these low bridges--imagine that!!!
We decided we would try to make the run on Saturday even if it meant a bit of discomfort---so---early to bed and early to rise. We got underway at 5:15 Sat morning and navigated by chartplotter out of the harbor and up the channel to the Gulf. I knew we were in for a bit of excitement once we hit the mouth of the channel. The boat was going 2.5 knots over the water (Boat Speed) but we were traveling at 6.5 knots over ground(Speed Over Ground) That meant we had a 4 knot current going with us out the channel. That's usually a good thing. But in this case it meant there was a 4 knot current running out the channel headlong into the westerly wind and waves coming in off the Gulf at the mouth --that's a bad thing---. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that these waves are already building as they come in off of 30 foot water depth and climb the shelf to the 10 or 15 foot water at the mouth of the channel. Sure enough, when we got to the mouth we were met head on with 8 to 10 foot waves and pounded into them for about 15 minutes before we could turn to port and get them behind us. But once we made the turn and got the swells on our port stern quarter, got our jib set and began our eastward course it was actually fairly comfortable. Plus, with the benefit of surfing off of these big waves we were averaging around 71/2 knot s of speed. Port St Joe began to look like a real possibility.
The wind stayed at around 15 knots from the northwest all day, and the waves varied from 4 to 8 feet all day with occasional sideways rolls that were a bit unnerving. But the boat handled it all extremely well and so did we. It was really quite exhillerating(SP?)
We passed through the Panama City channel at around 12:15 (2 hours earlier than we had planned) so we made the decision to go on to Port St Joe. The critical issue was whether we could get there before sunset. (Never enter a strange harbor at night!!!!). As it turned out we hit the channel at 3:15 but then realized we still had another couple of hours of motoring down this endless channel across a bay to the marina. We arrived right at 5PM, tucked the boat into a slip, hooked up the electricity and poured my first martini and popped open Diane's beer, all in time to watch a beautiful sunset--- which is when we realized that the sun had been on our starboard side most of the afternoon-----We were finally headed SOUTH!!!!!
We had an excellent dinner at the Harbor Cafe right here at the marina and met and talked to Rick, the owner, who invited us to breakfast the next morning with about 50 members of the AGLCA---More on that later. After dinner Diane went straight to bed--exhausted. I tried to watch the Colts/Jets playoff game but the last thing I remembered was the start of the second half. I woke up on the settee as the game ended and staggered to bed.
It was a great day. We tested some limits and found we were up to the challenge. The boat handled it all quite well--she really is an excellent "coastal cruiser" and we couldn't have been more pleased with her. Life is good!!!

On the" Road" Again

We are resting "on the hook" in what I believe is called "Old Lagoon" in Destin, Fla after an uneventful but very smooth motor sail from Pensacola. We had both sails up and full with a stern quartering breeze of 10 to 12 kts eventually building to 20 kts for the last hour. We had following seas the whole way, so, although they built to about 3 to 4 feet they were quite comfortable as we rolled down the lea side surfing to as much as 8 kts from time to time. It's still COLD here. Got down in the mid 30's last night and we had to use one of our generators to run a little electric space heater that does a nice job of adding just enough heat to keep us toasty inside. Looking forward to that point in time when we can replace the jeans and long underwear (actually, Diane looks quite sexy in hers) for shorts.
We had a fabulous visit with family over the holidays--Christmas with our daughter and family in Colorado Springs. Diane's sister Nancy from Chicago joined us as well. Later we all (except Paul--he had to work) trooped up to Vail to Diane's brother's beautiful home for several days including new years. (Diane and I barely made it to New York City midnight on New Years Eve((That's 10PM folks)), but we did get to see the big ball drop.) In Mobile they have the "Dolphin Drop" and in Pensacola they have the "Pelican Drop" I understand many animals are hurt or killed during these rituals---just kidding, people---Sorry we missed these spectacles.
One of the things I wanted to do while in Vail was ski for the first time in about three years. I waited, however, for Paul to get there, to ski with him and John but by then the temp had fallen into the single digits for a high (I only ski when it's perfect--35 degrees and sunny with no wind)Oh well, there's always next year.
Flew back to Panama City on the 4th and picked up a rent car to drive back to Pensacola. Stopped along the way in Destin for dinner at Louisiana Lagniape restaurant---OMG---pecan encrusted grouper, a dinner salad, twice baked potato X 2 and a free bottle of wine for $45---total, not each. It was excellent--We had Diane's leftover fish and potato for lunch the next day.
We kept the car on Wed. for provisioning and a few other chores.
While "on vacation" in Colorado I did a bit of research. I don't like the idea of having to run the generator or engine every day or two to recharge the batteries and decided I would install one of the power maintaining systems (wind or solar) to help try to stay ahead or at least close to even with the game. Since our trip involves the Bahamas and the wind always blow in the Bahamas I decided to go with a wind generator. This will replace at least some and sometimes all of the battery power that we use when we're sitting at anchor or underway without the engine on. I still have the generator to "top off" the batteries when necessary. After doing a bit of reseasch I decided on the Air Breeze model. It's supposed to be the quietest and performed the best in tests in moderate breezes. Problem is I have to get it installed somwhere along our journey. I had actually hoped for some bad weather in Pensacola that would have allowed me to DIY it but we got this fabulous weather window and left for Destin on Thursday
We intended to get an early start. I set the coffee maker for 6:15 as an alarm clock--I thought---Apparently I set it for 6:15 PM and we slept in 'till 7:30. That's why we ran the engine the whole way and motor sailed. We had left an hour later than planned and we needed to make sure we arrived during daylight hours into this difficult and strange entrance channel. So we motor sailed at 7+ kts as opposed to quietly sailing without motor at 6. We hit the Destin channel (East Pass) at around 4:00 with plenty of daylight left to get into the harbor and set the anchor and pour a coldy before dark. It was a delightful trip despite the noisy engine---out right at the three mile line along solid stretches of blindingly white beaches, high rise condos, and thru emerald colored water. Life is Good!!!!
We've decided to spend the day here as some pretty nasty 20 to 30 kt winds are supposed to build today--from the SW--so the building waves would be on our starboard beam with a lot of roll--fairly uncomfortable---Tomorrow, Sat., is supposed to be a lot better, so we'll keep an eye on the weather and maybe get an early enough start to make it all the way to Port St Joe as opposed to stopping at Panama city tomorrow night.

And We Thought Moss Point Was Cold

Anna and Asher with their new sleds from Uncle John

The Vail Valley 12/31/2010 --0 Degrees F.

Merry Christmas All

O K I lied. I felt like I needed to do a quick interim post because of all that is happening.
First of all---we are enjoying a wonderful Christmas in Colorado Springs with Paul and Kristin, Anna, Asher and Elli, sister Nancy and Paul's sister Julie. Aside from being a bit "under the weather"--I think it was my very first bout ever with altitude sickness---it has been a truly wonderful time. The grandkids are more fun than you can imagine. Christmas morning was a delight--three incredibly excited kids--and stuff everywhere--(quite a transition from our peaceful life aboard the boat--but great fun)
Secondly--I wanted to tell about the really cool experience we had after we left the boat last Thursday, driving to Panama City to catch the plane the next day for Colorado.
As Destin is the next stop on "our" journey (more about the "our" later) we decided to stop in Destin on our way through to check out the tricky entry into the cove where "we" plan to anchor (more about the "we" later) on our way down the coast. After we parked the car and were walking along the pier in the direction of the harbor master's office (I wanted to talk with him/her about the entry to the cove) we came across a familiar looking catamaran tied up at the dock--sure enough it was our friends and mentors, Rusty and Linda Sitton of :Sittononthebeach blog site in the links on the left. They left Kemah about two weeks after me but have not been held up quite as much by the weather. They had passed us up over night, having sailed straight through off shore from Biloxi. They were parked in Destin for Christmas and to wait out a bad weather front moving in on Christmas day. We had lunch together and then drove them down the road to the grocery store for some provisioning and to refill a propane bottle. It was really neat to bump into them this way--and how coincidental. We had a very helpful chat with them about the area and the options of continuing on down the coast---more reinforcement for Diane (Linda is not as experienced a sailor as Diane nor as involved in the boat handling part of cruising but is vastly more experienced in the cruising part having done this same trip last year. She was able to discuss Diane's (and her) fears and share emotions and experiences in a very positive and helpful way.)----Which brings me to the "our" and "we" thing-----Diane is going to continue on with me and continue to fight her fears through experience. Actually, she had made this decision before we ran into the Sittons but talking with Linda just served to reinforce her decision. She still has trouble with the idea of sailing through the nights off shore and we will address that by gathering crew to help with those legs. Needless to say, I am ecstatic with her decision and the knowledge that she will be with me to experience the beauty of the moments ahead. Hopefully, with good planning we can minimize the difficulties.
Sooooo--at this point we are planning to sail off shore down to Destin and anchor for a day or two in the cove outside the bridge that we can't get under--then down the coast to Panama City and Port St Joe and then the ICW from St Joe to Appalachacola before heading across on the first over night to Tarpon Springs and warmer weather and bluer water along the Florida Peninsula. Curiously, even though I've already come over 500 miles , have crossed through or into 5 states and spent almost three weeks on the boat I won't feel like we're really into this journey until I get to the peninsula area --Tarpon Springs/Clearwater/Tampa and points south.
But for now--enjoying family and sleeping in a real bed and letting the water run when I brush my teeth or shower. Life is Good!!!

Flawda----Finally!!!

Finally--- We have reached Florida.

After a relaxing couple of days in Orange Beach, Alabama we have moved on to our home for the next several weeks (or, rather, the new home for the boat) as we travel to Colorado Springs and Vail to be with family for Christmas and New Years. We really lucked out and found this very nice marina in the old downtown area of Pensacola--just a short walk away from restaurants, bars, shops--everything but a grocery store--. This town is very nice and they have done a beautiful job renovating this downtown area. The marina is brand new--floating docks, excellent security, nice facilities--We'll chill here for a few days as we await our trip west.

We had a very nice but cold trip over from Orange Beach, arriving just in time for the second half of the Saint's game and for the entire/miserable/pathetic Steelers loss to the Jets after taking a nice long exer-walk up Palafox St to the business section where we found all the restaurants, bars and shops--fortunately, they were mostly closed--I have a feeling we'll be back, though, before we leave.

The original plan had been to keep moving to Panama City, leave the boat there and fly off for the Holidays, but as plans always go when it comes to this life style--plans seldom become reality. We learned along the way that there are three bridges between here and Panama City, along the ICW, that we can't get under because of the height of our mast. SO--we will have to go off shore from here to somewhere south of Panama City, probably Port St Joe or just on to Appalachicola---the weather window will detrmine how far and where the next stopping point will be. As Diane does not want to venture off shore we had to stop here until I can arrange at least one other crew to go with me in the hop down the coast.

(Downtown Pensacola from the bay)

That will wait until after the holidays. Meanwhile we are "stuck" in a very nice spot. Finally the weather has moderated--would have been a great weather window to take off across the Gulf--

We rented a car to take in the sights in the area and to get us to the Panama city airport on Friday. Yesterday we drove in to Destin to see our old next door neighbors, Ron and Maryann Porter, who moved into a beautiful high rise there about three years ago. Maryann is a designer and Ron is now a contractor working with their 2 boys doing remodeling jobs in the area and building some homes. Their beautiful condo reveals their talents--it is incredible. It's on the Bay, a view of the ICW surrounded by golf course and gorgeous grounds.

We had a delicious Italian dinner at a family owned and run restaurant--La Famiglia--in Destin and home again for another early night to bed.

The ship below is docked on the other side of the marina. It is the S/V Peacemaker, a good will tall ship from Brazil---free walk aboard tours--165 feet long and 33 feet wide--quite a vessel.

(By the way--for those who have forgotten what we look like--that's us right in front of the ship.)

(The Palafox Marina in Pensacola)

So----sight seeing today and tomorrow. Some boat cleaning and then its off to Colorado on Friday. We plan on relaxing and doing a lot of hugging and spoiling the Grandkids.

I'm going to get some skiing in while in Vail, maybe some hiking and just lots of good family time.

I probably won't be posting again for a while so to all following this blog we want to wish you all a very happy Christmas, full of all the blessings of life and love. Remember our young men and women of the military around the world who offer their ultimate sacrifices day in and day out--If you can--try to find a way to help out their families for the Holidays. Operation HomeFront is an excellent organization helping many of these families.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR