We have been pretty lazy about posting our adventures on our blog. No excuse - we'll try to catch you up now. We stayed in Vero Beach for six weeks, two weeks longer than we had originally planned. About two weeks into our original plan of a month in Vero we decided to change our next destination from the Keys to Ft. Myers. Then we had to wait for dock space at the Ft. Myers City Marina. One of the many advantages of retired life, we go where we want to go and when we choose. We're docked in Ft. Myers now and will tell you about a flock of repair excitements and other fun we've been having.
Our time in Vero Beach was very enjoyable, as usual. We made many new friends at the marina, entertained old friends from FL and got together with Wayne’s brother and sister-in-law, Donna. One of our new boating couple friends sold their home in New Hampshire, sold their car, and boarded their boat for Florida. This brave and adventuresome pair is sorting out what they'll be doing and where they are going now in life. Colleen was happy to find Charlene, Donna, and Mary on nearby boats, quilters and/or crocheters.
The Loggerhead Marina schedules regular get-togethers for the liveaboard boaters and they had a chili cook off and several other organized gatherings while we were there There is a nice Captains' Lounge so we had lots of opportunity to meet and chat with other kindred spirits who either live on their boats full time or spend all or part of the winter here. The night before we left we had a cocktail party aboard Cool Change. And, of course, we ate at our favorite restaurants and found a few new places to recommend.
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| Good grief, was this meal ever good! Not a Vero restaurant but not too far away in Fort Pierce Beach City Marina. The restaurant is called The Original Tiki Bar. My meal was a shrimp salad sandwich with fried plantains. |
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| C.J. Cannon's, at the Vero Beach Airport, is one of our favorite breakfast stops in Vero. |
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| A new find. Mrs. Mac's Fillin' Station is good, homestyle cooking built around an old fashioned gas station theme. The front and back of the menu are actual metal license plates, the staff was welcoming and the service was fast. Christmas in Boston One of the best parts of our stay in Vero beach this year was flying out of Orlando to celebrate Christmas with our family in Boston. We didn't get any snow but we had a wonderful time with some of our very favorite people. Thank you so much, Patrick and Maria, for hosting us.
A while ago my daughter-in-law, Maria, asked me to make her a quilt using fabric from dresses of her mother's. This past October we finally sat down and chose a dress and planned to make a bed runner that would complement Patrick and Maria's bedspread.. I had enough fabric to also make matching pillows. Maria and I were both happy with the result you see below, which I gave to her at Christmas.  Vero Beach sights |
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| We found a trio of sand hill cranes one misty morning. These guys stand five feet tall and have striking red feathers on their foreheads. They have 5 to 7 foot wingspans. |
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| FIRE! But, thankfully, not on our boat. Look closely at the front side window. It is missing. It shattered in an onboard fire. An electrical short for the water tank level monitor caused an electrical fire. By the time smoke began escaping and caught peoples' attention, it was too late. It required two fire hoses to put out the fire and the boat was a total loss. Fortunately, the owners were not aboard when the fire broke out. The salvage crew was able to actually drive the boat away as the fire was confined to the living quarters. |
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| A beautiful sunrise over Loggerhead Marina |
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| Have we mentioned the weird Florida weather we've experienced this winter? If it's not rain it's wind and if it's not wind it's cold and if it's not cold it's hot. |
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| We were swimming along with other marina residents on New Years Day. These skies look threatening but rain never fell on us. |
Colleen visited the local quilt guild again and decided to join the guild since they meet every week and she enjoys their company so much. She kept busy in Vero with lots of quilting and sewing projects for Christmas gifts and children's quilts to donate to charity and for children of North Carolina friends.
Thanks to her old friends, Marla and Mary, Colleen was able to lay out and prepare three small quilts to be finished on the boat. Marla had cataract surgery in mid January and Colleen and Mary converged on her home in Cocoa and nursed her back to health.
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| Another one of the wrapped clothesline bowls I showed you in our last blog. Marcy gave me the little charms for Christmas. This one is for ME!
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| This quilt is for a little girl who likes purple. The lighter purple is a cute dragonfly pattern. |
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| This is a charity quilt for donation through my North Carolina quilt guild. |
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| Do you know the story of The Grouchy Ladybug? For several years I've had leafy green fabric with a ladybug print sitting in my stash closet. It was just perfect as the border on this quilt and I was happy to find a red-with-black-dot print for the backing and binding. |
New Equipment:
New GPS, Radar, Depth
sounder
Wayne installed a new 15 inch GPS from Garmin as reported in the last blog posting Now he has added a new
depth sounder and a new xHD radar. These are both Garmin units as well. All are up and running well and adding to
our boating experience in a very positive way.
He was able connect to our existing VHF and autopilot such that they
talk (?) to each other. Wayne
understands this stuff, fortunately.
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| The new 15 inch GPS / Radar display up and running |
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| Back into the dashboard again. Plus removing the old radar unit and pulling cables from and to the radar arch. |
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| The new Garmin 550DV depthfinder installed |
New Outboard Motor for Dinghy
In our last blog posting, Wayne finally had to part with his beloved Nissan electric
start Nissan 8hp outboard motor. The 96
pound motor proved just too heavy to lift off its mount and carry to and
install on the back of our dinghy. He
listed the motor on Craigslist for $1100 and sold it immediately. Then he
ordered a new 4hp Tohatsu (Tohatsu makes the Nissan and Mercury small outboards)
for $1129. Almost a wash! It arrived UPS
on December 29th and at just 54 pounds he can easily handle the new motor
and it has plenty of power to get us to a dock or land.
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| Moving the new outboard onto the boat |
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| Getting rid of the packaging from the new motor. |
Repairs
Repairs have all been of the plumbing nature. Ugh! Our forward toilet stopped flushing so
repairs were undertaken immediately. It turns out that the sewage line from the
toilet to the vacuum tank that moves waste from the toilet to the holding tank was
not working. There are four check valves
in that line, two on either side of the vacuum pump. Wayne started the repair and Colleen left the
boat on good advice. Both joker valves
on the toilet side would no longer close.
Wayne replaced those two and the two on the other side of the pump. Needless to say it was a MESSY job. Colleen wisely waited to return when it was all over.
BUT (no pun intended) - that wasn't the end of the toilet issues. Next we found the forward toilet had a
leaking inlet valve. But it slow drips clean
water and we had a used replacement for it.
Wayne installed the spare and it leaks too but at a slower rate. A new
valve was ordered and was awaiting us in Ft. Myers. Oh and the aft toilet's
valve is also leaking now, albeit very slightly. Oh the joy!
Wait, it gets better, the shower stall in the master cabin
is leaking into our carpeting. This should be an easy fix. Wayne dug out the old caulk, masked off the area and then
re-caulked the drain pan. And…5 days later the caulk began softening and coming
loose. So much for the higher cost
“bathroom caulk and adhesive” he purchased especially for this job. Another repair to re-do. He has new materials and is re-doing the job as this is being written.
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| Wayne and the forward toilet have become close friends, again. |
The anchor windlass that was reported on in our previous posting worked perfectly each time that we anchored. Hooray!
We hired out the polishing and waxing of our boat. Wayne tried that once before and decided he did not
want to do that job. It was an expensive
job that had lackluster results due to the age of the fiberglass and the quality of the gelcoat that Carver Boats used.
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| Wayne crawls into the guts of the boat to replace the sacrificial anode on the generator. Is it easy? Of course not! Can he reach it? Barely! |
Soon after we returned from Boston we were experiencing electrical outages and low voltage. Of course that only occurred at 6:30 am when Wayne got out of bed
and turned on the heat when the temperature inside the boat was 48
degrees. He started taking apart the
ends of the 1 inch power cable and found one end that was pitted and burned so
that it was making poor contact. After
disassembly and cleaning and lubricating all 7 connections, the problem has
gone away.
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| Uh Oh! |
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| Top terminal was pitted and burned |
Our four year old cabin “new carpet” is not looking so good. It has matted down badly. Carpet in our boat is glued and stapled down with no pad. The major
problem, though, is that it has bleached in any spot where we applied carpet
cleaner. So Wayne brought all the spare carpet left over from his original
installation and has been replacing sections that are the worst. It is looking a lot better.
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| Wayne spreading carpet glue on one of the floor hatches before adding the new carpet |
For added safety on deck, we have installed a third handle on the front deckhouse for
safety when walking on deck. There are
now three new handles up there to grab onto.
Vero Beach to Ft. Myers
On January 30th friends, Roger and Marcy, joined us to make the 200 mile trip from Vero to Ft. Myers. We all left Vero Beach on Sunday the 31st and stayed in a marina in Stuart, Fl that night. Roger has just retired so we held a retirement party for him with appropriate gifts - A watch with a clock face that says "Who cares?," a set of keys that would NOT open the executive washroom or start the company car but can be used on his RV and other goofy items.
The next day, 2/1, we cruised the St Lucie River westbound via two locks into Lake Okeechobee. We then traveled along the south shore route of the lake for 13 miles of open water until we were within the protection of miles of grass flats that gave us wind and wave protection. We dropped anchor, propped up our feet and enjoyed an adult beverage, ate dinner at anchor and settled in for the night, only slightly disturbed by the fishermen who always seem to feel compelled to buzz us in the wee hours anytime we settle in this spot.
This is a great city to visit by boat. The beautiful River District has many shops and restaurants that are a joy to visit. The Edison and Ford estates are just blocks away as is Publix, the Thursday farmers’ market and much more. All within walking distance or you can catch a free trolley. The entire month of February is devoted to celebrating Thomas Edison, a famous Ft. Myers winter resident.
This year we found intriguing ironwork sculptures by Edgardo Camona scattered around the city symbolizing common everyday life. There are twenty-three sculptures in all. Quite a body of work.
If you want to know more check ArtFestFortMyers.com |
| The center handle is newly added |
Vero Beach to Ft. Myers
On January 30th friends, Roger and Marcy, joined us to make the 200 mile trip from Vero to Ft. Myers. We all left Vero Beach on Sunday the 31st and stayed in a marina in Stuart, Fl that night. Roger has just retired so we held a retirement party for him with appropriate gifts - A watch with a clock face that says "Who cares?," a set of keys that would NOT open the executive washroom or start the company car but can be used on his RV and other goofy items.
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| Roger has been decorated with hats and name tags and name badges from his former employer as we celebrate his retirement.
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| Railroad bridge one half mile from the lock leading into Lake Okeechobee. This low bridge prevents many sailboats from passing to the west coast of Florida through Lake O |
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| We go into the lock; the gates at the back close and the lock master cracks and then slowly opens the front gates to let water in and raise our boat. |
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| The crew hangs onto ropes suspended from the top of the lock to keep our boat steady as our 35,000 pounds are raised or lowered. |
On Groundhog Day we continued around the lake and stopped at Roland Martin's Marina in Clewiston and ate lunch in their restaurant. Martin is a TV personality and a champion bass fisherman but did not personally greet us. Fair food and it was good to stretch our legs for more than 40 feet ( the length of our boat) for a change.
We completed the transit of Lake O about 2:30 that afternoon and tied up to the city dock at Moore Haven which is just through the westernmost lock on the big lake. Moore Haven is a hospitable little town with a very reasonable dockage charge ($1.00/foot). The town library sits right on the shoreline and has an ongoing book sale - $1.00 for a grocery bag full of books. We always feel compelled to pay a little more than that! We had water and electric hookup there and spent a restful night.
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| Marcy and Colleen with an airboat at Roland Martin's Marina |
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| This alligator "greeted" us after the lock as we waited for the Moore Haven railroad bridge to open for us. |
On February 3rd we traveled the Caloosahatchee River on toward Ft. Myers. Several hundred yards from the Ortona Lock the lock master informed us that the lock was on a emergency two hour delay as the lock doors are partially opened to allow water to pass at an increased rate. Because of the heavy rains of the past several weeks, Lake O is too high and the Army Corp of Engineers is dumping water out the east and west ends at rates of 3800 gallons per second. The Corp is planning to dump billions of gallons from the lake to get the lake level back down. So we wait! By the time the lock opens several other boats, of vastly varying sizes have joined us.
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| Note the contrast between the 95 foot yacht on our left and the 28 foot sailboat in front of us. The sailboat has sailed here from Anchorage, Alaska with a one man crew. The hired captain of the yacht controlled that boat with an electronic key pad and bounced us all over the lock. No way could the crew have held that big boat in place |
To see more about Lake Okeechobee which is 29 miles across and 35 miles north to south go to http://m.myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/sites-forecast/s/lake-okeechobee/
Fort Myers
We arrived at the Fort Myers City Marina on Wednesday Feb 3rd and got tied up in our slip after a course of almost 200 miles in the 4 days. We walked into the old Ft. Myers River District, one block away and had dinner with Marcy and Roger at a new restaurant, The Lodge. It features wraparound scenes of the Rocky Mountains that change every few minutes and ski lifts running up and down the back wall. We had great ribs, lamb, and delicious duck legs. The same company owns three interesting themed restaurants in downtown Ft. Myers of which this is one. We go to Ford's Garage for good hamburgers and plan to try Capone's for pizza soon.
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| A machine gun door handle at Capone's Pizza |
This is a great city to visit by boat. The beautiful River District has many shops and restaurants that are a joy to visit. The Edison and Ford estates are just blocks away as is Publix, the Thursday farmers’ market and much more. All within walking distance or you can catch a free trolley. The entire month of February is devoted to celebrating Thomas Edison, a famous Ft. Myers winter resident.
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| The Thursday Farmer's Market |
This year we found intriguing ironwork sculptures by Edgardo Camona scattered around the city symbolizing common everyday life. There are twenty-three sculptures in all. Quite a body of work.
On Saturday we rented a car and drove back to Vero Beach, about 150 miles, with Roger and Marcy to pick up our own car and to take our friends to their car so that they could return home to Merritt Island. We started at 8:00 AM and dropped off the rental car back in Ft. Myers in a pouring rain at 5:00 PM. Our first year on the boat we did not have our car with us as we traveled. We've since decided that it's well worth it to rent a car to pick up our car and hop scotch our wheels around the state with us as we travel.
Art Fest, Ft. Myers
The best art show that we have ever attended (Artfest) is always the first weekend in February and is held along the street in front of our marina. We toured the pre-show Friday night and saw the show in greater detail on Sunday. As usual, we were thoroughly impressed with the quality of the art.
Art Fest, Ft. Myers
The best art show that we have ever attended (Artfest) is always the first weekend in February and is held along the street in front of our marina. We toured the pre-show Friday night and saw the show in greater detail on Sunday. As usual, we were thoroughly impressed with the quality of the art.
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| Many of the artists featured tropical birds and sea life. We especially liked these large ocean life pieces. |
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| 208 artists were selected from the over nine hundred who applied for this juried art show. |
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| Look closely on the left. This lady weaves a background and then wraps yarn to create beautiful trees. I've never seen anything quite like it. |
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| Part of the art show is chalk pictures by Lee County High School students. The theme this year was Bugs in Disguise, sponsored by Truly Nolan Pest Control |
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| And a little whimsy on a Ft. Meyers street corner |
