Bucket List, Check One More Off

What a day we had yesterday. We got to check one more thing off the bucket list. And this one really had not made the bucket list, as it was one of those things you never dream of being able to do in your lifetime.

Another one off bucket list.

We travelled from Marathon to Key West in a Cigarette Boat. 45 miles an hour, and we quickly made the 50 mile trip in about 1 hour on the Atlantic Ocean side. The boat goes a lot faster, but this was a comfortable cruising speed. It took the two and three footers with ease, and not as much bounce as you would think. What a thrill. Truly amazing. This same trip would have taken us all day. 11 to 12 hours.

Valerie and Frank, the owners of the Cigarette Boat, were tied beside Steve and Linda at Banana Bay. We had mentioned that we were going to take the bus to Key West, and they said they were going and would we like to join them. Our Momma's didn't raise any fools so we quickly told them it would be a thrill; and something we could check off our bucket list, even if it wasn't currently on the list. We said we could have it on our list very quickly so that we could check it off.

Too Bad we weren't having a good time.

After arriving we all went out for lunch at a very charming restaurant close to or at the marina. Then we had a tour of the inside of the Cigarette Boat. Really amazing, they have a v-berth, a sofa on each side, a head, a small galley and a flat screen TV. Everything in a very confined space. I am sometimes claustrophobic so it may be a little snug quarters for me; however, Linda thought it felt like a cocoon and she would really enjoy it.

Frank and Valerie great hosts.

We then were on our way for the trolley tour of Key West, an hour and a half. We had a really knowledgeable driver who explained everything along the way. We saw the Southernmost point of the United States, the Southernmost house, Hemmingway's house where his 6 toed cats still enjoy residence, and a Sears and Roebuck house, and Mallory Square where hundreds of people go each night to view the Key West Sunset in hopes of seeing the Green blip.

Linda enjoying being a passenger.

We missed the 5:05 bus back to Marathon, and the next one was at 8:30pm so we decided to have dinner at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Restaurant. We had the compulsory margaritas.

Never miss a chance to play Euchre, even while waiting for bus.

It was a long day and everyone was having trouble staying awake on the bus back to Marathon. Oh and can you believe it, the cost for the bus ride for seniors is $1.50 per person. WOW!

Awakened Easter Sunday morning, and walked the 2 miles to Banana Bay to get our bikes. Returned to the boat, filled with water, filled with fuel and decided to leave Marathon Marina and anchored out near Boot Key Harbour to be ready for an early morning start to make our way 50 miles up the shore to Rodriquez Key.

Southernmost point of the United States. Cuba is out there, just 90 miles away.

Only 30 miles to Marathon

Weathermen lie all over the world.

We determined that Thursday was going to be a good weather day to head out for Marathon, some 80 miles from Marco Island. While we knew we probably wouldn't make it all of the way in one day, we thought we would have done better than we did. We only travel about 6 knots at best on the motor and with the sail we were up to 7 knots. We had 12 hours of daylight to work with. So off we set.

Waves were to be 3 ' diminishing to around 2', winds were to be 15 ish, also diminishing to about 10. Sunny day. They got that right. Temperature mid 60's, they got that right.

Sailing in Florida with winter hat.

Well the waves were 3 to 4's with the odd 5 footer thrown in. The winds held at 15 and above. But it was sunny. It was cold enough that my brave captain had to resort to a Canadian winter hat with ear lugs. And he even had gloves on for the first part of the day.

The day wore on and we adjusted our course for Marathon, now 40 miles away and we still had 4 hours of daylight. By 7:30 pm the sun was setting and it was time to set the anchor. We were 30 miles out of Marathon, in the middle of nowhere, but the good thing was we were only in 12' of water. The anchor caught and held on the first try. But the boat did not swing around into the wind, it stayed broadside to the waves. Waves hitting the side of the boat. My skipper was perplexed. He checked the anchor chain to see if it had somehow got around behind the keel. No that didn't seem to be the problem.

While talking to Linda and Steve Franko, Linda said it was probably because the current was going under the Seven mile bridge. That girl knows what she was talking about. The waves were hitting the side and transom (back) of the boat until about 3 a.m. Whew nice when that stopped. The peace was short lived. The boat swung around into the wind and waves. Again the weatherman said 10 knots of wind with 1' waves. NOT! Winds held at about 15 knots and I have no idea of the wave height. The boat now wanted to dance around for the rest of the night. It would bounce on some nice smaller waves, and then when the larger waves came it would pitch and roll. And there was no rhythm to it so we couldn't anticipate.

Needless to say we had a bad nights sleep. I was somewhat concerned that we may drag the anchor overnight, but my realistic captain assured me it was no problem, that we were in the middle of nowhere and we would have to drag anchor 20 miles before it became a problem. Don't you just hate wise people. Always calm, always relaxed, and oh so right.

Approaching Seven Mile Bridge

We got up around 7 a.m. and pulled up anchor and had an uneventful trip into Marathon where Steve and Linda were standing on the dock waiting to catch our lines. They had rode their bikes about 1 mile to welcome us to Marathon.

Will we fit under the bridge???? 

We briefly got caught up quickly as Peter and I needed some sleep and a shower. They invited us for dinner on their boat. We will be better company after some sleep.

I did find some pictures of Martin and Kathy.

Martin sitting on his new car.

To Be or Not To Be

We only thought we had success with the plastic welding of the holding tank. When we did what we thought would be the final test before installation we found it was still leaking. We weren't the plastic welders that we thought we were. The solution then was to take off all of the plastic we had been welding on, and Peter went to his old standby fix. Epoxy. He put epoxy everywhere. Hopefully with the plastic all scratched and roughened up it will hold.

We had used epoxy before and it held for awhile, but then it eventually began to leak. This is holding right now and it will allow us to get underway again.

Peter is such a conversationalist after lunch.

The next day we set out for Marco Island. Docked at The Marina on Factory Bay. A really nice marina. Out for lunch. Fish and chips; grouper and snapper. Very good. We then enjoyed just sitting in the sun and relaxing.

Great water feature at Marriott Hotel.

Day 2 we went for a 4 hour  bike ride to the west side of the island. Stopped for lunch at Toucan's and sat at an outside table and read the local paper. The Marriott Hotel had a wonderful water feature out front that we had to stop and enjoy.

Day 3 another bicycle ride to the Ace Hardware store to get the propane tank filled. Marco Island is a great place to bicycle around as it is all flat. We stopped at the Publix store for groceries on the way back to the boat.

Peter's jet propelled bike.

Day 4 was the local Seafood and Music Festival that we had to visit. We had some Lobster Macaroni and Cheese and Key Lime Pie. Not sure the Lobster Mac was as good as at Marathon but it was a close second. Stopped by the Publix again for groceries. I know, 2 days in a row, but when you are travelling on bicycles, there is only so much you can carry.

Grocery shopping is limited to what you can carry on the bike.

Day 5 Martin and Kathy are coming today. Good day for laundry. Make up the vberth in fresh linens for them. Get the boat ready for guests. They arrived shortly after 1pm and we wanted to take them out to lunch at the Philly Grille where they have the best flatbread sandwiches. And a great selection. We gave them the tour of Marco Island and all of the places we had seen and enjoyed. Back to the boat for a visit and then out for dinner at an Italian Trattoria that was very close to the boat. Great Dinner with great friends. Back to the boat for a game of cards before turning in for the night. The guys won, the best 2 out of 3 games. But we gave them a good challenge. Their dog Shelby settled in really good on the boat. She could be a good boating dog.

Day 6 We had breakfast on board and then went to the local Marco Island Historical Museum. Then it was time for them to go back to their place in Zephyrhills. After they had left and we were back on the boat; Peter says "Now what are we going to do"? My question exactly. We sure had a good time with Martin and Kathy and it seemed like they had just got here and they were gone. The boat feels empty and sad without them here.  In fact I can't believe it, but I didn't even get a picture of Martin and Kathy when they were with us. We were so busy getting caught up and visiting and laughing that I didn't get any pictures.

This is Tuesday, still Day 6, March 26th and we have another 2 days to wait for the weather opening that will let us make our way to Marathon. We want to join up with Steve and Linda Franko on board Yesterday's Dream. They have a slip at Banana Bay Marina till the end of the month. If the weather window holds for Friday and Saturday we can just make it to join up with them. They are travelling the east coast of Florida to Fernandina Beach to take part in a Marine Trawler Association Rendezvous. We have decided to forgo the Bahamas and travel with them. We always have a good time with them, and it is more fun when you travel with someone. This timeframe will work well for us also as we need to get this boat up to the north of Florida, arrange for a trucker to take the boat back home and we will have to take down the mast and get her prepared for travel.  We will only have a month and a half to get Deja Vu ready for the summer on Georgian Bay.

Where has the time gone. We thought we would have a month in Marathon, a month in the Bahamas, and then return to Florida and ship the boat home. We ended up spending all of our time on the Gulf coast of Florida. And we enjoyed every minute, but now we have to adjust our timeframe.

Persistent Peter Wins Again

What a day it was!

V-Berth tore apart for repairs.

It just went on and on. Peter started his day by installing a new deck wash pump in the V-berth area. Now that means that you have to pull all of the bedding area apart. Take the cover boards out. And the only place for all the bedding, boards, and foam cushions is in the main salon. This makes moving around in the boat and acrobatic event. I gave Peter a 8.9 points several times.

While he worked on the pump I washed the deck of the boat, the plastic glass in the dodger, and then cleaned the staunchions which were getting some rust showing up. Then together we programmed the Raymarine chartplotter so that the depth sounder would appear on the databar. Success.

Peter got the deck wash pump installed and wired, and then checked that the masserator pump also worked. Success.

Peter let me try my hand at the welding.

Another success, when the plastic welder kit was delivered. Now on to the holding tank repair. We started the process after lunch. Watched the DVD, looked easy enough. Let's do it. Well it did not go as easy as the DVD instructions showed. We would get it all looking good. Then test it. A LEAK! Again. And again a leak. I truely lost count. Peter is so persistent. He kept trying again and again. We determined that the leak had to be around the fitting. So tried plumbers tape. Didn't work. On to Plan C. Installed fitting using a sealant and left it sit and cure overnight.

One of the very final plans was to use 5200 sealant as a last resort. And a last resort it would have to be, because 5200 is permanent.

Look Maw, No Leaks!

After breakfast this morning we tested the holding tank. Another leak. Not the fitting tho'. Persistent Peter back to the job. After another 2 tests, he finally thinks he has it.

We ran out of the polypropolene rods. The cutting board became a victim in the push for success.

Now where is my cutting board? Why is the corner missing? So you say it is made of polypropolene. They didn't have that alternative in the DVD instructional video. Only Peter would think of this. Persistent Peter is at it again. I maintain he is the McGyver Man.

As I write this, he has once again tore the V-Berth apart and is installing the holding tank.

He worked on the tank over 8 hours yesterday and has another 2 hours today and is now installing the holding tank back into the V-Berth. Cross your fingers.

Persistent Peter wins again!

St. Patrick's Celebrations, Naples Florida

Oh, Hennessee, Tennessee, Tootle the flute, and the music was something grand ........ It's a grand day to celebrate St. Patrick in Naples.

We had breakfast at an outside cafe and then watched the raising of the flag and the blessing for the parade and festivities of the day at the Clayton Cove Center. There will be a parade at 11 am and all of the festivities take place on Fifth Ave S. Apparently St. Patrick's Day is a big thing in Naples and we were advised that it was worthwhile to stay and participate.

We arrived in Naples last Sunday. Wanted to spend a couple of days here to experience Naples. This is now Saturday, and it doesn't look like we will be moving on for another couple of days.

The bilge pump had been running often and Peter decided to have a look to see where the water was coming from. He found that the deck wash pump was leaking a little, so he fixed that. At the same time he noticed that the holding tank was also leaking. On further inspection he found two cracks in the tank, so out it had to come. While searching on the internet for tanks and solutions, he talked to our friends at Harbour Marine in Toronto and was told that it could be fixed by plastic welding it together. Never heard of this. A new idea. So back onto the internet to find a plastic welding kit and to get it overnight delivered. The plan was for it to be here on Friday. Well Friday has come and gone and no plastic welding kit yet.

Captain Peter installing GFO to stuffing box

We have got other things that we ordered, GFO GoreTex packing for the stuffing box. Apparently once installed prevents leaking from the shaft. Peter is replacing the old stuffing with the new GFO. I really hope he is successful so the boat doesn't sink in the process. Or I hope that the bilge pump stays ahead of the flow. The pump is coming on and off. Peter says it should be comforting that the pump shuts off.  He is wearing his life jacket. Should I be concerned? So far so good. He is installing the second piece. All seems to be going well. These processes always unnerve me. Probably because I don't really know much about it, and always go to what is the worst that can happen. Then I live there on high alert waiting for instructions about damage control, and hope that I can fulfill my responsibilities should such an event arise.

The depth sounder for the Raymarine system never worked properly. It would run for awhile and then lose the connection. Sometimes it would come back on and other times I would have to go down and shut the system off and then turn back on. Very frustrating. The only time you look at the water depth is when you think it could be shallow.

The next leg of our trip will be travelling in shallow waters all the way, and dragging a 5' 6" keel around, we will want to know the depth on a regular basis.  Peter maintains that the keel is the real time depth sounder. When the boat slows down, and the bow goes down, and the back comes up ..... we know we are in less than 5.5' of water.

Being as we plan to be here for a few days, it is a good time to see how to fix this. Back on line to do some reading. The internet is a wonderful thing. This is a common problem. Peter overheard another boater on the dock talking about his faulty depth sounder. He found what appeared to be a simple solution. Raymarine has an update on line as the fix. Just download it and update the unit. Now how simple is that. NOT.

The process took 2 days. First we had to find a compact flashcard. A very outdated component. The first day was spent trying to find where we could get one. Would you believe Walgreens. A bike ride to success. Then to download the update for the system. Trying to follow the instructions, which are for a PC and no instructions for a Mac. Read the instructions to determine what they were trying to do and then mess around with the Mac to achieve the same result. Think we got it. Now to follow the instructions of how to update the system. Only to find out that the download was not compatible with our system. Call Raymarine tech. They said we had to update the depth sounder system itself (DSM) OK. Get the download and try again. After about 1.5 hours we finally had it completed after many attempts. Alls well that ends well. We now have the most recent upgrade for the chartplotter base unit and the depth sounder on the system. Appears to be working. The test will be whether the depth sounder remains connected while running. Our next leg takes us to Marco Island and it will be a good test for the system.

Feeding time on the docks.

At the Naples Town Dock there is a ritual with the pelicans. As the captains clean their catch of the day, the pelicans gather around in the hopes of getting a free meal. Some are in the water below the cleaning station, while others are bold enough to line up on the dock and on the second cleaning station. One of the pelicans has no foot, so we call him "Footless", others on the dock call him "Gimpy". Apparently he is to get fed first ahead of the others. He is quite healthy looking and doesn't appear to have missed many meals.

"Footless" or "Gimpy"

Back to the stuffing box story. The engine is running, and the captain has asked for some cleaning supplies. The bilge pump is off and hasn't run for a couple of minutes. I think it is another successful maintenance project performed by a confident Captain Peter and a more relaxed first mate Cheryl.

Three success stories out of four. Leaky deck wash pump, fixed.  Depth Sounder and Chartplotter operating on most recent update. State of the art, GFO packing for the stuffing box installed. Now the only thing left is for the plastic welder to arrive and allow us to fix the holding tank.

Almost forgot another success story. Flat tire on Peter's bike, fixed. New tube installed, end of problem. He has peddled his a.. all over Naples. Everything seems to be located 2 to 3 miles from the boat. He even has my bike adjusted so that I can keep up with him now. Yahoo!

Pelicans abound on an abandoned dock

I have to keep him away from fixing things. Before he got out of the locker he said "How do you feel about buying a new hot water tank"? This one is leaking. Into every day a little rain must fall. Just when you think you have got ahead of things something new arises. We will be back to the internet on a search for a hot water tank. Eventually we will get to the end of the list. Perhaps this will be the end of things that leak on the boat, once we have fixed it.

All things considered, the holding tank is the priority. I will take a leaking hot water tank over a leaking holding tank any day!

We will celebrate our successes by celebrating St. Patrick's Day with the locals.

Why are those lobster trap floats following us?

So we are studying the charts, wondering why they show the intracoastal waterways stopping halfway to Sanibel when we realize that it is only the dredging that has stopped where the water is deep enough to make dredging unnecessary. This realization, after staying in Pelican Bay in a Northeast wind bouncing the boat up and down all day and night allowed us to venture south instead of out into the Gulf Mexico. The temperature started climbing up out of the 40's (F). Smooth waters and penetrating sunlight made the trip to Fort Myers Beach a pleasant one.

Dolphin escorts us towards Fort Myers Beach.

 The constant words of praise by the First Mate regarding the Captain become a little redundant but life on a boat increases your ability to accept complements and remain humble.
 We found a great spot to anchor just off St. James City where we were sheltered from the Northeast wind. All we had to do was pick our way through a minefield of crab traps before we dropped the hook.
 At last, a good night's sleep and we are off to Fort Myers Beach to play like tourists at The Pink Shell resort at $2.50/ft. I glanced behind the boat to see we were being followed closely by two crab trap floats. How they snuck up and attached themselves to our keel through the night I'll never know but I guess the incredible 5.6  knots we were making scared them off.

Some time by the pool

 We were able to soak up a little sun, enjoy a cold Coors Light and after dinner on the boat we rushed back to the resort to catch "Wreck it Ralph" under a blanket under the stars nursing our special coffees by the pool. It is still cool at nights but at the dock the heater makes it better.

A walk along the beach

Pink Shell Resort Pool area.

"Wreck it Ralph" Movie by the pool.

Surona, Pink Shell Marina, Fort Myers Beach

 I'm not sure if it was the cold nights on the boat or nose overload but we went seven nights without a shower. We just put on clean clothes.and carried on. It got a little itchy. On the seventh day, they showered.

Away from Safe Cove/All American Boat Storge

Well today was the day to finally move away from All American Boat Storage.

One final trip to town to get the last things for the trip, water and another one of those wonderful LED lighting strips. The first one looks so good that now the lighting in the salon is off balance and we need the second strip for the other side.

The trip started with the normal "drag your keel down the canal" manouver followed by the "find the log with your keel" experience. We went through the manual lock and performed the "dig a foot deep furrow" for a couple hundred yards in the bottom of the Myakka River before Surona found enough water to stand up straight without performing the "real time depth sounder" routine.

The wind was cool enough for the skipper to don a hat.

Frightening, Peter operating manual lock.

All kidding aside when the people at C&C built this boat they sure combined a lot of great qualities into her. This old girl has taken us through wild waves crossing Lake Michigan loud banging noises in Long Sault and Blind River, hurricane-like winds off Hope Island and in the Benjamins and this little Yanmar powered machine closely reminds me of the Energizer Bunny. That's not enough we make her cultivate a new channel for the Englewood Chamber of Commerce.

Cheryl on deck in the manual lock.

Peter said this was a boat we could probably get really cheap. Always hate to see this when travelling. This was along the canal on our way out of All American Boat Storage.

So once again as she tastes the early swells of the Gulf of Mexico I don't know if it is Synthetic oil, Yanmar engineering, the people at C&C or a combination of all the above but it is a good sensation being at the wheel.

We had to race against the setting sun to get to our anchorage. Cutting it a little close, but we made it just as the sun was setting. We just dropped the anchor in Pelican Bay and tomorrow on to Fort Meyers Beach.

In the Water

Two posts in one day! Don't get accustomed to this, it probably will never happen again.

Well the boat went into the water yesterday, and we were tied to the dock overnight to make sure all of the systems were working well. Everything seemed to be good. But the bilge pump kept coming on every half hour and pumping maybe a cup of water out. Annoying. What could it be? Now that is no big thing, but a little disconcerting until you find what it is. Is it something small that is tolerable or is it something small that is working its way towards something big, and a bigger problem. It is good to deal with these things while tied to a dock with a travel lift nearby.

This morning Peter was having another look around and found that there was a split in one of the connections to the hot water tank. He thinks he may have done it on installation by tightening it too tight.  That would explain why we seemed to be going through more fresh water than we were using. This would come under the category of something small and tolerable. We probably have lived with this for the entire trip. Time to fix it.

Well off to Home Depot for some parts. Quick trip to Walmart for some last minute things for the boat. Once back, Peter installed the new connections for the hot water tank. And Voila. No more leaks. We will need another trip to Home Depot for some more fresh water, but it should last a lot longer this time.

Now you all are familiar with Peter and his shopping, but this time he may have come across something. He found a 12' length of LED lighting strip. The box says it is for landscape lighting. As I write this he is installing the strip from the galley through to and including the salon. It even has a dimmer switch.  As Martha Stewart says "and this is a good thing".

Peter took off his plumber hat and donned his electrican's cap. Sure is a good thing to have such a talented man on board.

The time is 5:10 pm. No dinner in sight. Preparation is impossible with my electrician at work. Dinner will be late tonight. It pays to be flexible in these things.

We had hopes of leaving the dock today, but the weather has also changed our minds. High winds getting up over 30 miles per hour and the accompanying lumpy seas have encouraged us to stay put. The temperature has dropped significantly. 46F overnight and only expected to go up to 64F for the daytime high. Temperatures are to be even lower tonight and the lowest for Sunday. The low temperatures are expected to stay with us until Monday afternoon.

We unpacked the slacks and sweaters. Even got out those socks.

We had a little gator friend come to visit us this morning. About 4 feet long.  He floated in the middle of the channel for awhile and then went over to the mangroves to hide out for awhile. A little later he came back to visit again and then left, I know not where. Guess I won't be swimming in the fresh water canal, no matter how inviting it looks.

It's a Small World!

Prepare to be amazed. I know I have said it before, and you are probably getting tired of hearing it. But it never ceases to amaze me. There are less than 6 degrees of separation even in the Looper world.

Let me explain. We went to to the pot luck dinner at Frank and Debra's and met their Looper friends.  It was the end of the day and people were beginning to leave. One gentleman was talking about the boat he sold and that he had been at Pebble Isle. First, small  world.

When we were at Pebble Isle there was an Albin for sale, and we went to see it with Jim and Linda Murray and Steve and Linda Franko.  They were trying to convince us that we should be trawler owners rather than sailboaters. Yes, you guessed it ...... it was their boat that we were on. Now that's just too funny.

But it didn't stop there. A little later, after some more people had left, we were talking to Connie and Bernie and our trip down Lake Michigan. Connie and Bernie's home port is on Lake Michigan. I mentioned that we thought we were never going to get off Lake Michigan and we were beginning to make plans for Christmas there. She mentioned that friends of theirs had been stuck at Leland for 10 days. Here comes the second small world. After a little more discussion she said their friends were aboard "Sea Estate" and "In2uition". We had spent 4 or 5 days stuck in Leland with them, and had a lot of fun each evening at the dock masters building. Snacks and beverages for all. I even have pictures of all of us together.

We couldn't get over what a small world it is in the Looper group. I think it is even smaller than normal. Whatever normal is.

Apparently Connie and Ed from Sea Estate were spending their winter not 5 miles away.

Now just how amazing is that. One party, and while everyone there were Looper friends of Frank and Debra's, we found that we had previously met one couple and even been on their boat, and that another couple were friends with boaters we had spent 4 days weathered in at Leland. Stranger than fiction.

I bet if you keep doing this Loop long enough you may even meet yourself coming back around.