It was a quick trip by land yacht this week to deliver Cathie's new yacht to its new owner. A Gentlemen from Key Largo decided he wanted it more... He paid us to deliver it and it was a great opportunity to see our good friends Candi and Larry at Marina del Mar. When we got there the African Queen was headed out for a little ride...
We're having a super low tide this morning with the passage of a big cold front yesterday. Buddy hasn't left the dock lately as we have been working on our dirt deal...
We have lived on the water for 17 years. Friends and family have heard me say that our current residence is our last waterfront property. The reason Buddy has been chained to the dock for the last 3 weeks has to do with today's cruise up Alligator Creek in Punta Gorda. We have a deal pending on a new winter home for Buddy and ourselves. The dock is missing thanks to Hurricane Charlie, but that can be remedied. It looks like we will be hanging around Punta Gorda for the rest of the winter... To my friend on Tonic, the gentleman fishing in the photo says it's really good!
If you were touring the Intercoastal in the Cape Haze area, be advised, you may have to give way to this guy... He is known to make erratic turns, with no signals of intent. He may have an aquatic in tow, but again, no proper day shapes will be displayed. Regardless of what may be in tow, all evidence of such actions will have been released by the time of his return to port. It is not known if proper permits are in his possession. Once this individual is back ashore he is known to advertise his supposed nautical prowess on the internet using devious technologies that may or may not have been fabricated. Be advised, stand clear...
...is important. The Admiral is a gourmet cook and I enjoy a cold beer now and then. As a result, the 2.5 cu. ft. Fridge in Buddy's cabin doesn't quite cut it. So we have always used our Waeco portable fridge in the cockpit of Buddy while cruising or living aboard. A big problem developed when we launched Buddy a month ago. The thermostat on the Waeco quit working... Except for one 5 day cruise since launching, Buddy hasn't left the marina. So... my solution? Another trip to Walmart for a light timer. It works on 110v anyway... More later on why Buddy has been chained to the dock...
We spent the past weekend sailing on Pam and Jim's F-39 "Screech", racing out of Burnt Store. Not many multihulls showed up, but still a good time.
After a painful evening watching the Packers, we decided to head back "home". On the way out of Fort Myers Beach we passed this Corps of Engineers dredge working on the entrance. To cut about 10 miles of our trip, I decided to head north on the east side of Pine Island. The Channel south of the bridge was quite shallow. We "touched" bottom once after being forced to the right by an approaching boat. Fortunately there was no prop damage other than removal of a bit of paint. Once we passed under the bridge we noticed larger boats. The Channel on the north side of the bridge was much deeper all the way to Charlotte Harbor. Been there done that. we don't need to do that route again...
When we reached Punta Gorda we passed a sister ship of ours drifting about in the bay.
Our second evening at Cayo Costa was spent on the beach having a cookout with the Cheesehead Navy. There ended up being 7 boats from Wisconsin on the hook that night. The bochi ball tournament got quite serious, just we experienced another beautiful sunset. Yesterday four of the fleet headed south to Fort Myers Beach. It's game day with Packer fans congregating at Parrot Key Caribbean Grill for the game tonight. The Grill is owned by a gentleman from Wisconsin. Go Packers!
Yesterday we headed south 20 miles to Pelican Bay at Cayo Costa State Park at Boca Grande Pass. There were quite a few boats on the hook for the evening. Included in the fleet were 3 boats from Green Bay, all sailing friends of ours - Jim and Pam on Screech, Les and Barb on Revision, and Guy in Debbie on Redeye. Go Packers!
Yesterday we joined friends in Venice for a day on the Intercoastal. We took a run north for lunch and then headed to the beach, stopping at Midnight Pass. The pass it isn't an opening to the Gulf anymore, after it was filled in by adjoining property owners in 1983. It's a nice public beach now...
We left home Dec. 26, stopping at friends in Milwaukee to wait out a blizzard passing south. Because the brunt of the blizzard hit Indiana, we decided to take I57 in Illinois the next day. Based on the amount of traffic, it appeared everybody else did too... We planned on stopping in Dalton, GA for the night, but discovered everyone else on the road did too. Fortunately we found lodging 25 miles south. The next day was a real pleasure also, but we managed to make it to Punta Gorda in one piece, spending the night with friends. Yesterday we launched and have taken a slip at Fisherman's Village. Last evening we joined friends for a canal tour to view Christmas lights. We will base out of here for 1-2 months.
Traditionally we have gathered with good boating friends (all sailors) over the Labor Day weekend. While our boating weekend was cut short this year because of a wedding, we still managed to hook up with our friends, spending Sunday night in the North bay of Chambers Island and another anchored off of Horseshoe Island. Sunday was a peaceful night but Monday on Horseshoe had a bit of activity as a rather severe squall came through about sunset. 
We got to Horseshoe early, had our pick of the anchorage and tucked well behind the point with plenty of scope. When the front came though we were told it blew 35-40 but you would not have known it on Buddy. A couple of friends boats dragged after the squall passed and the wind settled in out of the Southeast at 10-15, hitting them broadside. We were facing Southeast so all we could do was assist, untying shorelines for the affected boats...
A couple of weeks ago we headed north with Buddy - 67 nautical miles. Each year we take time to stop in beautiful Snail Shell harbor at Fayette State park. It is a natural harbor and a step back in time. The town of Fayette flourished for about 20 years in the 1880's, making iron from ore. On our return trip, about 3 miles from home, we ended up towing a friend that was stranded with a failed engine...
