Somber

Is it better to be ignorant of what is going on around you?  Remember yesterday we took our chances in the dinghy going to Acme Oyster House, barely missing getting drenched by rain?  Come to find out as most of you know by the news, the weather got pretty bad not too far away in Mobile Bay.  Reports claim there were at least 40 people in the water from capsized vessels or being thrown overboard by the violent wind and waves.  Four people are still missing.
That made for a somber day on the water.  After departing Saunders Yachtworks in Gulf Shores, the VHF radio was full of chatter from the U.S. Coast Guard.  Multiple PAN-PANs still from Saturday, one for a man still missing from the sailboat "Dauntless", and more weather warnings, thankfully farther out to sea, although the skies were not exactly looking good compared to the forecast for afternoon thunderstorms.  The predicted smooth waters for Mobile Bay were a bit choppy.  Luckily the east winds would make it better for us as we would be traveling along the eastern shore.  Unfortunately though, that made for predominantly waves on the beam, but we should be used to that.
A bit after taking a northerly turn, the starboard engine died.  No warning.  We traveled on one engine.  Ray went below to assess the problem and determined it had to be fuel, so he commenced to changing the filter.  While he was below U.S. Customs and Border Patrol pulled up along side us.  Linda slowed down and attempted to roll up that side enclosure as it had been raining when Ray popped up from below wondering if the slow down was on purpose.
They asked their typical questions; who was on board, where were we coming from, where were we headed, etc., then made sure we were aware that there was still a search underway for missing persons in the water from Saturday.  We stated that we were aware and they asked us to keep an eye out for bodies.  Off they went.  Ray finished changing the fuel filter.  Back to cruising speed for us.
We kept cutting our usual route a little shorter trying to get into Eastern Shore Marina before the ominous looking weather caught up to us.  There was rain all around, dark skies, and lightening.  We pulled into the harbor right behind a small tug looking cruiser and noticed the sailboat "Dauntless" was here.  We got into our covered slip right next to the other cruiser which made it nice as it started raining harder.  It seemed obvious that this other boat must have been on it's first day of cruising.  We were tied up with multiple lines to prepare for the predicted storms while they were still trying to find a line to tie up with.  Come to find out, they just started The Great Loop on Saturday from Demopolis, so yes, practically their first day.
We were glad we got in here when we did.  It did not take long for the winds to pick up and make for quite a bit of wave action in the harbor.  If it weren't raining so hard we would get off this boat just to stop jostling around.  We were relieved to find that it did not last all that long.
It seems we will be here for a while.  The above mentioned cruisers and another transient boat in here both just came down the river with stories of others having damaged their boats and one having to be pulled out here to check damage to his props.  Not what we want to do going against the three knot current.  "The Bar-B" got hauled out back at Saunders yesterday and they do have significant fiberglass damage to the keel of their boat.  The rain made it impossible for grinding to begin and the extent of damage to be assessed.  That will also play a part in our departure, although we will not wait for them for too long of a period.  We will see.

Blog worthy

I don't usually blog except on travel days, but I seem to be changing my ways lately.  I will apologize for the lack of pictures though.  Internet service has not been the best for some reason, so waiting for photographs to download will just aggrivate me even more than these attempts at blogging.  Maybe someday I'll get them caught up.
A few chores were done this morning including a bicyle ride to Publix with no sidewalk (glad I had the electric bike to go through the grass).  This also put a damper on my idea to go to the movies sometime this weekend.  Six lanes of traffic is quite intimidating on a bicyle.
Ray and I dinghied to The Wharf again after lunch.  Ray wanted to see more cars since the car show was going on again and a lot of them had departed by the time we got there yesterday.  There were a lot of nice ones.  Not many for sale which was surprising compared to most car shows we have attended.
While at The Wharf this time it sunk in that there was a movie theater here.  We checked to see if The Longest Ride was playing and for show times.  We plan on attending the bargain matanee' tomorrow now.
The skies were turning dark so we decided to dinghy back to the boat.  Bob and Barbara had not left yet to meet us as planned.  By the time we got back they were ready to go.  We decided to dinghy to a closer destination as the clouds still did not look good.  We headed west a short distance to tie up at Tacky Jacks but go to Acme Oyster next door (they don't have a dock).  Once we were secured we debated about where to go as the weather was looking worse and worse.  When we got almost to Tacky Jack's door we took another look back and could see the rain coming so we ducked inside to wait it out there.
One beer later it had quit raining so we walked next door where we spent the rest of the evening.  We made plans to all attend the movie tomorrow.

Happy Birthday mom!

We were in no hurry today as Ray calculated it to be a very short day.  He is only good with numbers when there is a dollar sign in front of them.  So we putted along at only 1,800 RPMs.  That is significantly less than we usually do. "The Bar-B" got an early start from Ft. Walton Beach, but they were still quite a ways behind us.  We pulled up anchor at about 8:15 a.m.  We traveled along pretty quick with the current helping us today.  By 10:00 a.m. we were in Alabama.  There was a tow catching up to us though and we could not arrive at our destination too early so we pulled off into Ingram Bayou near 10:40 a.m.  This is a place we usually anchor for the night but the winds were supposed to pick up and our destination had exceptionally good rates.  We didn't want the tow to have to maneuver past us in the upcoming narrow channel.
We barely got the anchor down when the tow went by.  We barely stayed there 20 minutes.  The waterway was getting busier and busier with pleasure boats presumably heading to The Wharf in Orange Beach for the Jimmy Buffet concert.  We learned this was happening shortly before leaving Marathon but by then it was already sold out.  Who knew if we would be able to time it just right anyway?  This is boating remember.
We continued our slow pace to arrive at Saunders Yachtworks by 12:30 p.m. with plans to stay for the weekend.  "The Bar-B" arrived a few hours later.  Not long after that we dinghied back to The Wharf to check out the Parrothead party and there was also a car show.  Bob ran over a fishing line of a lady on the bank without realizing it.  Her reaction was priceless to see.  There was also plenty of people watching at the festivities!  We met up with Wally and Betina Justice from "Mile Zero", friends from Chattanooga.  They were attending the show, lucky devils!
After our long awaited Mexican dinner we headed back to the boat.  It was dark but soon after we got up to speed we could see something rippling the water.  We both assumed it was just a school of small fish and just as we mentioned so something breached the water to startle us.  Don't know if it was a dolphin, manatee or some other creature.

Near Naval Air Station

Bob helped cast our lines at seven o'clock this morning, leaving "The Bar-B" and the other trawler behind.  It was a beautiful day of travel.  Just enough breeze that it was not too hot nor too cool, barely a ripple on the water.
We traveled 46 miles to anchor near Pensacola.  We picked a spot between Redfish Point and Spanish Point with Perdido Key the only thing between us and the Gulf of Mexico.  We could hear the waves.
We almost immediately took the dinghy out exploring, first west to a shipwreck.  Okay, an abandoned sailboat washed ashore.  Then we went east back towards the inlet.  The water is beautiful there and we see boats anchored there, but charts do not show how to enter the southern side of the island.  Just as we were approaching we saw the same trawler that was at the free dock with us last night pulling in just like he knew what he was doing.  So we followed him, making mental notes for ourselves for next time.
When we came back out of there we headed to the sandiest piece of land we could find between us and the boat.  We beached the dinghy and walked over to the Gulf.  There were a good amount of waves, so not much to be seen there really.  Not another sole in sight.  Therefore we played more on the bay side we will call it.  There were so many hermit crabs it was unbelievable.  I never realized how tiny some could be.  Then another dinghy was heading our way.  It was the couple from the trawler we just followed, so we confirmed how to enter that anchorage next time.
Since this will be our last day in Florida, Linda decided to take last advantage of her fishing license until the fall.  All that was caught was a fairly good size sail catfish.  We've tangled with those enough, so we just let him go as quick as we could.
She's already contemplating getting an Alabama fishing license though since we will be there for a while.  For one thing the lower Tenn-Tom is flooding, Barbara has to go to Wisconsin for her sister's memorial, and we will be in and out of it on the rivers until we are almost to Chattanooga.

One Mile

The current seemed to have made quite the lapping noise under the boat all night.  Some were sleep deprived more than others.  "The Bar-B" kept watch on the vessel that was at the free dock at Ft. Walton Beach via AIS.  They pulled up anchor and were under the bridge before we even got started around 7:30 a.m.
We traveled a whole mile west to meet "The Bar-B" at the free dock.  They docked on the outside T dock.  We decided to get brave and pull into the first inside slip at the west end.  We were very pleased to find seven feet of water.  We expected it to be shallower.
Linda hadn't indulged in caffeine yet, so she almost immediately rode her bike to Publix, barely a block away in search for some Good Earth tea, her new favorite.  The Lipton was just not cutting it any more.  It took a few minutes to realize why there was hardly anyone there.  It was barely 8:00 a.m.  Better than nothing, they had one flavor.
After breakfast we pumped out.  Next was a nap for Ray.  He couldn't get much rest though between the wakes from boats going by that do not adhere to the Slow Speed Minimum Wake zone and the people taking advantage of the beautiful day at the Fort Walton Beach Landing Park.  Therefore, we headed north on a bicycle ride.  First was lunch, then a stop at West Marine, a drop at the Post Office, and lastly a stop at the local hardware store.  They were certainly friendly there.  When they asked if that was all upon completion of our purchase, we joked about getting it delivered.  They said they would for free.  It was sandpaper, a quart of paint and a paint brush!
Upon our return Ray tried the nap again.  Now people fishing showed up.  Kind of a strange crew.  It didn't take long for them to hit our boat with a sinker while casting.  Then more characters seemed to be hanging out, some we recognize to be living on anchored boats nearby for years.  We just wanted to get away from the weirdness.  We walked up to the street along with Bob and Barbara where there are several local establishments.  We would patron one, then walk the opposite direction to visit another so that we would pass by the boats enough to see that everything was still okay.  After our third which was a huge sports bar that was practically empty, and on to our fourth, one of our favorites, we noticed that there was another trawler now docked behind "The Bar-B" and on the other side of the pier from us and the fisher people were gone.  Thankfully that gave us enough comfort to stay at Fokkers for the good live music that was playing, and enjoy pizza for dinner.
Somewhere during the afternoon/evening we decided that we would rather move on for a shorter travel day tomorrow and try to see more things than the eclectic locals as apposed to staying another day like we originally planned .  It was almost like being in Marathon when I heard some people talking that is where they came from.  Big surprise!

still free

Last night we were going to call "The Bar-B" after we departed company to remind them that sunrise would be earlier now that we're in the Central Time Zone since we habitually agreed to a seven o'clock departure.  We never called, figuring it didn't matter that much.  Bob called this morning though once he realized it.  Good thing we got up an hour early so we could depart a half hour earlier than usual.  Or is that a half hour later than usual?
West Bay had a very light chop this morning.  Then it was ditch for several miles.  We were almost through it when we came upon barges four abreast of a floating dock with a back hoe unloading the innermost barge blocking practically the whole narrow waterway.  A quick call on the VHF and he informed us he would be sliding over in just a moment.  It still seemed narrow to get by and then of course there was a sailboat coming the oposite direction.  The water depth got as low as seven feet all the way over there, but all was well.
Next was Chocktawhatchee Bay which was probably the smoothest we had ever been across it.  We knew we had fellow boaters behind us that we have met along the way.  We all had the Ft. Walton Beach free dock in mind for a destination, but knew that there would barely be room for all four of us, especially if there was already another vessel there.
By the time we arrived we found that there were already two vessels on the end of the T dock and a smaller skiff in one of the first slips.  We made a couple circles and hollered at the boaters already there to verify that they were spending the night, but did plan to depart in the morning.
It was perfect timing to tell "Priorities" and "Blue Angel" the circumstances, so they just pulled into an anchorage at the west end of the bay, just off the channel.  We backtracked a short ways along with "The Bar-B" to join them. Ray provided taxi service for happy hour that was enjoyed on our boat minus "Blue Angel" with Wisconsin salmon courtesy of "The Bar-B" and Linda made stuffed jalepenos.


Anchored behind us left to right: "Blue Angel", "The Bar-B", and "Priorities" 

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

There were storms in the forecast again, but we decided to leave Apalachicola anyway.  It was very light rain maybe an hour or so after we left at seven o'clock Eastern Daylight Time this morning until we got just to the other side of Lake Wimico.  It was a good thing we saw those three bald eagles on seperate occasions prior to that because now with this downpouring rain and winds gusting we could hardly see anything.  Thankfully that was short lived and then it was just more rain until about 10:00 a.m. Central Daylight Time.  Yes, we gained an hour when we traveled by White City and changed time zones where we will remain until just before Chattanooga.
This winter we removed our bimini top to clean it.  We also resealed it with waterproofing, but obviously not enough.  It was like a rain forrest under the cover today.  We were literally wearing our rain jackets.  We put most things below deck that we could, but the chart book got pretty drenched too.  At least it did let up with just some intermittent drizzle.
We continued farther than we usually do for this stretch, passing the anchorage at Pearl Bayou.  Bob and Barbara wanted to show us St. Andrews near Panama City.  We have heard about the popular oyster bar here and the marina price was pretty cheap.  Of course though, most of the businesses were closed on Monday.  We walked the entire town just to see what it had to offer.  Unfortunately we will miss getting to find out what many of the establishments were like as we plan to move on to Ft. Walton Beach tomorrow.

Apalachicola

I don't usually post when we don't travel, but it has been a while since we traveled and we have had a good time here in Apalachicola so far.  We all woke up Friday morning feeling like crap.  We took the marina provided golf cart to breakfast at Caroline's.  That didn't really help.  Then we did some chores, like cleaning up the boat inside, outside and in the bilge.  We had a shaft seal leaking and a shower sump go bad, so we had extra water.  Linda went to the Laundromat and tried to get some blogging done, but the laundry was so quick not much got done.  By the time Scott arrived, we were just about done except for making his bed. 
Ray and Scott lived near each other when they were early teenagers.  They had lost touch for probably 30 years or more when they found each other via Facebook.  We have hit it off well with him and he has joined us in many places around Florida as he lives near Tarpon Springs now.
The three of us headed to The Hole in the Wall for some oysters since Ray and Linda skipped lunch amongst doing chores.  There was a funny crew there working so we had a good time with them and Ray ran into a young fellow that used to work for him in Murphy.
We left there to meet Bob and Barbara at one of the new bars in town, Bowery Station, which the oyster shucker from The Whole in the Wall told us was the happening place now.  It sure was.  It was packed.  Come to find out they have a two for one happy hour from 5-7:00 p.m. with live music.  It cleared out shortly after 7:00 p.m. though.  After a while we were the last five people in there.  We asked them what time they closed.  They said "an hour and 20 minutes ago".  Oh, I guess it's time for us to leave then.  Oops!
Saturday morning we felt much better and decided it was just the lack of sleep that made us feel so much worse yesterday.  We tried a different place for breakfast.  After that Linda took her bicycle to Piggly Wiggly for a few essential groceries.  Next Linda, Ray and Scott took a walk to the cemetery and community vegetable garden.  The guys needed naps then, so the girls went shopping for a few hours.  We all met back up at Bowery Station again, but the music was too loud this time and not as good as last night.  Bob and Barbara told us there was a new oyster bar in town that we had not discovered yet.  Come to find out, it was Papa Joe's, which used to be located at Scipio Creek Marina.  Of course we had to have some.  They were huge and seemed much fresher tasting than any we had so far.  At 7:00 p.m. we all returned to the cemetery for the haunted ghost tour put on by the Historical Society.  Of course the guys weren't too excited to go, but were good sports.  We all ended up enjoying it.  Members of the Historical Society portrayed the deceased at their grave site, telling us about their life.  It was very interesting with a couple of sailors, a slave with no last name, a couple of other women, one of which was a true descendent of the woman she portrayed, and a gentleman with a good story of villain or victim.  That took about an hour then we all jumped on the golf cart to see if there was a different restaurant where Papa Joe's used to be.  There was not, so we ended up back at The Tap Room.
Our original plan was to leave Apalachicola at seven o'clock Sunday morning to go to St. Andrews Marina near Panama City.  Then we decided we could leave later and just go to the free dock at White City so that the next day to St. Andrews Marina would not be as long.  That gave us time for breakfast.  We did not want to return to Caroline's because Bob was disappointed with his on Friday morning.  We could not find anywhere else open on Sunday so I told Bob that my biscuits and gravy were really good on Friday.  Good thing he didn't get them because they were not near as good today, however, he did get the ham steak like he expected today instead of the country ham, but Barbara somehow ended up with the disappointing country ham. 
While at breakfast we discussed and looked at the bad weather moving through the area today, including a Tornado Watch.  With that, we decided to just stay here to ride out the storm rather than try to travel in it and dock at White City.  We're now not sure what tomorrow might bring.  After breakfast we found out that Barbara's sister passed away, though expected, it will depend on what arrangements will be made for that as to where we need to get so that Barbara can get to Wisconsin.

Long Day

Weather was still looking good.  We were not in a hurry, but still departed the Redington Shores anchorage at 8:00 a.m.  We traveled a whole hour to tie up at the free dock at Indian Rocks Beach.  It must have been a while since Ray has docked.  Linda was on the port stern ready to throw a line to Bob when he hollered at me as to where I was.  Low and behold we were bowing in starboard side.  What?  We never do this.  Not a good sign as to the start of our long day(s) ahead.
Linda ran a few errands; bread from CVS, they didn't have eggs, and a drop of mail at the Post Office.  After our hour stop we were on our way to cross the Gulf of Mexico, the dreaded part of the whole trip.
We had mentioned that the worst of the weather should be in the morning, but then improve as the day(s) progressed, but if we stuck our nose out there and didn't like it we would turn around and come back in.  It was close to another hour by the time we were heading out Clearwater Pass.  It was not bad, but not perfect, but if it was going to get better, we could handle it.  The seas were on our port stern, rolling us a bit.
By mid-afternoon Linda went ahead and attempted some fishing to cut down on the boredom.  Before she could even get the second rig set for trolling she had a quick bite.  A check of the bait showed that something had taken a small bite out of the ballyhoo, somehow missing the hook, but rendering it useless.  Once she got the next one rigged, it was fish on almost immediately again.  This produced a king mackerel, nothing we wanted to keep.  With all of the live bait gone, next out was a bucktail.  The last ballyhoo produced another king mackerel on the other rig, another throw back.  Before that one could get set back out it was fish on the bucktail, but lost it, bucktail and all.  With two more bucktails set out it was quiet for a while, almost to dusk and to the point of debating when to bring them in soon anyway when it was fish on.  This last one was a fighter.  Ray had to bring in the other line so they wouldn't get crossed when Linda saw a fish jump after that lure, but no hook up.  After several minutes of reeling something that was definitely different than the first two, the bonita appeared.  Fake tuna they call it.  So throw back number three.
It was partially overcast and the moonrise was at 5:30 a.m. and moonset at 6:00 a.m.  Therefore we knew it was going to be a dark night.  There were a few stars, but not much.  A couple of boat passed in the night on the radar, but no real events, just still rolling along each taking three hour shifts at the helm. 
About 5:30 a.m. Spike couldn't stand the rolling from under the couch any longer.  He joined us at the helm, but acted like he just wanted to jump overboard so Linda put the harness and leash on him just in case.  Maybe he'll learn to be a better traveler yet.  He stayed in the Admiral's chair for the remainder of the trip, tented over with a towel to help him feel more secure. 
We were all sick of the rolling by the time we entered East Pass about 24 hours after departure.  It was another several hours to Apalachicola, but once you've gone this long, you might as well keep going.  We finally pulled into Apalachicola Marina shortly after 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 16.  We all hit the shower and bed for a few hour nap.  I don't know if it helped.  We still all kind of felt like crap.  Linda and Ray went to the marina office to check in, then stopped at Oyster City Brewing Company which was not open yet last time we were here.  Then we walked across the street to The Tap Room and had some duck fries.  Forgot how good those are.  Next stop was Up the Creek for some oysters.  After all, that's why we are here, right?  If you have never been there, it has a very small bar.  I think 7 barstools.  It was just us and another younger fellow at the bar when a fourth person came in to sit at the bar saying "Well, I've never said this before, but here I will buy the bar a round."  Very nice.  Talked to him a bit.  He had a beer and a dozen of the parmesan oysters at our recommendation.  When he received his bill he was quite surprised at the large amount that it was, so he inquired as to the price of our drinks.  Well, his and our beers were $5.00 each, but the younger gentleman just so happened to be drinking a double which was $18.00!  He was a good sport about it.  We teased him that it might have been cheaper at a larger bar after all.  Bob and Barbara finally joined us after all of that was over, but then that same man came back in because he couldn't find anything else open.

Reunion

We let go of mooring ball number one in Sarasota at our habitual 7:00 a.m. again.  At the same time "Safari" was departing.  They followed us for the day wanting to learn more about good anchorages.  They travel in their boat every winter from the Tarpon Springs area to Marathon, but always stop at marinas.  Just as we have learned, that can get expensive, so we prefer anchoring out and going to shore to spend our money.


Just thought this church spire was pretty sticking above the trees.

We had to stop for fuel, dinghy gas and take on water, so we stopped at Madiera Beach Municipal Marina for that.  That stop took about a half hour for us.  "Safari" continued on, but ended up waiting for us near the entrance to the anchorage at Redington Shores.
Once we were secured and got our dinghies down we went over to the fish market to get some delicious fish dip.  I had never been through the back way, so to smell that fish smoking was wonderful.  Willard was already excited to learn these things, so Linda pointed out a few of the other places that could be accessed from right there.
We brought our fish dips back to the boats then headed to Indian Rocks Beach via dinghy.  It ended up taking 50 minutes just because of the mostly Minimum Wake Zones to get there.  On the way we pointed out all of the restaurants that were accessible by boat, joking about how we were passing so many to get to the one we wanted in Largo.  Once we were tied to the free docks at Indian Rocks Beach we immediately were greeted by Bob and Barbara from "The Bar-B" who were right next door at Holiday Inn Harbourside, where they have spent the last three winters.  It has been two years since we cruised with them.  After hugs were had and introductions were made we headed off to walk to Mike's Pizza which we had been talking about and craving to get to, again laughing with Willard and Barbara as we walked by many restaurants to instead go about a mile to our favorite.  I have to say it was worth it though.  Scott, Ray's friend from childhood met us there via his motorcycle.
I think we had already scared Willard and Barbara telling them that we did not know what time we might return to the boat, therefore they had taken their own dinghy.  They departed after dinner to let the rest of us catch up and visit with each other, which was very nice, so they went on ahead.  The remaining four of us walked back across the bridge to PJ's restaurant, which is now across the street from where it used to be.  A lot of things had changed in Indian Rocks Beach since we had been there last, a year and a half ago.  Scott rode his motorcycle over.  No one was brave enough to ride with him.  Barbara's daughter Heidi met us there once she got off of work.  Lots of laughs and catching up made for a fun evening.
We headed back to the dinghy shortly after 9:00 p.m. knowing we had an even longer ride back in the dark.  We also did not want a late night because we were most likely going to head out to cross the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow if the weather held up as predicted.

Happy Anniversary Baby

Our 24th Anniversary!
We pulled out of the Don Pedro Island anchorage at seven o'clock again this morning.  Another uneventful day of travel with the wind on our stern.  We grabbed mooring ball number one in Sarasota.  It took two attempts as the wind was blowing right in the inlet to the mooring field.  On the second attempt, though successful, Linda had to release the boat hook.  The line to the mooring ball was so large she could not get the boat hook off of it.  As it started to bend against the boat she saw the better option to just let go of it.  We've had this happen before.  Once Ray helped to get the second line secured to the mooring ball he attempted to get the dinghy down to go retrieve the boat hook floating away.  Before he could even do that though, Barbara and Willard from m/v "Safari", whom we met in Marathon came over and got it for us.  They were a few mooring balls away.  They were glad to see they were not the only one's that struggle with mooring balls.
We were ready to get off the bouncing boat.  We loaded up our bicycles in the dinghy and headed to shore.  Barbara and Willard were already there.  None of us had lunch yet, even though it was after 2:00 p.m. so we headed into town.  We went to Mattison's City Grille, our favorite.  Thank you Barbara and Willard for our Anniversary lunch!
After lunch Ray and Linda rode bikes to Ace Hardware.  While in Marathon Ray had a new davit system built to lift our dinghy out of the water and haul behind the boat.  After being in the little bit of seas to get this far, he felt the need for some stand-offs to make the whole apparatus more rigid.  His temporary solution was to use a 2" x 2" piece of wood.  Linda had to make sure she didn't make any sudden stops in front of Ray for the trip back to the marina as he had an eight foot projectile strapped to his bike. 
We put our purchase and bicycles back on the boat before heading back to town just in time to meet our friends Candice and Heather for dinner as planned.  We had already arranged to meet them at Mattison's, and they were able to bring their new Yorkie Riley there too, so that's where we stayed even though we had just eaten lunch there a few hours before.  Linda and Ray were still full from that lunch so we just enjoyed catching up.
Once the girls left we walked farther up town.  Unfortunately we were about 20 minutes too late for a movie Linda wanted to see, so we leisurely strolled back to the marina with a side trip through the park in front of the mooring field.

No pictures

No pictures today.  Just a video of a fast sailboat on Linda's Facebook page.
We untied from the mooring ball at Ft. Myers Beach again at our usual seven o'clock.  Ray made a wonderful breakfast while underway.  It took about an hour to get to the Intracoastal Waterway.  No more open water until we cross The Gulf of Mexico.  It looks like that could happen in the next week.
We arrived at one of our usual anchorages near Don Pedro Island around 1:30 p.m.  We were happy to find that the Slow Speed, Minimum Wake zone has been extended farther north than it used to be.  That should help a little bit with the wakes.  Just before our arrival we bragged that we have hardly ever seen anyone else use this anchorage.  Shortly after our arrival four sailboats pulled in, two anchored on either side of us.  The closest one pulled up anchor once because they thought they were too close.  They did a complete circle around us and anchored in just about the same spot.  If the wind and current subside enough to have us swing opposing directions, it could get interesting.
We spent the afternoon dinghying around the area, exploring some places we have been before and some new ones.  That got our appetite worked up, so it's time to grill some steaks.

Ft. Myers Beach

I am having computer difficulties.  I can't get pictures posted from Marco Island.  Oh well, they weren't that good anyway.  I also couldn't get connected to get this blog done in a timely manner.
All that aside, we lifted anchor from Marco Island at our usual 7:00 a.m.  Thankfully it was another uneventful day of travel.  The waves were barely little rollers.  With nothing else exciting happening, we decided to drag fake bait again.  Today produced three more Spanish Mackerel, but again none of them keepers.


This was one of the largest ones caught.  Sorry for the odd angle. 
They sure are slippery and have a decent set of teeth.  Also notice the calm seas.

We arrived in Ft. Myers Beach shortly after 1:00 p.m.  We picked up mooring ball #42 in the east field.  It was already hot at about 88 degrees, so we almost immediately took the dinghy to check in and go to the beach to cool off.  We had fun chatting with a couple from Minnesota near the Wisconsin border.  They were confused by Ray's Georgia "G" hat. 


One of the sights on our dinghy ride back.

After a couple of hours we headed back to get cleaned up for dinner ashore, stopping at Salty Sam's for a couple bags of ice.  We had an appetizer at Nervous Nellie's before Tom and Linda showed up from "Q's End", boaters we met in Marathon several years back.  They no longer go that far south and stay in Ft. Myers Beach for the season now.  They showed us to a nice dinner on the beach.  We just missed sunset, but the food was good.  The happening place was right next door though, so after dinner we meandered over there and made ourselves to home at another couple's table.  They were on their first date.  Tom and Linda have had that same experience before on Ft. Myers Beach, then were contacted by the couple one year later, still together.  So we wished this couple luck and told them to look us up in a year if they were still together.

Marco

We were pleased with avoiding bugs last night.  This morning there was no escaping them as we pulled up anchor around seven o'clock.  We tried to get going as quick as poossible to escape the biting critters.  There was not much wind to be had though so Linda escaped below deck again to make breakfast.
Another uneventful day.  We drug fake bait for a while to pass the monotony.  The first realized fish stole the whole rig.  The second and third bait alarm produced Spanish Mackeral, the second even smaller than the first.  As we got closer to Marco Island we reeled in the rigs only to realize that another rig was missing.  Might have been dragging nothing all day. Oh well, it was fun.
Today we stayed closer to shore and did not round Cape Romano into Capri Pass at Marco Island.  We decided to come into Coon Key Pass, around Goodland and through all of Marco Island.  We also decided to anchor across from Factory Bay where we have only one time before.  We arrived early enough to dinghy onto the island for pizza and beer at Marco Island Brewery.  We were not disappointed.
We made it back aboard just after sunset but in time to see some fisherman with a tapron on the line.  He lost it after a couple of jumps.  About that time the mosquitos started to swarm so we have again escaped below deck.

Chattanooga Bound

We snuck away from some of our dock mates at 7:00 a.m.  There were a few that have finally learned we always tell people later than we really leave.  Who needs a crowd?  That's when mistakes happen under pressure.  Thank you to the friends that know us well!

"Yankee"

It was an uneventful cruise across Florida Bay.  The waves were about 1-2' as predicted, but they were on the starboard stern, making it a litlle rolly.
We pulled into Little Shark River shortly before 4:00 p.m.  It was a nice enough evening to sit outside until just before sunset.  We went below deck upon the first sighting of bugs.  It was off to bed shortly after dinner.