December 9, 2009

We are now docked until the 7th of January at Marinatown in North Fort Myers, FL. The weather has been in the high eighties the last few days but we have a very nice cross breeze that helps keep it cooler.

The marina is very nice with three on site restaurants, bars, pool, and laundry. It is very laid back with a definite south Florida tone. Actually more like the Keys than the keys as there is no real "tourist" presence other than the occasional obligatory Canadian snow bird.

We have been watching the news, and as I sit here in a bathing suit, I see the "dreadful" effects of Global Warming as a huge snow storm marches across the US. I am confident that it will not have any effect in Massachusetts as it is a Democrat State that voted for Al Gore.

We will be returning the "Yes We Can" State leaving here on the 15th. The last time we went back the sales tax had increased from 5% to 6.25%, are there any new taxes we must be prepared for?

We look forward to seeing you all at Christmas.

December 4, 2009

Much has happened since our last post while not covering a long distance. We made the crossing to Steinhatchee without great incident except the fact that the predicted 5-10N winds with 1-2 foot seas was actually 15-20N winds with 3-5 foot seas. We left the next morning and had a nice trip to Crystal River where the Manatees winter. This port was the beginning of two weeks of our meeting up with our old friends.

We were very happy to get together with my former business partner Winston Perry and his wife Andrea who now live in a lovely home on a canal in Homosassa, FL. We had a great day with them exploring the area and browsing their shop, “Ritzy Rags & Glitzy Jewels, ETC” in Inverness (check out their website www.ritzandglitz.com). The shop has a wonderful collection of “Eclectic” pieces, I’m sure they would be happy to ship. We had a great time.

From there we moved on to Tarpon Springs, FL. Tarpon Springs is like going into a Greek fishing village where they harvest sea sponges. If you like Greek Salad, olives, feta cheese, Greek pastries, and especially lamb this is the place to go.

We were graciously invited to Steve and Judi Aldrovandi’s lovely home in Marco Island for Thanksgiving Dinner. The Marco area has been a magnet for many of our friends from Plymouth who now live there.

These included, Pat Harrington, Yvonne & Don Gauley, and Heidi & John Asiaf. We spent the night with Steve and Judi and returned Friday to Tarpon Springs.

On the return trip to Tarpon Springs we stopped in Clearwater and visited with Karen & Roger (Roger) Montembeault on “Karen Ann”, friends we had meet in various adventures down the rivers to Mobile Bay. We had a great time.

Saturday, November 28th, we drove north to Cedar Key, FL, a place we would have liked to have stooped on our exploration of the “Nature Coast” but there is no public dock.

Cedar Key is an extremely laid back community with one main street with several shops and a separate waterfront street with the obligatory waterfront dives.

While walking down Main Street we came across a restaurant called “Tony’s” who advertised that they have won the “World Best Clam Chowder. From their website.

“On Saturday June 6, 2009 Tony's Cedar Key Clam Chowder competed at the 28th Annual Schweppes Great Chowder Cook-off at The Newport Yachting Center on America's Cup Blvd. In Newport, R.I. Thousands of Chowder lovers sampled chowders from all over the world. With all the votes counted, Tony's Cedar Key Clam Chowder was selected 1st and crowned Clam Chowder World Champion.”

The chowder was excellent. The world’s best New England clam chowder is in FORIDA!!

From Tarpon Springs we proceeded to Bradenton FL where we meet up with Brain & Irene Ward. Brian and I have raced and sailed for over 35 years. We have raced around the buoys, offshore to Halifax, NS and to Bermuda.

We left Bradenton on Wednesday (We have trouble remembering what day it is. Thank goodness for Verizon cell phones to keep us up to date). We then proceeded to Sarasota, FL.

NOAA, our great weather guru said no problem if you on the inside water, just a slight chop. Right, 5 plus feet with a wind gust to 43 knots on Sarasota Bay. To save the marriage a stay at Marina Jack was appropriate.

On Thursday we proceeded to Englewood Beach where we are now anchored and meet up with Greg & Di Tolonen who came out in their center console Parker and picked us up and brought us to their lovely waterfront home to have dinner, and a few “adult beverages”. Jen, their daughter, and her fiancée Jim came over to say hello, a really nice couple and we wish them the best.

On Friday we went again with Greg and Di and had a great day with lunch, shopping, etc. then returned to “JEJUDA” in a torrential downpour.

It was blowing 25 knots from the north, pouring, with the wind chill at 40 degrees. AL GORE WHERE ARE YOU?

Friday AM “Barefoot Shoes” arrived in the rain. Fear not Steve and Rai, the Christmas cards were mailed.

Today, Saturday, it is still pouring and 60 degrees. It is just like Plymouth with a nice New England “Nor’easter” in November. No wonder so many “Plymouthians” move here to retire, it is just like home.

Check out the sailboat. This is why you have to stay in the channel.

We will be moving south to Fort Meyers where we will leave the boat for our return to Plymouth for the family Christmas.

Stay tuned.

November 17, 2009

We are sitting at anchor at Dog Island waiting to depart to Steinhatchee early tomorrow morning. Judi is out side watching the dolphins put on a show.

We spent the last two days in Apalachicola, FL where I overdosed on oysters. Last evening I had a dozen oysters for an appetizer and another dozen for my meal as well as some bacon wrapped oysters on the side. For lunch I had a fried oyster basket, excellent.

Apalachicola is a neat town that reminded me of what Nantucket was before it became the haunt of the “Rich & Famous”. The town has many small shops and great hangout restaurants and bars. This is a nice relaxing laidback spot.

Our next challenge is to get across the “Big Bend” in the Gulf of Mexico. We have decided not to the 160 mile direct overnight route as there are only the two of us and I do not think it is a prudent thing to do as it a 16 to 18 hour trip.

The present game plan is to take ~ 4 days with stops in various sleepy Florida towns with basically no water under the keel. I am still getting use to traveling with 1 to 3 feet of water under the keel all the time. Perhaps we will be in Tarpon Springs by Saturday if the weather is good.

Some more pictures to look at from the trip and a “fixer upper” boat for those so inclined.

Well IDA has passed through and all is well on JEJUDA. We got a lot of rain and winds ~ 50 MPH with a few higher gusts but we were snug at the Holiday Inn and JEJUDA was snug at Turner Marine on the Dog River on Mobile Bay. We are staying again tonight as there are still 25 knot winds on the bay and that makes for quite nasty conditions for a 20 mile crossing on a bay that is 10 feet deep.

We will depart early tomorrow and perhaps get to Pensacola and stay at the Navy Yacht Club on Bayou Grand at the Naval Air Station. There are still a few advantages of being a veteran.

If we cannot get that far we will stay at “LuLu’s Restaurant. Lu Lu is Jimmy Buffett’s sister and the place is well known as a waterfront hangout with a dock. Rumor has it that they serve adult beverages.

I have posted some pictures of Dauphin Beach where IDA made landfall as well as the entrance to a real southern marina where we had to weave back and forth between the 3” PVC markers to keep out of the cypress swamp. We were following “Sterling Lady” in. Sterling and Judy are from Key Largo and we will surely meet up with them again.

Aberdeen Marina is a combination Marina and gas station with a store/restaurant. Great biscuits and sausage if one is into that sort of thing. Also there are pictures of a five star cruise ship and the Navy's newest class of ships.

Off to the Florida Panhandle and the eastern time zone.

Well we are now in Mobile (pronounced Mo Beal), AL awaiting the landfall of tropical storm “Ida”. We were enjoying the warm breezes of the Gulf of Mexico until yesterday when the weather was predicted to turn bad. We have been here since Wednesday and had decided to stay for about a week so that we could explore the Gulf coast and it now appears we could be here longer. The boat is battened down at the Turner Marina on the Dog River and we are sitting in a Holiday Inn for hopefully, just one night.

Since the last post we had a very pleasant and leisurely trip down the Tennessee River and then a very fast trip down the Tombigbee Waterway as there was a lot of rain and the current was running ~ 4 + knots. We were doing 90 NM days. The lower Tombigbee is a very desolate area. You travel over 70 miles between bridges that span the river.

We stopped at some very “unusual” marinas such as “Bobby’s Fish Camp”. One morning, we left Demopolis, AL early, so that we could get an early locking through the dam with 9 other boats. We were the last boat in and Judi had to throw the line over the floating bollard. I heard this big scream and Judi was standing on the foredeck waving her hands and screaming that there was a snake on the top of the bollard. Sure enough there was a fairly large rattlesnake coiled up on the top. Luckily snakes are Al Gore friendly since they are solar powered and it was cold. He was therefore, in no mood to move as you can see in the picture.

Saturday, we went to the Navy Air Museum in Pensacola, FL. This is also the home base of the Blue Angels. This is a very impressive museum with many historic aircraft. On our way back we went to the Battleship “Alabama” park in Mobile, which has a WWII submarine and more historic aircraft. Judi has had her fill of “historic” aircraft, battleships, and submarines.

Last night we had dinner at “Felix’s Fish Camp” overlooking Mobile Bay. I had crab soup, ½ dozen oysters (actually 9 oysters), camp salad, hush puppies, sautéed mushrooms, and three crab cakes on green fried tomatoes. Judi had camp salad, grilled chicken with mushrooms etc. over brown rice. Add in two draft beers and a glass of red wine and the bill, with tax was $61. The food was excellent with great service.

The trip continues to be fantastic with new adventures and new people to meet and other people to meet again on boats you crossed paths with in Canada or other spots.

It is great to be back in salt water as they smell of the air seems normal again. WARM WEATHER IS COMING.