January 7 through 10, 2014

1-7 and 8-2014: Gulfport, due to the winds and waves on Tampa Bay we did not leave until Thursday the 9th. 

1-9-2014:   After 2 week at Gulfport we were finally on our way by 07:00 this morning.  First we had to wait on our boat maintenance to get completed and new house and boat batteries put in and then we had to wait on the weather to cooperate.   We decided to do 2 long days so we could get to Fort Myers before Saturday when it was supposed to rain and be very windy.  We made it through Tampa Bay without much problem; waves started out at 2 - 2 ½' and ended up at about 3' high with the winds 14 to 16 knots.  After that, all was smooth.  We got to our Cape Haze anchorage by about 17:00,  a long day.  Fixed dinner and had a quiet night.

1-10-2014, Fort Myers: We pulled anchor by 07:15 and made it to our last bridge to be opened of this trip by 07:30; the Boca Grande Bridge, yea!  My Doziers Waterway Guide (2010) had several of the bridges the wrong height but Keith picked up a new Florida Waterway Guide and they were all correct in that.  We made it under 2, 22' bridges today without having them opened but just barely.  Yesterday and today we traveled with our large antenna down and that made the difference.  Charlotte Harbor was smooth and calm with less than ½' waves.  Pine Island Sound was also very smooth.  From Cayo Costa State Park all the way down to the “miserable mile”,  Mile 0 on the GIWW, we saw a lot of dolphins.  They were following our boat again and jumping our wake.  They seem to like to dive under the boat and come up on the opposite side.  We think one hit the boat when he tried to go underneath.  Keith saw him dive under, then come up again and go back down under real quick.  That is when it felt like the boat rocked or was pushed a little.  I thought they had built in sonar so stuff like that doesn’t happen.  He seemed to be OK.  We got to Fort Myers Yacht Basin Marina by about 12:30, filled up with fuel and into our slip by 14:00.

CO's comments: After having a lot our electric systems updated, things are working a lot better.

City of Fort Myers Yacht Basin Marina.  We are on the east side of the marina this year.

January 1 through 6, 2014

We are still hanging out at Gulfport, FL.  Our original plans were to leave here on Saturday the 4th but we had to stay over the weekend to have more work done on the boat on Monday the 6th.  When Charlie and Bob finished up our scheduled work Keith asked them to look at and test our house and starter batteries.  They found that both set were close to being dead.  Our very old battery charger was not set right and therefore not charging our batteries properly causing the charger to kill them or Charlie said murder them.  To make a long story short, we got new house and starter batteries and a new battery charger on Monday.  We should be good to go now (at least I sure hope so).

CO's comments:  Update on plane crash.  The pilot was in his 70's and  lost power.  He could have landed on the gulf course but he decided to put it in the water.  He is OK but his plane isn't.

Now we might not be able to leave on Tuesday because the weather is not cooperating for us.  High winds, cold temperatures, and waves over 5' in Tamps Bay are predicted for tomorrow.  The XO doesn't think we will ever get to Fort Myers.

Evening out at O'Mally's restaurant

 

 

View from O'Mally's porch