January 15 and 16, 2013

Tuesday and Wednesday:  We left the dock and just went out and anchored just a short ways away.  It was such a beautiful day we decided to put the dinghy in the water and do some exploring.  This was the first time that we have used the dinghy since Keith and Jim put the it on top just after buying the boat.  It went a little slow but we have the hang of it now and I am sure it will go faster every time.  It works good using two people.  We left anchorage Wednesday afternoon and just went about 11 miles to Sarasota, FL, and we ended up staying at Marina Jack's for the night as it was the only place that had a deep enough draft for us; very expensive, so we only stayed one night.  We were able to fully charge all our batteries and wash some clothes.

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CO's comments:  Hardly any manual labor to put the dinghy in the water.  We just push a button and it goes down and/or up. 

Kim Jo IV at anchorage by Longboat Key, FL, on 1-15-2013

This island was covered completely with birds.  It is along the GIWW by Mile 85.0.

Sun Set at Marina Jack's, Sarasota, FL, on 1-16-2013

January 14, 2013; Longboat Key, FL

Monday:  We got going about 09:15 after spending 2+ weeks in Gulfport.  It was a beautiful, sunny, day so we did the outside instead of the GIWW.  We left the GIWW at Mile Marker 115 and went out Pass-A-Grill/North Channel Pass. The gulf was beautiful but still had about 3' swells as well as a little chop.  We were about 3 to 5 miles off shore at any given time and we got to Longboat Pass about 13:30 and then to Moore's Stone Crab Restaurant and tied up by 13:45.  You can spend the night at their dock as long as you eat at their restaurant.  There is no electric or water but it is still nice to tie up.  We met Fandango at Gulfport and they are tied up in front of us.

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CO's comments:  Beautiful day, good to be moving again.   We only encountered 2 "dumbshits" today.

Leaving Gulfport, FL, on1-14-2013

Gulf of Mexico on 1-14-2013.  The CO is happy to be in open waters again

Moore's Stone Crab Restaurant at Longboat Key, FL

January 13, 2013, Gulfport, FL

Sunday:  It was another beautiful week here in Gulfport with the temperatures in the 80's. We are loving it.

Yesterday was Keith’s birthday so he got to do what he wanted all day.   We went for ice cream (again).  There is an ice cream parlor down town that we discovered and we have been there several times.  On the way back to the boat we stopped at his favorite bar; O’Maddy’s on Gulfport Beach. For dinner he had his favorite meal, lobster, and then we watched the first half of the Packer game.   I promised my sister if they were behind at the half I would turn the channel.  For some reason she thinks I am a jinx!  We really wanted them to win but we will have to wait for next season.  We will always be fans of our Packers.  Anyway, all in all, it was a good day.

After two weeks here we are getting ready to leave tomorrow morning and will be on the hook for a week or so. We are just going to take our time and do some exploring before getting to Fort Myers.

CO’s comments: 
Which branch of the Armed Forces flag is flying proudly in the picture below. 
It is time to move on.


　

Gulfport Veterans Memorial Park on the waterfront at Gulfport

　

　

O’Maddy’s Bar and Grill on Gulfport Beach

　

　
Here’s to another year!

January 10, 2013; still at Gulfport, FL

Thursday:  It has been some time since we posted.  We haven't been doing much other than getting a few things done on the boat.  After 3 days with Charlie, the electrician, being here we finally have a working inverter system and Keith now has a good understanding of how it works.  He also found and fixed some potentially dangerous problems which we did not know about.  We also had an air conditioning mechanic come in and he found and fixed the leak in our air conditioner.  After about a week of strangers coming and going on the boat we now have it back to just ourselves.  Thank goodness.

Gulfport Municipal Marina is a nice little marina but without transportation you are kind of stuck.  We can walk to the downtown area for restaurants and shops but as far as groceries go you really need a car.  We rented a car the other day and were going steady all day buying groceries, going to West Marine, doing the laundry, and going to the hardware store.  A full day but we should be good for a while.

CO's comments:  The leak in our air conditioner was caused by the last person who supposedly fixed it.....  I finally have an understanding of our electrical system and have some ideas as how to upgrade the batteries when the time comes to replace them.  Charlie is retired Navy.  He served  aboard  nuclear powered boats and he sure knows a lot more about electrical systems on boats than any other electrician we have met.  We are very pleased with his work.  We have been having 4' plus tides the last couple of days. 

Late yesterday afternoon a guy and his wife came into the marina on a 19' outboard and just about hit us.  When he finally docked his boat, he put one foot on the dock and the other on the boat while holding his line and you know what happened next.  The boat moved and he fell in.  Some passers by dragged him out of the water.  He was all cut up and bleeding and could not walk a straight line he was so drunk.  The boat is still here this morning but they are not.

Gulfport, FL - last sun set of 2012

The boat in front ours is the same size we started out with.  We went from a 28' in 2009 to a 49' in 2012, wow!

This ice breaker is paving a trail for the 1004' Steamer on Lake Superior the first part of 2013.  My good friend Joyce is the head cook and her husband Tom is the Captain.  They were on the lake over Christmas but were finally able to celebrate in January and start a long deserved winter vacation.