Day 119 Snook Bight Marina,
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
View from the stern of Dream Catcher at Snook Bight
Jim washed the boat, so I took a walk on the beach (not to mention any names, but some captains are very picky about boat washing and prefer to do it themselves …) Anyway, the weather was beautiful, and it was a wonderful day to enjoy whatever a person chose to do!
Total miles: 0 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
Day 118 Snook Bight Marina,
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Full moon at Winter Solstice
A quiet day on board. We did some organizing and blogging. Brenda got up at 3:45 am to see the red moon eclipse. Awesome.
Total miles: 0 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
Day 117 Snook Bight Marina,
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Monday, December 20, 2010
Dream Catcher on very far left at Snook Bight Marina
Seamoore left early, had a little trouble with low tides, but called in the afternoon to say that they had made it to Marco.
We took a bicycle ride to the south end of the island, stopped at CVS for a few things, and ate lunch at Subway. We also stopped at a hair salon that we happened to pass and made appointments for next week.
A quiet dinner on board.
Total miles: 0 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
Day 116 Snook Bight Marina,
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Up at 6:00 to serve as “dock hands” for Seamoore’s departure for Marathon. However, the wind and waves were predicted to be high, so they decided to wait for one more day.
Since we were up early, we opted for the 8:30 service at St Peter’s Lutheran Church rather than the 11:00 service we had planned on. We had to walk about a mile, and it was very windy. Since this is a “seasonal” church (snow birds come and go), the pastor asked if anyone new or returning to the area would like to introduce themselves. So Jim introduced us, and we were welcomed by the pastor.
After the service we had coffee, cookies and conversation with several members of the congregation.
In the afternoon we had cabin fever, so along with Becky and Carlton we took a walk on the beach and ended up at Junkanoos again for a drink.
Peel-and-eat shrimp dinner from Publix was on Seamoore tonight.
Total miles: 0 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
Day 115 Snook Bight Marina,
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Jim and Carlton worked on charting a course on Seamoore’s chartplotter for the trip to Marathon. Becky and Carlton have to leave soon in order to meet their daughter in the Florida Keys for Christmas.
We had peel-and-eat shrimp (from Publix) on Dream Catcher with Becky and Carlton.
Total miles: 0 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
Day 114 Snook Bight Marina,
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Friday, December 17, 2010
Lunch at Nervous Nellies with Seamoore in the background
Ever hear that people shrink as they get older? Hmmm ....
Becky and Carlton
We had a Christmas package to mail home, so we hopped on our bikes for a “short ride” to the post office. Obviously, we didn’t know where the post office was located, and it turned out to be several miles away. But eventually we found it, got our package mailed, and got back to the marina.
It was fuel day for Seamoore, so we took a ride with Becky and Carlton to a nearby marina where the fuel prices are the best in the area. After fueling we boated to “Nervous Nellies” restaurant and had a great fish and chips lunch. The 4 of us walked downtown, had a drink at Matanzas, and boated back to Snook Bight.
In the evening we joined other boaters and restaurant patrons around a fire pit at the marina’s outdoor patio. It was a lot of fun, but it’s been a long time since our clothes smelled like a camp fire!
Total miles: 0 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
Day 113 Snook Bight Marina,
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Thursday, December 16, 2010
We caught the trolley with Becky and Carlton and headed to SOB (that’s Smokin Oyster Brewery!) for lunch. We walked around the downtown area and out the pier where we were entertained by dolphins swimming close by. A walk on the beach turned out to be a walk all the way back to the marina – about 4 miles. We kept looking for that trolley, but it never came by.
Dinner was on Seamoore where Carlton used their Jennaire grill to fix the steaks that we bought together at the Acropolis Meat Market in Tarpon Springs. After dinner Becky and Carlton taught us a new card game called “Phase 10”. Great game!
Total miles: 0 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
Day 112 Snook Bight Marina,
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Seamoore
Today was a good day for Seamoore. She was pulled and her rebuilt prop was put on so she’s ready to travel again.
We spent quiet day on board, but enjoyed a delicious dinner from last night’s leftovers!
Total miles: 0 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
Day 111 Snook Bight Marina,
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Dinner at Bayfront Bistro with Carlton and Becky
Mom’s birthday. Happy birthday, Mom!
It is cold in Iowa, but record low temps in Florida. Brrrrr!! We did a lot of laundry at the marina laundromat and some cleaning on the boat. Carlton and Becky on Seamoore were back from their trip home to visit friends and family, so the 4 of us went to dinner at the Bayfront Bistro which is the restaurant at the marina. Delicious.
Total miles: 0 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
Day 110 Snook Bight Marina,
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Monday, December 13, 2010
Another blustery day at Fort Myers Beach. We put on our winter jackets and walked a block to the main street to catch the 50-cent trolley to go downtown. And we waited. And we waited. And since the trolley stops are only a couple of blocks apart, we started walking to the next trolley stop … and the next … and the next. After walking a little over a mile, we arrived at Junkanoos Restaurant, so we stopped in for lunch. The waitress had a trolley schedule and explained that the trolleys run only once an hour this time of year. So we timed our lunch to catch the next trolley and finally made it downtown. We shopped in numerous stores without finding anything to buy (after all of that!) so we caught the trolley back to the marina which is located close to a Publix grocery store. After some light grocery shopping, we were back at the boat for a quiet night on board.
Total miles: 0 Total bridges: 0 Total locks: 0
Day 109 Snook Bight Marina,
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Sunday, December 12, 2010
We left South Seas Resort about 11:00 in sunny skies and 70 degrees. However, the wind was around 20 miles per hour, so we had a “moderate chop” crossing San Carlos Bay. Finally we arrived at Snook Bight Marina in Fort Myers Beach. We got into our slip and hooked up utilities when a storm blew in. Wow! Good timing! The wind picked up with gusts up to 45 miles per hour. We were cozy on board, but the wind blew Dream Catcher around in her slip for most of the night.
Total miles: 25 Total bridges: 2 Total locks: 0
Day 108 South Seas Island Resort,
Captiva, FL MM 38
Saturday, December 11, 2010
We left Venice and headed south with no specific destination in mind, but we heard that the weather was changing. We decided to go as far south as we could since we had several large open-water bays to cross. We crossed Gasparilla Sound and Charlotte Harbor at Boca Grande pass. By 4:00 we were at Pine Island Sound, and we started calling marinas for overnight dockage. We had never had a problem with finding a marina, but this time we could find no marinas that would answer the phone. The wind and waves were picking up, and sunset was getting close. Due to questionable weather coming in, we wanted to be in a marina. Finally South Seas Resort answered their phone and said that they had water deep enough for us to stay overnight. Whew! It was pricey, but sometimes you get what you pay for. It turned out to be a great resort with lots of shops and restaurants. There was a free trolley to take us to all areas of the resort. We took it to Holy Smoke Restaurant and enjoyed delicious brisket and barbeque chicken. There were lots of holiday decorations, and the resort was very festive.
Total miles: 43 Total bridges: 7 Total locks: 0
