We met lots of these fisherman yesterday as they were out checking their crab traps
Here is a swing bridge we had to wait 25 minutes to open and why the intracoastal can be slow going at times
A typical example of the kind of narrow channels along the water way
And an example of the very shallow water just off the channel...it takes total concentration to stay out of trouble
Just one picture of the dolphin show...we have video of 6 of them playing alongside our boat
This is Charlotte Harbor, looking back at the Gulf as we came towards Burnt Store Marina
The bar at Burnt Store Marina
This is the view out the back of our boat today
Log 77Day 197
Thursday, December 04, 2008
4:30 AM EST
Location: Burnt Store Marina, Punta Gorda, FL (click here to see our exact location)
Weather: 55* and light winds...forecasted to be 79 & sunny today
One of those very early mornings on HQ for me today. Woke up a little after 3 and finally got up a little before 4. I’ve been watching the weather channel and feeling bad for our friends in Michigan and Illinois. They are talking about a Canadian clipper the next couple of days...with 2 more clippers behind it. We, on the other hand, have sunny skies, and the forecast is for 79 the next 4 days and then 75 after that. This retirement thing seems to be working out so far.
Yesterday...we untied the lines at Marina Jacks at about 8:30, and shortly after joined the intracoastal again at about mile 74. For the next 44 miles we wound our way through small lakes, rivers, and man made canals, and finally came out in Charlotte Harbor. All the way, we fought narrow channels and very shallow water. I have two depth alarms set...one at 7 feet, and another at 5 feet. I finally turned off the 7 foot alarm, because it was going off constantly. I kept the 5 foot alarm on...but was going off all the time. It was “puckering”. Finally at mile 30 we joined Charlotte Harbor and turned due east for 10 miles to Burnt Store Marina. As bad as I make the trip sound, it was really a great day. The weather was great, and we were constantly entertained by dolphins. At one point we were going along with 2 dolphins on our starboard side giving us a show. I looked up to see another group of 3 or 4 playing ahead of us, and then they all got together, and at least 6 of them were traveling along our starboard side for a long time. (Deb has 2 or 3 great video’s of these dolphins...if you are interested in seeing them, send Deb an email at deb.koerner@gmail.com and she will send it to you). At about 3:30 we pulled into Burnt Store Marina...it’s been several years since we have been here, and although it is a nice marina, it is 10 miles off the ICW, and I wish we would have just gone 10 miles further and stayed somewhere else.
Today...we will travel 10 miles back to the ICW and follow it another 30 miles to join Caloosahatchee River near Cape Coral, FL. Then another 10 miles up the Caloosahatchee to Legacy Harbor Marina in Fort Myers, where we plan to stay for 30 days. It should be a great day with light winds, warm weather, and sunny skies.
Well, while I have written this log, I have made breakfast (biscuits, gravy and tater tots), and drank 1/2 pot of coffee. I want to take a dock walk, but it’s still dark out, so I’ll have to wait a while. Man...this cruising life is tough.
I’ll keep you posted.
Bob
No comments:
Post a Comment