Log 77 Day 197; Dec. 4, 2008; Burnt Store Marina, Punta Gorda, FL.

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 77
Day 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

Log 76; Day 196; Dec. 3, 2008; Sarasota, FL.

We ate lunch at Patrick's and they had several wooden statues...this is one of one of the owners, and Deb got him to pose next to his statue

We are in the land of palm trees

For lunch we went to Patrick's...where they have several of these full size statues carved out of wood...Deb took pictures of all of them

This is Patrick's at lunch...the owners are sitting at the corner

Downtown Sarasota...what a great "feeling" downntown

Deb was playing with the camera, trying to get this shot...and did

Another great sunset in Sarasota

This large statue is just outside our marina...notice Deb by the nurse's shoe?

Log 76
Day 196
Wednesday, December 03, 2008

6:30 AM EST
Location: Marina Jack’s...near downtown Sarasota, FL
Weather: 42* and light winds...forecasted to be 73 & sunny

I have been getting emails and phone calls from folks up North, so when I tell you it got cold last night (down to 41), I’m sure you don’t feel bad for us. And, when I tell you it will be 82 in Fort Myers (where we’ll be) on Friday you may actually be upset. But such is the case. The strong North winds did bring clear and cold to the area, but it will be out of here today, and the next week will be just gorgeous.

Yesterday...was kind of a lazy, catch up, day. Deb did laundry here at the marina, and I took a walk to the Sarasota downtown area. What a great downtown. As they say...”this is where the rich and famous hang out”. It was probably about 6 blocks on both sides, with every kind of food and every kind of store you can imagine. Each one nicer than the other. So...when Deb got done with the laundry we walked into town (about 2 blocks from the marina) and walked around. As usual, we were looking for the perfect cheeseburger, so we stopped at Patrick’s, a fairly large local bar on the corner. It would remind you of a “Cheers” kind of bar. Lots of locals, and also the occasional tourist...us. Deb, being Deb, didn’t take long to meet folks, and ended up meeting the owners, and hearing all their stories. As you can see from the pictures, she took several of wooden statues (there were 7, but I only included a couple) and even had one of the owners come over and pose next to a statue of him. When we left, they were offering her to sit down and have a martini with them (mainly because she said it looked really good). I’m glad I was with her, or she might still be there.

After lunch we took a long walk around town, and then back to the boat by 1:30. After a short nap, I washed the boat, and did some more waxing. Deb did some bookwork, and finished the laundry. Everyone told us there was a great Mexican restaurant in town, and we thought about going there for dinner, but decided we’d eaten out enough, and Deb made some awesome chicken and gravy, and we watched the latest episode of Worlds Toughest Fixes.

Today...we will wait for the sun to warm things up a bit, and then head 45 miles to Burnt Store Marina in Punta Gorda, FL. If you want to see our location on Google Maps (click here). This is about 1/2 way to our destination for December in Fort Myers. We will stay in the intracoastal waterway today, because the Gulf is still rough. It is pretty shallow, and is slow going, but should be a great day.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 75; Day 195; Dec, 2, 2008; Sarasota, FL.

Deb took this picture just to prove I did visit another museum

Feeding time with the manatee

This is the actual size of the jaws of a Megalodon shark

A look at our marina from the Sarasota bay

Standing on our dock this morning this is what we see

Last nights sunset

I am putting these shots in for all our friends who are fighting snow back home

A great sunset...a great day

Ok...one more

Log 75
Day 195
Tuesday, December 02, 2008

7:50 AM EST
Location: Marina Jack’s...near downtown Sarasota, FL
Weather: 56* and windy...forecasted to be 74; sunny; windy

This is a great morning. Slept in till a little after six, and after making a fresh pot of coffee, and checking email and world status (futures market is up today after a terrible market day yesterday) I took a dock walk in our new marina...Marina Jacks. The sun came up while I was walking, and it’s a beautiful day. Back at the boat Deb said if I could wait a few minutes for breakfast, she’d make me some sausage gravy and biscuits...no problem...I’m waiting. So with a little time on my hands I decided to write this log...man, the boat smells good right now.

Yesterday...based on the winds and forecast we had decided to stay at Bradenton a couple more days, so I walked into town and had breakfast at Robin’s again. On my way back to the boat I took a leisurely stroll along the docks, and talked to Charlie, the dock master, to tell him we were going to stay, and I’d be back later to settle up. Back at the boat (about 8:30) Deb was having a relaxing morning, and we were discussing about leaving, when a big gust of wind came up, and confirmed our smart decision to stay put. I decided to wipe down the boat, and take time to clean the power cords. As I was cleaning the power cords on the dock, I was watching the flags, and the wind kept getting lower and lower...not what they had forecast. After about an hour of watching this, and getting frustrated I walked back to the boat and said “Deb...get ready, were leaving”...and she said lets go. So at 11AM we untied the lines and headed out. As it turned out, the trip was no problem. They had forecast the winds to be strong out of the NW and Tampa Bay to be rough, but when we hit the open waters of Tampa Bay it was a little “rock and rolly”, but not bad at all. Once we made the turn south to join the Intracoastal again it was smooth sailing. We arrived at Marina Jacks in Sarasota about 2:15 PM...it was sunny, warm, and wonderful. After settling in, we took a walk to the office and marina bar where we met a couple from Voyager II, someone we had not seen since October 27th when we were with them on the Tenn-Tom. Back at the boat Deb made sausage pasta, and we watched Andy Griffith reruns for our movie.

Today...we plan to stay one more day here in Sarasota. Deb is going to do some laundry, and I need to clean more of the boat, and I’m going to install new vent filters on our holding tank. (side note: normal holding tanks (for toilet waste) have vents on them to make sure plenty of air gets in which helps break down the waste. The problem is sometimes the holding tank smells and when you flush the toilet it can really stink up the area. On HQ we have filters that are in these vent lines to prevent the smell from getting outside). We also plan to walk into downtown Sarasota, which everyone says is really nice.

Tomorrow...we continue our trek south...toward Fort Myers. The winds are still forecasted to be a little strong, so we’ll probably stay inside on the Intracoastal, instead of going outside to make some time. It’s a lot more hassle, because you have to deal with shallow water and bridges, but much more comfortable because your are totally protected from any waves.

Well I just finished my biscuits and gravy, so it’s time to get started. It’s going to be a great day.

Bob