Log 84; Day 231; Jan. 7, 2009; Legacy Harbor

We hired a diver to go under our boat and check to see how much growth we had accumlated while we were sitting at Legacy Harbor

Log 84
Day 231
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

6:25 AM EST
Location: Legacy Harbor, Fort Myers, FL.
Weather: 71 and humid...forecasted to be 80 today with 50% chance of rain

It reached 83 yesterday, and it only got down to 71 last night. There’s a cold front about 1/2 way across the gulf right now, that is supposed to bring a windy day with 50% chance or rain later this afternoon. When the front passes a high pressure area tomorrow will again bring sunny skies, and also calm down the winds which should mean we can head for Key West on Friday.

The last couple of days we spent working on boat projects. You can see from the picture the diver we hired to clean the bottom. He said the bottom looked good, but we did have growth on the trim taps; shafts; and props, so he cleaned that up and we’re good to go. If you’re wondering...he charges $2 per foot to do this. Along with the bottom, we did a very thorough cleaning on both the outside and inside of the boat, and installed new wipers. We also made a trip to the grocery store, and CVS for some supplies. While we were out walking we went downtown and had lunch at a nice pub we ate at before. We will miss this place.

On the dock we have some new neighbors we have enjoyed meeting. Right next to us is a boat called Double Trouble. 2 couples and 2 dogs in a 46’ Carver are making the loop. Deb and I love when folks visit...but not sure we could do the entire trip with another couple on board. You’d have to be very good friends (at least when you start out). The other new boat couple we met is John and Barbra from “Emery-L”, a 49 foot DeFeever that they just bought this summer. This is their first time with a big boat and the stories they have are very interesting...to the point it’s a wonder they are still on their boat. I just got back from having coffee with John at a coffee shop just across the street. He is a very smart and interesting guy, with a lot of great stories. Like I’ve said before...every boat (boat owner) has a story.

The weather window for Friday continues to look promising for us to leave Legacy Harbor and head south. I moved up our reservation in Key West for us to arrive Sunday...and it looks like we will make this, with no problem. All of the weather sites I monitor say it should be good traveling weather on the Gulf from Friday to Sunday.

Today...I need to make some calls for marinas on Friday and Saturday night. Not a lot of choices. Fort Myers; Naples; and Marco Island are all within the first 50 miles. From Marco, it is about 100 miles to either Key West or Marathon...both cruises out in the open Gulf. Also this is my day to go in the engine room to organize, and make my last minute checks before we head out. And finally, I am going to Boaters World with Don (on Double Trouble) and John (on Emery-L). I don’t need anything...but you never pass up a chance to go to a boat store.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob