2022-23 Season Roundup
May 15, 2023. We are back home for the summer and found the house in good shape and have pretty much returned to normal ground living. We left River Forest Yachting Center Sunday morning April 30 and traveled the five hours to Green Cove Springs, FL to visit with our friends Don and Jackie. After an enjoyable visit with them we struck out on Monday morning for Greenwood, SC to visit with Sue’s sister and her husband and Gordon’s sister and her husband. Early Thursday morning, May 4 we drove home, arriving around 4 PM. It is good to be back home but there is something about being on the water and you just miss it.
As you may recall the beginning of the season in November 2022 was turmoil. There was Hurricane Ian and the destruction it brought to the Gulf Coast of Florida and particularly the Fort Myers area. As it turns out we had several boater friends and acquaintances that lost their boats to the storm. This also delayed getting 2thFISH out of storage as the hurricane and subsequent tropical storm Nicole royally upset the schedule at River Forest. Then while waiting for a launch date for 2thFISH we accepted the gracious invitations of family and friends and each of us caught COVID for the first time. It was mild and we got on the boat the day before Thanksgiving and spent Thanksgiving traveling to Pelican Bay where we were the lone boat anchored there. Since Sue was two days from testing positive, we opened Dinty Moore Beef Stew and celebrated Thanksgiving on anchor!
Over the winter we meet several people from Legacy Harbor Marina (where we spent six weeks in the fall of 2021) who lost their boats to Hurricane Ian. Most used their insurance to purchase a new to them boat. Each of the photos include boats of folks we know.
During the season we traveled 381 miles in 2thFISH during four trips. We saw diesel fuel ranging from $6.50/gal to $4.39/ gal. We took on 280 gallons and left 2thFISH with about 450 gallons of fuel in her tanks for storage. In our two fuelings we paid $5.79 and $4.62/gal. Here’s hoping for cheaper fuel next season. We put 2thFISH to storage with all new electronics, new shades, and upholstery in the salon.
Next season we plan to arrive at River Forest to board 2thFISH on November 2. We hope everyone has a wonderful summer and perhaps we will have the opportunity to visit with some of you over the summer.
2thFISH is Ready for Summer Storage
May 3, 2023. Our trip from Sweetwater to River Forest got off to an interesting start. When we got up a little before 6 AM, Gordon went out to begin the trip preparations and noticed something dark along the port walkway. After more daylight, he realized it was sand. During the night there had been high winds and light rain. The winds must have occurred first because they blew the sand from the fake beach at the tiki bar down onto 2thFISH. So, an unplanned wash down had to happen. Then a boat across from us tried to leave with a line still tied to the dock and he almost hit two other boat and had that happened we would have been blocked. Close call.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, and we arrived at River Forest a little after 11 AM. We hustled along as there were predictions for thunderstorms – they never materialized. Our friends Jack and Ann on Dance Barefoot arrived the next day and it was good to visit with them. We had a late afternoon visit where we snacked on food from our respective refrigerators. Anything not eaten goes to the trash before storage. We methodically worked through our list of 50 odd chores to prepare the boat for storage, some of which can’t be completed until right before you leave.
We left 2thFISH on Sunday morning and drove to Green Cove Springs, FL and visited with boater friends Jackie and Don before driving on to South Carolina on Monday to visit our sisters and their husbands. We plan to arrive home on Thursday, May 4. We will do a final post with some season stats.
Click for movie: Traveling east on the Caloosahatchee River
On the Way to Summer Storage at River Forest Yachting Center
April 27, 2023. Well, here we are on the way to summer storage and looking at the end of another boating winter in Florida. The trip has been uneventful – so far – and we can report that it is hot here in Florida: 87 yesterday and 90 today and tomorrow. We left Longboat Key Moorings at 7:07 AM on Tuesday morning with the intent of traveling about half of the trip outside in the Gulf of Mexico, but the prediction of possible thunderstorms changed our minds so we traveled in the ICW. We anchored off Saint James City where it was lumpy at first because of wind but calmed down nicely. We were treated to someone practicing a course in a high-speed powerboat – probably 80 to 90 mph.
Wednesday, we traveled to Sweetwater Marina about 35 miles from River Forest Yachting Center. We stayed here last fall on the way to Longboat Key because the Franklin Lock Campground with boat slips was closed due to damage from Hurricane Ian. It is still closed as they are rebuilding the slips. Last November we were back in the canal here at Sweetwater but this year we are out front on the waterway where we have learned that many boaters don’t obey the no-wake zone. Won’t stay here again unless we need to. The Boat House Tiki Bar, here however, has good food, but not health food.
Tomorrow we will have three bridges and two locks to traverse, so that takes extra time for the short trip. Today’s posting has three movies and a few photos.
PS: We’ve learned that Marine Traffic does not follow boats once they move inland, so if you have been following us in coastal areas, that no longer works as we have moved inland.
Click here for movie: The upside down swimming dolphin.
Click here for movie: fast moving power boat
Click here for movie: Dolphins in the Caloosahatchee River
And A Great Time Was Had by All!
April 17, 2023. Believe it or not, a week from today we will be on the way to River Forest Yachting Center in LaBelle, FL for summer storage. It’s hard to believe we are at the end of another boating season in Florida. Our friend Mike will give Gordon a ride back from LaBelle after our car is driven over so it will be at River Forest when we arrive in 2thFISH. Our plan is to leave Longboat Key Moorings on either April 24 or 25 and spend one or two nights anchored at Pelican Bay, then head to Sweet Water Landing Marina on the Caloosahatchee River for two nights while preparing 2thFISH for storage. Sweet Water is only about 42 miles from River Forest. When we arrive at River Forest on Friday, April 28 we will spend the balance of that day and all-day Saturday on the preparations that can only be done there. You can follow our progress on marinetraffic.com by typing 2thFISH in the search field. Then Sunday morning we will leave for Green Cove Springs to spend the rest of that day and night with our friends Don and Jackie before heading to South Carolina to visit our sisters and their husbands before we head on home to Fredericksburg.
Our daughter Amy, son-in-law John and grandchildren Paloma and Pepper visited this past week for four nights and five days. We had a blast, and it wasn’t as chaotic as we imagined on 2thFISH. As you can see by the photos, we covered a lot of ground. They also visited the Mote Aquarium and found it to be a fantastic facility.
A Couple More Improvements
April 6, 2023. After complaining about the ice maker on 2thFISH since the day we got her and procrastinating about getting a new one, we have made the leap. During a fun evening on 2thFISH with Bill and Kim, slip neighbors from Miss Eva, the topic came up and Bill said he would assist with picking one up in Tampa. A couple of days later, off we went to Tampa and got the new ice maker. We also swung by Sun Coast Marine and picked up the replacement Garmin anemometer that was shipped to them. The old ice maker made about 10 pounds of ice every 24 hours, while the new one produces 22 pounds each 24 hours. A vast difference and the excess will go in the ice chest to keep drinks there cold. Bill also gave a hand in the installation. This makes Sue happy as she uses ice in everything but coffee. Bill and Kim also helped us lower the mast so the replacement anemometer could be installed. We now have all the info we need about wind speed and direction.
A hydraulic fitting on the dinghy hoist blew – literally. This means hydraulic fluid sprayed far and wide! Luckily, Gordon had just put the dinghy back on the back of the boat. Had this happened while the dinghy was in the water — not sure how we would have gotten it back on the boat. The fitting that blew can’t be fixed by Gordon so River Forest will repair it this summer.
We also purchased hyper-vent and put it under our queen size mattress and the two twins in the forward stateroom. This material is a poly mesh that holds mattress off the surface of the bed platform so air can circulate underneath. While we have never had a problem in storage with mold, this is a safeguard. It comes in 39-inch rolls, and you purchase the total length required and then cut to fit. Two pieces did our queen size bed and one each for the twins – a total of 24 feet. Hint: it doesn’t cut with scissors as easily as claimed.
We are preparing for the visit from our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren next week and then prep for and travel to summer storage in LaBelle. The season is almost over.
Warm, But Still Windy
March 31, 2023. Looks like March is going out like a Lion here at Longboat Key where the east winds are stout. It looked like a respite was going to occur from the winds so on Thursday, March 23 we headed north to anchor at Terra Ceia Bay for a few days. The first day and part of the second day were comfortable days and Gordon fished from the dinghy – no fish – and explored the mangroves along the Bay perimeter. Then, counter to the weather report, the winds returned blowing a solid 20 mph and gusting to around 30. Gordon’s last trip back to the 2thFISH in the dinghy was a bit bumpy as the waves washed up in the Bay. After another day and night of wind, we cut the trip short by a day and returned on Saturday. The winds were from the south and Sarasota Bay was lumpy from three foot waves, but 2thFISH rode smoothly and we were pleased that the marina basin was protected from the winds so getting into the slip was not a challenge.
We’ve included pictures of the new settee and helm seat. With those and the blinds, instead of curtains, and the new closures on the doors, the salon looks different and much better. Our comfort level is vastly improved. Gordon installed vacuum gauges on the RACOR fuel filters for the engines so we will know when the filters are nearing their useable life.
We visited Diane – former CFO of American Sportfishing Association and coworker of Gordon’s – in her new home near Tampa and visited with her and her sisters over a great lunch in the community of Dade, one of the oldest in Florida. Diane visited us on 2thFISH last season.
As of today, we have slightly less than a month left in this season before we head to storage and the drive home. Hard to believe. Several boats have already left the marina for the journey northward or to the Bahamas.
Lastly, we had a curious manatee along our port side today investigating the a/c pump outflow. He was around for a good while and attracted a crowd of onlookers from the dock.
Brrr…It’s Cold and Windy, Again
March 19, 2023. We awoke this morning to another cold front passing through and north winds in the high teens with gusts to the mid-20s. We should not complain as it was 28 at home this morning. But we again say this has been the windiest winter season we have spent in Florida. We hope to hear from the upholster this week for a date for the final installation of the new helm seat and settee. We also understand the replacement anemometer is in and awaiting a date for installation. Our friends and neighbors from home are in the area in their RV and visited with us this past week. We had a great visit – such a good time we forgot to take any photos—and we may visit them at the park where they are staying.
We went on two extended dinghy rides. One to the north of the marina and one to the south. On both we travel in a mangrove lined canal, and one always sees lots of bird life, fish and interest homes. Speaking of fish, red tide seems to be on a significant wane, and we are seeing snook, tarpon, jumping mullet, sheepshead, porpoises, and thousands of small bait fish in the marina basin and along the canal when in the dinghy. Let the fishing begin!
One of the slip owners on the dock is a Longboat Key Club member and reserved the member’s club house for a St. Patrick’s Day event for about 25 of us. Lots of good food and drink with the prerequisite Irish flare. There was another marina-hosted reception this month with entertainment, food and drink. A good time was had.
We always get the highest tides right after a full moon and this month is no exception. The tides here usually only vary about two feet daily, but we get that much on just a high tide after a full moon. For comparison, when we traveled the ICW, Georgia has an eight-foot daily tide swing. We have marked the lowest tide at the top of the gunwale and the highest since we have been here and the span between them is 50 inches. That, of course, covers the full swing over time.
Once the weather improves, we hope to get out for another anchor-out trip. Stay tuned.
Time is Flying
March 10, 2023. It is hard to believe that it is March 10 and the season in Florida is flying by. The upholstery project is moving along. They came and made a foam mock-up of the job and now they are starting the production of the actual cushions for the settee and helm chair. Pretty excited about getting the job done. Still, no word on the shipment of the replacement anemometer and we are hoping this is not another supply-chain delay.
We had the flybridge helm on the starboard side repaired where a former owner had mounted a display and some stress cracks where you enter the boat walkway on the starboard side repaired. Stress cracks are normal on boats and come from their flexing when underway in rough water, mostly they come from when the boat is hoisted on a travel lift and all the weight is supported by two slings holding the boat. The amount of fuel and water on board make a big difference in the boat’s weight and the weight distribution when it is lifted. For example, if we are topped off with fuel and water that is another 5,800 pounds. We generally empty the water tanks and try not to have more than ½ fuel when 2thFISH is lifted for summer storage.
We spent time this week with boater friends Tom and Jackie from Prime. They were across the dock from us at the end of last season and had a fun trip from here up the east coast and across the New York Erie Canal and into the Great Lakes last summer.
Warmer Weather and Traveling
March 2, 2023. Excuse our tardy posting. We have been busy on several fronts. The blinds are completed and the new upholstery should be completed in a couple of weeks. Gordon borrowed a floating work platform from the marina and put protectant on the hull below the rub rail. That completes this season’s outside finish work to keep 2thFISH brilliant white! On the flybridge we have someone refinishing part of the helm where a past display was mounted. We took a trip to Terra Ceia Bay – that is a small bay just off Tampa Bay – for three days of relaxation. The red tide persists here and for a portion of the trip to Terra Ceia we saw small dead fish everywhere and we both had a nagging throat tickle and cough from wind borne neurotoxin. Here is a link from the Mote Marine Lab that explains red tide: https://mote.org/pages/florida-red-tide1
Sue and sailboat neighbor Christy used Christy’s equipment to put 2thFISH on a couple of our shirts, some drink glasses and our favorite morning coffee cups. Pretty cool outcome. We watched the Super Bowl – maybe the best game ever – with Christy and Scott on 2thFISH and had a great time. Neighbors Theresa and John from back home spent two weeks on Anna Maria Island and we got to visit with them on 2thFISH and around the islands. We visited our friends Ed and Beth on their Krogan 58 at Sunset Bay and got to catch up with them and other boater friends from our Sunset Bay days.
Will try to do better on the frequency of posts. Enjoy the photos.
Improvements!
February 9, 2023. We have been busy making improvements to 2thFISH. Projects headed by Sue have been blinds to replace the curtains in the salon. The blinds will be installed February 17. She has also been shopping marine upholstery vendors for new upholstery in the salon. We have selected that person and the work should be done by the end of February. Hopefully this ends the major projects. In the meantime, Gordon is completing the partition in the lazarette bilge and the relocation of the highwater alarm in that area. He also completed putting Awlgrip protectant on the boat above the rub rail and is getting ready to do the hull. He also removed a Gull Water filter from below the galley sink on the cold-water side. It cut down on flow and was never designed for that location/use. He is also investigating pull out shelving for the galley.
The electronics are completed – well almost – and they work great. The anemometer quit working and Garmin will replace the defective unit – hopefully by the end of the month. It’s good to have first rate navigational electronics on which we can depend. With the completion of the electronics our AIS (automatic information system) is broadcasting. This means you can track us by the boat name on several marine tracking sites. For instance, if you go to Marine Traffic and type 2thFISH in the search it will show you our current location. You don’t have to have an account to do this. The link for Marine Traffic is: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-74.1/centery:39.6/zoom:10
Aside from boat work we have been spending time with boater friends. Our dock, E-dock, has 21 slips and 14 of them normally have folks staying on their boats so there is always plenty activity. We also have gotten back into the habit of the 4PM pool visit. That is when most boaters gather at the pool to socialize.
In the photos you will see a 140 ft yacht that belongs to the owner of the resort and 21 other resorts on the east coast. The size of this boat is hard to explain and we are hoping for a tour. It is a Majesty 140 and you can look at this behemoth at the Majesty Yacht website.
January is Almost Done!
January 25, 2023. Time is flying. Since the last post we have been busy doing boat improvements. Our old stern thruster could not be rebuilt so we ordered a new one. After Gordon spent three days sanding and painting the bilge of the lazarette the new one arrived, and it took a full day to install it. The challenges were several: a tight space, the motor is heavy (55 lbs.), and lining up the shaft of the motor with the shaft of the gear box for the prop tunnel on the outside of the boat. With a little help from slip neighbor Bob, Gordon got it in place, reconnected it and it works like a charm. Gordon will move the highwater alarm (no water is supposed to be in this area, but boats have highwater alarms for such areas in case of emergencies) and put a partition just forward of the thruster motor prevent any water intrusion.
Sue has spent most of her time getting estimates for blinds in the salon that will replace the current curtains. The new blinds should be installed in about five weeks. Sue has also been on a mission to have new cushions made for the settee in the salon. We hope to get all of this done in the next few weeks. Finally, the installation of the new navigation electronics is supposed to be completed tomorrow (Friday, January 27).
And A Happy New Year to All
January 11, 2023. It’s been a busy time and we hope each of you enjoyed all that goes with the holidays. The weather was cold just before Christmas with one morning at 37 degrees. We spent Christmas Day with Jackie and Don from Lyoness playing games and having a great meal at the Whisky Tavern here at the marina. Gordon’s sister Abby and husband Bill arrived on December 27 to stay through the New Year’s. We had a great time doing everything from dinghy rides, visiting with friends and watching some great bowl games.
On January 2, our friends Don and Jackie suggested we have burgers on one of the marina grills. They called the marina staff, and they came and loaded the grill with charcoal and lit it. We had great burgers with all the fixings and baked beans. It was a great evening but when the sun went down we were run away by dropping temperature and a cold breeze. Our neighbors have a 47 ft Great Harbor (Miss Eva) and we, along with them and other boaters on the dock, spent an afternoon cruising Sarasota Bay on Miss Eva. Miss Eva is the highest boat we have been on and you really look down at the world from her flybridge as you will see in the photos we took of 2thFISH as we departed the slip.
Fresh seafood is abundant here, but we have found perhaps the best place – Tide Tables – just across the Cortez Bridge. Not fancy but always fresh caught fish. We will be going back and thanks to Don and Jackie from Lyoness for introducing us.
John and Mary, our longtime friends from Charleston, WV have been visiting at St. Pete Beach and they spent a day with us on 2thFISH and a few days later we meet them in St. Petersburg at the Morean Museum to see the Chihully glass exhibit. From the photos you will see it is quite spectacular.
The project of the week. Gordon removed the stern thruster electric motor, and it has been sent off to be refurbished. It is probably eight inches in diameter and about 14 inches long but weighs 59 pounds so getting it up and out of the lazarette bilge was much fun.
And on a lighter note: A 90 to 100 ft boat came in for a couple of nights on the tee head on the dock next door. I noticed several people on the back deck both evenings having a good time. We learned the last night they were here that among the folks on the boat were John Travolta and Danny DeVito – and who knows who else.
And a Merry Christmas to All
December 22, 2022. A Merry Christmas to all of you and hope your holidays are filled with fun, good food and good company. We know all of you northern folks are suffering cold weather but wanted to let you know that it has been cool here as well. And we may enter the high 30s on Friday and Saturday nights and not get out of the 40s on Christmas Day. Cold for the central Gulf Coast of Florida and accompanied by high winds. We have had the heat on the pasts two nights, but doors open for the daytime. All in all, not bad. Gordon replaced all four duck bill valves in the master toilet pump this week as they were getting on in age and occasionally failing to hold a vacuum between flushes.
Since the engine room got a cleaning, today’s post includes some engine room touring.
We went to a nice flute and harp concert at the Longboat Island Chapel this week with boater friends Don and Jackie (Lyoness). The church also had a Christmas Garden decorated with trees and other decorations sponsored by local businesses. Gordon’s favorite tree was the Ace Hardware tree and Sue’s favorite was the Flamingo Fun tree. We will have Christmas afternoon and evening with Don and Jackie – a day of games, eating out and just kicking back.
We are looking forward to a visit from Gordon’s sister Abby and her husband Bill right after Christmas. While the weather doesn’t look promising now, it will be better than the weather they would have in SC.
Settled In
December 12, 2022. We have settled in and recovered from COVID and we believe boating life is back to normal. The week after we arrived Suncoast Marine Electronics almost completed the installation of the new electronics. The whole package was ordered directly from Garmin on March 1 of this year and the supply chain issue drug out the arrival of items. By April we received the displays, other instrument heads and the auto pilot. Those all got installed before we went to storage. In June we received the anemometer, in July the AIS and in mid-October the two VHF radios. All of this has now been installed except for the two radios and we are making a slight modification to the flybridge helm for one of those. We are anxious to get all of that completed.
We have been making a point to take things a little easier, so we have been playing Mexican Train on the flybridge as the weather has turned cooler with days in the 70s and nights in the 60s. Very comfortable. Sue pretty much has the interior of the boat in shape and Gordon has worked on engine room organization and one larger project of recaulking the forward shower. The one negative we have encountered is red tide. We have never had that occur while here. If it occurs, it is generally in late summer. So… we have had dead fish floating in the basin, in Sarasota Bay and offshore to about three miles. It has eased up with the cooler temperatures and we’ve seen fish – live ones – return to the basin. You can read about read tide and its status in FL by clicking on this link: https://myfwc.com/research/redtide/statewide/
We have done our modest decorations for Christmas – bow on the stern and bells on the bow and some small decorations inside. Others go all out but almost everyone adds something to their boat if they are onboard for anytime during the holiday season.
A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
Arrived at Longboat Key … at last!
November 29, 2022. Apologies to those of you who are faithful followers. It’s been quite the trip south, part-way north and then south again. We left Gordon’s sister’s early Monday morning, November 21 – Sue was still negative for COVID – and drove to Ocala, FL to spend the night before traveling on to River Forest. As the day progressed, Sue felt more tired and that night in the hotel she tested positive. The next morning, we were one of the first to visit an urgent care where Sue was retested with the same result but the Dr there doesn’t like paxlovid so he prescribed cough syrup and the same cough suppressant pills Gordon was taking and told her to take Tylenol. So now we have a comparative study with each one of us being treated differently. Gordon was good by Sunday except for getting tired toward the end of the afternoon. Overall, there didn’t seem to be much difference in recovery, although we each had different symptoms. Gordon did get some paxlovid rebound and had reoccurring symptoms about five days later. Enough about COVID.
We arrived at River Forest and boarded 2thFISH early afternoon of Tuesday, November 23. In general, we found things in good order and all maintenance, save one item, completed. Around 11 AM the following day we left River Forest and started the short 32-mile trip to Sweetwater Landing, a small marina in North Ft. Myers and the last marina east of Ft. Myers that wasn’t damaged by Hurricane Ian. Overnighting there got the two locks behind us and allowed a full day to travel to Pelican Bay on Thursday. Although it is only a 51-mile trip we were not sure what we would find as challenges in the waterway in the hurricane zone. We had heard that most boaters had no trouble, but we also heard of everything from boats hitting floating cars to dock boxes. It was an uneventful trip and the waterway was well marked as usual. Hat’s off to the US Coast Guard and the US Corp of Engineers. We saw lots of damage in Ft Myers and especially at Legacy Marina where we spent the first six weeks of last fall’s season. Many boats rode the surge into a parking lot and others were sunk as the concrete floating docks were pushed over the top of the dock pillars by the 15 ft. storm surge, 155 mph winds and the eight-foot waves in the Caloosahatchee River. Although the marina is gone, we were amazed to see that most, if not all boats, that were sunk had been retrieved from the water. There was a barge there with a crane on it and another with the sad sight of wrecked boats.
Here’s the most amazing thing about the trip: no leaves on trees. The wind simply blew all the leaves off most vegetation, so the shoreline is this eerie brown color. On Thursday – yes, we traveled on Thanksgiving Day – we saw only two other large boats and only a handful of small boats. Since there were basically no other boats on the water, the dolphins must have been desperate for entertainment. For most of the trip up Pine Island Sound we had them on both sides of the boat riding and jumping in our wake and you could see them swimming toward us to join the others as we moved north. When we arrived at Pelican Bay there was one other boat anchored there – a huge difference from the 30 to 40 boats usually overnighting. On Friday, we traveled the 55 miles onto Longboat Key and the vegetation had more leaves as we traveled north. It was a beautiful Friday and a holiday weekend, so the small boaters were out in force, so we had lots of company. Lots of photos today.
Movie — dolphins in 2thFISH wake
The Saga Gets Worse
November 20, 2022. So…here we are in chilly McCormick, SC where the temperatures have dipped down to 24 and maybe hit 60 over the last few days. To add insult to injury, Gordon awoke in the early hours of Thursday with a sore throat and Friday morning tested positive for COVID. A huge disappointment after being fully vaccinated and boosted and avoiding the dreaded illness for all this time. After a virtual medical visit with a local clinic in Greenwood, SC he started taking paxlovid and a cough suppressant on Friday. His only day of feeling poorly was Friday. Everyone else here – Sue, sister Abby and brother-in-law Bill – are all still fine. Gordon has worn a mask and distanced since testing positive and we hope that continues to pay off. As of now our plan is to leave McCormick tomorrow morning and head to Ocala, FL for the night and on to River Forest to board 2thFISH on Tuesday early afternoon. All of this provided Sue doesn’t come down with COVID. If that happens, we will adjust accordingly. Stay tuned.
The Saga Continues
November 16, 2022. Well…we are now back in South Carolina visiting Gordon’s sister and her husband. It seems that Hurricane Ian put our boat storage facility (River Forest) behind, and Hurricane/Tropical Storm Nicole put them even further behind. So, the new boarding date is November 22. Bummer! We were shocked by the lateness of the date, but no amount of discussion changed the date. We had four enjoyable days aboard YUP with Chris and Frank at Sunset Bay, but when River Forest said it would be another week before we could board 2thFISH we decided it wasn’t fair to hold them up for another entire week. We have left weather in the low 80s for SC where it is in the low 50s! Not making Gordon and Sue happy.
Spending Time at Sunset Bay on YUP
November 13, 2022. Well, no word yet from River Forest about when we can board, but we are hoping for a call tomorrow (Monday, November 14) saying she is in the water and we can get aboard. Hurricane Ian and then Nicole have played havoc with boat storage logistics. When a tropical storm or hurricane approaches River Forest must stop work and secure all boats and then get back to schedule when the storm passes.
We left Don and Jackie after a six day/seven night stay after Nicole passed through – originally planned for a two-night stay. Again, thanks to them for a great week of fun and hospitality. On Sunday we drove from Green Cove Springs to Stuart and will spend time here with Chris and Frank on YUP and keeping our fingers crossed that we might hear from River Forest Monday morning with a day we can board. In the meantime, we are guests on YUP and enjoying the time with Chris and Frank. Hopefully, the next post will be from 2thFISH.
The Storm from Green Cove Springs, FL
November 10, 2022. We can’t thank our friends, Don and Jackie from Lyoness, enough for harboring us. What started as a two-night visit has turned into a five-night visit – and probably a bit longer. We have had a great time and learned much about the Jacksonville/Green Cove Springs area, not to mention the generous hospitality of Don and Jackie and their beautiful home and neighborhood. At this writing the storm is moving out of the Jacksonville area, and we will check with River Forest Yachting Center this afternoon to see when we may be able to board 2thFISH. Thankfully, the winds and rain have fallen short of predictions, but we are watching the storm surge on the St. Johns River where Lyoness is slipped to make sure she is safe. Don and Gordon prepared her lines Tuesday and we all checked on her Wednesday morning and found all good. The storm surge is delayed as the rainfall and wind tide pushes water up the St. Johns River.
UPDATE
November 8, 2022 — Because of tropical storm/hurricane Nicole we are on hold staying with boater friends Don and Jackie in Jacksonville, FL. They have graciously extended our visit and we won’t know when we will leave for 2thFISH until the storm path and intensity is better understood. 2thFISH remains safe and sound in storage.
We plan to depart River Forest Yachting Center in LaBelle, FL, where 2thFISH stores for the summer, on November 10, 2022. Our destination will be Longboat Key Moorings. Stay tuned.