Merry Christmas to All!
Longboat Key, FL. December 18, 2024. With the help of boater friends Steve and Kris, we retrieved our car from Ft Myers on Friday, December 13. Good to have it back and be able to move around on our own. Gordon has not installed the accumulator tank because we need two fittings that we can’t find locally. They have been ordered but with the holiday package traffic we will be surprised if they arrive before Christmas.
On Christmas Day this year we will again join Tom and Doris (Our Time), Steve and Kris (Flying Colors) and Tom and Julie (Sapphire) for Christmas dinner. Like last year, we will pick up the pre-cooked meal from a local restaurant and have the feast on board one of our boats. We look forward to spending the day with our friends.
A Merry Christmas to all!
Settled in on I-Dock
Longboat Key, FL. December 7, 2024. We moved 2thFISH from C-dock to I-dock on Thursday morning. New cleats and proper protective materials were fitted onto I-9 for our arrival. And, as a bonus the screaming winds dropped to almost no wind. It’s great to be back onto I-dock where many of our boat friends are. Right now, there is only one other couple, Dave and Betsy on Frydaze, staying on their boat but that will grow by the first of January to at least six more live-aboard couples. Last evening we joined Dave and Betsy on the dock with three other couples from adjoining docks for docktails. Despite being around 68 degrees and a stiff breeze we sat out for almost two and a half hours.
We are still car-less but should be able to retrieve our car this coming Wednesday or Thursday. As soon as we do that Gordon will add an accumulator tank to our freshwater system. This will reduce water pump surging and make for more even water flow at low volumes from the faucets.
In the meantime, we will enjoy all the college football conference championships being played today. Enjoy the photos.
Thanksgiving and Back to Longboat Key
Longboat Key, FL. December 1, 2024. We arrived at Longboat Key Club Moorings yesterday (Wednesday, November 30), but more about that later. We enjoyed our time at Gulf Harbour Marina in Fort Myers and will really miss the floating docks. As noted in the last post, our friends from Myrtle Beach and neighbors, Steve and Glenna were in Ft. Myers for Thanksgiving week and spent an afternoon with us on 2thFISH. The next day we spent Thanksgiving Day with them and Steve’s parents for a great Thanksgiving meal. It was good to be with friends on Thanksgiving and thanks to them for sharing their day with us.
In the “it’s always something” category we hit a pothole with our car and while we are in LBK, the car is at the Mercedes dealer in Ft. Myers having a rather expensive repair done to the right front and right rear suspension. That’s a pretty general description of a more complicated event but here we are in LBK and the car should be ready for us to pick up in Ft Myers the end of next week. Needless to say, this was not in our plans. We had a loaner car from the dealer so getting around last week wasn’t a problem.
The weather cooperated – mostly – to depart Gulf Harbour. The wind subsided and we had a picture-perfect day on Friday to travel to Cape Haze for our anchorage. We had originally planned to anchor at Pelican Bay but since the weather prediction was for the winds to pick up again on Saturday evening we decided to go about an hour further north. As predicted, we were visited by winds beginning Friday evening, but they were predicted to subside Saturday afternoon, so we planned our LBK arrival for early Saturday afternoon. It was windy in the morning – high teens and low 20s – and did we mention that the temperature dropped from a balmy 74 or so to 50s and 60s? Along the way we saw a fair amount of storm damage – beached boats of all sizes, destroyed docks and damage to homes. There was also a fair amount of debris in the water. We arrived at LBK about 2 PM on Saturday and was disappointed to get directed to an alternate slip for a few days because cleats and protective materials on our slip on I-dock had not been put I place. We hope to be back on I-dock in the next three or four days. Meanwhile it remains cool and windy with nights in the low 50s and daytime highs in the low 60s. We will just rest up for the next few days. We have visited some of our friends and we will go tomorrow night with Dave and Betsy to Whisky Taven for their Burger Monday. Enjoy the photos.
Click here for movie: Dolphins playing
Another Change in Travel Plans
Fort Myers, FL. November 23, 2024. On November 13 we drove up to Longboat Key to check out the marina and found it to be in good shape and ready to receive boaters for the season. We have told Gulf Harbour Marina that we will leave at the end of the month for Longboat Key. We are excited to rejoin our friends on I-dock at LBK. The marina still has some work to do such as replace broken cleats and the occasional damaged decking on the docks. The biggest hurricane sights you notice on LBK are the piles of sand, especially along the roads – reminds you of snow in the north – and the vegetation that took a beating. There are the occasional piles of furniture and debris along some roads. We didn’t see much wind damage to homes or businesses, but many older homes were flooded by the surge. Older homes on the island were not required to be built with a non-living area first floor – this minimizes flood damage. Also, the shopping area on St. Armands Key was flooded so probably close to half the shops and restaurants there are still closed. All the essentials on Longboat Key– grocery, hardware, and drug stores — are open and have been since shortly after the storms. We look forward to returning to Longboat Key.
Meanwhile our time here at Gulf Harbour in Fort Myers has allowed us to get 2thFISH in good form. Gordon has washed the entire boat and put protectant on the hull from the rub rail to the water line. A job made half easy as he could do the starboard side while on the floating dock and the port side from the dinghy – not so easy. Sue has got the interior in top shape. Boater friends Jack and Ann from Dance Barefoot are at the Pink Shell Resort Marina on Fort Myers Beach and we visited with them. They will be moving on to Naples and from there to Marathon in the Keys. We have visited with Jeff and Patti at their club house in Bonita Bay. Jeff and Patti are friends from Gordon’s years at the American Sportfishing Association. We usually see them once a season and its always a good time catching up. We also invited our neighbors from back home, Joe and Sue, to join us on the boat for lunch. They have a winter home in Naples. Again, an enjoyable time.
For Thanksgiving we have been invited to spend the day with former neighbors Steve and Glenna from back home and their parents here in Fort Myers. We really look forward to Thanksgiving Day with them. And…the next day we plan to depart Gulf Harbour for Pelican Bay near Boca Grande where we will anchor for Friday and Saturday night before heading on to Longboat Key. That is about 32 miles from slip to anchor spot and 52 miles on to LBK. We are having a cool spell with days about 70 and nights in the mid-50s. It will warm up this week, but the nights will stay cool. Great weather.
We Made It!
Fort Myers, FL. November 11, 2024. We left our home in Fredericksburg early on Halloween morning and had a comfortable drive to McCormick, SC to visit with Gordon’s sister and her husband. During our three-day visit Sue’s sister and her husband, who live in nearby Greenwood, joined us on Saturday for a day of football, great food and just good times. Thanks to all. In North Carolina and South Carolina we saw lots of hurricane damage, mostly to trees.
On Sunday, we traveled to Green Cove Springs for two days and nights with boater friends Don and Jackie. Don has deluxe smoker equipment and the smoker talent to go with it, and we had the best smoked ribs ever, along with Jackie’s homemade baked beans. He has it down to an art. From Green Cove it was on to the Hampton Inn in Okeechobee where we found our hotel to be a polling place. Would never have guessed that.
The next morning, we were up and out early for a grocery store run and then on to River Forest Yachting Center to board 2thFISH. We arrived to find the boat in the water but still in the throes of installing an engine synchronizer – a job that was supposed to be finished. So instead of departing the next day (November 7) we departed Friday, November 8 for Gulf Harbour Marina in Fort Myers. As it was windy on Thursday, the delay didn’t bother us a bit.
There are always surprises with boating. When we arrived at Gulf Harbour we were asked to go to the fuel dock so they could measure our boat. This was the second time in our boating career that a marina measured our boat to make sure we were giving them the correct dimensions. The first was years ago in the Mainship at Beaufort, SC City Marina. After the measurement here we were pronounced at 48 ft, 4 inches and told to proceed to slip E-24. Our beam (boat language for width is 14 ft, 10 inches. The slip we are assigned is 15 ft at the opening. It was a challenge getting in to say the least.
Having received the call from Longboat Key saying they would be ready for us in late November we are on the cusp of making a marina change decision. Gulf Harbour is very nice but we have no pool privileges – reserved for condo, yacht and country club members – and we have learned there are less than three liveaboards in the marina. Other folks living aboard their boat, whether seasonal or year around, are the heart of the marina social life. For example, at Longboat Key there are more liveaboards on the dock where we stay than all of Gulf Harbour. Essentially, Gulf Harbour is a very nice parking lot for boats that are empty most of the time. We will travel to Longboat Key this week to see how things are and if they are ready for us, we will consider a change.
Update #4 on Travel Plans to Board 2thFISH
Fredericksburg, VA. October 27, 2024. No real change to our travel plans as previously outlined. However, we did receive a call from Longboat Key Club Moorings saying they planned to be ready to receive us and other transient boaters sometime in November. We will apparently get an email from them in early November with dates for when boaters can arrive. The staff there has made amazing progress replacing 65 or so wood pilings, a few cement pilings, repairing docks and refurbishing all 291 power pedestals at slips. Of course, many of these repairs are underway and a November date may not hold. We understand the marina area looks different as many of the trees did not survive the storms.
Our plan is to arrive at Gulf Harbour on November 8 and stay there until we know that Longboat Key is fully operational. Sometime in late November we will probably drive up to Longboat Key to check out the marina and the island. We do understand that many of the stores and restaurants on Longboat Key are open now. After our visit to Longboat we will decide whether to move there or continue our stay at Gulf Harbour.
So, four days before we depart we are as ready as we can be. There are a number of tasks to getting the house ready for the winter season on its own that we can’t do until the day before and morning of departure. Our next post will probably be from 2thFISH. Stay tuned.
Update #3 on Travel Plans to Board 2thFISH
Fredericksburg, VA. October 15, 2024. It’s just amazing how things fall in place. We will be keeping our originally planned schedule – provided there are no more storms. The Gulf Harbour Marina in Ft. Myers is operating as normal and the boat storage facility, River Forest Yachting Center, will keep our original launch date of November 6.
To recap our plans. We will leave Fredericksburg early on October 31 and visit with our sisters and their husbands in South Carolina for a few days, then on to Jacksonville, FL to visit with boater friends Don and Jackie, then on to River Forest to board 2thFISH. We plan to arrive at Gulf Harbour November 8. Stay tuned as who knows what else could happen this fall.
Update #2 on Travel Plans to Board 2thFISH
Fredericksburg, VA. October 11, 2024. It been a tense week as we watched Hurricane Milton build in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico and make its way to the Gulf Coast of Florida. Seeing that Milton would impact a large portion of the Gulf Coast, including another pass at Longboat Key and many of our boater and land bound friends, was worrisome not to mention our new choice of a marina in Fort Myers could be damaged.
We have learned that Longboat Key Club Moorings sustained additional damage from Milton to the facility and to a number of boats (see photos below). Fearing that their boat would fare poorly if it stayed in the marina, our friends Jon and Bonnie had Bon Voyage moved out into Sarasota Bay and put to anchor with two anchors and 300 ft of 3/8 inch chain. They report to us that the boat survived. We have not heard from other friends in the marina who leave their boats there year-around. We hope all is as well as it can be with them.
The additional damage to Longboat Key confirmed that our decision to find another marina on the Gulf Coast was a solid move. We learned today that our new marina, Gulf Harbour in Fort Myers, sustained little damage and will be back in operation soon. Provided that River Forest Yachting Center, where 2thFISH is stored, will not have to revise their operating schedule we may keep our original 2thFISH boarding date of November 6. We will make that decision sometime next week. The Fort Myers area around Gulf Harbour Marina sustained little damage and should be close to normal by mid-November.
Update on Travel Plans to Board 2thFISH
Fredericksburg, VA. October 4, 2024. Hurricane Helene has caused us to revisit our travel plans for this fall to board 2thFISH. We have relatives and a number of friends that have been adversely impacted by the storm and we wish them a speedy and as easy as possible recovery.
We will be able to keep our original schedule but we will not be able to return to Longboat Key Club Moorings. Hurricane Helene hit the marina with a six to seven foot tidal surge and this submerged all of the power pedestals that provide power to each slip. This means the marina must repair and/or replace 300 power pedestals. As we currently understand the situation, it will take at least six weeks and probably more to secure new components and/or pedestals and then several months to install them. Apparently there was little damage to boats in the marina and only minor damage to the docks.
We have attached a photo from E dock (we were on E dock the 2021-22 and 22-23 seasons) taken at 3:49 PM, Friday, September 27. The storm surge left Longboat Key island with substantial damage but as of today 90% of residences and businesses have had electricity restored. Water has been restored but there is a boil-water advisory until testing confirms the water safe.
Because the marina won’t be able to accept seasonal boaters until power is supplied to all the docks we have found a new Florida winter season home at Gulf Harbor Marina in Fort Myers. This marina came highly recommended and has floating docks which is a real welcome to us as it makes it easier to board the boat and one does not have to keep adjusting lines with the tide changes. Unfortunately, it does not have a pool but we will survive. You can check out the marina here https://www.gulfharbourmarina.com/
Travel Plans for Returning to Florida
Fredericksburg, VA . September 8, 2024. This year we will leave Fredericksburg on October 31 and on our drive south will stop and visit our sisters and spouses in South Carolina and boater friends in Florida before we board 2thFISH on November 6 at her summer storage facility, River Forest Yachting Center, in central Florida.
If everything goes as planned we will depart River Forest on November 7, have a marina overnight in North Fort Myers at Sweetwater Landing, an anchor overnight or two at Pelican Bay just south of Boca Grande and then onto Longboat Key arriving either November 9 or 10. We say “if everything goes as planned” because there are hurricanes and tropical storms, something not ready on the boat and just ordinary bad weather that alter travel plans.
Remember, if you will be in Florida over the winter, and especially on the Gulf Coast or Sarasota area, please let us know because it would be great to get together.
Planning for the 2024-2025 Season
Fredericksburg, VA. August 11, 2024. It’s hard to believe we are heading into mid-August and less than three months before we drive to Florida and board 2thFISH for the ninth season in Florida and beyond. River Forest Yachting Center (RFYC), where we store 2thFISH indoors for the summer season, has given us a November 6 launch date. We plan to arrive at RFYC early that morning, spend the day making sure everything is ready for travel and depart the following morning for a two or three day trip to Longboat Key Club Moorings on the Gulf Coast.
This season we are hoping for far less wind than last season and therefore, several trips on the Gulf Coast and perhaps the Bahamas after the first of the year. Stay tuned.