We Made it This Far

We decided that if we were going to cross the Gulf, Wednesday was the day to do it. We fueled up and headed away from Tarpon Springs around 11:30 A.M. When we got to the open water, the waves were 2 to 4 feet high. We were rocking and rolling. The weather was overcast and 85 degrees. As the night went on, the seas calmed and ended up being 1 to 2 feet waves. Once it was dark, the fog rolled in. It was so foggy, we could hardly see Norm's light on his boat right in front of us. Thank God for radar. We only saw a total of three boats on the radar, and two of those were when we were approaching the more shallow water at Carabelle.

During the course of the night, we had a mullet "fly" onto our boat. By the time we found it, it was dead. We also had a bird trying to stand on our spotlight while we were in the middle of the Gulf. He would fly to Norm's boat and land for awhile and then come to our boat and try to perch on the spotlight. He would slide off and go back to Norm's boat. I can't imagine how tired his little wings must have been.

We decided to keep going to Appalachicola before stopping to sleep. (We tried to take turns sleeping while the other one drove through the night, but neither one of us got much sleep that way.) We ended up at the Appalachicola Municipal Dock arriving at 10:45 A.M. This dock is nice and according to our cruising guide, it's $20 a night. Not bad. We are glad to be able to rest and get ready for tomorrow's cruise. So far, the oil spill has not reached the areas we are cruising. Hopefully, it will stay that way.

Anxious to get across the Gulf

Certainly, you have all heard about the BP Oil spill in the Gulf. We not only have to wait for our weather window to cross, but we now have to worry about the spill. Because of the winds and waves, it is not contained. We have to be sure that we won't come in contact with this spill because the oil would ruin engines and generators, etc. We even heard talk that if the wind and waves push it northeast, they could close the waterway into Mobile. We are hearing that the situation would remain until after hurricane season. That would mean we wouldn't make it to Kentucky Dam Marina at all. But, we are not going to borrow trouble. Our current plan is to leave here tomorrow around noon and cross. It looks like the best weather. It would be nice to have the smooth crossing like before, but that was unusually smooth and this will be slightly less smooth. Instead of 0 to 1 foot waves, it is forecast to be 2 to 3 foot waves diminishing to 1 to 2 foot waves. Our other option is to return to North Fort Myers in the safety of the Caloosahatchee River for the summer (and hurricane season).

Tomorrow morning we will listen to the updated weather forecast and make our final decision. We have Norm, Herb, Joe, and John all putting their heads together making this decision.

Tarpon Springs here we come

We left our anchorage at 8:00 A.M. We only traveled 26 miles to Tarpon Springs. We arrived at 12:15 and are staying at The Landings of Tarpon Springs. We are at the end of the navigable part of the Anclote River right in the downtown area of Tarpon Springs. This is a Greek town with lots of Greek restaurants, gift shops, bakeries, and a sponge museum. We all had Gyros for lunch.

It's hot and humid, but there is a breeze. They are calling for thunderstorms tomorrow. Time will tell. We are staying put until we find our weather window to make the Gulf crossing. At least it's a place where we can walk around and see things. We may even take the dinghy out tomorrow and explore if the weather is decent enough.

May 1, 2010

We were supposed to get rain last night. That's why we went to a marina instead of anchoring out. However, it was nice all night long. We left Venice at 8:00 A.M., not as early as we had planned, but just in time. There was a fishing tournament there that started at 9:00. As we were leaving, we saw the first half dozen or so boats arriving. That could have been ugly. It would have been like going the wrong way on a one way street. The weather was warm (85) and sunny and 15 mile an hour winds. Tampa Bay had some 1 to 4 foot waves pushing us the way they wanted to go at times. But, we prevailed. The scenery was gorgeous. There are so many very expensive homes to dream about. We saw dolphins again and we saw the Sunshine Skyway Bridge today as well. It's a really long and attractive bridge.

We stopped at 5:15 P.M. and anchored just south of the Welch Causeway Bridge. There are also about 10 other boats anchored here. We were hot and tired, so we had a nice cold salad for dinner and are chillin' out. Perhaps tomorrow we will make Tarpon Springs. Every day is a new adventure.

Off and Running

We threw our lines off at 7:30 this morning. We left Paradise Marina and headed out for the next leg of our adventure. We are headed for Kentucky Dam Marina. I know some of you are saying to yourself, "What's wrong with them? They are going in the wrong direction." Well, you are right. We decided to go back the way we came with Norm and Sue to spend the summer in Kentucky. Then, we will head back south to visit The Keys, North Fort Myers again, and the Bahamas before heading up the eastern shore.
Today everything was going along as it should, when John discovered a flood in the galley. It seems a pipe came apart under the sink and made a huge mess on the galley floor and the V-berth floor. John was able to fix it, but now we look like the Clampetts riding along with wet towels hung all over the place. We arrived at Marine Max in Venice, FL at 4:00 P.M. As luck would have it, this marina is only about 6 blocks from John's parents' condo. So, they came for dinner. We grilled Italian sausages and had an enjoyable dinner visiting with them.
It's supposed to rain tonight and then clear up and be beautiful for the next few days. We are hoping to make Tarpon Springs tomorrow and then wait for our weather window to make the Gulf crossing. (We are hoping NOT to run into the oil spill in the Gulf.)
We are both exhausted. Until next time......

Month of April, 2010

John and I went home on April 12th through the 18th to visit with our children, grandchildren, and friends. We spent at least one night at each of our children's homes. That was really nice to spend some one on one time with each of the families. This was our first glimpse of our newest grandchild Jonathan. What a doll baby! Kate is adorable and getting so big already! Maria had her tonsils removed while we were there. Poor Maria! Poor Jay and Cynthia! Maria threw a fit every time they wanted her to eat or drink or take her medicine. She ended up back in the hospital because she was dehydrated. (She's doing better, but the medicine part is still a challenge for them.) Carolyn didn't understand why her sister and brother were getting all of the attention. We saw less of Clara and Lindy than the others this time. Gina and Jim, Jay and Cynthia, and Jeff and Susan---we miss all of you!

We went out to eat with Mike and Linda, and Ed and Kyle on Tuesday night. That was one of the nights we were staying at Jeff's house. He met us at the door when we came back and said, "You were out past curfew. When you're under my roof, you live by my rules." Then he laughed and said, "I've waited a long time to say that to you."

Then, on Saturday night we went to dinner at Dean and Debbie's. They had most of A Dock to their home for dinner, including Lee, whom we haven' seen in over a year. That was very enjoyable. On Sunday night we flew home.

Today is the 26th of April and we are getting ready to take off on the boat again. We are planning to leave North Fort Myers on Friday morning at first light. We will be traveling with "Run Around Sue" (Norm and Sue Mayer). Sue will be in Cincinnati when we take off, but she will join us in Mobile around May 19th. Both boats are having work done to them at Dog River in Mobile. After that, our loose plan is to take our time and head north, the same path we cruised on the way here. We have reserved spots at Kentucky Dam State Park for the months of July, August, and September. We are hoping family and friends will come to visit us while we are there. John and I are anxious to get moving again. We have a few last minute things to do to get ready, but we will be ready on Friday.

March 16th through April 1st, 2010

On Tuesday, March 16th, Norm and Sue brought their boat to Fort Myers Beach. They hooked up to a mooring ball, $13 a day plus you get the use of a dinghy dock and showers and restroom. None of us had ever used a mooring ball before. They tried several times to catch the loop with their hook, with no success. We came along in the dinghy and did it for them. Mike and Linda, and John and I visited on their boat for the afternoon and then went to Parrot Key for dinner. The dinghy ride back to our boat was 3 1/2 miles of cold and wet. We are really glad they came to send a few days with us.

St. Patrick's Day is a really big deal on the island. Norm and Sue came to our boat by dinghy and we partied all day, mostly at Castaways. They had continuous live bands all day. There was a parade in the morning, but it rained, so we didn't go to it. Some of you got phone calls while we were partying. "Nuff said!"

On Friday, March 19th, we picked Norm and Sue up at the dinghy dock and the 6 of us went to the dog track. Linda Luti is the luckiest person, as any of you who belong to the Rising Sun Boat Club already know. Norm was the only one who didn't win a single race. After the races, we grilled out steaks and then had to take Norm and Sue back to the dinghy dock before it got dark.
John had to take the van to a car place because we had a large screw in a tire. Fortunately, it didn't go flat.

John bid on another sewing machine just like the one I have (that's still in the shop). He got the bid and it was $240 less than the one that went to the wrong address.

Fish Tale Marina had a Grady Fest on Friday. The Coast Guard Auxiliary had a booth and inspected our boat for us. We bought a canvas cart and an anchor saver.

Then, on Saturday, March 20th, the Lutis left to go home. We had a lot of fun with them and will miss them until we are home in April. We left Fort Myers Beach on Saturday as well, and headed back to Paradise Marina.

Yesterday, Wednesday, March 31st, our first grandson was born. He was born at 2:40 P.M., weighed 7 pounds, and his name is Jonathan Steven Sagel. His name seemed to be the hardest part of this baby business. He wasn't named until today. Cynthia and the baby are coming home this afternoon already. Everyone is doing fine.

We are looking forward to seeing a lot of you while we are home in April.