LAST PORT OF CALL

We arrived back at Indiantown yesterday about 3pm.  It was a nice run from Stuart and the private dock we had stayed for 3 days.  Before we departed Stuart we sat on the sundeck and watched a herd of dolphins play in the canal behind the boat.  It seemed like they were all coming to say goodbye.  Even Lifestyle II has been exceptionally good.  We have not had one flame out in the last week.  I think at last I found the air leak.  I had rerouted a fuel line while in Sarasota and I think that was the problem. The generator even started without objection. The temperature is great, the wind is easy and cool and even the flies have taken a vacation.  Denniese claims credit for the absence of flies  She says it is the bags of water she hangs by the doors.  It must work because the flies are gone and other people in the marina have adopted the practice of hanging water bags over the doors.  So what now?  We have spent the last couple of days cleaning Lifestyle II and meeting with the people here in the Marina.  We have signed up for the maintenance program to look after the boat while we are away and by the way,,, we listed her!!  We are both sad but we know it is the right thing to do.  Even Maggie seems sad.  We are going to miss this wonderful boat and all the great memories she brought to us.  She is a great craft much better that the Captain and crew and hopefully someone else will get just as many fond memories from her. She is in great shape and could do the loop again tomorrow if needed.  As far as the loop.... We traveled over 5,000 miles at 6 miles per hour.  We saw the Statue of Liberty from our boat, we crossed open water and visited far away places that we would never thought of visiting without our little boat. We even visited a few places that we don't ever want to return to like New Jersey and the Upper Mississippi River. But this is our last port of call and a great time to say goodbye and thanks.  Mike, Denniese and Maggie Mae

Day one as Gold Loopers

Well, we slept in.  The first time in over a year that we didn't have rush to meet a schedule or repair something or go shopping or do laundry. The private dock where we are staying is so nice with lots of extras and a great view. We enjoyed a quiet breakfast and then started on getting the boat in a state where we could leave it for a while.  Denniese has to go back to work so we can pay for all this fun.  We put the dinghy on the roof and tied it down securely and did a lot of cleaning and packing.  Denniese had time to fix a real meal and we watched the sun go down and walked the dog, just like normal people do. Tomorrow we will continue with the packing and cleaning.  Wednesday, we will move the boat to a fresh water location about 20 miles from here. Thursday, we will get everything ready to move off and Friday, Robert will bring our car over.  We are a lot like a turtle on a fence post, we didn't get there without a lot of help.  Thanks to all the folks that helped us along the way, the folks that took up the slack at home and the angels that God delivered to us in real times of need. 

Gold Flag

We crossed our wake at 1500 hrs today. We had a good day departing from Indiantown this morning about 1030. It was windy and lots of boat traffic in the afternoon but when we were over the spot we departed from May 3, 2011 we stopped the boat dropped the anchor and had a celebration.  It has been almost a year and over 5,000 miles.  We had a glass of wine and gave Maggie a fresh chew stick and then went to the bow of Lifestyle and changed the white flag to a Gold flag ssignifying that Lifestyle II has completed the Loop.  Thanks to all who helped along the way.  We have met some wonderful people and seen so many exciting and beautiful places. We will continue to write the blog until we move off the boat, maybe next week.   God Bless, Mike, Denniese and Maggie Mae.

No Gators!!

We are now out of the Okeechobee Lake and docked at a really nice marina at Indiantown.  We are about 22 miles from crossing our wake in Stuart, FL, but the real disappointment is we crossed the Okeechobee Lake and did not see one alligator.  We didn't even see a turtle.  Where are all the reptiles.  We did see several Iguanas while at Clewiston. I'm wondering where are all the gators? Maybe the Iguanas are eating them.  OK so much for my disappointment.. The morning started off with "LittleMan"  (the dockman) explaining to me how I could easily turn my 40' boat around in a 45' canal with a wind blowing at about 20kts.  I told him we are a single screw and have no bow thruster.  We discussed the the maneuver for about ten minutes before I finally did as he said and it worked,  nothing like local knowledge.  Our next challenge was to get a swing bring open.  After several calls we found out the operator worked at the bait shop and had to walk to the bridge and then hand crank it open. The good news is we made it to our destination today, Indiantown marina!  What a great spot! Ann and Tony the owners, helped us with our dock lines and we were sitting on the aft deck drinking wine at 1700.  Great planning by the Admiral.  Crossing the lake was a bit bumpy so we are happy to be here. Next stop is our ceremony to be held in Stuart just 22 miles away.  If the pic makes it, it is of the hand crank swing bridge.  Stuart, Florida Next!!

Clewiston

We officially entered Lake Okeechobee today at 12 noon. We are skirting the south rim of the big lake in mostly 11' of water.  The wind has been up today and other boaters say the interior of the Lake will be rough for a couple of days.  The south rim is ditch or canal that runs beside the lake. We were looking for a free dock space like last night but turned into Roland and Mary Ann Martins Marina and Resort.  We were looking for the free dock when "Little Man" a local legend among dock line handlers spotted me and called me on the VHF.  I didn't answer so he hollered at me and told me to keep coming he had a spot for. The cut back here is about 45' wide so I could not turn around and we ended up parked behind a palm tree and a large Banyon tree for shade.  After parking in the sun yesterday we were ready for some shade.  We hooked up power and then noticed we were only about 50' from the Tiki Bar which of course advertises live music Fri and Sat night. Well it has to be  better than trucks.  We are still about 70 miles from crossing our wake but on schedule to be there Sun A/N. Enjoy you space!!

Where Are we?

Have you ever heard of LaBelle, FL?  We left Cape Coral this morning after a night of getting bounced around by a thunderstorm that passed over around midnight.  We had some good winds but very little rain.  We were in the dock so all was OK and no damage was done.  We made the scheduled opening of the W.P. Franklin Lock at 1100.  There were 5 boats in the lock and it took only a few minutes to raise the water 2ft.  We cruised at about 7mph and arrived at our destination about 2pm.  LaBelle has a free dock next to a bridge that every truck carrying fresh oranges out of South FL must pass.  Although it is noisy you can't beat the price.  The little town is nice and has a few amenities.  One was a coffeshop with fresh pastries. As the sun goes down and the temps drop it seems we can appreciate LaBelle, my Bell, a little better.

Picnic Island

Tuesday April 3, 2012 we departed maybe the best spot along the West Coast of FL near Englewood Beach.  We pulled up the anchor at 0930 and headed south. Our goal was to make it to Ft Myers but we saw another nice anchor spot about 2 hours out of Ft. Myers and dropped anchor in 10ft of water behind a little sandy island named on the chart as Picnic Island.  Several boaters stopped by but come sunrise Wednesday morning there was only a sailboat and us. The waters were calm enough for me to row ashore and walk Maggie until she had all the vinegar out of her.  We enjoyed a nice night with lots of stars and a bright moon.  This morning we continued and found a city marina at Cape Coral.  We were tied to the dock by 1030 and enjoying lunch on the aft deck at noon.  We saw a sign  that said they would have a sundown celebration this evening on the beach that we may join. Tomorrow we start the canal into Lake Okeechobee, going East. We start off by going through a lock.  The first this year and the first since the Tombigbee.  All is well. 

Little bit of Paradise

We departed late from Sarasota Yacht Club because we needed some fuel.  If you think gas prices are high you would flip if you had to purchase 80gals of marine diesel. The only good thing is maybe it will last us till we get to Stuart.  Did I tell you we decided to go to Stuart FL instead of Key Largo.  We hope it will save a little time since we are running short on time.  Waiting for a good weather window to cross the Gulf has put us behind.  We got away from the dock just before 10 this morning and by 10:30 we had run aground.  The good thing about running aground in FL is you can usually back off.  That's what we did and so we turned back into the channel and took off. We had great weather and arrived at the perfect anchor spot, in a little cove of mangroves with a few houses and only one block from the Gulf.  We set the anchor and rowed over to a path that took us to the Gulf.  We rowed because I have not had any luck repairing the dinghy motor.  Anyway, we took Maggie to see the Gulf.  She hates it!!  She is a scent dog, a land dog and only stays on Lifestyle II because we are there.  If the picture downloads you will see the choke chain tight as she pulls away form the water.  We still love her.  This place is great.  Off to Ft Myers tomorrow.  God willing the motor keeps going. 

Sarasota Yacht Club

We departed Gulfport this morning (Sunday) and motored past the Sunshine Skyway Bridge across wide Tampa Bay.  As we entered the Manatee River,  we saw the boat traffic was the most active we have seen in months.  Everyone who owned a boat or knew someone with a boat was on the water.  We had one go-fast boat do a "S" turn in front of the boat in front of me.  As slow as we go we just watch and hope no one bangs into us. We motored past the Ringling Estate, which has the old mansion and a fine arts museum.  Denniese plotted a good course and we pulled up at the docks of Sarasota Yacht Club at 3pm.  We secured the boat and celebrated with a glass of wine on the aft deck.  Sarasota Yacht Club has one of the newest and finest clubhouses in the nation.  The club itself was established in 1926 and has even had members associated with the America's Cup sailboat racing. 
We had supper in the clubhouse dining room with a spectacular view of the inlet and downtown Sarasota.

We returned to the boat and the real world with work that needed to be done to the dinghy and fuel that needed to be transferred. Tomorrow, we continue South toward Ft. Myers.  If the picture downloads, it is of the clubhouse.