April 10-11, 2016  Days 6-7  Spring 2016

At anchor
Cocoa, FL

We were able to do some relaxing on our second day in Ft. Pierce. We took a nice walk around the harbor area in the morning. We would like to come back here to spend additional time.  Later Bill took a nap while Joyce went back to Publix with Janet.  Then Janet drove Joyce over to Hutchinson Island to see the beach. It is a very pretty area!

We had a very nice shared Mexican themed dinner on Harmony with Janet and Bob; Ann and Ken; and Julie and Andy.

We departed Ft. Pierce at 0800 this morning (Monday), thinking we were “gone with the wind”!  Although the wind was 15-20 mph, it did not seem bad on the water, and we did fine. The only problem with the water was the sheer number of boats out there today!  Many of the sailboats were under sail in the channel and we had to adjust speed to get around them.  There were many motoryachts cruising north also – the snowbirds are going home!

We arrived at our anchorage in Cocoa at 3:30 after cruising 68 miles. We had expected more boats here, but we are just one of three.  We enjoyed cheese and crackers after we got anchored and are having a quick dinner later this evening.

Tomorrow we will look for an anchorage or space on the free wall near New Smyrna. 

April 9, 2016  Days 4-5  Spring 2016

Ft. Pierce City Marina
Ft. Pierce, FL

We departed Moore Haven at 0750 on Friday and went right into the Moore Haven Lock with one other boat.  The waterway is narrow and is lined by some farmlands, swamp, and occasional small marinas, and homes along the way. 

Bill spotted something swimming in the water right in front of our boat and slowed down to avoid hitting it. He immediately realized it was an alligator. Fortunately for the gator and for us, we missed it!  We did not expect to see one in the middle of the canal – they usually stay along the banks or in the protected swamps.

We reached Lake Okeechobee around 10:00 and had an easy crossing. The lake was a little choppy but not a problem.  At the end of the lake we entered the Port Mayaca Lock and were alone in the lock which lowered us all of six inches.  We were now in the Sr. Lucie Canal at 1:00.  We continued on past Indiantown and had to wait about ten minutes for the railroad bridge to open.  We entered the final lock, at St. Lucie, at 3:40. Again, we were alone in the lock which dropped us about 14 feet.  By 4:00 we were on our way again, and headed into Stuart.  We anchored at Stuart with a few sailboats just after 5pm. We cooked dinner on the grill, relaxed, and spent a very nice, calm evening at anchor after our nine hour day of cruising.

On Saturday, we left our anchorage at 0800 and continued north on the ICW.  By 0920 we passed the St. Lucie Inlet, and by 10:00 we were passing Jensen Beach. There were several recreational boats out plus the boats heading back north to their home ports.  A typical Saturday on the ICW!

Today was at least a shorter travel day and we arrived at the Ft. Pierce City Marina at 11:50.  There is a strong current here, and that plus the wind, made docking very interesting and challenging, but Bill handled it well. We went to the fuel dock first and then to a face dock.  We were greeted by friends, Bob and Janet, on Harmony shortly after our arrival.  Since they are here for a month, they positioned their car here in advance.

Joyce and Janet went to Publix in the afternoon with two other Loopers, Ann and Julie, to do some provisioning.  Then at 5:30 the four couples all walked to a nearby seafood restaurant, “Cobbs Landing” for a very relaxing dinner.  After dinner we went back to Bob and Janet’s boat so we could see their puppy, Zeus. We first saw him when he was just seven weeks old. At 45 pounds now, he is a big puppy and so much fun!

Our plans were to stay in Ft. Pierce just one night, but as always we remain flexible. The wind forecast for Sunday is strong and we did not want to anchor in those conditions.  So, we will remain here an extra night!

April 6, 2016  Days 1-3  Spring 2016

Riverhouse Marina
Moore Haven, FL

We finally left Ft. Myers on Tuesday as planned, although it was hard to say goodbye to friends.  We got underway at 0800 under a sunny sky and light breeze. 

Carried Away departing

Legacy Harbour Marina

Cattle sharing the shade with white Cattle Egrets!

We traveled all day on the narrow Caloosahatchee River which winds past small towns, farm lands, and marshlands. We transited two locks, the Franklin Lock at the western end and the Ortona Lock, further east. We were one of six boats in this lock!

After cruising for eight hours, we arrived at Moore Haven. There are two long fixed docks here, one operated by the city and one a private owner. You basically dock yourself here! The private dock provides envelopes to leave a check for payment in a locked box. We do have power and water and Bill managed to find wifi available somehow!  We have been here a few times before and although there really isn’t anything to do here, it is a good stop.  We have enjoyed meeting several other boaters who are also lingering a while!

Our plan was to spend one night and move on.  However, the wind has forced us to stay three nights.  We have to cross Lake Okeechobee and do not want to do it in 15-20 mph winds.  So, we will depart on Friday and find an anchorage in Stuart, FL.

April 2, 2016  Day 132  South for the Winter 2015-16

Legacy Harbour Marina
Ft. Myers, FL

Just a quick post tonight. We enjoyed going out to dinner this evening with Rick and Margi. The past two days have been filled with planning, logistics, chores and finishing projects on the boat as we prepare for departure. We have decided to leave on Tuesday, April 5. Our route will take us east across Lake Okeechobee then north along Florida’s east coast and the ICW. 

We hope to be back in Virginia the first week of May. Then we will fly back to Ft. Myers to get our car!

We will post again once we have left our dock at Legacy Harbour Marina. We have been here since December 22!

March 31, 2016  Day 130  South for the Winter 2015-16

Legacy Harbour Marina
Ft. Myers, FL

Since our last post a few weeks ago, we took a wonderful two week road trip to visit family. After driving four days to get to Denver, we spent another four days visiting with son, Bill and Amy, Will (4 ½) and Abby (2) and had a fabulous time with them. We went to church on Palm Sunday, and also went to the “Wings over the Rockies” Air and Space Museum.  We had lots of play time with Will and Abby, including coloring Easter eggs! We also visited Bill’s cousin and his aunt while we were there.

On the return trip we made a couple of detours. The first was to Effingham, Illinois to spend one evening. Joyce’s sister, Carole, organized 25 family members to meet at a local restaurant for dinner! It was so great to see everyone, although we needed longer!

The second detour was to North Carolina to visit Joyce’s sister, Kathy and her husband Paul. They retired last summer and moved to a lovely lake home. We were spoiled for two days with food, wine, games, and a tour of the beautiful area!  Kathy even packed us a lunch for our return trip. We departed there on Friday, March 25^th and returned to Ft. Myers the next day. We made a wise decision to take back roads all the way home, missing Atlanta traffic and the road construction on I-75 in FL.

On Easter Sunday, we met Looper friends Barb and Skip for a lovely Easter brunch at the Landings and then went back to their condo for games.

On Monday, we caught up with more Looper friends, Colin & Dawn, M/V Movin’ On when they arrived in Cape Coral.  We first met them in Cape May, NJ last July and traveled together for three weeks.  They are from Australia and recently completed their loop. On Monday we toured the Edison & Ford Winter Estates with them here in Ft. Myers.  Then we went to lunch in downtown Ft. Myers at Ford’s Garage, a popular spot!  After a couple of stops for provisioning, we took them back to their boat and sadly had to say goodbye.  They will cruise to the Keys and the Bahamas, and take a road trip to the west coast before flying home!

We are preparing to return to the Chesapeake Bay. We will probably leave sometime next week and slowly make our way north to arrive sometime in May. Carried Away is still on the market though!  We will keep you posted on our

Fun at Wings over the Rockies

Air & Space Museum!

cruising as we retrace our route on the ICW again.

Joyce with sisters Sharon and Carole

Joyce and her sister, Kathy

Colin & Dawn sporting their

new Gold Looper burgee

March 9, 2016  Day 108  South for the Winter 2015-16

Legacy Harbour Marina
Ft. Myers, FL

It has been about six weeks since we have updated the blog. We spent much of that time in Virginia, taking care of our four grandchildren while our daughter and son-in-law flew to China for two weeks to finalize the adoption of their new 13 month old son.  We are happy to report that their trip went very well and that they arrived home safely with Ryan on February 24. Ryan has adapted beautifully into their family. It is almost as if he were always there!  He sleeps, eats, and plays well. He is happy and loves people. He is an active toddler who is walking quite well. He is quite adorable!  We enjoyed being with Ashley, Nate, David, and Rocky for the two weeks. Somehow we managed to get them to and from school on time, prepared meals and school lunches, get them to their activities, played games with them, etc. They are great kids and although they missed their parents, they did very well. On Saturday February 27, we all celebrated Bill’s birthday!

Bill made a few trips to Williamsburg during our stay there – took things we had taken off the boat to our storage unit; saw the optometrist.  We left Virginia on Monday, February 29 and began our drive back to Florida. We spent one night in Orlando and had dinner with Bill’s brother Chuck and Becky at a great Irish Pub in Disney Springs. We enjoyed seeing them again, even for a short time.

We arrived back at our boat on Thursday, March 3. Since then we have gone out to dinner with friends and attended an annual catered dinner sponsored by our marina for everyone here. In the meantime we are trying to keep Carried Away ready to be shown at any time! And oh, yes, Bill spent two days fixing Joyce’s computer after a terrible virus destroyed many files.

Next week will provide a new adventure, as we plan to depart (by car) on Monday for a two week road trip to Colorado to visit our son and daughter-in-law and grandchildren!  Our grandchildren are ages four and a half and two and we can’t wait to see them!

February 2, 2015  Day 72  South for the Winter 2015-16

Legacy Harbour Marina
Ft. Myers, FL

This posting is mostly about food!  Another incredibly busy week has passed since we updated the blog, and we seemed to have eaten our way through it.

Last Wednesday, we drove (in the rain) to Marco Island to meet some friends who are currently on the Loop. Gail and Jeff are on YOLO, another Californian 45 and who are also from Virginia. We had a wonderful visit with them on their boat. Then we drove around the Island trying to find a restaurant. We either couldn’t find parking or couldn’t get in without a reservation. Then finally we found Verdi’s and got their last available table. The food was excellent and worth the wait.  We eventual drove Jeff and Gail back to YOLO and then headed back to Ft. Myers after a delightful visit!

On Saturday, Bob (Bill’s brother) and Debbie drove down for the day. We had lunch on the boat and then walked downtown to attend “Taps and Tunes”, a craft beer and music festival.  We tried a few varieties of beer and walked around for a while in Centennial Park. After returning to Carried Away to visit for a while, we decided to walk back downtown for an early dinner. We were able to get a table at Ford’s Garage, a very popular spot in Ft. Myers!  We are glad it is within walking distance because finding parking on a weekend is not to be had!

We met ten other Looper friends for breakfast on Sunday morning at Clancey’s. We never seem to run out of topics to discuss!  Then, later that afternoon we went to Barb and Skip’s lovely condo for dinner and a fun round of cards.   We had such a great time with them.

This evening we went out to dinner with Rick and Margi and had good barbecue at The Lodge, in downtown Ft. Myers.

We have also been working hard to complete projects on the boat. Our broker returned today and took a video of the boat as part of the marketing process. We will now be listed on Yacht World.

On a personal note, we are leaving on Friday (by car) to spend about three weeks in Virginia Beach. Our daughter and son-in-law are flying to China to bring back the baby boy they are adopting, and we will keep everything smooth at home by taking care of our four grandchildren for two weeks!  We are so excited for them to bring this child in to their lives and we are thrilled to have a new grandson! His name is Ryan and he is a year old and yes, adorable.

We will update the blog next week in Virginia.  (In the meantime we are meeting more friends for dinner tomorrow!)