Legacy Harbor Marina, Fort Myers, Florida

Another beautiful sunny day, nice and warm. Laundry and boat chores this morning, then walked with Nancy and Eddie to a marine surplus store. Wayne and Eddie managed to find a few things they needed. Got together with Art and Kathy from Fortuity this evening for snacks and drinks at the tiki hut; it was fun getting caught up with what they have been doing. Also met some other loopers who are staying here.

Legacy Harbor Marina, Fort Myers, Florida

Another warm sunny day today. Nice to have a few consecutive days of nice weather. Nancy and I went to the service at the First Presbyterian Church this morning, about a 10 minute walk from the marina. Big church (in my view), very friendly people. This afternoon we took the dinghy up to Orange River where there is a manetee park. Apparently the power plant across from the park discharges warm water which the manetee like, so in winter they congregate around the water discharge area. Nancy and Eddie are docked in such a way that they can't get their dinghy down, so we all went in our's. Someone had told us the park was about 4 miles up the Caloosahatchee River (the river running by Fort Myers) from here. It seemed like a long trip, but plesant to be out on the water in the small dinghy on suh a nice day. Did see lots of swirls in the water that were probably manetee, but all you can see of them is a nose when they come up to breathe. We did see flashes of a few, but not in time to take any pictures. The trip back was interesting. It was getting late, because we actually had gone 7.2 miles up the river and so it took longer than we had planned. As we came back, a little chopd eveloped on the water, plus we met several boats that made big wakes that then splashed into the dinghy. Nancy, Eddie and I were all quite wet, plus enough water slopped into the dinghy that Eddie had to use the little hand pump to pump us out. Got back to the marina just as the sun went down past the horizon. After a hot shower and a hot drink, everyone was as good as new.

Mangrove trees on the way into the Orange River

A picture of a Manetee taken from the internet. Another name is the Sea Cow

A settlement on the way up the Orange River

Manetee at the entrance to the Orange River and the way to the Manetee Park

The water was very calm





Legacy Harbor Marina, Fort Myers, Florida

Beautiful day today. sun was shining and it was warm enough for shorts - what a treat! Did boat chores this morning, then walked the docks looking at some of the boats here - WOW!. Visited with Double Trouble X4, they are getting the boat ready to sell, then taking it to the broker and all going home. It was nice to see them again, but we're sorry to see them leave. Walked uptown to a little place for lunch, then went to the Edison Ford Winter Estate for a tour. It took all afternoon, and was well worth it. Edison spent the winters down here for many years, even lived here year round in his later years. Henry Ford was a great friend of his and so bought the estate next door. However, he only came down for 2 weeks each year in the winter. On both estates, the houses have been maintained as they were. Edison invented so many things, starting with a recording device for which he was paid $40,000 in the 1800's. The tour guide said that would equate to about $700,000 today, and that financed a life spent inventing things. He had 1093 patents. He bought the estate here in Fort Myers partly to grow many varieties of plants and trees that he then used in his labs. An example is using bamboo as a filament in the light bulb, which added many many hours to the life of the lightbulb. The estate was donated to the city of Fort Myers by Mrs. Edison just before her death, on condition that it be maintained. The city has just spent about 15 million dollars restoring it, and it is great. The many varieties of plants and trees are all labelled. The houses and his lab look as if they had just stepped out of them.
The guide told us one story about Thomas Edison. His only relaxation was reading and fishing. One day he went out in his electric boat with a friend fishing for tarpon. His one son wanted to go too, but for some reason was not taken on the trip. The son and a servant went out in the rowboat, tied it to the end of the dock here at the estate, and fished all afternoon. When Edison and his friend returned after about 4 hours, Mr Edison had caught several fish, the largest of which was about 80 pounds. He asked his son how he had done, and the son and servant together struggled to lift up a 110 pound fish that the son had caught. The son's fish was stuffed and mounted and is on display here.
Came back to the marina for dinner on the boat.

Banyon trees just keep growing by sending out shoots from the branches; the shoots then grow roots. This one tree covers an acre. Apparently there are only 2 larger in the world. Latex for rubber comes from the banyon tree

A stand of bamboo trees

Our tour guide making an important point

A Woolly Fig

I'm standing among the above ground roots of the fig

Edison's winter home

Wayne is about to flick the switch, or actually push up the thingee to turn on the light. Edison powered his estate with DC power provided by a coal fired dynamo long before electrical power was available in the area.

The first juke box, note the handle to crank it on the bottom right hand side.

Edison planted royal palms for one mile on both sides of the street in front of his estate; he challenged the city to plant more and there are now several miles of these royal palms lining the streets.

Henry Ford developed the flat head eight cylinder motor

The first understandable words ever recorded "Mary had a little lamb" by Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison and his wife called their winter home in Fort Meyers Seminole Lodge. They had many guests, to the point where they purchased the estate next door to provide more room for their guests.

Legacy Harbor Marina, Fort Myers, Florida

A Banyon tree in the park here in Fort Myers

We have arrived at Fort Myers. It was under 30 miles from South Seas Resort Marina to here, so Nancy and I took the time to walk out to the beach before we left this morning. Beautiful beach, seems to go on for miles. The whole resort was really nice, but it was time to leave. Sunny day, good day to travel, and the trip here was a pretty one. Arrived about 1:30, got settled, then went up the street for lunch and a walk around town. Some old friends are also at this marina, we saw Fortuity and Gon Cruzin as we came in, then Double Trouble X4, and we see a couple of other boats with looper flags on them. Got together with Nancy and Eddie for dinner, we are making plans for going to the Keys and then around to the East coast of Florida.

Sunrise at South Seas Resort Marina

The beach at the resort

The hisbiscus is beautiful

Met this boat in a Manatee zone, idle speed only. Somebody is not paying attention.

 

A private island along the channel, big sign saying "No trespassing, no fishing, no docking" Pretty island with a great dock and a tiki hut

Statues in the park here in Fort Myers, it represents Firestone, Edison and Ford on a camping trip, each in their suit and tie

South Seas Marina Resort, Captiva Island, Florida

We had a good day to travel today after the winds of the past couple of days. Cool but sunny. Travelled along the intra coastal waterway south from Venice through Lemon Bay, Gasparilla Sound and Charlotte Harbor, arriving at Captiva Island. We spent most of the day travelling with dolpins jumping around the boat, they are so beautiful.  The South Seas Resort seems to cover most of this island, they have the marina plus condos, villas, houses, restaurants, stores, pools, a spa - a beautiful place. We rode the free trolley to the other end of the island and back just to see what was there. It is a very pretty place. Past the resort at the other end of the island there is a small village with community centre, library, firehall, and church, along with a general store. Had dinner on the boat, we will leave in the am to go on to Fort Myers.




This is the waterboard at one of the many bridges we have gone under; it shows how much height there is for us under the bridge. This one was great for us, we are about 17'6".



The pelicans are just hanging around, looks like they are waiting for the fisherman to catch something.

The trolley on Captiva Island



One way to move your landscaping truck



The Chapel by the Sea

Crow's Nest Marina, Venice, Florida

Windy all night last night. We were quite comfortable on our boat, but some of the other boats really rocked and rolled. Got some laundry done this morning, then Wayne and I walked uptown to get some groceries. It was 2.4 miles to the store, so we had a good walk. We were looking for a Farm Market, but it was closed when we got there. Luckily there was a Publix just past it. Today was Nancy and Eddie's anniversary; we got together with the other loopers on the dock for drinks, then grilled hamburgers for supper and made plans for our travels tomorrow.  We plan to move on south tomorrow.

Crow's Nest Marina, Venice, Florida

The men re-doing ropes and fenders on Dream Fever.

Got up this morning to a stiff breeze, but sunny and warm. The marina has courtesy bicycles, so we borrowed them and went touring in Venice. Seems like a nice town with a lot of seasonal rent houses, apartments, villas. Many people our age and older out walking or biking on the streets. We went up to the beach, walked along the beach and looked at a lot of shells. Temperature is nice and warm, I wore a sleeveless top and jeans, was sorry I had worn the jeans. Went on to the main shopping street and poked around for a couple of hours, had lunch. Every now and then it got really cloudy and the wind was getting stronger. Luckily the wind was behind us as we biked back to the marina. The men retied ropes on the boats and added extras. It rained some late this afternoon; when it was rianing we looke dout and the pelicans were lined up in the water. Nancy said she saw them picking fish out of the water, perhaps they are easier to catch in the rain? We went out with Nancy and Eddie to the restaurant at the marina for dinner, the main storm hit while we were eating. Strong winds and rain with thunder and lightening, passed by the time we were finished with our meal so timed just right for us. Another front is supposed to come through later, and tomorrow is supposed to be windy still, so we have arranged to stay here until Thursday.

The marina courtesy bicycles

Marina sign

Crow's Nest Marina, Venice, Florida

Looked like this houseboat had just sunk

These men are putting down crab pots

We have moved on, after sitting for over a month in Bradenton. We loved Bradenton, could easily have stayed longer, but there are other places to see and things to do. We left early this morning in sunshine, temperture was cool but quite pleasant. We came out of the Manetee River into the Gulf Intra-Coastal Waterway, through Anna Maria Sound, Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay and on to the Venice Inlet and Crow's Nest Marina. There are several bridges along that route, 4 had to be opened for us. As we travelled, the whole route was lined with beautiful homes, many of which had docks either along the ICW or in canals up beside the houses, with their boats either tied up or often up on lifts. The route was also lined with crab pots, most outside of the channel but a few strayed into our narrow channel. We just had to watch closely. People have asked us what a crab pot is; it is a cage which is put on the bottom to catch the crabs, with a rope up to a float so that the owner can find his cage. All we can see on the top is the float; the risk is that our props will get caught up with the rope to the cage itself.
It was a very nice trip. Arrived here about 2:30, got docked then went for a walk along a pier out on the breakwater. Met two couples from Canada (they asked if I would take their picture and we started talking), then walked into town. There is a storm predicted for tomorrow afternoon or evening, so we will tour some more in the am, then come back to be ready for the storm. Got together with Nancy and Eddie for supper; I cooked a pot roast in the slow cooker as we travelled today, that works quite well.

Twin Dolphin Marina, Bradenton, Florida

Just after I made the blog entry last night, a lady from a neighbouring boat came by with wonderful home-baked cookies, just to say welcome to the dock. She said she normally does this, but we arrived, then immediately left to go home, then came back and moved the boat to Snead Island, so this was her first chance to treat us. Too bad we are leaving, people are very friendly here.
The wind died down last night, still a breeze this morning but not bad. Cooler than the past few days, but much warmer than at home which apparently is in the midst of a cold spell. Went to the Baptist church this morning with Nancy and Eddie. The service consisted of great music, and a 1/2 hour sermon. Friendly people, big church. We went out for lunch after church, then went for a walk along the river walk. Sunny and warm enough that I had to take my coat off. A sailboat came into the marina this evening, apparently it is quite windy out in Tampa Bay.
Dinner tonight with Nancy and Eddie, Nancy had bought some crab claws at the market yesterday so she and I ate them, the men ate chicken. The stone crab was really good. It had been pre-cooked before she bought it, so easy to serve.
We plan to move on to Venice tomorrow, then on to Fort Myers later in the week. Today it was 10 degrees warmer in Fort Myers than here, so moving south seems like a good idea.

Twin Dolphin Marina, Bradenton, Florida

We woke up to some wind and clouds this morning, a little cooler than yesterday. Nancy and I walked up to the Farmer's Market all along the main street in Bradenton, lots of nice vegetables, some fruit, fresh bread, some crafts. Another boater (Karen from Calypso) was going to the grocery store in her car, so Nancy and I went along, did some major re-stocking. We also hit West Marine, got some charts that we needed, then Michaels and Bed, Bath and Beyond. It turned into a very nice girls day out. As we came back, the winds got higher, major white caps out on the river in front of the marina, and the weather has gotten colder.There is a freeze warning for tonight, so no more shorts for a bit. We had thought about leaving tomorrow but the weather will be cold and the winds will stay up so we will wait until Monday. There is no rush. The marina had a reception for all boaters over at the restaurant tonight, drinks and paella. Good chance to visit with some of our neighbours on the dock. On one side of us on this dock, the couple are full-time live-aboards, and are raising and home schooling four children on the boat. Another couple down the dock are planning on doing the loop next year, so we had a good visit with them about our experiences and their plans. Still windy tonight so glad we are planning to stay put tomorrow.

Twin Dolphin Marina, Bradenton, Florida

We are back in Twin Dolphin Marina. We spent the morning puttting the boat back together; everything had been taken apart for the mechanics to do their thing, especially cleaning the fuel. Once back together, decided to return to Twin Dolphin Marina, just down and across the river. As we prepared to leave, we looked out and saw that fog had rolled in. Waited a couple of hours, fog would lift a bit, then close in again. Another boater from the area was going out and going right by Twin Dolphin. He knows the area well, so was comfortable going out in the fog. We followed him and got to the marina here safely. The good news is that the vibration that we had had is now gone; things seem to be running quite smoothly. Got together with Nancy and Eddie for dinner, works well when each of us cooks a part of the meal.The weather prediction is for wind tomorrow, so we plan to stay until Sunday anyway.

Snead Island Boat Works, Palmetto, Florida

The boat is back in the water! They completed the shaft and prop work late this afternoon so they were able to put the boat back in the water. The second fuel tank is clean. Tomorrow morning the mechanic will go over everything, then we should be able to be on our way. We spent the afternoon at Emerson Point Preserve again, had a picnic lunch there, then walked several of the trails that we had not done yesterday. It is a beautiful area. Late this afternoon, we picked up Nancy and Eddie and went to visit Sylvia and Mark Heyl in Palmetto. They completed the loop in their boat 'Heavenly Ours' in November; we had travelled with them for part of Lake Michigan and met them off and on since then. They have a beautiful home on the bay with a dock in the back yard. Sylvia served us a wonderful dinner, and we had a great visit. Back to the boat, it will be good to sleep in our own bed tonight.

Snead Island Boat Works, Palmetto, Florida

Beautiful day today, sunny and warm. The boat is still out of the water, prop and shaft back this afternoon, will be put back on tomorrow am. The good news is that the fuel in the starboard tank has been cleaned, as well as the tank itself. The mechanic found a lot of grit/sand in the tank, as well as a couple of zip ties and other pieces of junk in the bottom of the tank. We had wondered if the issue was with the tank itself being older and deteriorating on the inside, but that is not the case; it had to have been a load of very dirty fuel. Apparently the walls of the tank have a clean shiny finish; they have previously been coated.


We spent the afternoon at Emerson Point Preserve.

A few hundred acres of land have been set aside on Snead Island as a nature and bird preserve; trails have been made through the preserve so that people may drive on part of it, walk around much more. This preserve is on the point of Snead Island, so that when you walk out to the point, you can see the Manatee River on one side, Tampa Bay on the other. There are small areas of sandy beach all along the edges of the preserve, and small ponds in the interior. It seems to be a popular place with walkers, bikers, and people walking dogs. Emerson Point Preserve also protects a significant archeological site: the Portavent Mound. More than 150’ long and 80’ wide, this artificial flat-topped hill shaded by ancient live oaks is one of the oldest temple mounds in Florida, more than 1,000 years old, built by the ancestors of the Timucua. In the 1800s, early Florida pioneers built a homestead atop the hill. You can still see some of the orange trees that they planted, as well as a walkway shaded by royal palms. It is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.

Went to visit Nancy and Eddie, they very kindly fed us dinner since we are currently homeless. Back to the hotel for the night. We should be able to stay on the boat tomorrow night.

Tampa Bay Skyway Bridge - view from the Island

One small area of the mound

Osprey Nest

Snead Island Boat Works, Palmetto, Florida

The boat was pulled out of the water first thing this morning and pressure washed. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the bottom was quite clean, we had wondered if we would have picked up some barnacles while the boat was sitting in Bradenton for the past month. The mechanics found some problems with one shaft and prop so have removed them and sent them to be repaired. They started cleaning the fuel today, will continue tomorrow, including cleaning the fuel tanks. We had to be off the boat while they were working on it, so picked up Nancy and Eddie and went out for lunch and a tour of Anna Maria Island and Long Boat Key, both very pretty. Went to the marina at Long Boat Key to see some of the boats there.

Taking the boat out of the water

The mechanics had thought they might be able to put the boat back in the water late this afternoon, but the shaft and props were not back, so we are in a hotel for tonight. The marina will not allow people to stay on a boat that is out of the water. The good news is that the weather has warmed up nicely, it was sunny and beautiful today, definitely shorts and T-shirt weather. This is what we came to Florida for. Had lunch on the beach on Anna Maria Island, looking out over the Gulf of Mexico, beautiful.





As we come across the bridge to Snead Island



Heading over to get the work done



Snead Island Boat Yard, Palmetto, Florida

Happy New Year, and Happy Martin Luther King day! Arrived back last night. Wayne came a week ago, but I stayed behind to take care of a few things. Weather was cool, but much warmer than in Canada, and no snow. Cloudy this morning, chances of rain. We had arranged to take the boat over to Snead Island Boat Yard to have some maintenance done on it and to have a few things checked. It has run further in the past few months than it normally runs in several years, so we thought it could use some care.
Left Twin Dolphin Marina about 9:30, noticed the clouds getting heavier as we left. The trip is only about 3 miles across and down the Manetee River. By the time we turned in to Snead Island, we could see lightening and the wind was starting to gust. We just got into our slip and  tied up when the rain and major wind started. They have had very little rain in Florida, so were badly in need of the water, but it seems to have come all in one day. It poured, left 5-6 inches of water flooding the parking lot, along with major puddles all over the place. Wayne saw a fish on the dock, don't know if it bounced out of the water or what. The rain did finally stop mid-afternoon and the sun came out by late afternoon. Wayne rented a car, so we drove over to Bradenton and went out for supper with Nancy and Eddie. It has turned out to be a beautiful evening, full moon and quite comfortable outside with just a light jacket.