A Day In The Dinghy

Saturday, February 13 - Yesterday we left Venice and traveled in the Gulf of Mexico from Venice to Pine Island Sound.  Because of a bridge closure, we had to wait for good water conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. It turned out to be a great day to make this passage.  When we arrived at Pine Island Sound, we went into a very secluded anchorage called Punta Blanca South.  To get into thia anchorage, you have to cruise through a very narrow channel just offshore of the island.  Being that close to the island is disconcerting, but we made it into the anchorage with no difficulties.  The anchorage was indeed beautiful and we were the only boat there.  We watched an Osprey eating a fish, but sadly the Dolphins, who we were told would visit the bay, were elsewhere that day.  

                                    LeeLoo Anchored For The Night In Punta Blanca South

On Saturday, we took the dinghy to Cabbage Key to have lunch at a well-known restaurant called the Cabbage Key Inn.  The only way to get there is by boat.  After lunch we toured the island and saw several tortoises ambling about. At one point, there was sign to watch out for alligators, but we did not see any.  

                                 The Marker For Cabbage Key - Accessible Only By Boat

                                                        Tortoise On Cabbage Key

                                    Captain Carey With A Tortoise On Cabbage Key

Because we knew we would be taking the dinghy on extended trips, we purchased a second battery for the Torqeedo.  Our Torqeedo is like an electric outboard motor.  It's advantage is that it breaks down into several smaller pieces so it is easy to install and remove from the dinghy.  It's disadvantage is that it doesn't push the dinghy very fast, so it took about an hour to get to get to Cabbage Key and another hour to get back to LeeLoo.  After checking to be sure that LeeLoo was safe at anchor, we changed batteries in the Torqeedo and took the dinghy to Cayo Costa State Park.  This is another location that is accessible only by boat.  Once on the island, we walked for 3/4 of a mile on a sand road to get to the beach on the Gulf side of the island.  It was getting late, so we turned around and walked most of the way back before getting picked up by a shuttle tram.  After a brief stop for ice cream (for Carey), we took the dinghy back to LeeLoo.  Because the wind was pushing us on the way back to LeeLoo, the return trip went much fast that the trip to the island.

It Was Bound To Happen . . .

Sunday, February 14 – It is said about boating in Florida, it is “when you run aground”, not “if you run aground”.  As it turns out, our turn to run aground was today.  We left the anchorage just after 8:00 a.m. on a low, but rising tide (mistake #1) and then when passing around the second corner of the island where we should have hugged the island more closely, we swung too wide and drove the boat onto a mud bank in 2-1/2 feet of water.  A distressing situation to be sure.  Because LeeLoo has a single engine and full keel, there was never any concern that the boat would be damaged plus it was a soft grounding in mud.  At this point, we had 2 options.  One would be to wait about 4 hours for high tide.  And the second option would be to call BoatUS for a tow.  The first option seemed problematical because a strong wind would push us further into shallow water as the tide continued to rise.  To prevent this from occurring, we deployed the anchor where it sat there in full view, as if laughing at us, in 2-1/2 feet of water!  Using the BoatUS app on the cell phone, we called the dispatch center and they in turn contacted a local BoatUS towing operation to effect rescue.  A few minutes later, the BoatUS towboat called us to confirm that we were indeed aground.  He said he would arrive in about 20 minutes.

When a towboat arrived, the first order of business is to fill out the paperwork to be sure there is payment.  This prevents cases where a boat once rescued tries to escape without paying.  In our case, we had towing insurance so this was not an issue.  Had we not had towing insurance, the fee would have been $875! 

The towboat operator was very skilled and he maneuvered his boat close enough to LeeLoo to attach a polypropylene tow line to LeeLoo’s port (left) bow cleat.  Polypropylene lines are used for towing because they float and thus won’t get caught in either boats’ propeller and also because it has a lot of stretch which minimizes mechanical loading on the boat that is aground.  The towboat slowly pulled LeeLoo off the mud bank and onto deeper water.  The entire exercise took about 30 minutes.  Once we were back in the main channel, the towboat headed home and we headed south through Pine Island Sound, then out into the Gulf of Mexico, and then on to Naples. 

From this point forward, there is no ICW, so all passages will be offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.  While cruising in the Gulf, our main concern is the wind, the height and direction of the waves and trying not to hit the hundreds of crab pots!

On the Move Again!

Friday, February 12 - We have had a busy week visiting with family and friends!  Yesterday was particulary busy because we met with Nancy's brother and sister-in-law (Rick and Karen) for breakfast.  Rick and Karen are ending their 2 week stay on Siesta Key and will soon be heading north.  Later, we drove to Ft. Myers to do a little sightseeing and then met up with friends (John & Linda and Jim & Carol) for dinner.  It was wonderful to see everyone!

Today we are finally leaving Venice and will cruise 35 miles to Pine Island Sound.  The Gulf has calmed down enough for us to travel again.  If all goes well, we plan to anchor at Punta Blanca South for 2 nights.  This should be interesting because while it will be in the low 70's during the day, the nighttime temperatures will be in the low 50's-high 40's.  Without a generator we have no heat on the boat!  



After our 2 nights of anchoring, we plan to cruise to Naples, Florida and will stay at the Naples Boat Club where we hope to have good internet so we can post pictures! 

Continuing On The Loop

Finally - pictures to post!

Monday, February 8 -  After our two weeks in Atlanta with Carey's dad, we picked up our friends Hal and Wendy at the Atlanta airport on January 31st and drove to Dunedin where LeeLoo was patiently waiting for us!  While we were gone, a lot a windy weather went through Dunedin and we were a little concerned about how LeeLoo was faring, but apparently we tied all her lines correctly because she was fine when we returned.

                        Wendy Sunning Herself On LeeLoo's Stern While Underway

                                      Captain Hal Driving LeeLoo Down The ICW
 

We were not scheduled to return our rental car until February 2, so the four of us drove to Clearwater Beach and enjoyed being tourists for the day.  It was a beautiful, sunny day in the high 70's.  A real treat for all of us! 

                                                              Clearwater Beach

                                    Carey and Nancy Enjoying The Great Weather!

On February 3, we left Dunedin for St. Petersburg Municipal Marina.  Our cruise took us through many No Wake Zones to protect the Manatees, so it was not a fast trip.  We were hoping to see a Manatee, but no such luck!   We saw a lot of White Pelicans, though.  When we were back on the rivers months ago we saw hundreds of White Pelicans migrating south.  Now we know where they ended up - they just arrived before we did!

We docked at the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina for three nights.  Our slip was a covered slip - a first for us.  We found there were advantages and disadvantages to a covered slip.   The roof of the covered slip was cement and when we entered the slip,our VHF radio antenna got caught up in the roof.  While Captain Cook disengaged the antenna from roof, Hal, Wendy and I held the boat into position so we wouldn't hit the boat next to us.  We finally were able to dock safely and tied LeeLoo to the pilings at her stern and the cleats at her bow.  The first day we were in St. Pete, the weather was warm and beautiful.  The next day, the weather gods were against us and it all changed to cold, rain and wind.  Since we were in a covered slip, LeeLoo stayed dry.  The next morning was sunny and cold!  And since we were in a covered slip, LeeLoo never got any sunlight so she stayed chilly all day.  We decided that if we have a choice, we prefer not to be in a covered slip.

One of the highlights of St. Petersburg was visiting the Salvador Dali Museum which was within walking distance of our dock.  It was a very interesting museum to visit.  Much of his artwork was displayed, along with a whole exhibit about Walt Disney and their work together.

We stayed an extra day in St. Petersburg because of wind and rough water.  When we did leave, we had planned to go to Sarasota, but decided to go right to Venice and spend the night.  It was a cloudy and rainy day, but the cruising went ok.  We had to have a draw bridge open for us and a swing bridge open for us.  That's a first in both case!  LeeLoo is short enough she can usually scoot under any bridge.

                                                   Swing Bridge That Opened For Us!
  Our daughter-in-law's parents (Jean and Dick) live in Venice so we were able to meet up with them for dinner and a visit to their beautiful home.  Hal and Wendy's niece and her boyfriend live nearby, so Hal and Wendy enjoyed dinner with them.  We each went our separate ways for the evening.  A bonus in our visit with Jean and Dick was that our grandson, Andrew, and his aunt, Anne-Marie, flew in for the weekend.  So, we were able to see them.  A nice surprise for Andrew - and us!

                                      Grandson Andrew with Grandma and Papa!

One of the "rules" of being a Looper is that you never have a schedule.  This has proven true because we had planned on anchoring out with Hal and Wendy on our way to Ft. Myers.  Unfortunately, the weather gods were again not in our favor.  Due to a bridge closure on the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway) on our way to Ft. Myers, we will need to cruise out into the Gulf of Mexico.  Right now the Gulf waters are very rough with gale force winds throughout the week.  We are really enjoying Venice while we are here, but disappointed that we can't cruise further with Hal and Wendy.   Wendy and Hal have connected with other family members who live nearby and we are meeting up with them.  Nancy's brother and sister-in-law, Rick and Karen, are spending time at Siesta Key so a visit with them is also planned.  And later in the week, we plan to meet up with other friends who live in Ft. Myers and other friends who are visiting.  While our trip to Ft. Meyers with Hal and Wendy has not gone as planned, we have been very busy and enjoying ourselves!  We will hate to see Hal and Wendy fly back home.  With luck, they will cruise with us again in a few months!

                                    

                Nancy and Carey Overlooking the Gulf - Waiting For The Water To Calm Down!

                 Carey, Nancy, Hal and Wendy At Fisherman's Wharf Marina In Venice

Side Trip to Atlanta

Tuesday, January 26 -   Time to catch  up with our blog!  On January 17, we woke up in Dunedin and planned to leave LeeLoo at 6 a.m. to drive to Atlanta to spend two weeks with Carey's father.  As Carey prepared to get off LeeLoo, he noticed that the extremely high tide left us with at least a five foot climb down from LeeLoo onto the finger pier.  Even the finger pier next to LeeLoo was close to being under water.   It was simply not safe to get off LeeLoo with such a high tide.  So what did we do?  We waited for almost two hours before the tide went down enough for us to get off LeeLoo.  And even then it was quite a jump down.  This is one disadvantage to being at a marina with fixed docks - the tide (and the boat) goes up and down and the dock stays in the same place.  What Nancy would give to have our floating docks back again!  We have since ordered a tall step stool that should help with getting off LeeLoo in an extremely high tide.  We still have a lot to learn about when it comes to dealing tides!

While in Atlanta, we remembered what it is like to have winter!  We have been so fortunate to have beautiful, warm Florida weather for so long.  Yes, Atlanta practically shut down to prepare for the possible snow/ice storm.  As it turned out, most of the snow went north of Atlanta although we did get a dusting of the white stuff.  We did feel bad for the folks along the east coast where the storm really hit.

                 A dusting of snow - enough to make us glad we are not in Chicago!

Our plan is to leave for Dunedin on Sunday, January 31.  Our good friends, Hal and Wendy Gilpin (from Hawk Valley Retreat in Galena) are flying to Atlanta Sunday evening to join us for ten days of cruising on LeeLoo.  We will pick them up at the Atlanta airport, then continue south to Dunedin.   We are really looking forward to their visit as we have cruised with them many times before and they are very familiar with LeeLoo.  By February 3 or so, we should finally be on the move again.  Our destination is Ft. Myers via St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Venice, and Pine Island Sound where we hope to anchor for a two nights.  Time to explore more of Florida!




  

Marker 1 Marina

Thursday, January 7 - We safely arrived at Marker 1 Marina in Dunedin last Saturday.  The cruise to Dunedin was only 14 miles and the bay waters were only moderately choppy.  We are getting better at following the markers and only got confused one time.  Just before the marina, we went under a drawbridge with a 24 foot clearance when closed.  Fortunately, LeeLoo's air draft is only 17 feet with the flagpole and the VHS antennas are deployed.  Most of the drawbridges have clearances when closed around 24 feet so we will be able to travel and not wait for bridges to open.

Marker 1 Marina is a small, but very nice marina.  The piers are fixed (rather than floating) and, as is common in Florida, the finger piers are short.  Nonetheless, we were able to dock LeeLoo bow in and we are able to easily get on and off her.   The laundry facilities are free here!  This is a first!  Our laundry prices per load have ranged from $1.00 a load to $2.50 a load.  Needless to say, Nancy will take advantage of the free washer and dryer!  Another nice amenity are very clean showers!  After traveling the rivers, one really appreciates marines with clean showers. 

                        LeeLoo safely docked at Marker 1 Marina for the month of January.

Last night we joined a dozen other Loopers for docktails.  We spent 2 hours socializing and eating!  It is a great way to gather information about experiences, boat maintenance, marinas and anchorages.  Loopers have a wealth of information to share.  Just say you are a Looper and you have instant friends.  Even the local residents want to talk to you as soon as they find out you are a "Looper".  

On Friday night, we plan to get together with Gold Loopers Jim and Connie Gillette (Patriot) and Ron and Jan Matuska (Adagio).  Patriot and Adagio are 32 Ft. Nordic Tugs similar to LeeLoo.  A Gold Looper earns this designation once they complete the Loop for the first time.  We look forward to seeing our friends and to catch up on our boating experiences. 

The weather has turned turned cool and the 80 degree days are gone for a while. We are now in the 60's and 70's.  We can't complain though - much better than Chicago weather!

                                       Scenes of Florida we never take for granted!

On To Dunedin . . .

Saturday, January 2 - Hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year!  We spent a quiet evening on our boat in Tarpon Springs.  One of our recent purchases was a better TV antenna so we were able to watch all the New York New Year celebrations!  And, yes, we did make it to midnight - 3 hours past our normal Looper midnight of 9 a.m.

Our trip back to the Atlanta area to meet up with our family over Christmas went very well.  We truly enjoyed seeing everyone - especially our 5 grandchildren!  Driving there was a challenge as we had a lot of rain, but we will take rain over snow any day!  

                                    Grandpa Playing with Grandchildren Paige and Peter

We returned to LeeLoo on December 29 and had a day to do a little sightseeing before we had to turn in the rental car. 

Turtle Cove Marina in Tarpon Springs has a great pool and hot tub (although we couldn't get the hot tub to heat up) so we spent some quality time sitting around the pool.

                                                 The Pool at Turtle Cove

                                                    Feels Like Summer!


Today we are on the move again.  We will leave this afternoon as the tide is rising for Dunedin, Florida and will stay at Marker 1 Marina for about a month.  We have already been to the marina by car to check it out so we know where we are going.  Unfortunately, we are back to short fixed dock finger piers so we will once again be climbing on to LeeLoo depending on the heights of the tide.  More from Dunedin . . .