Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Layover in Ft Myers

When we were traveling in our motorhome, we frequently saw the bumper sticker, ”Home is where we park it”. Now that we’re cruising up and down the waterways, we can say, “Home is where we anchor it...or moor it..or dock it”. We love “dropping the hook” in an out-of-the-way lagoon. The abundant wildlife sounds and sightings are astounding. When you reach out you can almost pluck the stars from the night sky. It’s easy to believe that you are the first people to ever venture into this pristine setting. Eventually though, you need to touch base with civilization. It’s a great relief to discover that most marinas make it easy to feel at home right away. They provide helpful dockhands, laundry facilities, a pump-out station, fuel dock, easy access to fresh water and 30/50 amp service of electricity and the stores for re-provisioning are often within walking or biking distance. Equally important are the kindred spirits who are docked nearby. The City of Ft. Myers Yacht Basin is no exception. As soon as we were secured to the dock, our neighboring boat owners flocked over to welcome us. It didn’t take long to discover that folks from up and down the coast of New England were nearby. The biggest surprise was the trawler RAM-SEA from Lincoln, Maine...Darcy’s hometown! Don Ramsay and Betty Pickering have been writing traveling articles for the Lincoln News for years. What a treat to finally meet them.