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.

Heading for the Gulf Coast of Florida

Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart, Florida has become the Krogen mecca on the east coast. Even though 501 of the 600 Krogen boats built to date are bigger than ours, it’s been said that we who own the 99 36 ft. Kadey Krogen Manatees can count on receiving a warm reception at the Krogen gatherings. Encouraged by this news, we made it a point to make a stop in Stuart and attend their Tuesday morning breakfast. We had a great time with 37 other Kroganites and made some new friends. As we proceeded across the St Lucie Canal towards Lake Okeechobee, our alternator quit. Since the Indiantown Marina with its bustling boatyard is one of our favorites, we stopped to get some help with installing the spare alternator.

Alas, even the new one didn’t work as it should. Not needing it for the operation of the diesel engine, we decided to proceed to a alternator repair shop in Ft. Myers and use the generator as needed to charge the house batteries. We went through 5 locks taking us from Atlantic sea level, up 12 ft. to the Lake Okeeochobee level and then back to sea level at the Gulf of Mexico. We had three draw or swing bridges to pass through... one of which was opened by hand. All in all, we enjoyed a beautiful trip. We even had two manatees lock through with us in the Franklin Lock near Ft. Myers! We are now settled in the City of Ft Myers Yacht Basin. Darcy’s family has come together here to honor her dad on his 97th birthday. Neighbors who through the years have been especially attentive to Dad and his various needs joined the family for a noontime dinner celebration. He is a remarkable example of how to keep enjoying life to the fullest.

2015...The start of another great year

We returned to our Kadey Krogen Manatee in time to welcome in the New Year at the Brunswick Marina Clubhouse. During that evening we mingled with like-minded souls who shared a lot of boating stories... and we actually stayed up until midnight! In the next 8 days we worked our way south into Florida, finding protected anchorages and picking up mooring balls in St. Augustine and Titusville. For two days we hunkered down while gale force winds whipped the Intracoastal Waterway into a frothy frenzy. The weather improved in time for us to actually see the Cape Canaveral SpaceX launch of the rocket carrying a 5,000 lb. payload of supplies to the International Space Station. For the next two days we hosted several sets of friends from Maine on “Summertime” while we docked at the Ft. Pierce City Marina. They, like us, have discovered that south Florida is a great place to get away from the long and harsh winter of the Northland. We are fascinated by the many ways that people take to the water. We caught the glint of multiple oars ahead of us, and discovered the local college rowing team... an 8-girl crew plus the coxswain calling the strokes! Their coach, motoring alongside them, told us they’ve been known to reach 14 knots... twice our speed! Further along, a lone paddler in an outrigger canoe fell in behind us and drafted us, paddling at a comfortable rate for 6 miles. We chatted with him during the hour he was with us and learned that he was from Connecticut and had bought the canoe in the Casco Bay area of Maine...small world.

Today we headed our trawler west for the first time. The Krogen Cruisers meet for breakfast every Tuesday in Stuart and it is our intention to join them tomorrow. We are on a mooring ball at the Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart, about to enter the St. Lucie Canal that leads into Lake Okeechobee and then through a series of canals to the Caloosahatchee River and on to Ft. Myers on the Gulf Coast of Florida. We made this 5-day crossing west to east in mid-March in 2014. In our quest to cruise all the navigable water east of the Mississippi River, we will then turn south and explore the area around Naples and Marco Island and then on to the Evergades National Park and the Keys. Before we leave North Ft. Myers, however, we have a very special birthday party to attend. My dad, Oric Osman O’Brien will be 97 on January 22!

Christmas 2014... done up 3 different ways...

Before we flew from Atlanta to Belize, the Ellis home was all about Christmas. Their craftsman bungalow front porch was twinkling, the mantelpiece was graced with seasonal treasures, the tree glistened with ornaments hung ever so carefully by little hands, the hand-carved olive wood creche from Jerusalem was in its place of honor and Grandma Janet’s Advent calendar presents were being opened each evening, shared with her on Skype. Returning to Summertime with the Christmas spirit, we proceeded to unwrap our entire life-long ornament collection. We found ways to hang them, every one...on our collapsible Scandinavian tree and throughout the salon. And in the midst of it all, our heirloom fold-up nativity scene told the story of that night so long ago. Betsy and Robert Swepston welcomed us to their Lady Lake, FL home for lunch as we made our way to south Florida for Christmas. Friends since our Heifer International days, its always a homecoming when we are together. By the time we reached N. Ft. Myers, Dad had the iconic candles in the windows and a lighted wreath ready for us to hang on his front door. A vintage angel glowed from the screen room. Christmas Eve found us in Naples with Wally's sister April and her husband Mike. It's become a tradition for the four of us to gather with Larry and Barb, long-time friends from Maine, around the dinner table as we catch us on the past year. Awaking to a 75 degree Christmas morning, we discovered that Santa had filled our stockings. We enjoyed an apple pancake breakfast, then opened our wrapped gifts at a leisurely pace. Hosted by neighbors from Bucksport, ME, Christmas dinner was delicious. In true New England style, we topped off the outing with a Yankee Gift Swap. At nearly 97, Dad really enjoys the social moments. We were very blessed to be with him as we celebrated Christ’s birth.