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.