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"DREAMS DON'T HAVE AN EXPIRATION"

11/04/2024

What a difference a few hours make... so happy for beautiful great weather.

11/04/2024

April 9-11, 2024

Oops…For the last few posts, I used March instead of April. I'm losing track of days. Oh my.

There's not much going on, just the usual boat chores and long walks. But, yesterday, a delivery came that made my day. I have been looking for the perfect boat vacuum and finally found it. Sidenote: Am I the only one who has to have the perfect vacuum? The other two will go into storage. Our boat has carpet everywhere except the pilot house. Having a dog and the windows open most of the time requires a good vacuum. I have reached out to several cruising FB groups, and they all say the Dyson is the best. Well, I am not spending $$$$ on that one. Instead, I purchased the Dirt Devil Razor Upright Vacuum, which is amazing and perfect for the boat. I won't bore you with the details, but check out the link if you need a good vacuum. I am so happy!!!!

Last night, we had dinner with Perry and Vicki (previous Fleming owners who live here in Clearwater and whom we crossed the Gulf of Mexico in November with), and they picked us up at the marina at 5:30 and took us to their favorite Italian restaurant, Johnny's ( 40 years in business). Oh boy, was it good? It was great getting to know them and learning about all their boat travels. We learned a lot! We closed the place down. I didn't even stay up that late for New Year's. LOL Very Fun!

Today, A storm came in and did it! 25 – 40 mph winds, rain, and thunder. Thankfully, we put out a few extra lines and were super secure in our slip. The water was over the dock during high tide, and the marina had to shut down the power pedestals. There was no power… so we went on inverter for a while. It's all good now after a few hours. Ace did not like it, so he had to wear his thunder shirt and have a little pill. It only lasted about three hours, and now it is sunny and breezy.

We watched all the Master's Tournament shows and, finally, the tournament. This is the best week in golf!

We are excited to get on the road (car) to Ponte Vedra Beach on Monday for a few days, and I get to play golf with my peeps!

Living the dream...

08/04/2024

March 8, 2024

Go, Jimmy, Go…

Last night, we walked across the street and listened to THE LAND SHARKS, the best Jimmy Buffett tribute band. It was so much fun and great energy on the beach in Clearwater.

Today, we made a big move to get pumped out at the fuel dock. It took about an hour. The winds were blowing, and it was not easy for Captain Bob, but we did it. Patriot is now tied up again, and business is going as usual.

Ace Report
He was not excited to go into his room this morning, and it took me four tries to get him in. But once he was in, he was fine and so excited to be let out. We had two long walks today.

We keep pinching ourselves…

07/04/2024

March 3 – 7, 2024

Exploring…
Not a whole lot is going on just recouping from our fantastic visitors and boat chores.

Today, we took the Jolly Trolley to Tarpon Springs ( 45 minutes each way and free), The Sponge Capital of the World. Who knew? What a cute town, with great history and fantastic Greek food. I had the best Greek salad I have ever had at Dimitri’s on the Water.
Did you know: Read the last image to find out how they get sponges.

Tonight, across the street on the beach is a Jimmy Buffee cover band we will check out.

Life is Good

03/04/2024

March 30-April 2, 2024

The 2024 New Easter tradition is in the books…

We had the most fantastic time with the Priore’s from California! There was plenty of beach time, boat time, many family dinners on the boat, dinghy time (Sunday, we went to church on the dinghy), and family bonding. Bob and I are so grateful that they made the trip! It was fun teaching the girls about tides and boat life.

Now, there are 22 more days until the Mohr’s come for a visit with little James and Robbie. Katy bar the door…. LOL

In between, we will depart Patriot for a few days and make a trip to Ponte Vedra Beach for business and to see friends. Golf with my LAGA group on April 15th. I can’t wait to see all my peeps. We will be in on Monday and out on Wednesday.

We have a big storm tomorrow afternoon, so we will batten down the hatches and hope for the best. The good news is that it should go through fast.

Our service providers will hopefully install our new bow thruster batteries, and the Davit actuator being rebuilt will be installed. Since we are not traveling, you would not believe the growth on the bottom of the dinghy and the hull of the Patriot. The bottom cleaner is coming soon, and they say if you are not moving here in Florida, you need to do it every two weeks.

In the next few days, I will plan our route back to the East Coast, decide how long we will be in Jacksonville, and then move to Hilton Head, SC.

Ace Report
He loved all the company and love, loved Anna and Ella…. He thought he was one of them. LOL

Living the dream…

31/03/2024

March 23 – 30, 2024

Family is here…

I am not sure what we have been doing for the last seven days except lots of Ace walks and frisbee time, grocery store runs, davit repair people, exploring Dunedin just a bit north of us, riding the Jolly Trolley, and trying to figure out their schedule (not an easy task), Learning about Insta cart (for our Easter dinner) and doing boat chores all with lots of winds.

Today, the wind has died down, and it will be perfect weather for the entire time our company is here.

Sara, Casey, Anna, and Ella arrived late Friday afternoon; after checking into their hotel down the street, they were on board to get to know Patriot. We had a great dinner of pizza and cocktails, and then we played one round of the game Rummikub. It is a great game for 2-4 people, and Bob and I have been practicing because the Priore family is very good at this game. Bob and Ella’s team won.

The girls spent the night on the boat and got to experience what it is like to be lightly rocked to sleep. They also had a morning with Dunken Donuts, fun at the park, a dingy excursion with Captain Bob, and dinner at the famous Frenchy’s for some fresh grouper.
Saturday was lunch on the boat, followed by a two-hour cruise around the Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway and a short jump out into the Gulf of Mexico. Tonight, we will have dinner on the boat and then a couple of rounds of Rummikub. We will have two little house guests again.

Tomorrow, there will be church (Bob and I and the girls will travel by dinghy), then brunch and Easter dinner on Patriot.

Life is good, especially with family!!

22/03/2024

March 21, 22, 2024

Wind, wind, go away…

There's not much going on here except making sure the boat is tied up good. We had winds gusting up to 36 mph this morning. It's a bit rocky and unsettling. The wind let up about 1 pm today to about 15 mph, so Ace and I had a chance to walk and play frisbee in the park. The temperature was cloudy, 70 degrees. I have a 30' lead on him so that he can run long distances. It is right at the beach, so I have to watch him closely as he wants to go in the water.

We made a Publix run on the Jolly Trolley yesterday to get some provisions. That was easy; we couldn't buy really heavy items, so we had to take Uber to do big shopping.

Bob, as usual, kept busy with all sorts of things, like what kind of batteries we needed for the bow thruster (and let me tell you, that is no easy task). The man only starts to sit down when it is happy hour. LOL. But he knows how to get things done, so I am not complaining.

Tick-tock until the kids get here…

20/03/2024

March 20, 2024

It was a very fun night!

Bob's cousin Tom came and picked us up and surprised us with a visit to St. Petersburg. We had no idea it was so beautiful and cool—many marinas, restaurants, and great parks. Situated in a bustling arts community on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club has been a part of the sailing community for over 100 years. Tom gave us a great tour and then treated us to a wonderful dinner at the Yacht Club (where he was invited to be a member after winning a big sailboat race). We now have a new favorite city! Thank you, Tom, for a fantastic evening. We can't wait to come back.

We departed from Gulf Port Marina at about 9:30 and went to the fuel dock for some fuel and a pump-out. It was a bit of a challenge maneuvering Patriot as our bow thruster is not working again (and it is brand new). It probably needs new batteries. Bob did a fantastic job of pivoting her around, and I managed the dinghy and gave him feedback.

The cruise was easy peasy and took about 3 hours. We saw a few porpoises, and Ace was on the lookout for them. He likes riding up on the flybridge. The temperature was in the low 70s and sunny.
We entered the same slip we had last year perfectly. Again, there was no dock hand, so I had to manage the lines. On a normal dock, there are plenty of cleats to tie off to. This one only had two (one at the bow and one at midships), and we had to use the pilings for the other lines….not an easy task when tying up to starboard with the wind pushing the boat off the dock. I hopped off and secured as many lines as I could.

Then, we spent 45 minutes adjusting the lines so we could easily get on and off the boat, and the bow wasn't touching the dock. Crazy… we did it. I kept telling Bob we needed another man, but he didn't listen. I am worn out… trying to move a 68,000 boat is exhausting. I have a spa day tomorrow…all booked!

We will be here March 20 – May 10. We have some California company coming; Sara, Casey, and the girls will visit us March 28-April 5, and then later in the month, we have Katy, Jason, and the boy here for April 24 – 29. We are both so excited to see everyone and have fun with the family!

If, in between, any of our friends would like to come for a visit, please reach out to us. We would love to see some of our peeps.

Life Is Good!

Ace Report

19/03/2024

March 18, 19, 2024

Sarasota rocks…

We loved our short stay at Sarasota! We backed out of the slip a little later than usual because of some rain in the forecast. Patriot backed out of her slip at 11:30, and we headed to Gulf Port Municipal Marina. Out of all our routes, this one from Sarasota to Gulf Port through Tampa Bay is the trickiest. There are two very skinny spots you have to be very careful of. I even called Boat U.S. to get some helpful local knowledge. He even went to the lowest location and confirmed the depth. Now, that is going way beyond your job. Hallelujah, we got through both of them.

Tampa Bay was a little windy (25 knots), but with our stabilizer on, we had a smooth ride. We arrived at the marina at about 3:30 and pulled into a “T” dock (an end space). We like those.

Tonight, we have dinner with Bob’s cousin, Tom Barry, and we are looking forward to that.

The departure time is 10:00 for Clearwater Beach for two months. All the grandkids and their parents are coming on two different dates, and we are so excited.

Yesterday, I had been on this adventure for four months. omg

Ace Report
I think he remembers it here… he has been super well-adjusted. Maybe he is getting it.

I keep pinching myself...

18/03/2024

March 17, 2024

We love this town…

Although this was a quick stop, we enjoyed our time in Sarasota. It was great having Whole Foods close by, meeting some lovely new boat people, and getting to see our good friend Michele. Great Day!

We are off to Gulf Port tomorrow and look forward to a nice run.

Life is good!

16/03/2024

March 16, 2023

What a difference a day makes…

We departed Burnt Store Marina again at about 8:15 am and headed for Sarasota. The first few hours, I had a bit of PTSD about the issue we had yesterday. Even Bob was a bit gun-shy. Hallelujah! Our Patriot was in perfect form. Weather-wise, it was the ideal cruising day, as the waters were calm and overcast. The only thing that was a bit hectic was we were traveling on a weekend (that is one of our rules…no weekends), but we had to because of our late departure. It was so busy with boat traffic. We had ten bridges (seven we just barely got under by about 6"-12" and the others we timed perfectly) and didn't have to wait on any. Another Hallelujah! We arrived at Marina Jacks at 3:15, which was a 7-hour run. I like to keep our runs to 4-6 hours. But it's all good.

We had a tight slip to get into (starboard tie), and Captain Bob did a great job. We had to go bow first as we were towing the dinghy, and it was a successful day in the towing department. Thank goodness I had so much practice when we sailed in the BVIs, as everyone tows their dinghies. Bring it tight when you stop and let it out when you move.

Again, seeing all the cool houses on the waterway was a nice visual.
We love Sarasota; this weekend, they have some downtown streets blocked off for St. Patrick's Day. We will be experiencing that tonight. Another Hallelujah! Tomorrow, our good friend Michele, who lives here, will visit and we will do it all again. Another Hallelujah!

Ace Report
He had a great day on the water (he had his little pill) and spent most of it up on the flybridge with us.

15/03/2024

March 12, 13, 14, 15, 2024

More learning…

We had a great time here at Burnt Store Marina and played golf at the same place we did last year. It took us both a while to find our swing, but we finished strong. It felt great to be on the course again.

We had dinner with our friends Steve and Mike, who live here. We also hosted a happy hour with a few boat neighbors. It is always fun hearing and learning from everyone’s boat stories; we now have stories to share, too.

Today, we were up at first light to depart for Sarasota at Marina Jacks for two days. We had the dinghy all rigged up with an alternative tow line, and Captain Bob pulled her off the dock, and we were off. The weather was perfect. About 30 minutes out, our starboard engine went down. I took the wheel with the port engine, and Bob went down to the engine room to investigate. He checked the sea strainer, which was full of sea grass and whatnot, so he cleaned it. Nope, that didn’t do it. It seems we had an airlock in the starboard fuel system. So, we turned around and made it back to the marina using just the port engine. It was a little bit of a challenge, but we did it. We were at the same slip, but no one was there to take my lines. No problem, I did it! First time!
Yay!

They recommended we contact Andy’s Marine Diesel, and it so happened Elijah was on the property and was on the boat in 15 minutes (that was truly lucky). So, Elijah and Bob went to work in the engine room, and within an hour, it was fixed. Thanks to this experience, Bob had a first-class lesson on what to do when this happens again.

So, we will spend another night here and leave at first light for Sarasota.

Ace Report
He loved his long walks every morning and adjusted well here.

We are still in our Learning Curve University… Lesson 102 today!

12/03/2024

March 11, 2024

We are getting it…

Bob and I were chatting about our comfort level on a repeat visit or anchorage and how nice it is. We departed Boca Grande Marina at about 12:30 for Burnt Store Marina across Charlotte Harbor.

Charlotte Harbor is a large water mass with good depth, so it is an excellent place for sailing. We passed lots of sailboats that we thought were competing. It took us about an hour and a half, and they had us on a T dock (that makes me so happy), and Captain Bob slipped us up to the dock perfectly. We will be here until Friday, and hopefully, we will get a few rounds of golf in.

We will have some knowledge of where we are going and what to expect until we get to Stuart and head up north. Oh boy, look at us... experienced boaters. LOL

We were getting ready to depart this morning when we noticed that one of our dinghy tow lines was severed. We are still trying to determine what happened; it could have been a chafing issue overnight. We rigged up an alternative system, and it worked perfectly. A new tow line has been ordered.

There are a few other cruisers here, and we look forward to meeting them and hearing their stories. It will be so much fun!

Ace Report
I elected not to give him a pill today and put him in a different room. He did great and seems well-adjusted. We had an excellent frisbee session this afternoon, and he is pooped. I think he remembers this place.

The adventure continues…

11/03/2024

March 9, 10, 11, 2024

We had a good night's sleep Friday, and our anchor didn't move one inch.

We stayed put until about 12:30 and then headed for Boca Grande Marina. It was a two-and-a-half-hour straightforward trip. We tied up to the T-dock, so it was an easy docking experience. The staff were great and had us tied up in no time.

Our time on the island was filled with great times, yummy meals with Eddie, Patsy, George, and Teddy, and walks to town. This is a pretty special place with lots of residential architectural eye candy. We had hoped to take our guest out for a little cruise, but the weather did not permit it…too windy.

We will be departing for Burnt Store Marina around noon as soon as the twenty-two-knot wind dies down.

When will this wind stop…

Ace Report
He has been enjoying his long walks and sniffing time.

08/03/2024

March 8, 2024
On the road again…

We departed Matanzas Mooring Field in Ft. Meyers at about 9 am and headed for Cabbage Key, towing the dinghy. All our research came in handy with how to pull your dinghy.

Bob was at the helm, and I pulled it in tight and cleated it off. Then, I went forward to release the two mooring lines, and we were off. Once we were in the channel, I went back to the stern and let the dinghy line out. It was about 55'. It could have been longer, but that is what we had. There was a lot of boat traffic, and few observed the "slow pass" manners. The dinghy stay strong.

We made it to Cabbage Key around 12:30, dropped anchor in 10' of water, and only two boats. It is not very protected, and there is a 10-knot wind. The anchor is holding great, and it is beautiful here.

After about an hour, we jumped in the dinghy to the Famous Cabbage Key restaurant for lunch. OMG, it was so crowded and just crazy. I'm glad we canceled our slip for the night, as it is small and not suited for our size boat. It is very old Florida, but not our cup of tea. Ace loved it!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a peaceful night's sleep. We can't get in our slip at Boca Grande Marina until 2 p.m., so we will just stay put then.

We are so excited to see Ed, Patsy, George, and Teddy tomorrow.

08/03/2024

March 3,4,5,6,7 2024

We have had great weather since we arrived.

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were filled with Ace going to the beach with his frisbee and some swimming. He was one happy pup and did not fail to entertain the hundreds of beachgoers (spring break). However, he gets a bit crazy about the whole fetch game. We enjoy the flybridge for our afternoon winding down time and happy hour. We had some excellent meals here and have been enjoying the mooring field. The city does a great job! I have been practicing driving the dinghy, catching up on my novel reading, and other things.

Captain Bob has the generator/inverter system down. That is one of the good things about being in a slip…shore power.

On Wednesday, we had a storm come in, and it has been cloudy. There will be more rain later, but we will still go walking later in the day.

It was a bit rainy on Thursday morning today, and then the sun came out.
We did a tender ride to Publix and provisioned. Later, we were unable to get the Davit to work, so we will be towing the tender moving forward. We will have it fixed once we get to Clearwater. The good thing is that we always pulled the tender when we sailed in the BVIs, so we were used to it. Luckily, the previous owner had the tow lines on the boat.

We will move on to Cabbage Key tomorrow and anchor overnight. Then we go to Boca Grande Marina for two nights. There, we get to see Eddie and his family. We are so excited to see everyone.

Living the dream.

02/03/2024

March 1, 2, 2024

There is always something in boating, they say...

Friday - The day started with a crab pot under Patriot. Yeks was it wrapped around our prop? We called the dockmaster, who said he would come out Monday and dive down and take it off. Then, after a few hours, it popped up on the port side/mid-ship. We snagged it with the boat hook and called Mr. Dockmaster again, and he came out and took it away. He said they should not place them this close to the mooring field.

After lunch, we went to take Ace and ourselves for a long walk. But our Davit (that brings the tender down) decided it didn’t want to go left or right. Oh no… we are boat bound. So we made a few calls, one to Burr and one to the manufacturer, for some assistance. After a few hours of Bob poking around, he found a hydraulic coupling on the control panel that was loose. Once tightened up, it started to move both ways. We were able to drop the tender in the water, and off we went. All three of us had a nice long walk on the strip of Fort Meyers Beach… it was so busy with tons of people enjoying the Tiki Bar life. We then stopped at Matanzas On The Bay restaurant for a drink and pizza. It was great! We will have the tender tied up to the back of the boat until we depart. Hopefully, the Davit will still work. Otherwise, we will have to tow it. The good news is the manufacturer is close to Clearwater and will come to the slip and service it.

Saturday – Sleeping here has been great; there is always a cool evening breeze and little wake. All good. Today, we had another learning curve to tackle. Generator/Inverter 101 Lesson - The boat recharges the house batteries using our generator… since we are on a mooring ball (or anchor). Unfortunately, the inverter readings were gibberish, so Bob had to reset to factory defaults after studying the manual for a few hours. Yeah, it was successful. When we are traveling, the alternators from the motors recharge the batteries automatically. We need the generator to recharge the batteries because we will be here for several days.

Ace Report
He is doing fine but still not used to the generator. Love his tender rides and going to shore.

Life Is Good!

29/02/2024

February 29, 2024
Our learning curve is getting smaller…

We departed Marco Island Yacht Club at 9:30 am for Ft. Meyers/Matanzas Mooring Field (owned by the city). It was a perfect day for a cruise—little wind and hardly any waves.

It took us 4 hours to finally pull into the mooring area. This was our first mooring ball on Patriot, so I did a lot of research (my Facebook groups were most helpful). We spotted the area and went to the east side, and then suddenly, someone blew their horn, and simultaneously, the captain noticed it was shallow. Oops, we were coming in on the wrong side. No problem. We backed up, went to the west side, and spotted our ball, #22. I was at the bow and had all my lines set up, and the captain pointed the bow to the pendant with a ring on the end, and I pulled it up with our very long boat hook. Threading the port side first and then the starboard side, and we were done. Easy peasy.

We are here for eight days and will deploy the tender tomorrow and explore. I have been on this boat for three months and 11 days and can honestly say things are becoming second nature, and I am enjoying the adventure.

Ace Report
I took him for a 40-minute walk early this morning to take the edge off. He was a good traveler, but I still had to give him half a pill. He hates the engine sound. The funny thing is that he is eyeing all the balls here on the moorings like a hawk.

We cannot escape fear. We can only transform it into a companion accompanying us on all our exciting adventures. Take a risk a day – one small or bold stroke that will make you feel great once you have done it. – Susan Jeffers

29/02/2024

February 28, 2024

Easy night and easy day….

We did a bit of boat work this morning and some business work. Then we had our bottom cleaned by Brady Tubb at Gulf Divers Inc., and he was fantastic. He washed our bottom and noticed some missing zinc's on our shafts were missing. He installed what was needed. I highly recommend him if you are in the Marco Island area. (Zinc is a metal that is used as a protective coating to prevent corrosion on boats. Zincs are often attached to the bottom of boats to protect them from rusting. In other words, they act as a defense against rust and corrosion).

Later, we walked to Publix and West Marine to pick up provisions and marine supplies. We will be headed to Ft. Meyers tomorrow and will be on mooring ball for eight days just across from the beach. It will be our first mooring ball pick-up with Patriot. I have done my research and have it down (I will report tomorrow night). We have done it millions of times in the BVI's, but with Patriot, she is a bit higher than a sailboat. There is lots to do in this area, so we will drop the tender and explore.

We had a lovely date night at the Yacht Club restaurant. I even put on a little mascara. LOL

We will be departing at about 10 am for Ft. Meyers and cruising outside. The weather is very favorable tomorrow for an easy four-hour trip.

Ace Report
He went to the stores with us today and had some great exercise. I was playing toss on the boat with him later today, and accidentally, his Tiger went in the water. Oops… I was able to retrieve it with the boat hook. Thank goodness, and he might have jumped it. He loves his Lion!

Life is Good!

28/02/2024

February 27, 2024

We had a great anchorage last night…

Yesterday afternoon started rolly, but at about 6 pm, it calmed down to no wind at all. We had great confidence in the anchor, anchorage, and anchor alarms and slept great. It is fantastic being on the hook. No neighbors: when you leave, pull the anchor up, and you are off.

We departed the Little Snake River area at 8 am and headed for Marco Island. The weather was fantastic, and we drove from the flybridge. We didn’t see much as we were way off the coast. We arrived at Marco Island Yacht Club at 3:00, a seven-hour run. The dock master grabbed our lines, and we were tied up. We were supposed to be at Marco Island Marina, but the boat in our reserved slip had engine trouble, so we upgraded to the yacht club. We are in between the beautiful Marlo Yachts and look like their little sister.

I already visited with some nice cruisers and exchanged stories. I love the stories…

Ace Report
He was a sport, but we had to give him a little pill to take his stress edge off. After we got underway, he was on the flybridge with us. Then back down as we approached the marina. We had a nice long 40-minute walk, and all was good. On anchor, he knows how to use his business center. I am in awe of that!

We are becoming cruisers…

26/02/2024

February 26, 2024

We departed Safe Harbor Marathon Marina at 10 am with lots of help from our new boat friends. We headed under the 7-mile bridge and into Florida Bay, and after about 20 miles, we were in the Gulf of Mexico. It was a reasonably straightforward run, but the crab pots were everywhere. So, no resting. It is a weird feeling being out in the middle of nowhere...thank goodness for GPS.

We enjoyed our time in Marathon and hope to be back for a longer time next year. The Safe Harbor Marina was fantastic! Their staff is the best!

We arrived at our anchor area at 3:00 pm. We are just off the Florida/ Little Shark River coast, about half a mile from shore. The wind is dying down, and hopefully, the rolling will too. There is another boat off our port side, and they are also headed to Marco Island Marina tomorrow for two nights.

Ace Report
He did great today.

On the road again…

25/02/2024

February 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 2024

Tuesday was a cold and high-wind day. I stayed on the boat and walked Ace a few times.

We took a bus to Key West on Wednesday, a no-cruise ship day. The bus ride was long but worth $1 per person. We then hopped on the Conch Trolly for an educational city tour. I'm so glad we did that, as we learned so much about this area. We wanted a picture of the mile marker to Cuba, but there was a long line…NOT! We ate at the famous Sloppy Joe's, and it was delicious. Then we went back to the bus as we had seen enough. Key West is nice and charming, but we are partial to Marathon.

Thursday, I met with two other cruisers, Kevie and John, and we chatted about our upcoming trip up the Gulf to Marco Island. They were very helpful and charming people! Last night, our boat neighbors Sarah and Parker invited us over for a happy hour. We had a great visit and loved hearing about all their boating adventures.

I finally worked out in the exercise room on Friday, which felt great. Bob had Anthony install a new Raymarine chart plotter on the flybridge and help us with the Mareton system. He is the fellow who gave us a ride to West Marine, and they both have a mutual friend. Later, Sarah and Parker came over for a happy hour and more good fellowship.

Saturday was Turtle Hospital, and boy, was it interesting. We learned so much about all the Florida turtles. Most of their rescues were from prop injuries to their backs. The other was from tumors from eating polluted sea grass, eating plastic bags, and getting caught in fishing lines. So sad.

Sunday, the three of us took a long walk to the 7-mile bridge and walked the old railroad bridge they had refurbished for recreational use. We walked back through Isla Bella Resort (5-star), a beautiful resort. Then, we returned to the boat to launch the tender/dingy for a cruise down to Boot Key Harbor. We had a pleasant conversation on Tortuga with Pete and Jeannie. They are headed in the same direction as we are tomorrow.
Boot Harbor is a famous protected bay for boaters to anchor or catch a mooring ball. It is packed, and you must make your reservations at least one year in advance and in-person. It is a big community of boaters; some work and live there. They have their own FB page.

We plan to depart at about 10 am for Little Shark River, anchor out for the night, and then head out to Marco Island Marina for two nights. Gulf of Mexico and Everglades National Park, here we come.

Enjoy the photo bomb.

Ace Report
I am sure he has really enjoyed the marina and will be back on engine watch tomorrow. He loves the tender and was barking at all the mooring balls today. Perhaps he thought they were a giant tennis ball. LOL. He had a nice bath when we got back.

Onward for this adventure

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Not my favorite time...

The Land Sharks

Listening to some tunes going down the river...

Porpoises just want to have fun...

We got through this terrible storm last night. Flooding everywhere. Storm surge had water over all the docks and their electric went out, water just short of the marina office, parking lot 1' of waves, the neighborhood flooded. We are on a floating dock and had 3' before it came off the piling. It was a "Storm Watch" kind of night. 🤯 Wind to continue all day. 🥵

Bob Cruising

November 27, 2023 It was a bit windy and cold this morning. Not my favorite weather. We departed Ft. Walton at 8am and headed for Panama City's Point South Marina Bay Point. The wind was gusting to 18 kts with a temperature of 48 degrees. It was a bit sporty in Choctawhatchee Bay, but nothing Patriot or the Captain couldn't handle. Just choppy. After the bay crossing, we were in the Gulf Intracoastal Water Way (GIWW), which was very calm. We stayed dead in the middle and watched for fishermen in small boats. We must crawl by them as our wake could tip them over. After the skinny part of the waterway, we were in the West Bay, another significant area of water. We followed our GPS and watched for markers. All good! There were a few porpoise sightings but nothing to film. We were super vigilant getting to the marina as the water was pretty skinny, but the channel was well-marked. Ok, here is where it gets interesting…. As you know, I have been planning the routes and making all the marina reservations. As we got closer, we called the marina and radioed them many times, but no one answered. So, we went to the fuel dock to get things sorted out. Well, the dockmaster couldn't find our reservation… of course, I had an email confirmation…. oops we were at their sister marina. The other one was 30 miles farther east. I said in my most likable voice, "Can we please just stay here?" with a panicked look on my face, too. No problem, you can stay here, and he canceled the other marina. I know how things got messed up now, but it is a long, boring story. Lesson learned. All tied up and enjoying a beautiful Panama City sunset. 58°F, Wind 9.6 kn N Thumbs up to my captain! Life Is Good!

This is what a sporty day looks like on Lake Michigan. 😨

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