Cape Haze Florida – Our Southern Home – Last Blog Entry of 2016 - Dec 20, 2016

Dec 18^th – It was a hot hot hot humid and sunny day today.  We went for a dingy ride to Don Pedro Island State Park so we could take a long walk along the beach.  I also went swimming for the first time in the Gulf of Mexico … the water was Exxxcellent!  Afterwards Don picked us up to go to Greg’s and Joanne’s house for a fish fry with a great group of people.  The fish were recently caught during an off-shore fishing venture and Greg and Pat did a great job cooking it.  During our visit we decided to partake in a football pool for the New England / Denver game.  We picked tickets out of a hat and we were lucky enough to win … Thanks New England!!  We had a great dinner as well as lots of birthday cake and ice cream for desert (Both Greg and Pat had birthdays recently).  Our daughter, Amanda, just flew home from Seattle and sent us a picture of snowy Keswick.  Wow … we are in for a change in weather on Wednesday!

Dec 19^th – It was a hot humid and sunny day today.  We are slowly trying to get used to the idea that we’ll have to transition from the hot sunny climate of Florida to the cold snowy climate in Keswick Ontario.  We’ve started to prepare our boat for our 2 week departure by doing a couple jobs around the boat such as washing the dingy and the dingy cover as well as waterproofing the dingy cover.  After a number of boat related jobs we migrated over to the pool with a number of the boaters to cool off.  After the sunset we headed back to the boat to prepare food to cook on the community BBQ.  I can’t believe that we’ll be home in 2 days. 

Dec 20^th – It was another hot and sunny day today.  Don drove us around to get a few things to help us get ready for our flight tomorrow plus he took us touring around the Cape Haze area.  He’s also offered to drive us to the airport early tomorrow morning.  Thanks Don!  Liz invited us for one final Florida dinner tonight at Leverock’s with the Krates South gang however they were full so we went to Ricaltini’s with 7 of us in a car that seats 5 (thanks Maria & Liz for sitting under the hatchback!) and we danced the night away.  We will be flying out early tomorrow morning thus this will be my last blog post until we return back to the boat in January.  I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best to you and your families in the New Year!  For those that are interested:  We’ve been living on the boat for 173 days, we’ve travelled 3,030 miles, we’ve used 1,886 US Gals of diesel and put 583 hours on our engines, we’ve spent close to $25,000 (mix of CAD & USD) of which $6,000 is for fuel, $5,000 is for overnight stays at marinas and $5,000 was used for maintenance and repairs.  The amount we’ve spent in repairs is more than expected, however we all know that sh!t happens!

Don Pedro Island State Park beach

My first swim in the Gulf of Mexico

The water is Exxxcellent!

Jimmy with the fish we ate at Greg's and Joanne's place

Greg with the fish that we didn't eat

A picture after we ate the fish in the picture above

Our last dinner in Florida before flying home to Keswick Ontario

Dancing the night away ... What did Joanne say to Greg ... he looks shocked!

This is a picture at the front of our house in Keswick ... I should have brought my boots!

Cape Haze Florida – Our Southern Home – Dec 17, 2016

Dec 15^th – It was a hot, sunny and windy day today.  I decided to remove some diesel dust and salt water stains from the transom and swim platform of the boat today.  It was difficult to remove the yellow stains from the swim platform thus Maria and I rode our bikes to Ace Hardware and bought some toilet bowl cleaner.  We also rode our bikes to Publix to buy some meatballs for the potluck that we’ll be attending on Saturday.  Once we got back to the boat I used the toilet bowl cleaner to remove the yellow stains, which it did with no effort at all.  Afterwards I practiced my “Wax on / Wax off” skills to complete the job.  Our son Sean contacted us and told us that there was more than 1 foot of snow at our house and it’s still coming down.  He was just about to start shoveling and I told him to have fun as we headed towards the hot tub with some of the other boaters.  We enjoyed the hot tub crowd and watched the sun set while having a cold one or two.  I can’t believe that we’ll be home in less than 1 week.  I’m sure it’s going to be a shock to our system going from Hot and Sunny to Cold and Snowy!

Dec 16^th – It was a hot and sunny day today.  We went for a dingy ride to the resort to play tennis this morning.  Afterwards we explored the area with the dingy first by following a channel filled with waterfront homes and then going through a channel between the mangroves and found Don Pedro Island State Park.  We’ll need to go back to the State Park again sometime soon when we’re wearing our bathing suits and sandals since there’s supposed to be a nice beach on the Gulf side of the island.  At 5:30pm we took the water taxi to Rum Bay restaurant for dinner with Wayne and Sandy from “Wayne’s World”.  It was Captain Dave’s birthday (our water taxi captain) … he’s a very funny guy!  He drives the boat like Captain Ron from the movie of the same name.

Dec 17^th – It was a hot windy day with a mix of sun and clouds.  We’ve run into a new issue where the air conditioner in the salon immediately pops the main breaker on our electrical panel.  The compressor is drawing over 50 amps when it kicks in thus we may have a short in the compressor.  I may have to look at a retrofit unit to replace it since it may not be worth fixing the old unit.  I’ll have to investigate my options, but for now I’ve decided to wash and wax the cockpit area of the boat today.  There was a large turnout for the Christmas potluck with tons of food and everyone loved Maria's meatballs.  Matt played Christmas tunes with some interestingly engineered boating related lyrics which made everyone laugh.  He had all of us singing along, laughing and clapping.  I’m extremely stuffed and I think I’m going to pay for it later!

Bridge to Palm Island Resort

River through the mangroves which leads to Don Pedro Island State Park

A walking path next to our marina

Captain Dave is the one standing ... He drives like Captain Ron!

I thought this Sheriff boat was going to pull over Captain Dave 

Pathway to Rum Bay restaurant (Does it look familiar?)

Wayne, Sandy, Maria and I at Rum Bay restaurant

I think Captain Dave was praying for a Canadian free boat!

Christmas Potluck at Palm Island Marina

Matt was great on the guitar and kept us laughing and singing!

Josie and Sarah having an Exxxcellent time!

Cape Haze Florida – Our Southern Home – Dec 14, 2016

Dec 12^th – It was a hot and sunny day today.  I used the morning to resolve issues we have encountered with the TD Bank … we still haven’t worked out all the bugs associated with utilizing a Canadian Bank to do banking in the US.  Since Monday is pump-out day at the dock I decided to do a couple of boat related jobs while I waited for the mobile pump out to arrive at our boat.  I flushed out the engines and generator with fresh water, cleaned out the sea strainers and put together a parts list to add a macerator to the forward head.  While I was working around the boat Maria walked to Publix to do some shopping.  Once our jobs and shopping were completed we sat by the pool and found out the heater for the hot tub is broken … I hope they fix it quickly.

Dec 13^th – It was a hot and sunny day today.  As part of our marina privileges we have full access to the Palm Island Resort which is on Knight Island across from us which includes a beach on the Gulf of Mexico, tennis courts, extended happy hour at the Rum Bay restaurant, etc.  We went for a dingy ride to the resort and walked up along the beach and collected a variety of shells.  We found the tennis courts thus our plan is to play tennis tomorrow morning using our Walmart specials.  After we returned to the marina we sat by the pool with a number of the other boaters … what a beautiful day.  We had a couple of cold ones in the pool with the group and then moved the gathering to the hot tub … which is fixed!  The boaters here are having a Christmas potluck party on December 17^th which we’ll be attending and I’m sure there’s going to be all kinds of good food available.  Another couple invited us to another hot tub tonight … Hopefully I don’t turn into a prune ;)  When we got back to the boat our daughter Amanda called … she was so happy … she was offered a full time job with Microsoft after she graduates.  Microsoft’s offer was amazing and we are so proud of our little girl and can’t believe she already has a full time job lined up before she finishes University!

Dec 14^th – It was a hot and sunny day today.  In the morning we went for a dingy ride to Palm Island Resort and played tennis for the first time in years.  We started out playing like Homer & Marge Simpson and by the end we were transformed into John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova … OK … maybe I’m exaggerating a little … but I do know one thing … we’re going to be sore tomorrow!  After we returned to the boat I completed a couple of small jobs on the boat and then we went over to the pool to top up our tan.  Jim dropped by our boat for a cocktail or two and after he left we used the community BBQ to cook our dinner while we talked to others doing the same thing.  We’ve been asked to go hot tubbing tonight, however I might just relax on the boat since today is blog day.

Shells that we collected on the beach

The beach at Palm Island Resort

One area of the beach had a large gathering of birds

Tennis anyone?

She's ready for anything!

Back to the Pool to rest and to top up the tan

Cape Haze Florida – Our Southern Home – Dec 11, 2016

Dec 9^th – It was a cold and cloudy day today.  It was another good day to perform jobs on the boat while Maria did the laundry.  I tackled one of our intermittent issues with one of the Tachometers on the flybridge.  I found a corroded connection and a corroded wire thus I replaced some of the wiring and it seems to be working OK … but intermittent issues are always hard to determine if they are fixed or if there is another hidden cause.  Nobody knows that better than me!  I also connected the cable TV to the boat to give us something to do during the lousy weather … which we haven’t had much of, however it removed it from my “Honey Do List”.  

Dec 10^th – It was a warm and sunny day.  Don called this morning and invited us to go to a large Flee Market with both him and Jim.  The flee market was very large and had a wide variety of merchandise.  We bought a couple of things and afterwards we went out for a late lunch at a restaurant in Punta Gorda.  After lunch we dropped by West Marine and then back to the boat for happy hour with Jim and Don.  

Dec 11^th – It was a warm and cloudy day.  I used this as another day to catch up on boat jobs.  First I removed the reverse osmosis membrane from our Water Maker and sourced a replacement part so we can make our own drinking water from salt water.  Next I reviewed the forward head connections to determine how best to integrate a macerator pump for the Bahamas.  After my jobs were done Don picked us up and we went to Greg’s and Joanne’s place to celebrate Greg’s 65^th birthday.  We had cocktails and snacks before going to Red Lobster for his birthday dinner.

More Useppa pictures

Don on the walking bridge

A Banyan tree that grows branches to support its branches

Can you find the birds?

Greg and Jim ... Cheers!

Greg and Maria with their Lobster bibs

The gang at Red Lobster

Happy Birthday Greg ... Now blow out your candle!

Above you'll find a movie of the dolphins that followed our boat as we travelled to Useppa.  It's my first attempt to include some video on the blog.

Cape Haze Florida – Our Southern Home – Dec 8, 2016

Dec 6^th – It was a windy, hot, humid and overcast day with a period of heavy rain today.  I went over to the pool to swim some laps this morning as approximately 20 boats were arriving from Punta Gorda for a 3 day Christmas lighting get away at our marina.  Afterwards I talked to the Harbor Master to make reservations for tomorrow at an exclusive Island club called Useppa Island which we have access to by boat twice during our visit.  Don called to invite us to Donny’s bar for cocktails and dinner with the group and we met another Canadian couple that came to visit.  Afterwards the whole group went to Greg’s and Joanne’s house for a night cap and we were quite impressed by their Christmas lights … It reminded me of the Griswold’s house in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation movie! 

Dec 7^th – It was a sunny and warm day today with low winds.  Don, Jim, Greg and Joanne met us at our boat at 10am for a boat ride to Useppa Island for lunch.  On the way there we were greeted by a number of dolphins swimming beside our boat.  We learned that they put on a show when you make noise as they perform.  When we arrived at Useppa  we called them on the VHF and they asked for membership confirmation.  Once we were tied up to their dock we had to go to the registration office to verify our membership information.  After everything was confirmed we walked to the restaurant taking the scenic route … and the wildlife and the plant life were amazing.  I’ve never seen so many turtles in one place at one time in one day.  We had an Exxxcellent lunch with the group and then walked back to the boat.  On the way back we pulled into Pelican Bay which is a great anchorage by Cayo Costa Island.  We made it back to the marina just before it got dark.  We then walked around to check out the Boat Christmas Light show that was put on by a Punta Gorda Yacht Club which is at our marina for 3 days.  Oh … and by the way the charging issue showed up briefly on the port engine again thus the alternator is not the issue.  It must be in the wiring somewhere … back to the drawing board!

Dec 8^th – It was a cool and cloudy day.  I decided to use this as a day to work on the boat.  First of all I closely looked at the wiring and connectors for the port charging system.  I noticed that the electrical plug connector between the high output alternator and smart regulator had an issue with the battery sensing prong within the plug that may have resulted in a loose connection.  I’ve fixed that issue and maybe I’ll get lucky and it will resolve my intermittent charging issue otherwise I’ll have to dig deeper into the wiring.  I also washed the boat to remove any salt from yesterday’s cruise.  After a number of other odd jobs we headed over to the hot tub to relax.  Tomorrow may be another day for boat jobs since it’s going to be cooler with a greater chance of rain.

Don, Me, Maria, Jim, Joanne and Greg at Useppa

Useppa Wedding Gazebo

A Banyan tree that grows supports under its branches

Lunch at Useppa

Does anyone want to play a game of Chess?

Only one of more than a dozen or more turtles that we saw

An interesting tree on Useppa Island

Boats decorated at our marina

Santa, be careful!  Don't fall off the boat!

Oh my gosh ... Grandma got run over by a reindeer!

Greg's and Joanne's winter home - reminds me of the Griswold's ;)

Cape Haze Florida – Our Southern Home - Dec 5, 2016

Dec 3^rd – It was a warm and sunny day today.  Don picked us up at the boat this morning and we went touring around the area and stopped at an antique car show along the way.  We then stopped for lunch and continued the tour and ended up at Greg’s and Joanne’s place for afternoon cocktails and then headed to Venice Florida to see their Christmas Boat parade.  The parade was incredible and was way better than the Christmas in June boat parades that we’ve seen in the past in Orillia.  Another great day with great people in a great place!  I can see why so many Snowbirds are here from Canada!

Dec 4^th – It was a hot and sunny day today.  Don sent us an email that contained amazing savings for a retail chain called Bealls Florida which sells all kinds of sports clothing.  We accepted his offer to take us shopping so we would fit in with the Florida crowd ;)  I bought a few shirts and Maria bought various items which would help us play the part of a Krate’s south member.  Afterwards Maria and I went for a bike ride, however we didn’t go too far since it was too hot for biking.  Next we visited the pool and hot-tub which seems to be the key place to socialize here at the marina and met a number of new people that have boats at the marina.  The no-see-ums showed up so everyone started to migrate back to their boat, including us, thus we prepared meat and veggies for the BBQ and then carried the food to one of the community BBQ’s since you’re not allowed to BBQ on your boat.  After dinner … Hot tub round 2 with some of our fellow boaters.

Dec 5^th – It was a hot, windy and sunny day today.  Greg and Joanne invited us out for a boat ride today with Don.  We stayed in the GICW and headed north for a tour of the area and then stopped at White Elephant Pub for lunch.  After lunch we travelled south along an inside cut by Englewood Beach and pulled the boat up on the sand and walked across the island to the Gulf side and walked along the beach.  The waves were crashing on the beach since it was windy out, however it was hot and beautiful.  Greg found a shark tooth on the beach which is a common find in this area.  On the ride back it was a little bumpy since we were heading into the waves, however it was way better than being out in the Gulf!  After our boat ride Don took us back to the marina and Maria and I went for a walk in the area to get some exercise before we used the community BBQ to cook our dinner.

We spend lots of time at the Palm Island Marina Hot Tub in the evening 

The Palm Island Marina Pool - The warmest pool so far on the Loop

We stopped to talk to these guys and they told us about a car show

Nice Corvette ... I think Maria wants to take it for a spin!

Custom motorcycle at the car show

The Venice Florida Christmas Boat parade

This boat is from our marina - directly across from us

Hi Santa - Did you get my Santa letter?

We have 3 Manatee that visit us every day

Why what a big nose you have!

Fresh coconuts in the tree