We left our temporary home: Jacksonville and started down the east coast of Florida on the ICW. It's always thrilling getting back out on the water after sitting for over a month. We had Dolphins welcoming us back by swimming alongside us. Our first night, we anchored at Pine Island. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset along with the quiet calm night and the only sounds audible are the birds and frogs.
Our next stop is at Hammock Bay Marina on a beautiful day. We love stopping here because we are close to our friends Jill & Glen and we love the lounge, pool and neighborhood. One of the real tragedies from Irma, that is not quickly replaced is the loss of the Live Oak trees that have died from the salt water & salt air. Many of those trees were close to a hundred years old. We spent the next day with our dear friends, Jill & Glen. They picked us up & took us to a great beachside grill for lunch. We stopped and checked out the new docks & buildings @ Marine Land Marina-looks great. Our fun day was capped off by a delicious dinner cooked by Glen & Jill at their gorgeous home in Flagler Beach.
While on the ICW heading south, we viewed many docks & a few boats damaged by Hurricane Irma. We anchored in Mosquito Bay, which is big & open but the winds were right and the Dolphins led us to a great spot where we were completely by ourselves and we could hear the ocean surf. We anchored the next few nights first south of Pineda Bridge and then off the causeway in Ft Pierce. Our weather has been sunny, pleasant & calm.
We have friends to see when we arrive in Stuart @ Sunset Bay. Our first evening, we meet up with Linda & Paul at their waterside restaurant, Pelican Bay where we sit with our toes in the sand while listening to great live music eating delicious seafood.
Deb, my longest known friend, brought her daughter Rachel, husband Dan & lovely daughter Anneliese to the boat and then we all went out for lunch. Love seeing all of them, very special to me.
Our next day, it was a Krogen family day. Jeff & Ellen on Sea Dweller picked us up with their rental and we drove to Hutchison Island to KK owners of Debadoo, Deb & Larry's condo. We caught up with about 10 KK couples, hanging beach & pool side all while enjoying a feast that Deb & Larry supplied.
While we love visiting, we must keep moving. Early before sunrise @ 6:00 AM, we cruise west on the St Lucie River heading to the Okachobee Waterway & locks. We needed to get through the Moore Haven Lock before 4:30 PM when it closes. We arrived @ 3:45, Yahoo, we made it. We docked @ the city docks & unbeknownst to us, it was a special night in Moore Haven. The city started a Food Truck & Live Music Party on the first Monday of the Month and this was their first Monday. This town is usually like a ghost town but tonight, they closed the street and about 10 Food Trucks moved in along with a stage that a Blue Grass Band performed on. It's like Field of Dreams, bring food trucks & they will come. People showed up! The next day we anchored west of the Franklin Lock which is the 5th & last lock. We locked alone through all 5 locks.
Tarpon Point was our next stop and a new nice anchorage for us. We cruised past Fort Myers & Cape Coral. The Tarpon anchorage is in a protected Mangrove bay right outside the Tarpon Bay Marina. My brother Tom & his wife Rita came to see us via their pontoon boat. They rafted off us, then we hopped on their boat to check out the residential canals & the bar Rum Runners near by.
The State Park, Cayo Costa is one of our favorite stops. Entering Pelican Bay is always a bit of a challenge due to shallow waters but we enter close to high tide slowly & carefully so we never have had a problem. Usually this anchorage is quite full of boats but this time there are only 7 boats and we get to tuck way up into the corner. There is one remnant from Hurricane Irma-a beached sailboat up in the corner but not a hazard to us. We were entertained by a large flock of white pelicans all around us. Dolphins visited too. We met a nice couple, Toni & Bob who live in Longboat Key Marina on their boat but here, they were on a trawler that they were delivering. Our dinghy motor had old gas in it, so for the first time ever it kept stalling on us but we did make it into the park twice. We walked to the beach & explored more of the island. We saw a gator sunning right along the main path-yikes. The docks @ the park were damaged from the storm and it was very quiet on the island. Once we got to the beach, we were surprised to see about 30 teens swimming because we thought the place was deserted. We love this anchorage but it seems like every time we are here, it storms and this visit was no different. We were up most of the night watching because of the high winds, thunder & lightening. The winds were as high as 60 mph and in the middle of the night, it changed 180 degrees direction. Luckily, our new Vulcan Rockna anchor held well. The next day rained all day.
On December 11, we arrived at Esther's home in Punta Gorda. We will be staying at her dock through the holidays. Esther cooks us such delicious dinners & Doug tries to pay her back by doing house chores which he loves. Esther keeps us busy meeting new friends and going to the movies. The three of us, traveled by Esther's car to St Petersburg to buy our new E-bikes at the Folding Bike Store. We love our new Tern bikes with Bosch rechargeable batteries. Last winter while in the Bahamas, we met a couple on a sailboat who live in Columbus, OH and also have a house in Punta Gorda. Small world as it is; we found them living just down the street from Esther. Doug, Esther & I took our dinghy at sunset and toured Christmas lights along the canals-what fun!
Another whirlwind of a Holiday! I went back to Toledo a few days before Doug so I could visit with more of my friends but even then, there never is enough time to see all the friends I cherish. Kathy & Dan were gracious enough to put me up for a few days & they are great hosts. I was able to visit with Diane & Mryna, Dianne, Peg, Joni, Linda & Christie. My first evening back I enjoyed dinner with Patty, Kathy, Sharon & Jeri, a great welcoming party at Renaissance, a new trendy place downtown Toledo. I was able to catch up with our Wood County Group but missed Janet. Paul & Jessica took Jeri & I to the Zoo lights-always a pretty sight! Patty & Ray graciously hosted a get together at their house where we had our annual crazy white elephant exchange.
Once Doug arrived, we moved to the Wendt's estate in Elmore where they had dinner waiting. The next day, we enjoyed breakfast with Jim & Elaine before they headed south. Then Barb & Joe hosted a great Christmas get together at their house where we were able to catch up with more friends.
Christmas Eve was spent following our tradition of dining at Jeri's home with Bea's Beef Burgundy on the menu. This year, we had a dining room full with some of the Singler (Dan, Kathy, Danielle & Michael) clan joining Jeri, Jerry, Paul, Jessica & Charlie.
We were able to spend an evening with Doug's nephews, niece & families. Jason & Rebecca hosted & it was so nice to be able to visit with Doug's brother in law: John & nephew Matt, Jen, Killian, Jamie, niece Jo Ann and nephew Jason, Rebecca & Beatrice. We missed seeing Spencer & Lexi.
Our last day in Ohio is always spent celebrating Paul Douglas' Birthday. We enjoyed a great lunch in Port Clinton with cake & candles.
The Holiday's & their special memories did not end with us returning to Punta Gorda. On New Year's Day, Paul & Jessica came by & we took them to a nearby park where Paul proposed to Jessica. Of course she said yes, she's been waiting for this moment for years. We feel so honored to have shared this monumental occasion & glad to have been the videographer and photographer. We wish them a lifetime of love and happiness.
