timjet
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- Apr 9, 2009
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A couple of requests to see pictures of our cruise. I have to wait until I can get free WiFi generally at a marina to up load pics. My MiFi allowance would be used up in the first couple of days if I uploaded as we go along.
We started our cruise from our home port in Bradenton, Fl just south of Tampa on Memorial Day. Our first maintenance issues occurred this morning when taking a shower I noticed the shower was not draining. 2 hours later it was fixed having to replace the ground wire to the pump.
Initially we followed the ICW south to Ft. Myers then the coast to Marco Island, out in the FL straights to the middle Keys then to Key West.
Our first stop a short 18 miles away was at our favorite local anchorage on the north end of longboat key. One night there then on to Otter Key near Sarasota to visit St. Armands Circle. Cape Haze was next which is a circular cutout in the ICW surrounded by homes. A short dinghy ride got us resupplied with groceries and outboard engine oil and fuel. From there to our all time favorite anchorage on the west coast of FL-Pelican Bay. A couple of T storms came through in the late afternoon. We let the dog play on the beach while the Admiral hunted for shells. I drank beer. At 0100 I was awoken by the constant running fresh water pump. Of course what other time of day would this happen. Turning off the CB until morning I found a leak in a hose that was plugged leading to our removed ice maker. Easy fix.
Then on to Tween Waters on Captiva Island for a 2 night stay stopping at the celebrated Cabbage Key for lunch. After refueling at the most expensive fuel stop so far we cruised to the Ft. Myers Beach mooring field with rain most of the way. Checked in and enjoyed an evening of gentile rain and reading books. We spent two nights on Ft Myers beach eating ice cream and shopping. Took a trolley to a hardware store for some needed supplies.
Our next leg was in the open gulf a 36 mile leg to Smokehouse bay on Marco Island. Our auto pilot failed on this leg but we were able to get a replacement from a very helpful electronics store owner in the Marco area. It took me about 2 hours to install and we were on our way to Indian Key in the thousand island area of the FL straights. This is a very isolated area with limited cell phone coverage and many bugs. One night was enough.
The next leg our longest, got us to Fat Deer Key off of Marathon. For those not familiar with the Keys you may be surprised to hear there are very few beaches in the Keys and thus we had a very difficult time finding a spot to let our dog do her business. Finding a place to allow the dog access is the first order of business when researching anchorages.
50 miles away is Key West and we got there early enough to clean the boat up and do some laundry before doing the typical Key West stuff, drink beer, shopping, drink beer, watch the crazies, drink beer – you get the idea. 3 days and 4 nights of this and I’d had enough, time to move on.
We started our cruise from our home port in Bradenton, Fl just south of Tampa on Memorial Day. Our first maintenance issues occurred this morning when taking a shower I noticed the shower was not draining. 2 hours later it was fixed having to replace the ground wire to the pump.
Initially we followed the ICW south to Ft. Myers then the coast to Marco Island, out in the FL straights to the middle Keys then to Key West.
Our first stop a short 18 miles away was at our favorite local anchorage on the north end of longboat key. One night there then on to Otter Key near Sarasota to visit St. Armands Circle. Cape Haze was next which is a circular cutout in the ICW surrounded by homes. A short dinghy ride got us resupplied with groceries and outboard engine oil and fuel. From there to our all time favorite anchorage on the west coast of FL-Pelican Bay. A couple of T storms came through in the late afternoon. We let the dog play on the beach while the Admiral hunted for shells. I drank beer. At 0100 I was awoken by the constant running fresh water pump. Of course what other time of day would this happen. Turning off the CB until morning I found a leak in a hose that was plugged leading to our removed ice maker. Easy fix.
Then on to Tween Waters on Captiva Island for a 2 night stay stopping at the celebrated Cabbage Key for lunch. After refueling at the most expensive fuel stop so far we cruised to the Ft. Myers Beach mooring field with rain most of the way. Checked in and enjoyed an evening of gentile rain and reading books. We spent two nights on Ft Myers beach eating ice cream and shopping. Took a trolley to a hardware store for some needed supplies.
Our next leg was in the open gulf a 36 mile leg to Smokehouse bay on Marco Island. Our auto pilot failed on this leg but we were able to get a replacement from a very helpful electronics store owner in the Marco area. It took me about 2 hours to install and we were on our way to Indian Key in the thousand island area of the FL straights. This is a very isolated area with limited cell phone coverage and many bugs. One night was enough.
The next leg our longest, got us to Fat Deer Key off of Marathon. For those not familiar with the Keys you may be surprised to hear there are very few beaches in the Keys and thus we had a very difficult time finding a spot to let our dog do her business. Finding a place to allow the dog access is the first order of business when researching anchorages.
50 miles away is Key West and we got there early enough to clean the boat up and do some laundry before doing the typical Key West stuff, drink beer, shopping, drink beer, watch the crazies, drink beer – you get the idea. 3 days and 4 nights of this and I’d had enough, time to move on.
Attachments
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Rosie at Moores 5-26-2014 4-10-30 PM.JPG160.9 KB · Views: 157
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Passing Sarasota 5-27-2014 11-57-46 AM.JPG130.2 KB · Views: 147
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Tstorm at Pelican Bay 5-30-2014 6-47-13 PM.JPG121.3 KB · Views: 148
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Pelican Bay Sunrise 5-30-2014 6-04-34 AM.JPG133.6 KB · Views: 160
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Ft. Myers Bch 6-3-2014 7-22-12 PM.JPG127.9 KB · Views: 149
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Elplanada Marina 6-6-2014 6-14-01 PM 6-6-2014 6-14-01 PM.JPG145.2 KB · Views: 153
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Sunset at Indian Key 6-8-2014 6-14-59 AM.JPG149.2 KB · Views: 146
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Rusty on Deck at Fat Deer Key 6-8-2014 7-21-41 PM.JPG129.6 KB · Views: 154
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Tim & Debbie Hard Rock, KeyWest 6-11-2014 12-49-42 PM.JPG176.7 KB · Views: 138
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KeyWest Lighthouse 6-11-2014 1-44-13 PM.JPG157.2 KB · Views: 146
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