Vanderhoefs Visit to Marathon

Capt Jack Sparrow and "Nauti Nell"

Famous Sloppy Joe's Bar

Inside Capt Tony's Saloon - the original Sloppy Joe's

Partying down at Sloppy Joe's



Where's my drum set?!!?



Okay, was bicycling just too tough?



Art?

Now, this is art!



Just another typical sight in Key West



Sunset from Mallory Square



Here, I'll hold up this tree while you girls shop......



Great band at Sloppy Joe's


Our friends from home, Mike and Doots, got here about 4:00 p.m. Thursday afternoon. It was so great to see them. We haven't had a chance to visit with them for a very long time. We sat around and visited until it was time for the sunset. We then walked over to Burdines for a good view and hopefully some good food. It turned out that we had the same server that Mike and I had had the other night. Still not a happy camper! Maybe that's just her personality….. too bad! Anyway, we had a great visit.

Doots and I went shopping Friday morning. She was in need of some summer clothes. After all, it's cold back in Missouri! While we shopped the boys went exploring in the dinghy. They had lunch at Dockside and saw a huge manatee back in the canal. We walked to Castaways for dinner. There was a great musician there – Danny Sullivan. If you are anywhere in this area – check him out. He plays several places here on Marathon. We had a great time!

We decided to go to Key West on Saturday by car. We had a blast seeing all the sights! We ate lunch at Hog's Breath and of course, did some shopping….. We took a break at Sloppy Joes. There was a great band playing. One guy seemed to be playing what looked like an amplified box. I guess he couldn't afford a drum set?? Anyway, it was pretty cool. He also had tambourines fastened to the bottom of both his shoes. Now that's a "Mr. Tambourine Man" – for you! HA! Anyway you could really hear this box thing.

We made the sunset at Mallory Square along with all the other crazies. Captain Jack Sparrow was even there! My alter ego (NautiNell) even managed to get her picture with him! It was a great sunset – next time I'll check our camera battery though. Wouldn't you know it – our camera died right before sunset! Thank goodness for our cell phones!

We made it back to Marathon for dinner at Salty's. I think we were more tired than hungry. When we got back to the boat everyone crashed! What a full day!!

We hung out pretty much on Sunday. We had planned to take a boat ride but a storm front came through during the night and it was really windy all day. There was a small craft warning out so we didn't see any reason to push it. We bought some fresh shrimp and oysters right off the boats. Now that's fresh! The boys made shrimp kabobs while having a few cocktails on the sundeck. Now shucking the oysters turned out to be a rather painful experience. I'm not sure how many injuries there were between the two Mikes. We couldn't find our oyster shucker so they were using all types of utensils. Finally they found that the screwdriver worked best. Before long we were able to enjoy a huge plateful of raw oysters along with the grilled shrimp kabobs! What a great meal! We topped it off by walking down to Castaway's for margaritas and key lime pie. We toasted a great visit!

Our good friends left Monday morning. They are headed back to Missouri at a snail's pace. Mikie said that he didn't want to get home before the weekend. It's hard to leave the Keys! Especially when you've caught the Keys Disease! We had such a great visit!. Can't wait until they return! We'll be looking for you guys in the Bahamas!

Till next time!

Admiral "C"

Marathon - on Vaca Key

Sunset in Marathon on Boot Key Harbor

Beautiful sunset while on a mooring ball



Marathon sunset



Do you hear the conchs?



Captain Jack

Anyone seen my bicycle??



 We got to Marathon on Vaca Key on Saturday afternoon and found a nice home on a mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor. We plan to stay here for a week while looking for a slip. Everything is pretty full now until March 1. Over 225 mooring balls here – quite a little community! When we got here there was an auction going on for "Relay for Life". We just weren't able to get docked and over to it before the good stuff was all gone – much to Capt. Chappy's dismay! From morning to night there are dinghies buzzing all around heading to shore or back to their boats. Busy Busy! Also, every morning at 9:00 on Channel 68 on VHF there is Cruisers Net. Everyone gets on and discusses problems and solutions – all goings on - things for sale, buy or giveaway. It's pretty interesting listening.

We took a dinghy ride to Burdines Marina for dinner – food good – server not so good. She just wasn't a happy camper – and I thought everyone was happy here in the Keys. Even Mike couldn't get here to warm up. Oh well….. Hope she had a better tomorrow. Coming back in the dark was fun. All the boats' anchor lights on and the stars in the sky – wow – what a view!

On Sunday we hung out on the boat most of the day. Mike went over to visit with At Last. They had pulled in just behind us on Saturday. We did take a dinghy ride around the boats to see if we knew anyone. We were doing a "Looper search"! It is so cool here at sunset. As the sun hits the water you hear several boaters blowing their conch shells and even a guy on a little bitty sailboat named "Dragon" plays the bagpipes. That's at every sunset!

Monday morning we decided to take NautiNell over to the docks so we could unload our bikes. We thought about trying to put them in the dinghy to take them over but decided against it. Someone was probably going to end up in the water – and I didn't want it to be me. Ha! It turned out to be pretty easy after all moving NautiNell back and forth – and a lot less trouble!

We rode out bikes up and down US 1 and had brunch at Cracked Conch Café – they serve breakfast there till 4 pm. Yea! I finally got to have breakfast out! Mike had his first conch burger on this trip. They were pounding out the conch in the back – it sounded like a full blown construction crew back there! Oh, and at tonight's sunset someone played taps on their trumpet. How cool!

Tuesday I woke up with a full blown cold and slept most of the day. Mike went fishing in the morning. We made a lot of calls to marinas but most of them wouldn't have anything until after March 1. We did find a pretty good deal at the Coral Bay Marina in Islamorada. The owners at Carrabelle had told us to give them a call when we got here so we did. It looks like we'll probably head there Friday morning. We want to find a marina and get settled in before our company arrives. We have friends (Mike and Doots) coming from home. It's so good to have company from home!

Wednesday morning Mike went fishing – again. I then spent some time doing laundry. I met Mary and Bill of Southern Vectis at the laundry. They have a sailboat moored just a few down from us – a really nice couple from Toronto. We met them for late lunch at the Key Fisheries. We also met Captain Jack. He's quite a colorful fellow who lives on his sailboat here at the marina. I think he said that he's lived here for over 15 years. He's in his nineties! I'm sure he has lots of stories to tell. He does some "painting" so I had to buy a coffee mug he painted. Shrewd ol' man, he is!

Every Wednesday evening at 5:30 there is a "meet 'n greet" at the marina. Everyone brings munchies and their drinks. We ran into Gemini there. We hadn't seen them for a long time. They had come by and stayed a night at Marker 4 in Venice while I was in Dallas. Gemini is staying here for a while then they are moving on to Islamorada also. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon. Southern Vectis is leaving for Key West in the morning. Wish we had met them sooner!

Tonight I heard a quote that pretty much sums up our lives now –
"We're doing with less and enjoying it more"
I like that.  

On Thursday we decided that we would go ahead and move to a marina. Mike and Doots would be showing up here a little earlier than we expected and we were ready to get a slip anyway. We found one at Poncho's Fuel Dock. Nothing fancy but the location is good and the rates are fair. We pulled in to only find that they had made a mistake and there wasn't a slip here until tomorrow. We tied up to the fuel dock where we could stay the night. Later they decided that we could move over a bit to a slip that would be open until Saturday - by then our original slip would be available. It turned out fine  –  the view was great - we could see all the boats coming in and out of Boot Key Harbor.

Our friends, Mike and Doots showed up Thursday afternoon – perfect timing!

Till next time!

Admiral "C"

On to Marco Island and Marathon

Great sunset at Little Shark River

Key West Express on it's way................



Anchored along the Everglades on Little Shark River



Didn't see any gators!






Turned out to be a peaceful anchorage

 








Marco Island coastline



One of the great beaches on Marco Island



Key West Express waiting to be boarded












Well on Monday – February 13, we didn't leave Ft Myers as planned - Why you ask? We just didn't want to. J We just hung out around the boat – took a dinghy ride – and ended up back at Bonita Bills for Happy Hour. Surprised? In fact there was a jam session going on there with local musicians - some staying on their boats. They played mostly Blues - so Mike was in heaven. In fact, he was determined to get up on stage and play his bongos. Yes remember, he brought quite a selection of percussion instruments on this trip. I was able to convince him that these guys were professional musicians and perhaps he needed to practice a little more. That seemed to suffice for now….. LOL! Till next time...... J

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! After saying our goodbyes we finally left our spot at Bonita Bills on Tuesday and headed on to Marco Island. Of course it wasn't too early in the day – we had a late night last night! The Gulf was a little bouncy but not too bad. It was beautiful water – dolphins were playing and we even saw a sea turtle. We were told that we should be seeing several big turtles as we venture south because several were relocated here due to the BP oil spill. We made it to a wonderful anchorage at Marco Island just before sunset. We planned to go to the Island in the morning.

What a quiet peaceful anchorage – no creaking of docks and no bar music (noise). HA! We decided that we would move to the Roses Marco River Marina close by so we could unload our bikes and see the island. What a great marina! Only $1.60 a foot with a major ship store and close to everything. We rode all over the Island – and made it to West Marine (of course, Mike has to stop there like I have to shop!) We made it to Publix and several other stops. Dolphin Tiki Bar was our choice for dinner. It was really good food and great scenery.

We were in a slip next to three guys in a sailboat. One of the guys recently got the boat from his dad's estate. He hopes to become certified to teach sailing. The other two (maybe 22 yrs. old?) came with him as his crew. They had no experience sailing. It seems that they all are having a ball! Good luck to them!

Also the Key West Express comes in and out of this Marina. It's a huge boat that goes from here to Key West every day. For about $140 r/t you can take a ride to Key West and return whatever day you decide to. Her sister ship does the same out of Ft Myers. That's a great deal! We couldn't take NautiNell there for that! We would sit on our sundeck in the morning and watch the people heading to the boat and looking forward to a fun filled time in Key West. Then in the evening we would watch the crowd disembark and head back to their cars or condos looking rather tired and broke. Ha! Everyone we asked said it was well worth their time and money.

The Looper boat - At Last came in and another Gold Looper – Serendipity. Serendipity was working their way up north and had just come from Shark River where we are heading. They had great current information! John of At Last is heading our way so we'll have a buddy boat while we're out in the Gulf. Always a good idea!

Mike did some fishing – and I did some shopping while we were at Marco Island. He caught several good sized Sheephead. As usual, we hated to leave this area. However, the weather window was narrowing so we decided that we needed to go. We would leave early Friday morning and anchor in Little Shark River and then make it to Marathon on Saturday. We'll see! We will be out in the Gulf at least 4-5 miles out because that's where the water is. It's really shallow near shore.

Friday morning we were off like a herd of turtles! At Last leading the way. The Gulf was unbelievable! We've seen rougher water on Table Rock Lake back home! It was like glass – and the sun was shining bright. Again dolphins were there to entertain us. It would have been perfect if there weren't so many crab traps to avoid. BUT we didn't get into any of them. Yea!!

It was about an eight hour day before we finally reached Little Shark River. I think we all were a little apprehensive about the river anchorage. It's at the beginning of the everglades and we had been warned about all the bugs. Again – we worried about nothing. There were several boats there already and it was a very nice spot. The no-see-ums came out but not really bad. Nothing a little insect spray and good screens couldn't take care of! We hoped to see alligators. More than once we would here a big splash and get out the spotlights but they never did show themselves. We had a very peaceful evening.

We were up early again on Saturday because we had another rather long day ahead. Again the Gulf was quite nice to us. We couldn't have asked for a better boating day. We were ready to pinch ourselves to be sure it was real! Finally as we got closer to Marathon the water became so clear that Mike about went into a panic! You could see the bottom! However we were still in plenty of water – it still is rather unnerving at first. About 2:00 p.m. we arrived to our destination – a mooring ball in Marathon on Vaca Key. We are going to stay on the mooring ball a few days while we figure where we're going to next. Most of the marinas are full until March – but many boaters leave daily so we were told to keep trying.
No big deal! We are in the Keys!

Again, we ask ourselves – can you believe we're doing this!

Our adventure in the Florida Keys is now beginning! Stay tuned!

Till next time!

Admiral "C"

Captiva Island and Ft Myers Beach

A walk along Captiva Island

Tween the Waters Marina

One of the "homes" on Captiva Island

Colorful fencing on Captiva

I just love "Florida Colors"!

Sanibel Lighthouse

Pirate Ship at Ft Myers!

Me, Nervous Nellie?  I don't think so!!



Bonita Bill's - notice the sign?
40 Beer Limit!  Hmmm!



Ft Myers Beach - wonderful day!

Having a good time at Bonita Bills!

This guy played a mean sax!

Band on the beach

Chillin' on the beach

On Monday (2/6/12) we left Pelican Bay for Captiva Island. We ran into a rain storm but it wasn't too bad. I guess it does need to rain every now and then in Florida. How else would the palm trees stay so green………… Anyway we dropped a hook just out from 'Tween Waters Marina which is between Buck Key and Roosevelt Channel. Just as we did – the sun came out! This is a really pretty area. However, with all the condos and the attitudes it appears to be rather pretentious. We knew going in from reading the waterway guides that none of the "resorts" would allow anyone on anchor to dock your dinghy on their property. I guess they don't want our kind (cheap) to shop at any or eat at any of their facilities. One of the guidebooks said that a smaller marina called McCarthy's would allow us to use their dock so we could walk to get provisions. Well, they failed to mention that the marina charges $15.00 if we want to tie up our dinghy anywhere on their marina! No matter – how long - $15.00! That's almost $2.00 a foot! LOL!

Of course Captain Chappy had to find a better way. He talked to "Captain Dennis" a local for about 30 years now – he owns several "old boats" out on anchor here. He told us to go to the Green Flash Restaurant and have a drink at the bar. He was sure that they wouldn't mind if we left our dinghy there while we walked a few blocks into town. He was right. We visited with Andrea and then walked to the Island Grocery. The only grocery/liquor store on the island. Captiva Island is beautiful. The homes and the condos are over the top and also very private. We were told that there are several celebrities that have places here. Not sure if that's true – but it's definitely believable! Before too long, we were back in our dinghy and headed back to NautiNell. Home sweet home!

Tuesday morning we left our quiet anchorage to head for Ft Myers. It was a beautiful day and an easy one at sea. It wasn't a very long trip – only about 15 miles. We are staying on a mooring ball in the Ft Myers Mooring Field of about 70 balls. They are managed by the Matanzas Resort so all the amenities such as dinghy dockage, laundry, showers and pump outs are included. The rate is only $13.00 per night! Of course, we have to run the generator but it's still a really good deal! Of course the mooring ball that we were told to go to was missing the float that is usually attached for you to grab on to. Being newbies to this – we didn't know – so we kept trying. Finally a fellow boater in a dinghy came to our rescue and helped us catch it. We hung out for a while then decided to check out Happy Hour somewhere and maybe have some dinner. Off to shore in our little "Blue Racer" we went. We checked out several places - Upstairs Lounge (definitely going back there for their pizza) - Nervous Nellies (I had to buy a shirt!) - Ugly's - and Bonita Bills. We ended up having dinner at Bonita Bills and it was Karaoke night!

Now we thought this would be something to laugh at – but you know - the people there could really sing for the most part! The crowd was definitely a senior citizen bunch and a lot of them brought their own cds for the guy to play. What a hoot! Charlie Rich and Patsy Cline – now we know where the old singers have gone – Bonita Bills, Ft Myers. LOL! We finally had to leave and dinghy back to the boat – our lights were not working well (or at all). It was dark and we were wearing sunglasses…….. (and we're not even near Chicago) What a great day!

Wednesday we woke up to another beautiful day. We went to the beach area and found that there are several bars and shops there to check out. We hung out on the beach for a while and had lunch at Smokin' Oyster Brewery or what is locally called S.O.B. This was a really neat place with a great sense of humor in decorating. Mike had what was called Cajun Style Hog Wings – turns out they were smoked pork flanks. Didn't think pigs had wings…… Oh, and I also managed to do a couple of loads of laundry while we had lunch. Glory Days is also here on a mooring ball. We'll probably have Happy Hour with them later.

There's a big Casino Boat here that I would love to check out. They take you out on the Gulf for a cruise that lasts about six hours. There is an all you can eat buffet and all the gambling you would want – even crap tables! Doubt is we make it though – Mike being such a gambler an all. HA!

Thursday started out a little cloudy but that didn't last long.   It was JAPDIP!!!   I finally had to say it!    JUST ANOTHER PERFECT DAY IN PARADISE!!  We saw that on a sign years ago and loved it! It simply says it all!

We went to the beach and spent the entire day. It was a great day spent watching the people, the birds and the water. Oh, and we saw Jim and Brenda (DreamCatcher)! We hadn't seen them for months. They crossed their wake in Grafton IL and went back to their home in Iowa. They are staying here in a condo for a couple of months. What a small world! It was really nice catching up with them.

Later, we decided to go to the grocery story. Now Mike had read on the Active Captain that there was a dinghy dock for the Topps Supermarket here. So off we went down this narrow canal to find it. Well, there is a place to pull up to with you dinghy there – not what you would call a dock. In fact, I would call it a mud flat (and that's being nice). We did meet a young man there that we think was maybe living there for a while. And a lady there that was sitting and waiting for her boyfriend to return. She seemed a little distressed but she was sitting there where he had tied up his dink. She knew he would be back for that. Hmmm…..! While we were talking to them, raccoons were climbing the trees all around us. It was the craziest thing! They didn't seem to care that any of us were there. We made a very short trip to the store and were back to the dinghy in no time. It was starting to get dark – again! At least we didn't have far to go.

Friday morning we went to the Farmers Market that is held here weekly. There was an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables to choose from. And of course, good bakery items as well. We ended up hanging out on the boat. Mike took a dinghy exploration ride and I soaked up some rays.

Our plan is to stay on a mooring ball through Saturday and on Sunday we are moving NautiNell over to Dock Fords. Dock Fords is a restaurant/bar that has some slips available. We need to fill our water tank and hook up to electric for a while. We did have the option of staying on the mooring ball but in order to get water, we would have to get it at Matanzas Resort and it would cost us an additional $50.00! Not sure what that's all about - but if we're going to pay someone then let's get a slip where the water is included along with electric?? The slip costs us $52.00! Duh!

Okay, back up – change of plans…… We went over to Bonita Bills for Happy Hour Friday night and found a Gold Looper who is more or less a local here. They (Knot Tide Down) are staying at Bill's for a few months and come down here often. They talked to Smitty (the owner) and he is letting us stay here for a couple of days. How cool is that! We have electric and water! Perfect!!

We moved over to Bonita Bills Saturday morning. It's a good thing too, because the weather is supposed to get cool this evening. Now that we have electric we will be able to run the heater earlier. Of course, by cool I mean in the low 40s. Okay not freezing but pretty cool! Okay? We spent Happy Hour and more with Glory Days, Gold Leaf and 30 Below. What a fun time! After all, the Happy Hour special is pitchers of beer for $5.00! You should have seen the number of pitchers piled up on our table! LOL! Peppermint Patty was playing and they filled beer cans with pennies to use as "noisemakers"! It was hilarious!

Sunday morning was very windy and cold. We spent the day just hanging out on the boat until later in the afternoon. The sun eventually came out and the wind finally did lie down. We headed up to the bar again….. This time Two Hands was playing – a guy with his guitar – really good! He sounded like he may have been an Aussie – couldn't tell for sure. Anyway, it was time for a cheeseburger and a pitcher of beer. We saw the guys from 30 Below again and the dance floor was absolutely packed the entire time.

It looks like the weather is going to be good so we plan to leave in the morning. It has been a great time here and I really like the beach and boardwalk. We'll be back!

Till next time!

Admiral "C"

Anchoring in Pelican Bay area

On February 1 - around 4:30 p.m. we finally pried ourselves away from our slip in Venice. Happy Hour and we're leaving????

But first before we could leave Mike had to do a little work on NautiNell – nothing big. SO while he worked I went to town and got a pedicure! I mean, what else has a girl to do? LOL!

When I got back we went to lunch with Jeff and Linda (Jeremiah) at a Tiki Bar on Spanish Point. What a neat place. Of course, it's right on the water and had a wonderful view. The food was great and so were the drinks. We had a great time visiting with them. They plan to head down toward Marathon Key in early March. We plan to hook up with them sometime, somehow.
We said our goodbyes. L We are really going to miss them.  They are a hoot!

Jeff and Mike
at Spanish Point

Linda and Twyla 
Saying our goodbyes!

Beautiful sunset at Pelican Bay

Another Sunset at Pelican Bay!

NautiNell standing proud in Pelican Bay

Cayo Costa State Park
Where's the beach?

Cabbage Key -
decorated by dollars
literally!



Cabbage Key



We made it!

 

I waited around but none of them ever fell off!

 

Mike chased the poor turtle tell he posed for the picture!

 

Coming in for dinner!



What a sunset on Pelican Bay!

 

Having a Cheeseburger in Paradise
with Gordon and Jeannie


As we passed under the Venice bridge, we realized that we were starting on our big adventure again. I might even have to be re-trained! LOL! Since we had such a late start, we only traveled about 15 miles. We dropped a hook near Englewood Beach. It turned out to be a very nice anchorage.

Thursday - It's Groundhog Day! On no, the groundhog saw his shadow! Six more weeks of winter! Gee, six more weeks of sunny skies and 70 degrees! How can we bear it?? Sorry to those at home in Joplin; but it's just not the same down here in sunny Florida. I've been told that here "Phillip the Groundhog" wears sunscreen and dark socks with sandals! He's a pretty happy guy!

This morning we finally talked to Jim and Dale (Sweet Pea). We haven't seen them since they left us in Venice to cross their wake in Stuart. I don't know if we succeeded, but we tried to talk them into meeting us in Marathon and crossing to the Abacos with us. Guys, if you are reading this – you have to meet us in the Keys!

We weighed anchor about 11:30 a.m. – at least a little earlier than yesterday. Glory Days met up with us. We traveled together until we spun off at Charlotte Harbour to go to Burnt Store Marina. We needed to get fuel – and they have the cheapest in the area. Also, the starboard engine was heating a little and Mike wanted to check it out. By the time we finished fueling it was getting close to Happy Hour. We weren't planning to miss another one! SO we decided to spend the evening. We sat out on the deck till it got a "little" cool. The bar up on the deck was having karaoke night. OMG! Someone named "Hollywood" just couldn't give it a rest! It was hilarious! At least from a distance!

Friday morning Mike worked on the engine. He thought it might be that the water flow was blocked. He must have been right; because once we got started we didn't have any more problems. Oh, and while he worked this time – I did a load of laundry. See it isn't all fun and games for me. HA! Every Friday there is a farmer's market here at Burnt Store. It was well worth the trip. Bought some tomatoes that made your mouth water! Yum!

There were no Loopers here at Burnt Store but we did meet some nice boaters on journeys of their own. One is an older sailboat (Crazy Lucy) – the couple is traveling with their 14 year old daughter whom they are homeschooling. Brave or Crazy? You be the judge! Another is a couple in a Mainship named Blue Heavens. I'm not sure where they are from. The boat is registered in Dallas; but they didn't sound like Texans!

We finally started the engines about 11:30 (again). We headed to Pelican Bay where we planned to spend the evening on anchor. It was only about 1 1/2 hours away. When we arrived we saw that Glory Days was still anchored here. We visited with them for a while and ended up having Happy Hour on their boat. They plan to leave in the morning to go to Punta Gorda. Since we hadn't had much time to check things out, we plan to stay a day or so more.

We are just a short dinghy ride to Caya Costa State Park. There is a tram there that will take you to the beach on the Gulf side. Or it's just about a mile walk. (Think I'll ride) Also, there is a ferry that will take you to Cabbage Key for lunch. We are not very far from there. For those of you who may not know – legend has it that Jimmy Buffett was inspired to write "Cheeseburger in Paradise" after a visit to Cabbage Key and consuming one of their cheeseburgers in this paradise-like setting. We've been there once about 15 years ago. It was a pretty neat place.

Blue Heavens pulled in later this evening. They are going to go on the ferry ride to Cabbage Key for lunch and invited us to go. Why not! It only costs $5.00 a person for the ride. We couldn't probably take NautiNell there for that! We meet the ferry at 10:30 a.m. and it will bring us back at 1:00. Pretty neat deal! To be continued……..

Also, when we got here earlier we saw a Gold Looper boat – Sootus At Sea. They are from Grove Oklahoma! Just about 45 minutes from our home in Joplin. In fact, long before we bought NautiNell when were still in the early planning stages, Bob and Kathy had us over to their home for dinner. They filled us in on their Great Loop adventure. What a small world! We visited with them for a while. They are headed back to Ft Myers and will be there till Tuesday. Hope we get to see them again along the waterways.

Saturday Mike was up early and went fishing. Seems to be having a hard time "catching" these past few days! Not giving up though!! Nope, not one bit!!

Right on time, we saw the ferry heading our way so we jumped in the dinghy and headed to the pier. Blue Heavens dinghy had a problem so we shuttled them over to the pier. We all made it just in time. We found out that it's only about a couple of miles away. In fact you can see Useppa Island from where we are anchored and Cabbage Key is just across from that. We could have easily ridden the dinghy ourselves! Oh well, we had a great time! We got to visit with Gordon and Jeannie. Gordon is from Toronto (I knew he didn't sound Texan!) and Jeannie is from Dallas. After having their boat on the hard for over a year here near Burnt Store, they are just setting out. They aren't doing the Loop but are heading south and on to the Dry Tortugas. They were a really nice couple. We plan to travel with them some of the way south. Anyway, we had a great lunch at Cabbage Key and a fun Ferry ride – and I, of course, had to have a piece of their Key Lime Pie! Yum!!

When we got back, Mike and I took a ride in the dinghy to check out the waters. There is a little bowl or lagoon that was really cool. It has a narrow entrance but opens up to a nice little pool. There were a lot of fish jumping all around us. The best thing though was the manatee! There were several all around. They would come up to the surface and just roll over like a big ol' dog. We were told that they would let you pet them, but we were never able to get close enough. There was an old dock where we could tie up the dinghy and Mike was just sure that the path would lead us to the beach on the other side of the island. WRONG! We walked the path alright - but did we ever get close to the beach area? I don't think so! HA! After walking miles and miles (maybe a slight exaggeration) he finally decided that maybe we should turn around and get back to the dinghy. I could just see the headlines now  - - Loopers Lost in Paradise Jungle!

On Sunday we took another dinghy ride around to the beach. Mike wanted to fish and I wanted to look for shells. It was sort of a cloudy day, but the water in the Gulf was like glass. Hard to believe! We spent time along the beach and watched the dolphins. They seem to know that they are entertaining us! How cool is that!

When we got back we sat on the sundeck and just admired the scenery. It's at these times – we sit and say to each other – CAN YOU BELIEVE WE'RE DOING THIS?! We know we are very lucky and we have learned to appreciate every minute we're on this trip.

We spent this evening watching the SuperBowl and then chasing this crazy noise that we haven't yet figured out. We would hear it in both the front and rear of the boat. A clicking sound of some type. We tore poor ol' NautiNell apart looking for it. We figured out that it wasn't electrical and it wasn't water running or LEAKING! Finally it stopped. Hopefully we will figure it out in the morning. That's life on a boat!!


Till next time!

Admiral "C"

P.S.  At time of this posting we still are in a quandry as to what was making the noise last night.  We finally decided (since we couldn't come up with anything else) that it was huge school of sheephead fish nibbling on the barnacles on NautiNell.  That's our story and we're sticking to it!   Haven't heard the noise since it quit last night.........  Any other ideas???