January 29-31, 2015 - Ft. Myers Beach to Saddlebunch Harbor

We left Ft. Myers Beach around 6:55 Thursday morning.  We traveled outside in the Gulf for three days heading for Key West.  The ride was a little choppy at first on Thursday but got smoother as we went.  We followed Attitude Changer to Panther Key where we anchored for the night.  We tucked back between several small islands.  It was very peaceful with a beautiful view.   Friday morning we left Panther Key around 6:55 am and arrived at Little Shark River around 1:30.  It was a beautiful run down to Little Shark River, although we dodged a lot of crab pots along the way.  The water was calm and beautiful.  After we anchored, we got the dinghy down and took a ride to visit the other boats who were also anchored out around us.  Jack and Ross tried their hand at fishing – but to no avail.  We left Little Shark River at 6:50 am Saturday. There were approximately 12 boats anchored in Little Shark River and most left when we did.  Serenity and Onward were with us until we hit Marathon.   The ride that day was pretty choppy with LOTS of crab pots to watch for.  We anchored in Saddlebunch Harbor for the night.



View from Panther Key



Anchored out in Panther Key with Attitude Changer

Leaving Panther Key



Fishing from the dinghy in Little Shark River

Little Shark River

Leaving Little Shark River

Following Attitude Changer

Approaching Seven Mile Bridge

January 25-28, 2015 - Ft. Myers Beach

We left Venice (finally) around 6:55 a.m. on Sunday.  We arrived at Ft. Myers Beach around 1:30.  We fueled and tied up to our dock. The marina has a very nice boater’s lounge and laundry facility.   I immediately started doing laundry while we waited for Barb and Ross (Attitude Changer) to arrive. We’ll be hanging out with Barb and Ross until the end of February.   Ft. Myers Beach is a typical tourist town with lots of restaurants and souvenir shops.  The town has a trolley that runs the length of the island.  We bought a three day pass and made a scenic trip around the town.  We’ve done a lot of walking around the town and made a few trips to Publix.  We docked behind Tom and Linda (Q’s End).  Turns out they recognized the boat because they had traveled with Mark and Susan in 2010!  We ran into Linda and Larry (again) (Lila Blue).  We also met  Rob (Onward) and we found out he had just crossed his wake.  We pulled out a bottle of champagne and had a little celebration with Barb, Ross, Larry and Linda.  It was fun to be able to celebrate with him and he really appreciated it.  Average Looper and Navigator dropped by later Wednesday night for docktails.  We had met them at the rendezvous and Barb and Ross had traveled with them. 

Leaving Venice

 

View along the Florida coast

Linda and Tom (showing their blog with pictures of Mark)

Captain's meeting

First trip to Publix

Big M Casino Boat (we're the little boat with the orange balls on the front)

Ft. Myers Beach

Celebration with Rob (Linda, Barb, Ross, Larry, Rob)

January 21-24, 2015 - Venice

We left Longboat Key around 7:30 am. Wednesday.  Unfortunately, we were only about two hours into the day when we lost oil pressure in the port engine.  We found a marina a few miles away and pulled into Fisherman’s Wharf in Venice for some repairs.  The repairman was pretty quick in coming over and diagnosing the problem – a water pump leak that was spewing water over the engine room.   Parts were ordered (and re-ordered).  Four days later, we were fixed and ready to go. In the meantime, we made the most of our stay here.  The weather was beautiful – sunny skies and calm water (at least for two days).  The town is very busy -  people, boats and bicycles everywhere.  We took walks across the bridge to Publix and a hardware store (around 5.5 total miles).  Thursday afternoon we went for a nice dinghy ride.   Friday we walked back over the bridge to downtown Venice for breakfast and a little shopping.  The downtown area is very quaint with sidewalk restaurants, boutiques and souvenir shops.  Friday morning a front blew in with gusting winds. The shorts and flip flops went back into the drawer and the long pants and jackets came out again. About mid-afternoon we looked out and saw Linda and Larry (Lila Blue) coming down the channel to our marina (this is the third time we have met up with them).  They were anxious to get out of the wind and we helped them with their lines.  We had an enjoyable dinner with them on the back deck Friday night.  I tried a recipe from Pioneer Woman and Jack is still raving about it.  Saturday, after the repairs were completed, we took another walk, had happy hour aboard the Lila Blue, and then settled in for the night. 

The houses are getting bigger

Wildlife refuge

Lunch at Marker 4, Fisherman's Wharf

Popeye also having lunch

A trip to Publix

Lunch with a view

Downtown Venice

Linda and Larry, Lila Blue

January 20, 2015 Dunedin to Longboat Key

We left Dunedin about 7:30 this morning.  Sunny Florida really lived up to its reputation today - beautiful water, sunny skies, big houses and BIG boats.  We saw some really beautiful homes on our trip down.  Our plan was to anchor out for the night, but we had to go to plan B.  We blew a fuse in our water pump so we had to go into Longboat Key Marina to get a new fuse.  The marina was a nice resort facility complete with heated pool and hot tub.  After a visit to the hot tub and pool, we had dinner on the back deck and settled in for the night.

Beautiful homes

The crew relaxing



Our slip for the night

January 19, 2015 - Dunedin

Today was a recovery day.  Lots of sleep followed by some housekeeping chores and repairs. Marker 1 Marina is very nice with good facilities and is close to shopping and restaurants. We took a nice walk down the street for lunch.  After lunch we went for a 12 mile dinghy ride around Honeymoon Island  and the bayside of Dunedin to the downtown area.  It was a beautiful day.  I then took a 3.5 mile walk with Linda (Lila Blue) across a bridge to Honeymoon Island.  It felt good to get some exercise.  We then had a very enjoyable fish and chips dinner with Linda and Larry.

Getting the dinghy ready

Dunedin from the water

January 17-18, 2015 - The Crossing (Carrabelle to Dunedin)

We spent the morning in Carrabelle walking around the town.  We walked by the Carrabelle Police Station (the world’s smallest police station – a phone booth) and stopped at the local grocery store for their famous fried chicken.  We got the boat (and ourselves) ready for the big “crossing” – Carrabelle to Dunedin.  We left about 2:00 pm Saturday and arrived in Dunedin at 10:00 am Sunday morning.  Most of the crossing was after dark and out of sight of land.  It was both exciting and scary. The sunset and stars were beautiful.   It was a real adventure.  We took two hour shifts of sitting at the helm and sleeping.  We kept the radar on to watch for other vessels or any structures that might be in the Gulf.  The weather was perfect and the waters fairly calm.  Of course, once again we had dolphins jumping and splashing by the boat on the way into Dunedin.  By the time we got close to the entrance to Dunedin, we caught up with Linda and Larry (Lila Blue) and followed them since they had done this before.  They travel slower than we do and left Carrabelle earlier Saturday morning.  We both arrived at the marina about the same time.  Once we were securely tied at the dock, we all went to breakfast and then back to sleep and recuperate from the all-nighter.  We spent the rest of the day cleaning inside and outside.

Carrabelle Police Station

The chart showing our route across the Gulf

Beautiful sunset over the water

Beautiful sunrise after a long night

Our friends put on a show for us

Nearly Perfect taken by Lila Blue

Following Lila Blue into Dunedin

January 16, 2015 - Apalachicola to Carrabelle

We left Apalachicola around 8:00 this morning.  The weather had greatly improved and we had a beautiful sunrise.  The trip to Carrabelle only took 3-1/2 hours.  The weather today was clear and sunny and we had a very pleasant trip over.  After a stop at the fuel dock, we tied up in our slip for the night.  Three other boats came in after us.  We are all doing the famous “crossing” tomorrow (from Carrabelle to Dunedin).  The only difference between them and us is that it will take them about 7 hours to cross; it will take us 16 hours.  We walked down the street to dinner and talked to a few people doing the crossing tomorrow. 

Sunrise over Apalachicola

Preparing to leave

Leaving Apalachicola

Leaving Apalachicola

January 15, 2015 - Panama City to Apalachicola

We pulled up the anchor around 6:45 am and took off.  It was a little cold and cloudy when we started.  Our route today took us along some narrow, winding rivers.  We saw a little industry and a few houses, but mostly nature at its best.  We ended up traveling most of the day in the rain.  However, the rain didn’t stop our friends the dolphins from putting on a show for us several times again today.  At one time we had 3-5 dolphins on each side of the boat jumping and splashing.  We will never get tired of them.  We tied up at the Apalachicola Marina around 2:45 and immediately took off to get some Apalachicola oysters (at least Jack did; I had shrimp).  After a little cleaning of us and the boat, we met our neighbors Larry and Linda (Lila Blue) for docktails.  We then took the courtesy golf cart (with no lights; in the dark; in the rain) to get dinner which was very good.  Apalachicola is a cute little town but the rain kept us from doing much exploring,



Rainy view from the bridge

Our friends entertained us along the way

Apalachicola oysters

January 14, 2015 - Niceville to Panama City

We left Niceville around 7:40 am.  Of course, we couldn’t get underway without some issue.  Today it was the inverter.  Two men had worked on the boat for two days getting the inverter installed and working.  We thought everything was okay, but learned differently this morning.  Oh well, it just means we run with the generator until the Keys.  Other than that, it was a great day on the water.  It was a little cool and cloudy this morning but was sunny and a little warmer in the afternoon.  We passed under the Bay Bridge (which leads from Niceville to Destin) and soon after that we were in new waters.  Pretty soon we were across Choctawhatchee Bay and into what is known as the “Grand Canyon.”  It was a peaceful, beautiful run with a lot of trees and sand bluffs all along the way. Our favorite part of the day is lunch served on the bridge.  Food always tastes better on the bridge!  We never got tired of all the dolphins we saw along the way.  Several times there were 2-3 of them jumping and splashing right next to the boat.  We dropped the anchor around 2:15 at Panama City (right on the flight path of Tindall Air Force Base).  All in all, it was a great day 



The Bay Bridge

The "Grand Canyon"

Our view from the bridge

January 13, 2015 - Retirement Day

After spending the weekend in Niceville and working on Monday, Jack’s official retirement day was here!!  After his last conference call Tuesday morning, we took his computer, phone and other company items to Fed Ex for shipping back to Houston. Later that afternoon, we had a champagne celebration on the back of the boat with Linda, Jim, Chris, Melissa and Lillian St. John (his sister and her family).  We then moved the party to Linda’s where we dined on pizza and continued the celebration.  What this really means is (1) we get no more paychecks and (2) we can travel during the week instead of just on the weekends!  Let the retirement life begin!!

One last staff meeting

At Fed Ex mailing company supplies back to Houston

Retirement celebration with Lillian, Missy, Chris, Linda and Jim

January 9-10, 2015 - The Beginning: Dog River to Niceville

After years of talking and planning, we officially started our Great Loop adventure!  With pure excitement, we left Dog River Friday morning and will return to Dog River approximately 10 months and 6,000 miles from now.  Our first day wasn't without some trials and tribulations though.  We had no steering as we were leaving the marina and had to use the autopilot to get us out into Mobile Bay.  After a phone call to Mark (the previous owner) for trouble shooting, we found the problem (a leak in the hydraulic pump).  After a quick stop at Lulu's, we were able to fix the problem and get underway again - with steering.  Friday was cold, cloudy and fairly rough crossing Mobile Bay.  We anchored out Friday night at Ft. McCree Cove, Pensacola.  We were on the flight path for the Naval Air Station and had several planes flying overhead.  The only problem Friday night - it was too cold to sit on the back deck and enjoy the peace and quiet.  Saturday morning was still cold but nice and sunny, and we were up and underway early.  Lunch tasted great on the bridge as we passed the beautiful water and white sands of Florida.  We had a good ride into Bluewater Bay Marina, Niceville, where we will stay until Tuesday.

We have officially started!!

Goodbye Dog River Marina

Marker where we will cross our wake

Beautiful white sand dunes along the way

Our first sunrise on the Loop

More pretty water and white sand

Bluewater Bay Marina, Niceville