M/V Nearly Perfect: January 2018

After our great Christmas, we left Ft. Myers (for only a week) and headed to Cayo Costa (again) to stake out our spot for our New Year's Eve raft-up. We spent Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday and Thursday cleaning, relaxing, and doing some chores around the boat. Around 3:30 Thursday, Summertime and Linda Jean showed up for our raft-up party. As we were sitting down for our docktails that evening, a Looper couple came by in their dinghy and were quickly invited it. They were Ed and Sue (Angel Louise) and they were getting ready to cross their wake at Stuart.

Friday Wally and Darcy and us headed over to Cabbage Key for lunch. Cabbage Key is a unique 100 acre island complete with restaurant, inn, cottages, and walking trails. The only way to the island is by boat. There are no roads or cars. The bar and restaurant are filled with signed $1 hanging all over the walls and ceiling. The real draw to the restaurant is that it is said that Jimmy Buffet's visits inspired the song "Cheeseburger in Paradise." And the cheeseburger was delicious. Several large gopher turtles (with names) also inhabit the island. All in all a very pleasant visit. We then met Tricia and Rob at an area known as the "tunnel of love" which is a small (very shallow) stream heading through the mangrove trees. When the water became too shallow for the dinghies, the girls (don't know how that happened) got out and pulled the boys further into the mangroves. While the guys stayed on the dinghies, the girls walked a little further in the shallow water, climbed a small hill, and walked across to the Gulf. It was a very fun day with lots of laughs. On our way back to the boat, we approached another trawler with a Looper flag - Dreamweaver - and invited Craig and Peg over for docktails, which they gladly accepted. They are "wannabe" Loopers and had lots of questions for us.

We packed a lunch and headed out again on Saturday in our dinghies, this time to a little area known to have some manatees and we were able to spot a few. We then headed into Cayo Costa State Park to walk along the beach, collect shells, and eat our sandwiches. It was a beautiful day, although it was a little cloudy and cool. Craig and Peg came over again for docktails but were leaving the next day so they wouldn't be around for our New Year's Eve party.

We spent Sunday just laying around the boat. Jack fixed chili for our New Year's Eve dinner and we shared a champagne toast to the New Year (around 8:30). I think Darcy accidentally woke up around midnight and watched some fireworks from a nearby town. We had a great time during our four day raft-up. It was great to end the year with good friends.

As we look back on our adventures this year, we are amazed at the places we visited, the new people we met, and old friends we ran into again. We left Niceville on January 1, traveled as far north as Philadephia, spent a lot of time traveling back and forth and up and down the beautiful Chesapeake Bay, and spent some time traveling with our good friends George and Mary Jane. Our stats for the year: total miles traveled - 5,305; total separate trips - 148; total memories - TOO NUMEROUS TO MENTION!!!!! It was a fantastic year!

We will now head back to Fort Myers for January and February and then back to Bluewater Bay in Niceville for the summer (to get our poor car and jet skis out of storage) and spend time with our family.

First you relax --

then you clean

Wally and Darcy coming into to raft up

Our raft up party is complete

Wally and Darcy lowering their dinghy

Docktails with Sue, Ed (Angel Louise), Darcy, Wally, Tricia, Rob and Jack

Entering the channel to Cabbage Key

Followed by Wally and Darcy

Some of the dollar bills attached to the walls and ceiling

This is the ceiling in part of the restaurant plus the columns
(it is estimated that there are $70,000 one dollar bills; about $10,000
fall off each year and are donated to a charity)