March 1 - 7, 2018 - Ft. Myers to Bluewater Bay

It was sad to leave all our friends, but it's time to go "home."  We started this incredible journey January 1, 2017.  We traveled up the east coast, into the Chesapeake Bay, and even up to Philadelphia.  Then we headed back to Ft. Myers for the months of January and February.   We have had a fantastic time, but we are ready to get back to Bluewater Bay Marina to settle down for a year.

We left March 1 to head to Cayo Costa for the first night.  Linda and David (Cooyon) were already anchored there so we had a fun night with them and their friends Jackie and Wendall.  On Friday, we headed to Sarasota to meet up with Wayne and Donadee.  We had a good visit with them and walked into town for a very good Mexican dinner.  The next stop was Gulfport where we anchored next to Larry and Cindy (Bucket List).  After meeting them in town for lunch, we relaxed (finally) on the boat the rest of the day.  Sunday we headed to Dunedin where we met up with Pat and Patrick (Sans Souci).  They, along with Bucket List, will all do the crossing together.

After a nice breakfast Monday morning, we all left the dock around 9:15 for our 17 hour trip across the Gulf.  However, shortly after leaving, our starboard engine stopped.  Since we had had this problem before, we decided not to chance the long overnight run, so we stopped at Tarpon Springs.  Luckily we were able to get a mechanic to the boat and he fixed the problem in less than a minute - just a lose wire.  After that, we were on our way.  The first part of the trip was great; the last part got a little windy and rough.  We anchored at Dog Island around 6:30 for a few hours and then headed to our favorite anchorage at Pearl Bayou, near Panama City.  After ten hours of sleep, we were ready for the final leg of our trip.  We pulled into Bluewater Bay around 3:30.  It was good to be home again.

It was sad to say goodbye to all our friends

We're on our way home

Goodbye Ft. Myers

A beautiful day on the water

Linda, Jackie, Wendall and David aboard Cooyon - anchored at Cayo Costa

Beautiful sunset over Cayo Costa and

a full moon

Saying goodbye to Cooyon as we were leaving

Downtown Sarasota from our mooring ball

Delicious guacamole made at our table

Always a fun time with Wayne and Donadee

I don't have Tricia, but Wayne can always find an ice cream store

Some horses and their riders enjoying the shallow waters along the ICW

Sunrise over Bucket List at Gulfport

Planning session with Larry (Bucket List), Pat and Patrick (Sans Souci) 

and Cindy (Bucket List) at Dunedin

When you're in the middle of the Gulf,

you get a beautiful sunset

and a beautiful moon

This was our sunrise as we came into Dog Island at 6:30 am

Beautiful, calm waters heading to Panama City

Oops - hit a little rain

Our anchorage at Pearl Bayou near Panama City -

the end of a very long night and day

This area is known as the Grand Canyon of Florida

Coming up to the Mid-Bay Bridge - almost home

Entering the channel

Nearly Perfect settled at the dock

This will close out my blog for this journey.  Thanks to everyone who has followed along for this incredible adventure.  I'll be back next March, 2019 when we start the loop again.

February 15-28, 2018 - Ft. Myers

One of the big events of Fort Myers is the Edison Parade which is the largest lighted parade in the southeast.  This year did not disappoint us.  Part of the festivities included many food and craft booths, and a stage which showcased many young performers.  Because of our great location, we had a good view of the parade from either the back deck or on top.  The next day there was a fairly large antique car show. 

Another big event was a parade of the Budweiser Clydesdales through the town, stopping by many of the bars for pictures.  We saw the big trucks arrive and watched the workers preparing the carriage.  Then the horses were brought out individually where they were groomed and decorated with their harnesses.  Then, last but not least, the dog was taken from his air conditioned cage and paraded out like he was way more important than the horses. 

The next big event was the performance by the Mersey Beatles, a group from London who put on an excellent performance of all the Beatles' songs - from the early songs to the psychedelic and then to their older songs. 

Of course, in between all this, there were many docktails and visits with friends.  We met some new loopers - Barbara and Bob (Chemistry) with their chocolate lab Tilly and Leon and Karen (Scottfree).  Friends John and Kathy Scott drove into town for lunch with us and Barb and Ross.  Ted and Sarah (Manatee) came into Ft. Myers for a few days to visit friends.

The two months passed very rapidly this year.  We had a lot of fun with friends and enjoyed the many events and festivities of Ft. Myers.

One of the many gatherings on our back deck - Jane, Trisha,

Capt. Jack and Kent

Kent showing his conch

Runners getting ready for a 5K before the night parade

Waiting for the parade to start - Jack, Jane, Bridgett, Rob, Tricia

Jack, Kent and Jeff

Pam and Tricia heading out to the street for the parade

Jack and Kent on top of the boat

One of the signature floats of the Edison Parade

One of the many lighted floats

Another of the floats

The antique car show

I think this car came out of the Ford museum

Barb, Ross, Jack, Kathy and John 

A very interesting couple - we had dinner on their boat one night

Some pretty good cloggers - including the little one who is only

3 years old

We even took some time to give blood

Tricia and I can always find time for ice cream

Jane, Tricia and I having fun at the Edison shop at the Bell Tower Mall

This lady hand paints silk scarves and sells them

at the Edison shop.  She also holds classes.

Tilly with her little broken foot - doesn't slow her down though

Leon and Karen (Scottfree), Barbara and Bob (Chemistry)

Our little corner of the world for the past two months -

we've had this spot three years now

A great visit with Sarah and Ted

TJ and Jack off to the DMV to transfer title of Mr. Scooter to TJ

Must be sundown

Another gathering - Larry and Cindy (Bucket List) and Kent and Jane

(Rising Tide)

I could get close but I couldn't touch

Getting groomed and dressed

All ready to go

The dog in his spot taking it all in

Up and down the streets of Ft. Myers

The benefit of having a VIP ticket is you get to meet the Mersey Beatles!!

The young Beatles

The psychedelic Beatles

The aging Beatles