Alligators, Anhingas and Egrets…oh my 1-17-09

We had hoped to take off today for Marco Island on our way southward to the Keys but the winds and seas made us pause. We were very ready including an ok from our diver who checked our hull and found no barnacles and the zincs and thru hulls were good.

What a nice surprise when Frank and Phyllis called us and invited us to tour the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. It is 13,000 acres of cypress forests, pine flatwoods and wet prairie land filled with hundreds of species of birds and animals and has long been the last island of natural habitat in the entire region. The area is accessible through a 2 ½ mile boardwalk that takes you through natural habitat while you quietly listen for birds and look for larger critters. Here are a few pictures of the birds we saw—anhinga and egret. Look closely in the 3rd picture—can you see the large alligator hiding there.

We topped off the day with a shrimp feed at Saint Raphael Episcopal Church. What a great assortment of food as well as such pleasant company. Thank you, Frank and Phyllis.

People Who Inspire Us 1-15-09

I would like to introduce you to Frank and Phyllis, a sailing couple we have known since the 1980’s from our home port of Bayfield WI on Lake Superior. They are 80+ years young and are still aboard their 1970’s vintage 32’ Pearson sailboat, PJ. They are an even-keeled couple who do not sweat the small stuff and know how to enjoy life. In the Apostle Islands, Frank and Phyllis were well known as personable, helpful folks with great sailing acumen.

In the mid 1990’s, they led the way for many of us by taking PJ on a 3 year sailing adventure that led them here to FL. Bob and I have had a similar dream for years, but when you are knee deep in the responsibilities of parenting, work and home, it is easy to forget about future plans, but our periodic contact with Frank and Phyllis would rekindle the spark of adventure. They will always be our poster couple of ageless cruisers who really exemplify the credo of their favorite T-shirt, “Life is Good.”

We spent today with Frank and Phyllis and their delightful granddaughter, Gretchen, touring the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Meyers. This is a must see tour when you are in this area and it offers something for everyone—lush gardens and huge Banyan trees, FL architecture at its best, museum pieces of Edison and Ford’s inventions and a chance to renew your knowledge of these incredible men who changed our world.

Thomas Alva Edison was born in 1847 in Ohio. He had a lot of difficulty with school and his teachers wondered if he could learn. His mother decided to home school him and encouraged him in his constant questioning of how things worked. He set up a lab in the basement and bought chemicals from his profits selling newspapers on the train at age 12, and continued his experimentations at age 16 with knowledge from his job as a telegraph operator.

He was a workaholic throughout his life, required only 4 hours sleep nightly and really exemplified his credo, “Invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Edison is responsible for so many of the underpinnings of our daily lives with light, sound and power technologies (electric lights, dynamos, phonograph, motion picture film and technology, first electric car battery). Edison held thousands of patents, had a major invention every 6 months and minor ones every 10 days. It is pretty amazing that he developed the phonograph since he himself was 80% deaf.

Edison and Ford were like-minded inventors who enjoyed each others company and enjoyed being neighbors here in Ft. Meyers. Ford had worked in an Edison plant, had developed his Model T prototype, and was encouraged to pursue his dreams by Edison. Years later, Edison became intrigued with finding a botanical alternative to rubber for American cars so that the US would not be dependent on foreign sources which he foresaw as crippling in the event of war or calamity. He devoted his last years to this pursuit, and even though the DuPont company came up with a chemical alternative, neoprene, Edison’s botanical experiments led to other discoveries.

That's what 0ur world really needs right now-- more Edisons and Fords, people with imagination, perseverance and a can do attitude to examine our complex energy problems and come up with creative solutions.

Fort Meyers Beach 1-14-09

Tuesday, 1-13 was a rock and rollin’ day of wind and rain here at Fort Meyers Beach. It was a good day to do oodles of laundry and get to those darn inside jobs that you postpone all the time. When the wind kicked up to 20 knots, it was time for Bob to batten down the boat with more fenders and lines.

At 4:30pm, there was an urgent call to the Coast Guard that an unoccupied anchored boat had broken loose and was heading down the channel towards our marina. We were all tuned in to Channel 22 to root for the Coasties to save our neighborhood, and with some delays, they did. Why is it important to get the exact color (“white”, “off white”, “beige”) of the boat when they know the location before they deploy a rescue party?

The storm ushered in a “cold” front to FL. My dear readers in the Upper Midwest will gladly trade places with any Floridian who is complaining about an overnight low of above 45 degrees. The newspapers here all feature pictures of proud frozen Midwesterners withstanding below zero temps with stoic Scandinavian aplomb. We salute you but we would not trade places with you right now. Get on a plane and come here quickly. Your life may depend upon it.

We bundled up in solidarity with you and headed out to the beach. Do you like Bob’s pirate look—Johnny Depp watch out! We walked down to Bowditch Point Park which is a nature preserve and we met this curious 15" Gopher tortoise. We stopped for ice cream to further cool down and really feel the cold. Their beach signpost logged Duluth as 1,769 miles away but we have cruised 3,000 miles so far—so much for the inefficiency of boat travel.

We had Captains' Meeting at the marina boaters' lounge. There is a lot of wisdom here and plenty of advice to solve all boating problems. Here's a picture of Jim and Sandy from Footloose.

2 Bridge Day to Fort Meyers Beach 1-12-09

We got a little later start today due to the diver chain adventure but it was well worth it. 20 feet of chain and 20 feet of rode could have done a lot of damage to Rose’s Pick but luckily a disaster was averted.

Today’s journey was pleasant and we passed the prime cruising areas of Gasparilla Sound, Charlotte Harbor, Pelican Pass, the private island of Useppa, Pine Island Sound, Captiva and Sanibel Islands. I wish we had more time to explore this whole area but since we want to get down to the Keys and are hoping to get out to the Bahamas, we will not be able to explore all these interesting ports now by boat. There was far less boat traffic on this Monday on the GIWW today as the retirees were now onboard.

We were greeted by dolphins today that frolicked in our bow wave and delighted us with their antics. We came to the end of the GIWW today when we went under the Sanibel Causeway Bridge. We passed through the narrow opening into Fort Meyers Beach which took us almost right on the beach but did provide adequate depths. We are staying at Moss Marine and at $1.25 per foot, it is a good deal.

Loose Your Anchor Chain and Rode? 1-12-09

I know that a number of Looper boats lost their anchor, chain and/or rode in some pretty hairy circumstances on the rivers. Imagine Rose and Gary’s surprise when they hired a diver to check out a little “noise” on their boat, Rose’s Pick, and he came up with this hunk of metal today. I know one creative Looper who thought she would add a super magnet to help retrieve anything that might go overboard. Gary must have activated his super duper magnet, aka propeller, that swept up this vintage anchor system from the deep around the Blackburn Bridge yesterday. Gary is entertaining all offers and points given for the most creative use.

Great Ending 1-11-09 (Cape Haze)

We were all up early but fog held us at the dock until 9:45 when the sun worked its magic. Here’s a picture of the A.M. Captains Meeting as we plan our strategy. Today’s ride on the GIWW has some narrow channels interspersed with long bays and lots of bridges. It takes us along Siesta Key, Venice and into Lemon Bay.

We had hoped to go to Gasparilla Island and tour the island on rented golf carts with Jim and Sandy on Footloose. However, due to the later start, the average speed of only 7mph due to no wake zones and bridges, we had to stay flexible and decide upon a destination under way. We need a clearance of 19.6’ with lowered antennas and Footloose and Rose’s Pick need slightly more room for comfort. Of the 8 bridges, we needed opening for 4 of them. Here’s a picture of Rose’s Pick going through the Blackburn (swing) Bridge.

This was Sunday on the water and like any marine community; EVERYBODY is out, tooling around and enjoying the day. It did get congested out there compared to the usual alone time we have had on the GIWW. Here’s a picture of Rose’s Pick at Circus (bascule) Bridge—that’s the real name and it was an apt description. We were waked a number of times by fast cruisers that do not apparently know the meaning of slow and no wake. Towboat US boats were out helping stranded boaters and they also were being waked by these big boys.

We realized that we could not make Gasparilla Island and called ahead to Palm Island Marina to get docks for the 3 Looper boats for the night. Marina staff was very helpful. The best part of the evening was taking a dip in the pool and Captains Meeting in the hot tub. That’s a good ending.