Our Stay In Ft Meyers, FL

Feb 22 – March 1, 2014:  

Fog at the Sanibel Bridge

Fog near Sanibel

Forging ahead thru patches of fog on Saturday morning, Clay and I met our time parameters, arriving at Ft. Myers Legacy Harbor Marina in time for Mark and Becky Mather to transport us to the Loopers' picnic that afternoon at the home of Karen and Dennis Boldger in Cape Coral, just across the river from Ft Myers.  They had a nice home, screened-in pool area, with dock and their Loop boat in the back.  The afternoon passed quickly with, a whirlwind of meeting and greeting new and old Looper friends.

Loopers Picnic at Karen and Dennis Baldger's home

Mark Mather and Clay at the Loopers Picnic

Legacy Marina provides delightful amenities, a user-friendly Wi-Fi system NOT being one of them. We were introduced to Beacon Wi-Fi at Longboat Key, so our failed attempt to connect here could not be attributed to user error! I think our only mistake was spending so darned much time Sunday afternoon with the project! I do have tenacity and perseverance which is why Clay assigned me the task to figure it out. Not. Shoulda stayed at the pool! Clay spent the later evening toggling between the Olympics and the Daytona 500. I went to bed! Frustration can be so exhausting!

Monday morning was devoted to computer repair efforts--again! This time the diagnosis by tech man #2 was not so economical; with the hard drive of the old computer now infected with a virus, our most viable option was a new computer. Having available to him a notebook computer with Windows 8 operating system at an affordable price, Clay grabbed the opportunity even though he'd insisted that, on his next new computer, he did not want Windows 8. Amazing how the fear of being without technology for an extended period of time impacts a decision. Bonus: New opportunities for learning exercise the brain cells and keep them active! (this per brother/-in-law Walter and right he is!)

Legacy Harbor is a combination hotel complex and marina and affords to both boaters and landlubbers a beautiful, but not huge heated pool, bath house complete with an exercise room and laundry, a patio/deck and tiki hut with seating overlooking the Caloosahatchee River that winds along downtown Ft. Myers. The location is equally appealing with downtown shops, restaurants, a riverwalk of sorts, the municipal marina/harbor and a Saturday farmers market in one direction; the Edison and Ford museum/homes on fabulous palm tree-lined MacGregor Boulevard in the other. During the week, Clay and I had opportunity to explore much of the area with our morning walks and daytime hours to be filled; we'd opted to stay in this location a full week, giving in to Sal's nesting instincts and taking advantage of the weekly rate here. Too, the week's stay gave full chance to complete the technology challenge facing us.  Hamilton Perez did a fantastic job transferring much of my data from the dead laptop to the new one!

Legacy Harbor is a favorite Loopers' resting, nesting spot so making new Looper friends and re-acquainting with old Looper friends is a popular past time. The high population of Loopers here also presents opportunity for Great Loop education (called a “chart review”) which was hosted by friends Robert and Kay Creech, each of the two full-morning sessions Tuesday and Wednesday presented by Robert. How much we all learned...where to dock/anchor, sights to see, available land transportation, waters (current, wind, shoaling) to avoid, and such. A good exchange of ideas! And, so nice of Legacy to provide the meeting room where we found boaters more than willing to share tips (and tricks) of the trade.  One of Robert's cardinal rules for Loopers and cruisers, "never travel on the weekend in high-traffic areas".

Tuesday afternoon our Looper friends Carol and Dave Munro and Sue and Ed Mahler joined us for drinks and snacks on the Legacy deck. The two couples were among the many we've met along the way, but special because we met them early in our Looper days...up near Alton and Kimmswick in late August. Fun to be reunited and share what's happened since last we met.

Our schedule (we've been warned that schedules create havoc and potential mayhem for Loopers) was challenged by the reappearance of the techno-wizard (referenced above as tech man #2) who showed just after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday for a 3+ hour installation and training session on the new Windows 8 laptop. My goal: learn to turn it on and off, open a browser, and access my files. Easy enough! But with Captain Clay at the helm (of the laptop this time), my goal was not to be accomplished until later. But Clay and Hamilton (techno-wizard now named) bonded and forged ahead to conquer Windows 8. Admittedly, Clay is still learning and so am I!

The "Bait Boat" near the mouth of the River

Because our by-land-traveling friends Mark and Becky Mather from Muscatine IA attended each of the two Looper morning sessions, Clay and I found ourselves with wheels, a Wednesday lunch date at Panera and opportunity to shop, albeit a boat-related outing to West Marine.  Mark and Becky’s Ocean Alexander, the Mara Beel, is overwintering at the SaSea Sally’s former dock at Two Rivers Marina in Louisiana.  Back for laps at the pool (Sal), phone data update (Becky), and boat-topics discussion (Clay and Mark), we then joined forces with other Loopers again on the Legacy deck to enjoy sunset, but to endure winds of the pending storm.

Now because Clay was still having technology issues, Hamilton reappeared Thursday morning to determine that SaSea Sally's Bad Boy (internet signal booster) went ka-put. Walter reminds me all the time that things happen in 3's, but I'm not counting! Our next quest (now why did I assume ownership of this task?) was to mail Bad Boy components back to home office in Canada. Clay, having retrieved from short supply of boxes on board (2) the USPS priority mailing box of considerable size, packaged up the components and off we went to the nearby post office (see, I told you Legacy was a good location!) only to learn the posting cost was $45. Different box; $8-10 or so. Hmmm. Clay was irritated; I like a challenge. So back to the boat we went (now you know why I assumed ownership of this task as Clay was so tempted just to mail and be done with it!) to formulate Plan B. (See, life IS all about Plan B!) Realizing the components would separate (Clay's ah-ha moment), he directed me (now who is the captain, and who is the admiral, Randy and Margaret?) to re-package and re-address in the other, much smaller, non-priority box. Done deal, to the tune of $12. I like a bargain....err, a kinda bargain! But if it's gonna fix Bad Boy... (does that make it a Good Boy now?)

SeaTow with a customer

Now, after USPS'ing, l FINALLY got to explore some of the downtown boutiques and shops, this being Thursday after previous-Saturday arrival. Of particular enticement was 'Boutique on First' which was owned and operated by Goodwill. Impressive. Piped-in (classical?) music met me at the door. All of the clothing and accessories were grouped (and priced!) according to brand (Coldwater Creek, Ann Taylor, Coach, Chicos, etc). Chicos belt, gently-used, $20. Coach purse, gently used, $45. Bought nothing, but sure had fun looking. As much of my day had been spent on the Bad Boy project, I was pleased that the store was open until 6 p.m. But, as the store closed, Clay called to report the storm had arrived; and it was raining. Thinking he was calling to offer a 'ride' (on foot and toting an umbrella to shelter me from the storm), I was awestruck to hear him suggest I duck into a saloon (or did he call it a wine bar?). Not a bad idea, come to think of it, but by the time I'd found said 'wine bar,' I'd be wet anyway. So, what the heck, I struck out on foot to accomplish the 15-20 minute, multi-block walk back to the boat! I didn't melt! But I did turn purple (Raynaud's is not kind to digits in windy, chilly, rainy weather). Created a memory which I laugh about now!

Being first mate requires taking orders from the captain. I thus declared Friday as 'my day to control,' not taking captain's orders. Loved it! Swam. Showered/processed then helped Clay a bit with Windows 8 before fixing lunch. He opted to go visit the Edison and Ford museums/homes while I trekked downtown and purchased a couple of cute items (Sus, of course I got you one like mine!) Storage on a boat is limited so I evaluated my purchase on a 'need' vs 'want' basis. My original August packing focused on basics; I now find need for a bit of fluff and feminity. Gals, you understand! Then, we went out to eat, dining at Ichiban's, a Chinese/Japanese restaurant highly-touted by fellow Loopers.

PBS (Putnam Boat Sales) Retreat from Columbia, MO

Scattered amongst the other activities at Legacy, Clay installed a new, one-way rollers on my Nodic Track we keep on the rear deck (over the lazerette).  My old roller started rolling both ways which rendered my Track non-functional.  I use the Track when we anchor out to get some exercise.  We met two "surprise" couples of note at Legacy.  Linda and Russ Putnam a Bayliner dealer from Columbia, MO who kept Bayliners on B-Dock (the Mary A dock) at Two Rivers from the early 1990s till the early 2000s had their boat at Legacy.  They drove down from Columbia to stay a few weeks a half dozen times each year.  The other couple we met was               .    was a SAE at Westminster College graduating in the mid-late 1960s. He is teaching school in Ft Myers and living on their sailboat.

Saturday dawned with departure on our agenda, but not before a cold swim and a warm shower for Sal. Love using Legacy's pool and shower/bath house! I will miss both. Never did use the fitness room...surprised?  A boat broker based at Legacy had paid us a visit, asking if we wanted to sell the SaSea Sally; in fact, two boat brokers did. Steve befriended us, personable as he was, and further solidified the acquaintance by arranging a short stay at Naples Boat Club Marina where transient dock spaces are in short supply. Thanks, Steve! We're off for Naples and the adventures we will find there.

Sanibel Florida

Sanibel, Feb 19 – 22, 2014:  

Our dock (far left) at Sanibel Marina

Hi all! Our stay in Sanibel became a reunion of LAMO friends prompted by our arrival at Sanibel Marina. Knowing that Jack and Jan Alexander and Chuck and Linda Johns spend winter months on the island, Clay had contacted both couples soon after targeting Sanibel as one of our dockages. After pulling anchor at the Ding Darling anchorage Wednesday morning and motoring to the Sanibel Marina, we docked the SaSea Sally in our assigned space at the base of the deck of Grandma Dot's, a popular restaurant in the Sanibel Marina complex. Hunger would have set in immediately, but we had lunched 'at sea' awaiting our slip which had been 'loaned' to other boaters for lunch dates at Grandma's. 

Clay found it necessary to wash the deck free of the salt spray accumulation (a good idea!) while Sally did a short cardio on the fabulous walking/biking path for which Sanibel is known. Jack and Jan soon arrived for a boat tour, then reciprocated with an island tour as well as tour of their condo and the beach a short distance beyond. Wednesday eve found us seated at Doc Ford's, a popular dining spot on Sanibel where we dined on island fare. Ya gotta admire Jack and Jan's discipline...as Clay and Sal devoured a plateful each, Jack and Jan, following the HCG diet and losing plentiful poundage to date, dined sparsely on quarter-pound boiled shrimp and iceberg salads! High fives to both!

The necessity of clean clothes and freshly-laundered linens found Sal in Sanibel Marina's 'laundry room,' more appropriately designated, "What's a nice girl like me doing in a place like this?" Wedged between the outer walls of the bath house and Grandma Dot's restaurant, the washer and dryer boasted working parts accepting 4 quarters each (cheap!), exposure to outside elements (both sky above and almost-dirt floor below). But, happy that they worked, Sal went about her business and came away with job well done!

Chuck and Linda, Jack and Jan arrived shortly after Sal stashed the Tide, clean laundry and roll of quarters, for lunch at Grandma Dot's. Once again, island fare and a photo op on the stern deck of the SaSea Sally on which Sal had rearranged the line (rope to you non-boaters) to look artistically pleasing (Sus, mom would be proud!). Over lunch, the six of us shared updates on kids, grandkids, and memories of days gone by.

My notes from Thursday, Feb 20 say, 'Sal bike' which means I went biking while Clay did who knows what. I have no remembrance of the ride (musta been a delight...to be away from boating for awhile...maybe Clay was yet again de-salting the boat out of necessity...he probably shoulda been if he wasn't). But I do remember Jack and Jan reappearing late afternoon to help launch the dinghy and start the motor to make sure it would run. Jack to the rescue, as Sal was not a player in this problem-solution!

Beautiful Sanibel Beach

NOTE: Sal keeps a journal for times/dates/places PLUS a venting mechanism suggested by fellow FEMALE Loopers. Thanks, Brenda Johnson! Thus, the entry 'Sal bike' along with numerous other posts. Too, Sal relies on cell coverage for constant communication with sister Sus (love you!), which as I write this blog, currently anchored in Florida Everglades National Park's Little Shark (eek!) River on March 3, we DON'T HAVE. Do you readers have ANY CLUE as to what it feels like to be WITHOUT? Now in this tech age, 'without' means no tech...no cell, no computer/internet. But we do have satellite radio and TV. 

Jan and Jack's condo on Sanibel

Did I mention that this boat is Clay's bucket list  floating technology man-cave? I'm 'Default Sal,' along for the ride because he NEEDS a first mate and, duh, by default I be she (gender specific, I'm a heck of a deck hand...in fact, in my life after SaSea Sally, I'm gonna enter the rodeo [Amber Shafer, will you teach me to ride? because I have become QUITE adept at lasso'ing pilings!], and I'm gonna earn my next salary (as if this one pays) as a barge hand [Joe Ray Asquith, please steer me in the right direction!]. Another note as I type this on Monday, March 3, the no-see-'ems are KILLING ME....we are anchored out with the doors closed but windows open and no-see-em's infiltrating the screens...CALGON...anyone for camping? This is YOUR bag, no longer mine! 

Jan and Jack's neighbors, the turtles.

OK, now back to Sanibel...Friday morning Clay and I prepped our funky bikes for a ride around the island. Buried in the bowels of a local mobile home park called Periwinkle Park we found a treasure...a collection of birds, ducks and monkeys from around the world. Fascinating!

Having heard the forecast for storms later Friday afternoon, Jack and Jan made plans for a road trip to Fort Myers to see Kevin Costner's "3 Days to Kill." We accepted their invitation to tag along. Post movie, to Clay's delight, a shopping trip to Bass Pro enabled him to fill his wish list. Clueless as to what he purchased, I'm sure he was conscious of our boat's space limitation. Back to Sanibel, we visited a favorite restaurant of Jan's called Greenhouse Grill for a late dinner.

Speaking of wish lists, mine consisted solely of Nordic Track skier parts which arrived in Sanibel via FedEx mid-afternoon Friday. Thanks, Walter!!!! Next to get Mr. Fix-it to fix it!

A curious dauphin swimming along side the SaSea Sally

Saturday morning dawned with fog blanketing the area and plans for a 1:00 p.m. pick-up in Ft. Myers, Legacy Marina, by friends Mark and Becky Mather to attend a Looper picnic gathering hosted by fellow Looper's Karen and Dennis Baldger in nearby Cape Coral. Schedules are a boater's enemy! But, after checking weather cams in areas along our pathway, Clay stoked up the diesels, and we departed Sanibel Marina in "lifting fog" only 1/2-hour later than planned, bound for Legacy, a marina popular with Loopers in downtown Ft Myers. 

Longboat Key, Boca Grande,Cabage Key, and Ding Darling Anchorage, FL

Feb 6 - 18:  Long Boatkey Club, Gasparilla, Boca Grand, Cabbage Key, and Ding Darling Anchorage near Sanibel

The bridge over Tampa Bay to St Pete

All boats at Longboat were new and shiny

Bob Mustell can you identify this flying bird?????                             Another shiny boat at Longboat Key Club Moorings

Swimming for Sally!

Hi all! Another update from the SaSea Sally...Departing from St. Pete, Captain Clay set his sights on Longboat Key where we arrived mid-afternoon for orientation at this resort-style marina called Longboat Key Club Moorings. The many other attractions in the area (Sarasota) kept us from capitalizing on the full offerings at the marina. But Sal did manage to swim laps twice in the heated pool during our 5-night stay. And, we took advantage of the morning coffee, muffins and daily newspaper available to us.

Approaching land from water, the shoreline gives little clue as to what lies beyond. Thus, our morning walk Friday morning enabled us to better acquaint ourselves with the area. And a 3-day rental car from Enterprise gave us even more perspective...plus the opportunity to really see Sarasota. The car was a necessity; we'd left our computer with the technician in St. Pete to finalize repair (successfully I might add!), so Clay's Friday plans included a trip north to pick it up, to tour Bradenton, to stock up at Wally World on the way back to the boat.

Van Wezel Performing Arts Center.

Saturday morning found us arriving at Sarasota's farmers market with only fifteen minutes to browse, but we had fun, again more with people-watching than with purchasing. Leaving downtown Sarasota, we drove across the bridge to St. Armands Circle, a development of apparel shops, restaurants, fudge and ice cream shops, etc., again an opportunity to people-watch...and to eat a late lunch at Tommy Bahamas. Good choice! Back to the marina for a chilly swim for Sal while Clay started a flat bread pizza in the oven, we quickly dined and yet again crossed the bridge for the Kenny Rogers concert at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center. Late ticket purchase put two tickets in our hands and seats located two rows from the back of this theater which seats 1700; but our seat location did not diminish our enjoyment of this wonderful showman with songs so familiar to our generation. Hooray!

Ringling estate on the left

Clay planned Sunday to accommodate a day-long exploration of the Ringling Museum, which is actually an estate encompassing the circus museum and miniature 3-ring circus display, a fabulous architectural wonder John and Mabel Ringling called home, and an art museum. We put in 4+ hours, but saw only a fraction of that which was available for viewing. I loved the circus miniature which we understood took up the same space required of a circus big-top (tent). Dinner at the Columbia Restaurant on St. Armands convinced me that we will be eating more dinners in and less, out.

The highlight of Monday was three-fold. Clay worked via phone with the computer tech to finalize successful repair of our notebook computer, yay! And, Clay and I finally installed the four LED light strips on the fly bridge ceiling, giving Clay a great deal of satisfaction in being able to glow--in living color! Thirdly, we enjoyed a delicious skewered fresh shrimp and veggie dinner, grilled on our Magma boat grill. The key to success was the Cavender's seasoning! Thanks, Randy and Margaret, for sharing!

Tuesday found us cruising to the Crow's Nest Marina in Venice, FL, where, once tied for the evening, we mounted our funky bikes and put a few miles on them touring the town and surrounding area. I was surprised to find the town situated on Tamiami Trail; again, approach by 'sea' is deceiving as to what the land mass has in store!

House with lots of windows!!!

Osprey nest on one of many "SLOW" signs.

Looks like this fuel pump is out of order!

 Knowing storms were brewing for Wednesday, we departed Venice bound for Cape Haze Marina in Englewood at an earlier-than-normal hour of the day. Clay had investigated and found Cape Haze to have at-cost fuel and lower-than-average docking fees. Approach was challenging with narrow, shallow access to the fuel dock, but Clay handled it well only to discover that the fuel pump was broken. Backing, stern first, to our designated slip, Clay had much better control of the boat and thus was able to dock efficiently despite the building winds.

Storms hit around 6 p.m., rendering the next day bright and sunny but with ferocious winds that would challenge any boat and any boater. Made for awfully cold temps as well. So we stayed put as did most everyone else, still with no fix to the fuel pump. An early Valentine dinner took us 'next door' to Leverocks, a local restaurant with a good reputation.

With the fuel pump fixed by mid-morning Friday and winds calm, we gassed up and departed for a lovely overnight anchorage which we shared with 2 sailboats. This was our first attempt at anchoring since Christmas, so we were encouraged with the ease of setting and then retrieving the anchor the next morning.

Saturday morning dawned and with it the resolve to break out the Nordic Track Skier (Sal) which died after 20 minutes of cardio. Bummer! Fixable, we're sure, but parts are in LAMO and we aren't! Double bummer! We pulled anchor with ease but were some 60 minutes late leaving our anchorage, the tardiness defined by the fierce winds which built into a crescendo by the time we reached our destination, Uncle Henry's Marina in Boca Grande. 

With sights set on slip 38, Clay finally 'eased' (tongue-in-cheek) into slip 42, give or take on each number with the help of a dock master, dock hand and first mate Sally. It was not pretty! But it was successful! Dock master informed us of 35 mph winds with gusts beyond that. Lesson learned: shoulda stayed put at anchorage. But with plans to meet friend Larry Butterfield, our movement was dictated by plans rather than by weather. We're learning! 

Larry Butterfield and the Admiral

Clay and Larry lunched in downtown Boca Grande after touring the area, a trip down memory lane for Larry whose folks had vacationed at Boca. Sal then joined them for dinner at Boca Grande Marina and a short tour of the highlights of Clay's day sights.

Clay and Fiji brother Larry Butterfield

Calm winds ushered the SaSea Sally out of Uncle Henry's harbor Sunday morning; we followed the harbor channel which snaked its way to the main channel, then crossed to Gasparilla Marina where we met friends Jan and Barb Moore for sub sandwiches and an afternoon of conversation on the fly bridge. Mid-afternoon we were joined by friends Mark and Becky Mather who stayed to accommodate a provisions run to Publix and then dinner at Waterside Grill adjacent to the marina.

Barb and Jan Moore visit

Pier and south end of Boca Grand Island

Friend Larry reappeared Monday morning for an overnight cruise to Cabbage Key, a short distance accessed only by boat/ferry where no cars or motor vehicles traverse the native terrain. It was a step back in time of sorts, a visit to the island where we hear Jimmy Buffett got the inspiration (I think that's the tale) for Cheeseburger in Paradise; funny there was no cheeseburger on the The Inn's menu--only a hamburger for $12.99 to which you could add cheese for 50 cents+/-. 

Building in Boca Grand Park

The novelty of The Inn's interior was US dollar bills taped to every available surface--walls, ceiling, pillars and posts--on which contributors had written dates, names and various sentiments. Larry contributed; don't remember that Clay did.

Classic boat we later saw at Legacy Harbor in Ft Myers

Dock at Cabbage Key

Donatello's hole!

Larry pointing to "his" dollar bill

Larry, Sally and Clay

Gopher Tortoses

Paddle boarders at Ding Darling Preserve

The literature of the area touted tortoises, and on the grounds, we found turtle holes, each in a roped-in area and sporting a name plackard, "Myrtle," "Donatello," and "Raphael" to name a few. Not once did we see a turtle though. A Tuesday morning 'nature' walk through tropical vegitation found us looping the grounds immediately behind the restaurant--still no turtles--then witnessing the ferry's arrival with staff members of The Inn and the marina unloading for the day's work. We departed Cabbage Key mid-morning backtracking to Gasparilla Marina for Larry to disembark; en route, the playful dolphins performed for him, presenting a prime photo-op. We delivered Larry to his car, filled our water tanks, then made our departure toward Sanibel and dropped anchor for an overnight outside Sanibel Marina at a location called Ding Darling.

Ding Darling Anchorage

Sunset at Ding Darling Anchorage

The moon over Ding Darling Anchorage

As the sunsets on Tuesday, Feb 18th, we bid you goodnight, undoubtedly with more tales to come.