December 29, 30 and 31 - Ft. Myers Beach, FL

We arrived at the Ft Myers airport on Thursday evening, Dec 29. Waiting for us was Jason Gless, the son of Cindy Gless - a Witte Travel employee. Jason took us to Publix, a large grocery store. After we purchased items required for breakfast, along with a pound of shrimp, we continued on to Salty Sam's Marina in Ft. Myers Beach. Jason joined us for a drink and ate his share of shrimp. Cindy, you can be proud of your son. He sure was a kind and considerate person. Friday was spent washing the boat and returning to Publix for more supplies. This evening's dinner was at Parrot Key Carribean Grill. Thressa had coconut shrimp and I had salmon - it was fantastico.

On Saturday morning I checked the engine and generator oil and cleaned the small shower pumps. As I was about finished, I bumped into a small black box attached to the water pump. The box came loose, resulting in water squirting through the engine room - what a mess. The pictures above show the hole in the center of the pump and on the right side you can see the small black box with a brass tube. This box contains the water pressure membrane that measures the water pressure and relays it to the water pressure meter. As it turns out, the thread of the brass tube was worn so that it no longer stayed in the fitting. After a number of attempts, I finally did get it to hold. We are keeping our fingers crossed. A replacement part has been ordered. We now have a very clean engine room. The last work project was washing the windows - they now shine. Tomorrow we will be moving southward to Naples. A few more hours and the New Year will be here. With this in mind we wish all of you a Happy and Healthy New Year.

November 16 / 18 - Ft Myers Beach FL

I had a couple days to give the boat a good cleaning (both in and out), do the laundry, catch up on some computer work and get ready for the return flight to Grand Rapids, MI. One of the highlighgts of my stay in Ft Myers Beach (http://g.co/maps/tksg5) was having dinner with our good friends Les and Jane Wong. On Friday afternoon Robert and Ray picked me up for the ride to the airport. Before I knew it, I was back in Grand Rapids, MI. Expect my next post to be published around the end of the year. At that time Thressa and I will start the third part of our Great Loop trip. In the meantime, we wish you a great Thanksgiving and a Blessed Christmas Holiday.

November 15 - Punta Gorda to Ft Myers Beach FL

The second part of our Great Loop trip is coming to an end. Today will be the last cruising day until the end of December. For today's cruise Robert Brooks, a friend of Ray Bruinius, joined us. Robert, a retired dentist, moved to Ft Myers some years ago and is very familiar with the waterways we would be cruising on. The weather was what the tourist offices promise - fantastic! We cruised southwest to Pine Island and into the Pine Island Sound. Here we met the ferry taking passengers to some of the small islands. During the early afternoon we arrived in San Carlos Bay with Sanibel Island to our starboard. At the tip of the island is the Sanibel Island Light House which has been in service since 1884. From here we continued to the Matanzas Pass and into the Ft Myers Beach area. After passing a number of shrimp boats, we came to Salty Sam's Marina where the
 Marco Polo II would be docked for about six weeks. Soon it was time to say farewell to Robert and Ray. Ray and I have been cruising partners for two weeks and have had a number of interesting experiences that will not soon be forgotten.

November 14 - Sarasota to Punta Gorda FL

We had another great day. The wind was from the southeast with temperatures in the mid 70's. To your left is a picture of the Boca Grande Swing Bridge. It was one of four bridges that had to open in order for us to continue. We were able to clear all the other ones. We again saw many dolphins and had as many as five swimming along our boat.

As is the case all along the GIWW, one must stay within the markers and follow the charts at all times. Around 4:00 p.m. we arrived at Burnt Store Marina (http://g.co/maps/77567 ), our home for the night.                                               

November 13 - Sarasota FL

This morning we attended the 9:00 a.m. worship service at the Presbyterian Church of the Palms. While we attended a traditional worship service in the main sanctuary, another contemporary service took place in The Garden. Back at the marina, I painted over the scratches we got while trying to dock in Hammond IN. I was quite pleased with the results. This evening we got together with two of Ray Bruinius' cousins. As I understand it, they had not seen one another for 45 years.

November 12 - Palmetto to Sarasota FL

This morning we had a leisurely cruise back to the Tampa Bay and then southward on the GIWW, past Anna Maria Island and Siesta Key to Sarasota. One must pay close attention to charts and markers since there are many shoals. The picture to the left shows one of these shoals. We arrived in Sarasota around 1:00 p.m. We tied up at Marina Jack, located in the very heart of the city. The afternoon was spent on cleaning the boat and exploring the area around the marina. During our walk, we met a couple from Australia who had purchased a sailboat in the US for a cruise around Florida and the Bahamas. We also were given a tour of a very interesting boat, a barge built in Indiana, using the blue prints for a traditional Dutch canal barge. The interior of the barge was super deluxe. Later this evening we were entertained by a band playing in the marina restaurant.

November 11 - Palmetto Springs FL

Today was a "down day". We rode our bikes to the supermarket, varnished a frame with window for the electronic switches (designed and made by brother-in-law Dan Bajema), paid my bills and rested up from the the past weeks of travel. Ray also did his laundry. The Regatta Pointe Marina is special to us since it was here that we took possession of our boat. During our first Great Loop trip, we also spent a few nights at this marina. This evening we returned to the marina restaurant for a great dinner.

November 10 - Tarpon Springs to Palmetto FL

Before leaving Tarpon Springs, we motored up the river to see the fishing and sponge boats. Here we also saw the many Greek restaurants and souvenir shops. Next it was on to the GIWW for the boating trip to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. We had great weather for this trip. Enroute we dropped anchor and prepared a late lunch. After discussing our options, we decided to bypass Tampa/St. Petersburg and instead move on to the Manatee River. We saw many fabulous homes and we had a good view of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. After crossing the Tampa Bay, we turned into the the Manatee Riveer and motored to Regatta Pointe Marina in  Palmetto. The last 7 to 8 miles were in the dark. Since the marina staff had gone home, we took the boat to the fuel dock, tied-up, and went to a nearby restaurant for our evening dinner. Eight years ago, Thressa and I came to this marina to take ownership of our boat.

                                                                      

November 8 and 9 - Apalachicola to Tarpon Springs FL

After giving the boat a good cleaning, both in and out, I spent some time cathing up with the blog. Also checked various weather forecasts and discussed the pros and cons with some of the locals about leaving this evening for our  crossing to Tarpon Springs. It was decided that this evening would be best. The forescast was two to three foot waves and an easterly wind diminshing to 10 miles per hour. We left at 5:00 p.m. and had a pleasant cruise to the Government Cut. Here we entered the Gulf of Mexico. We set a heading for Tarpon Springs, a distance of about 140 miles, with a projected arrival for 8:30 a.m. This would then give the required daylight required to spot the many crab pot markers (different colored floating balls). The first 20 miles were quite alright, but then the situation grew worse and worse. After having covered 50 to 60 miles, Ray became very, very sea sick. To lessen the roll of the boat , I changed course and went from a southeast heading to a easterly course. Waves ranged from four to five feet and winds were

around 15 to 20 miles per hour. Going right into the waves created spray that hit the flybridge. We could not go down to the main cabin, too dangerous. At 5:00 a.m. we had to change course again and as the sun came up, the weather finally improved. We passed a patrolling Coast Guard cutter, dodged many crab pot markers and finally we arrived in Tarpon Springs - about three hours later then planned. Marco Polo was covered with a salty residue from the waves and spray. A good rinse took care of that problem. Our stomachs also needed tender loving care - we had not had dinner or breakfast. After lunch, a shower and a short nap, we were back to normal. The General Manager of our marina had been out fishing and shared some of the catch with us. How delicious it was! This evening we'll try to catch up on the lost sleep.



November 7 - Panama City to Apalachicola

After a good night's sleep, we were off again. Our trip had no surprises, all pretty much the same as the past days. At the village of White City we went from the Central Time to the Eastern Time zone. Upon arrival in Apalachicola, we were assisted in tying up by Loopers whom we had met the night before. With them we discussed our plans for tomorrow - to go to Carrabelle and start the crossing of the Gulf of Mexico to Tarpon Springs FL on Wednesday evening. The other option was to spend Tuesday in Apalachicola and leave for the night crossing during the late afternoon. We decided to wait with a final decision until having heard tomorrow's morning weather forecast. Rather then eating onboard, we enjoyed a fish dinner at one of the many good restaurants in this small historic port.

November 6 - Niceville to Panama City FL

Today's trip took us from Niceville to the Choctawhatchee Bay, an inland lake 30 nautical miles long and 3 to 5 nautical miles wide. We had an easterly wind that made the lake a bit rough at times. We spotted a good number of dolphins and some would swim along our boat - quite a sight to see.  We next entered what is called the "Grand Canyon", a 16 miles canal. The last 12 miles took us through the West Bay to Panama City, our destination for the day. Tonight was laundry night, a task assigned to me.

November 5 - Pensacola to Niceville FL

Just outside of our marina was this very large ship with an onboard crane holding a strange looking device. We were told it had something to do with the oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. Later this morning we came by this large tower, possibly having to do with the Defense Department. Around 2:00 p.m. we entered the harbor of Destin FL. This is a very busy place and we were unable to find a suitable marina with space for our boat. 

Instead we crossed the bay to Bluewater Bay Marina in Niceville. After washing the salt off the boat, we had a delicious dinner in the marina restaurant.

November 4 - Pensacola FL

We decided to spend the day in port and do some sightseeing. Our first stop was at the Advanced Redoubt of Fort Barrancas, part of a defensive network for the Pensacola Navy Yard. Next we spend time visiting the National Naval Aviation Museum. Here one can see all the aircraft used by the Navy and the Marines. The picture to the right is the SP-5B Marlin, the last operational flying boat in the U.S. Navy.

Of course Ray and Henk had to have their picture taken as they came out of the Presidential helicopter. After visiting the indoor museum, we toured the outdoor part of the museum - a large collection of more aircraft. We finished the day with a drive to one of the barrier islands where we visited Fort Pickens.

                                              

November 3 - Mobile AL to Pensacola FL

Around 8:00 a.m. we left Dog River Marina , located south of the Mobile city center, and started our crossing of the Mobile Bay. The Bay is very shallow and one needs to stay in the boating channels - all very well indicated.

During the four hour crossing, we saw a number of fishing boats, various drilling platforms and a unique lighthouse. We entered the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) and proceeded to Highway 59 bridge connecting Gulf Shores with the mainland. Here we also passed Lulu's restaurant operated by Jimmy Buffett's sister. Our plans had been to spend the night in Orange Beach, AL. Since we were making good time, we decided to continue to Pensacola. In 1513 the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon landed on what is now known as Pensacola Beach. The city of Pensacola changed hands 17 times, alternating with Spain, France, England, the Confederacy and the United States. We had confirmed reservations at the Palafox Pier Yacht Harbor, one of the finest marinas in Pensacola. After having been assigned our slip, I washed the boat and Ray made dinner - hamburgers with chips and a brat.

November 1 and 2 - Mobile AL

During the past week I noticed a vibration when running at more the 1,600 rpm. The only solution was to lift the boat out of water and manually check the propeller. The prop had some nicks, nothing major, but just enough to create the problems we were having. The drive shaft was also checked and more bad news. The tip was found to be bent by less then a millimeter, but enough so that it had to be corrected. We were fortunate that the shaft could be removed quickly, allowing the work to start that same afternoon.  Even though the boat was out of the water, the boat was hooked up to shore power. Chuck  and I could sleep and shower onboard. The only thing we could not use was the air conditioner. During this time we called Marco Polo our Penthouse in the Sky. How surprised I was to find Jumbo, the German boat, on the blocks near our boat. Its owners had just returned from Germany and were ready to resume their trip. That evening we borrowed the courtesy car and drove to a nearby restaurant for a great meal.

The next morning the shaft was delivered and put in place. During this time we also had someone wash the hull and clean the scum line around the boat. After our new spare prop was attached, the boat was placed in the water and it was followed by a trial run. The boat passed with flying colors. Shortly after having returned to the harbor, Ray Bruinius arrived at the marina. Ray will assist me with bringing the boat to Fort Meyers Beach. After lunch onboard, we said good bye to Chuck Koning. Chuck and I had had lots of time to catch up on the past 50 years. We both agreed that we would not allow another 50 years to go by before again getting together. Afterwards we had a Raymarine technician come onboard. Our autopilot had given us some problems - it turned out to be a loose wire. After a trial run to reset the on-board computer system, our boat was once again 100%. Since it was too late in the afternoon to make the Mobile Bay crossing, we decided to spend the night at Dog River Marina and leave the next morning. That evening we did the shopping for the coming days.