Another Day in Ft Myers

Happy Birthday Jayne!!!
We found a little shop where I was able to buy her a card for 50 cents and an icecream cone! We split a bottle of wine to celebrate.

 The Crows Nest in Venice

 Captain Jayne

 One of the many little shops in Ft Myers

Steve left us this morning because of commitments.   Jayne and I will continue on our own.  Today we spent a lot of time exploring Fort Myers.
Tomorrow we travel the waterway  to Moorehaven Florida

Hi

We are enjoying our stay in Fort Myers.  We are staying 2 days to do some tasks such as oil changes etc.
Our plan was to go on to Moorehaven on thursday but the winds and weather in general look so bad we will stay a third day and leave on Friday.  We will probably visit the Ford and Edison houses on Thursday.
Erin my grand daughter did a great job of reminding me about how to put pictures on our blog. 

 Friends saying farewell!

 Steve,Jayne and Bob (Steve stays till Fort Myers)

Jayne is ready!! 

Leaving our home in Mariners Cove

Can't figure out how to put pictures into the blog

In Email it is easy but I don't see any way of doing it  at this time.  Perhaps someone out there can let me know how to do this.  I'll keep working on it and send the news as we go with or with out pictures!!

Cayo Costa to Ft Myers

Jayne and I took the dingy into the state park on the island; very pretty.  Came back to the boat and Steve Jayne and I took off for a beautful trip to Fort Myers; the weather was terrific. 
Jayne has been cooking too much - so tonight we go to dinner.   We will stay here two nights in this beautiful yacht basin hoping we have our first nice weather night out of three!   Tomorrow we change the engine oil on the port engine and the generator and get up early to meet our electrician for a minor problem.
Then we go to the Ford Edison estates for a tour.

Sunday March 27th

Jayne, myself and good friend Steve Ripich left the dock at 9:30 AM on Sunday with the best wishes from many good friends who were there to see us off.  The weather was beautiful all the way to our first stop; the Crowsnest Marina in Venice Florida.  We backed into our slip with no problems realizing that backing into a slip can be an exciting experience!! - we getting better as we go along.
Sometime after midnight we experienced a terrific thunder storm which lasted into the early morning.  We bicycled into town on Monday to pick up some supplies and took off for an anchorage at Cayo Costa State park.  The trip was pleasant, a little windy and very little sun.  We experienced a variety of interesting bridges including swing bridges.   The anchor site was relatively calm until around 7:00 and then the winds blew 25mph?  and then the rains blasted our new canvas for the second day in a row. Weather permitting we will dingy into the park in the morning and then on to  
Fort Myers to begin our trip through the Okeechobie waterway and Lake Okeechobie.  
Haven't  had a lot of time to write or send pictures;  will try to improve in this department.
More later!    

Final Countdown!

We seem to have been working for 20 years to get our boat ready for the big trip, but we bought it in October!
We are down to the last few touches:  The new canvas being installed on Tuesday and Wenesday; some minor engine work on Thursday, and that's it!
Of course the longer we stay at our dock the more thinks we find to spend money on.
Our plans still call for us to leave on March 26th.   Our first stop will be Venice FL.

The Detailing is done and tomorrow the new Canvas!

Doing some odds and ends to get ready for Saturday.  We are getting there!

Detailing today and Canvas tomorrow!

It's Monday and we are still chipping away at the little stuff.  Here are a few pictures of the real Lady Jayne and me.

Getting close!

Our departure date for the loop is Saturday,March 26th. Jayne is busy packing the boat and planning meals; I am busy planning our itinerary for the next few weeks or more.  Our boat has been updated with the latest in electronics which have their own defined tasks to be completed.  We have multiples of all safety items, around 300? pounds of charts and guides, a refrence library, and much more.
Our good friend Steve Ripitch will start out with us and get off at Naples FL; Good friends Ray and Susan Mitterer will join us out of New York City for a few weeks.