We spent the night anchored in the rich folks' backyards again last night in Port Royal, just inside Gordon Pass. As you can see from the picture, Mary enjoyed being invited to tea in the home of one of the little old rich ladies while I was stuck checking engines and handling fuel management.
This morning I watched as the nearest 70-80 foot sport fisherman's boat boy came to work at 0800 to administer the daily bath. I wonder if some smart guy has started a boat service like the pool guys have?
The weather was perfect with no A/C needed. As predicted, the winds have veered (that's changing clockwise for you lubbers) to the east with a vengeance. This was the wind I scooted up here from Key West yesterday to avoid while in open water - it would have obviated any such open-water activity. So we are hugging the shoreline today (as planned) for the relative calm water while we wander up to Fort Myers Beach on a 3.5-hour run. I love it when a plan comes together. MAN! is this wind ever whistling! We are showing a degree or two of port list due to the force of the wind on our starboard beam, but we are riding well without just a bit of "jiggle" from the wavelets hitting that side. Thank goodness for the lee we are enjoying. The crab pots are easier to see and avoid in this calmer water too.
The weather was perfect with no A/C needed. As predicted, the winds have veered (that's changing clockwise for you lubbers) to the east with a vengeance. This was the wind I scooted up here from Key West yesterday to avoid while in open water - it would have obviated any such open-water activity. So we are hugging the shoreline today (as planned) for the relative calm water while we wander up to Fort Myers Beach on a 3.5-hour run. I love it when a plan comes together. MAN! is this wind ever whistling! We are showing a degree or two of port list due to the force of the wind on our starboard beam, but we are riding well without just a bit of "jiggle" from the wavelets hitting that side. Thank goodness for the lee we are enjoying. The crab pots are easier to see and avoid in this calmer water too.
I noticed a fellow trawler northbound a bit farther out at see and called them to find out how they were riding out there. A delightful conversation ensued as we discovered Al and Rosie Scwartz in Nautilus also bound for Fort Myers Beach. We agreed to meet later for dinner. Since they were going to a mooring ball, they came over about 1800 by dinghy, and after sitting around enjoying each other's company for awhile, we all trooped over to the Matanzas Inn for dinner. It just doesn't get any better than meeting fine folks like Al and Rosie while out cruising. THey own and operate a resort and marina in Michigan (www.riverviewresortand marina.com) in Michigan in the summer and cruise their boat (stored on the hard in Charlotte Harbor) in the winter.
Since we were down to 50% fuel, and Ballard oil (cheapest on the coast) is in Fort Myers Beach, we took on several hundred gallons before we headed over to Moss Marine for a marina stay of a day of so while we re-provision foodstuffs.
I spent last evening and part of this morning filling the forward fuel tanks from the aft tanks by running the diesel through the polisher (while Mary was at her apocryphal tea party). that way all the new fuel from Mr. Ballard will go aft, and I can continue my practice of using polished fuel from the forward tanks on each day's run. The VERY LAST thing I want while running through any unpleasantness or in a channel is to have engine stoppage due to fouled filters. I changed the starboard engine Racor fuel filter (foot-tall filter with big clear bowl on bottom) in Key West before yesterday's run because it had begun to show 2 or 3 inches of mercury on the vacuum gauge. That's really pretty early considering the engine will run with 10-15 inches of vacuum, but I am overly cautious in this area.
Mary is MUCH improved from her tummy bug and "sat up and took nourishment" this morning. She's looking forward to a "run ashore" from the Marina in Fort Myers Beach. Her attitude took a dramatic turn for the better yesterday at 1600 as we regained cell phone contact with the rest of the world off shore from Marco Island.
Since we were down to 50% fuel, and Ballard oil (cheapest on the coast) is in Fort Myers Beach, we took on several hundred gallons before we headed over to Moss Marine for a marina stay of a day of so while we re-provision foodstuffs.
I spent last evening and part of this morning filling the forward fuel tanks from the aft tanks by running the diesel through the polisher (while Mary was at her apocryphal tea party). that way all the new fuel from Mr. Ballard will go aft, and I can continue my practice of using polished fuel from the forward tanks on each day's run. The VERY LAST thing I want while running through any unpleasantness or in a channel is to have engine stoppage due to fouled filters. I changed the starboard engine Racor fuel filter (foot-tall filter with big clear bowl on bottom) in Key West before yesterday's run because it had begun to show 2 or 3 inches of mercury on the vacuum gauge. That's really pretty early considering the engine will run with 10-15 inches of vacuum, but I am overly cautious in this area.
Mary is MUCH improved from her tummy bug and "sat up and took nourishment" this morning. She's looking forward to a "run ashore" from the Marina in Fort Myers Beach. Her attitude took a dramatic turn for the better yesterday at 1600 as we regained cell phone contact with the rest of the world off shore from Marco Island.
