I drive the boat

A very long time ago, when doing the loop was just an amusing thought, Russ read some blogs from other boaters who either were doing or did the loop. One particular entry told of some harrowing ordeal in a lock, where the wife was handling the lines (which were big and heavy for her) and the husband piloted the boat. I don't remember the specifics, but it was clear to Russ that the rolls should have been reversed; that the man is stronger to deal with heavy lines than the woman, so that's what he should have been doing. You don't need muscles to pilot.

I'm not sure how it happened but I've become more of the pilot on our boat, and Russ handles the lines. To me it's feels natural -- I get how the thing moves (well, most of the time, when strong winds and currents are plaguing us). Moreover, I enjoy it. I'm looking forward to getting really good at it.

I've noticed, however, that this isn't normal. That most women don't drive the boat. I talked to the woman next to us once about maneuvering and she says she panics and makes her husband take over. I've certainly felt panicked or uncomfortable, but I feel driven to "get us out of this" rather than run away from the problem.

When we met with the "anchor people," who are a seasoned husband and wife team, I got the sense that they too had those gender roles: He piloted the boat and she handled the anchor and lines. They'd been doing this for decades.

Ultimately, we do want to share the roles. Piloting is more fun, in my humble opinion, but my skill set shouldn't be limited to the bridge, nor should his be limited deck. 

I am curious if this will be something we see throughout the journey to come.

Meanwhile, here are some pictures of the current boat's condition. THIS makes me panic. It's also why we haven't gone anywhere since getting back.

Ah!

Aaaaah!

AAAAAAAHHH!!!

A sunset to calm my nerves

Non-boat life

Back in F5, Regatta Pointe Marina

Back in Palmetto we immediately filled our calendar with "things to do." There's a huge list of upgrade and gadgets we want to add to the boat, everything from a second anchor and davit system to curtains to make the place look more homey. 

Additionally, there are some repairs that need to be addressed. For example, on this last trip we lost one of our two depth gauges. Remember the running aground thing? The gauge we have was always more conservative than the other gauge (not sure why, probably different locations on the boat). It frequently reads shallower than we are, making it hard to guess just how shallow the water is. Having two gauges gave more information, which is always better. 

On the 41 bridge heading to Bradenton.
That's Regatta Pointe in the distance.

Since Christmas the weather has been much warmer. We've spent most the days in shorts and t-shirts -- a proper Florida winter! We took a number of scooter rides; one to get the scooters Florida license plates which ended in a tasty trip to Culver's for frozen custard, and another to "the island" (Anna Maria Island) for lunch. 

Today another storm will come through and things will cool off a little. 

The only other boating thing we have planned is to spend a night away on anchor somewhere. Not far, just a trial run on the process. Not to mention a trial run for the dogs, who'll need to dinghy to the shore for "breaks." Should be exciting for everyone!

Gotta admit, I'm curious about "beer yoga."

Fog, cigarette boats, and an accidental emergency

When we walked the dogs in the morning a light fog had rolled in, less dense than the fog we experienced yesterday. We were pretty quick to get out again, hoping to beat the traffic. That didn't last long. The fog lifted pretty quickly and the boats came out in fleets.

Some of the day we had completely to ourselves. The crossing through Sarasota Bay, above Sarasota, was almost devoid of boaters. But all the canals were nearly clogged. There was so many wakes at times our autopilot struggled to maintain course. We bobbed a fair bit. 

Right around Siesta Key, Russ had just gone into the boat for something (water, food, I don't recall) and I was alone on the bridge. Suddenly, a shrieking squeal filled the radio. I looked at all my gauges, thinking it was some kind of alarm telling me our engine was on fire -- it was that intense. It lasted a few seconds, causing our dogs much distress (Lizzie is not a fan of beeps, we've learned). Russ came up asking what that was, as if I did something to make that noise. He even restarted out VHF system thinking it got pooched somehow. Over the next half hour or so the Coast Guard hailed everyone on channel 16 asking for information about a boat in distress. A number of captains responded, saying they may have accidentally triggered their distress signals, but the CG were looking for a specific vessel. Apparently, they knew who they were looking for (the boat was called the Beagle, and they recited registration numbers to get that boats attention), just not where. It was also apparent that most boaters (like us) were shocked by the alarm and thought that they had done something to trigger it. In the end the Coast Guard gave an all clear, saying it had been an accident (I'm thinking curious kid pressing the big red button).

Everybody is boating

Our only other bit of excitement (in a "shaking our fist" kind of way) was the flotilla of cigarette boats that buzzed by. About twelve of them. Noisy, fast, and making four foot wakes. Once they passed us and vanished on the horizon, a captain on the radio asked if anyone knew where they were going. I don't think he wanted to go anywhere near where they were. It's a shame I didn't get a picture of them. I was too busy keeping my balance to get the camera.

Otherwise, it couldn't have been a better day. Calm winds, smooth waters (baring jet-boats), warm sun. 

Oh, and docking in Palmetto was almost trivial compared to some of the places we'd been. And I used to think it was tricky!

Throwback:

We spent a great couple of days in Ft. Myers. Here are some highlights.

Gorgeous sunrise

Cheesy pirate ship

Real pirate ship 

Heading north

We waited out the next storm in Ft. Myers, planning on departing on Saturday, Dec 29. It was supposed to storm (thunder, rain, the whole kit and caboodle) on Friday, but all weather maps agreed Saturday was going to be awesome.

Turns out Friday was amazing. Sunny, warm, and just a little windy. So amazing in fact that we thought about leaving early. But I'd already booked a massage for later in the afternoon (which I would have cancelled), so we decided to stay.

Remember that: massage = stay.

This was probably the biggest holiday weekend, since many folks take off the time between Christmas and New Years. The town of Ft. Myers Beach was just jammed with tourists. All day Friday the channel in front of us was clogged with boats. Pulling out to leave would have been a challenge, and we'd had our share of challenges lately.

Foggy morning

We woke Saturday morning to fog. Not horribly dense, but dense enough that we thought we'd put off leaving until it lifted. That wasn't a call we really were happy about. As soon as the fog lifted, we thought, the channel would be jammed again. Furthermore, we wanted to put in a decent day, so we could get back to Palmetto Sunday afternoon. Then I noticed a couple of boats pulling out around 7 am, which gave us some confidence it wasn't all that bad. So. We did.

Silver rainbow in the fog

Back when we had the RV we had special fog/nighttime sunglasses. They came in handy now. I was diligent to blow our horn announcing our presence periodically, while keeping an eye on both our Navionics route and the radar. The fog kept a number of boaters away, so we saw very few. And after two hours, it lifted.

Clearing nicely

As predicted, once the fog was gone, the boats came out. We didn't blame them -- this was the best boating day we'd experienced since we brought her over from West Palm Beach. It's the first time we could wear t-shirts and shorts! Sunny, warm, just a breeze to keep us cool. Perfect.

We wanted to stay at the Crow's Nest, but they were full. A nearby marina, Fisherman's Wharf, has room. We docked there. With no drama, thank you! In a conversation with the dock hands about the weather they asked if we were safe in the last storm (they meant the one Friday we didn't have in Ft. Myers Beach). Here, apparently, they had fifty (50!) mph winds.

So if we had left on that beautiful day, THAT would have been a disaster. I should get massages more often.

Stressed boat dogs

Dolphins! Russ took this shot.

Adventures, and mis-adventures

"Sooner or later you're going to run aground."
"Sooner or later you're going to hit another boat."

These are things people tell you when you start boating. It's meant to make you feel better so that when these thing happen to you, you know you're not alone.

Turns out we did both. In one trip.

The day started out with a bad night's sleep. We'd been keeping an eye on the weather for a a while, noticing the "good conditions" turn to "okay conditions." The wind was expected to come up to 15 knots. When we got up around 5 am, they were already blowing pretty well. The only reason we went ahead with the journey was the direction of the wind, which was due east. So if we stayed closed to shore it shouldn't be too bad. You'll notice that this crossing was just that -- we didn't do the straight line across the gulf. We headed outward around North Naples and were greeted by two foot seas, which are doable but uncomfortable (for us, anyway). 

Christmas morning on the boat

The tide had just reached it's lowest point as we left the canal from Naples. Once we past the last channel marker we turned northward, well before our Navionics told us to. And sure enough, we shuttered and slowed. We hit something. Checked the depth and, yep, it was 0. We did continue to move forward so I cranked the wheel back to port, hard. We moved along slowly, both of us wide-eyed and holding our breath. The depth gauge painfully inched (literally) upwards. Slowly, we gained more depth and headed right out to the sea until we got to the location our electronic map told us to be on. With a bit of paranoia, Russ checked the hulls to ensure we didn't puncture anything. Nope, all good.

Note to self: Just because the gulf looks all big and watery doesn't mean it really is.

Yes. That is an alligator. Waiting for his ride.

For the next three hours or so we bounced a bit, but the strategy of staying near the shore (but watching the maps and depths obsessively!) worked well. Things were choppy early on but as we neared Ft. Myers the ride smoothed out. As we made the turn around Estero Island we thought we'd made it.

HA!

We managed to get a slip in the Pink Shell Resort and Marina for the next three nights. No small feat, with New Years approaching, another big boater holiday. The forecasts predict that the next best boating day will be Saturday, so that is our target departure.

The wind never died down. It should get stronger over the next three days. It was coming from the east so I planned to get into our slip accordingly. However. There was a H U G E shiny boat in the slip next to ours, I'm guessing about 70 feet. It sticks way out, like a perfect target. My other issue, proving my ignorance in this whole boating thing, was the tide which was coming in and quickly. Lastly, the marina is exposed and just off the channel, giving me very little maneuvering room. And of course, they wanted me stern in.

Attempt #1. I pulled up next to the slip and started to pivot. While backing in I drifted toward the big boat. I pulled forward to set myself up for a second attempt, but we had to wait for the parade of boats coming down the channel.

Attempt #2. I again pulled up, but gave myself more space on the starboard side (where the big boat was). I lined it up perfectly, then started to reverse. But the current was strong and I wasn't quick enough. Again we drifted towards the boat. The dock hand there to help told us we could pull bow in if that was easier. I decided to do just that.

Attempt #3. I came about, turning into the slip. Russ managed to get a bow line to the dock hand. As I started to move into the slip, the stern was pushed outward, and into the shiny boat. Just before we hit, a kid (I'm assuming the son of the boat's owner, about 15 years old) ran from out of nowhere, seeing the tragedy unfold. He threw himself at our boat from his bow just as a horrible scraping sound filled my ears. Russ, too, dashed to that side, and the two of them pushed our boats apart as I finagled getting fully docked. The dock hand started yelling at us that he needed a stern line, or we'd hit them a second time. As Russ dashed to get it the father came out as well. He and his son started to inspect their boat for damage. 

The TALL boat is the one we hit. *I* hit.

I felt just terrible about it, embarrassed and ashamed. After a few minutes, we were safely tied into out slip, and (THANKFULLY) the other boat had zero damage. Except for a candy cane I took out -- only then did I realize it was decorated for the holidays. The father/owner (bless his heart) looked me in the eyes and asked, "Are you okay?" I said I was, but I was crazy flustered. He smiled and said, "Just breathe. It's fine."

Our boat, too, was fine. We didn't even get a scratch. I'm assuming the scraping we heard was from our rub rail taking out the candy cane, but it was a terrible noise.

As the afternoon went on a couple of other boats docked in the slips next to ours. I am a bit relieved to say they, too, had a difficult time with their boats. Russ watched one, saying they came at it sideways, got a line to the dock hand, who spun them around the pole to get parked. Odds are they've done this way more times than me.

So, okay, I feel a little better.

Naples

Sunrise in Naples

Many years ago Russ and I looked at and loved Naples, Florida. There are a couple of small, walkable downtowns (yep, two of 'em), with lots of restaurants and shopping. Seemed ideal for us. But, well, we changed our minds and settled on New Orleans. Given today it's 69 here and 48 there, I'm wondering if that wasn't a mistake.

Anyway, our slip is at Naples City Dock, which is just a few block from one of the downtowns, and an easy bike ride to the other. The afternoon we docked we walked to one of our favorite restaurants, Tommy Bahamas. We ordered the coconut shrimp, the poke, and split blackened fish tacos. The food was wonderful, as usual.

Marking chain

Just a quick story about TBs: When we first visited Naples years ago we hooked up with one of Russ's co-workers who lived here. We met him downtown and he told us a bit about Naples and how it came to be. He pointed to the mall (where the Tommy Bahamas was) and said that the woman who owns it was picky about who she leased to, only wanting "mom & pop" stores and no franchises. Of course I laughed and said, "Except for the Tommy Bahamas." He too laughed and said, "At the time, this was the only one."

We took a bike ride the first day we got here to do some parts shopping, as well as groceries and hit a lunch spot. The streets are busy and not particularly kind to bikes, but there are sidewalks set a bit off the roads making the journey comfortable.

I'm beginning to realized that time in shore isn't tourist time. At least it hasn't been for us. It's maintenance/repair/chore time. When the weather was nice we pulled out all the anchor chain and marked it so we have a clear visual on length when using it -- kinda like some homework from Anchor Day. 

Parrots!

The following day the storm set in. This is the one that cancelled our Key West plan. It brought high winds, lots and lots of rain, a little lightning and thunder but not much. Given the rain we took the time to do indoor chores. Russ delved into some engine mechanics, replacing the water lines that ran into the engines. I did laundry.

Good news, bad news

Our day with the Anchor People was fruitful. We learned a good deal and did some anchoring (on a rougher sea, no less). Once lessons learned we did some "anchor-needs" shopping, and had a couple of good meals with our new friends. Jill and Rudy were great company for the two days we had them on board.

However, weather isn't going to be kind to us. While today and tomorrow presented a weather window to get to Marathon, getting to Key West by the 23rd would be a challenge we'd like not to have just yet. So we cancelled the trip there, and are trying to find a dock in Naples instead. Christmas in Naples is hardly a loss. We'll get to the Keys eventually.

Russ dropping anchor

Rudy and Russ -- look cold, don't they?

Jill watching the workers

Sunset after an exhausting day

On anchor day we were able to flush out some problems in our anchor system. Since we have a catamaran, we have a "bridle", a piece of rope that attaches to the 2 pontoons of our boat, instead of a single point on the bow. But it had a metal piece on the end that was supposed to go on the chain, and had to be attached while bending over the anchor. On the rougher seas, that was clearly a scary thing to do. So we decided to change our strategy to using a "snubber", or another piece of rope we'd simply knot onto the chain. So, Rudy and Russ spent the morning doing just that. By 10 am, the snubber was made, the lines were spliced, and the new bridle was attached. We were good to go.

From Ft. Myers we started the journey to Naples, which is "outside" meaning we're on the Gulf. No more safety of the ICW. Turns out we couldn't have asked for a more pleasant day. Waters calm, breeze gentle. The hardest part of the journey was docking. Stern in, again, and BOY was this slip tiny!

Gorgeous dawn promising good travels today

Russ and Rudy splicing a snubber onto our bridle
(Ooo! Such sailor lingo!)

Calm seas ahead