Happy Father's Day

Unfortunately, Mike and I have the hospitals this weekend. So no boating. We did aquire a nice laptop (at a great price--thank u Gail). Next time out we should be well connected. Stay tuned. More later.

Smooth Trip Home

Up anchor near 9:30 this AM.  Ran the genny for the A/C.  Caught several fish this morning before we left, no keepers.  We saw a very large snook under the dock--same one we saw a small alligator under last weekend.  Gail caught a few fish on her sambiki rig--too funny to watch.

We hope to have our fish finder (depth sounder) module replaced this week.  It seems odd to be running around without knowing how deep we are running.  We have only traveled in familiar waters at this point--and will stay that way until we are fully equipped to explore new places.

The most fun is just watching what is going on around us.  We walked to the beach and found these osprey.  The dinghy was the mode of choice to get back into a protected pocket where the manatee were so close Gail thought that they may "snot" on us.  Of course, we stopped on the way back home to fish.  The best fish I caught was in our own canal as I was cleaning up the boat.  Gail saw Jacks in the canal and I pitched a gold spoon--1 cast, 1 16 inch Jack--fun!

We will likely stay at home the next couple of weekends, but may try some day trips.

Arrived yesterday. Bunch of wind, with the usual big water in Charlotte harbor. 2 to 3 footers with a number of 4 footers (frequently back to back).  Took us 90 minutes to travel the 8 or so miles from Ponce Park to marker 5.  After making the corner, we decided to try to run on plane, and it worked (slow speed, 17 to 18 knts) just enough RPM to keep her on plane with the trim set mostly nose down.  It turned our last 6 nautical mile trip from 1 hr to 20 minutes--it was rough, but both my kidneys survived.  Gail rode in the back where it was much smoother--but she did see some salt spray.

Pretty warm during the day, but if the breeze continues (as it usually does), it isn't bad.  We took the dinghy about and caught a few fish (1 keeper trout).  Great sunset.  Only 8 boats in the harbor Friday night--we had 119 last weekend!

We ran the genny all night, had to add some fuel near midnight to keep it running for the A/C.  Much nicer than the warm, humid Florida June weather.

Coffee out at anchor always tastes a little better than at home.

Yes, it is an alligator.  No, they aren't suppose to be in salt water.  The ranger says that there are 3 "little" ones living in the end of the inlet for the ranger staff.  This one was between 3 and 4 feet.  We saw it again later in the weekend.

Stay tuned, more later.

More Fishies. 1 Blackberry Tango Uniform

Gail and I went out in the dingy this morning and brought home 2 nice Trout. We caught several that were too small and a couple of Lady fish. We had several Trout that came off (those looked too small).

Gail upgraded her blackberry to tether as a modum to a laptop. This morning her phone decided not to function at all. Time for a trip to the Verizon store.

Gail just finished cleaning the 2 trout. They will be good on the grill Monday.

We had a good night on the anchor. Nice breeze until about 2 AM. We broke out an efficient 12 volt fan and enjoyed the "electric" breeze the rest of the night.

We awoke to the sound of manatee's frolicking in the anchorage--yes, it is that time of year.  Dolphin were all over.  It's pretty fun to hear them before your know which direction to look for them.

That's all for now, more later.

Yes We Like Pelican Bay

Back in our favorite anchorage. It's always a gamble on a Holiday weekend. We are tucked in way behind a bar. I think we anchored close enough to the bar to discourage anyone from anchoring it front of us. So far, it has worked. We counted 30 sailboats earlier and a number of powerboats as well. Of course, more are arriving. A very nice breeze is blowing and its only 83 degrees. Very nice.

Tarpon are in Boca Grande Pass.  This time of year, it is common for a tournament and or a practice day.  We took a couple of pics on the way into our anchorage.  Boats get pretty thick and when more than one boat is hooked up, it can be a real challenge to stay out of the way.

Stay tuned (Ropa Vieja is ready). More later.

Our Favorite Anchorage

Back in Pelican Bay for just 1 night. Back home tomorrow morning. Our depth sounder is not working (joys of boat ownership).

We stopped at Fisherman's Village Marina for some fuel--non-ethanol. 50 gal for a bunch of $. It is good to get the old fuel used up.

A pretty sunset and the two of us on the bow at anchor.

More later.

Back Home

Up anchor about 10:30 and home about 2 hours later. Got tied up and a few things off the boat when the sky opened and a good amount of thunder and lightning hit. The rain will help get rid of a bunch of salt from the trip out. Much smoother water today, no spray. Will work on pictures to add later--great weekend!!

Yes, I know our boat looks like a couple of Okies headed for California (no mattress on top though).

A couple of pictures of a very neat boat that was in our anchorage.