A Chance of Sprinkles

Yesterday, the weather forecast was calling for some high winds over the next several days - 20 to 25 knots (23 to 29 miles per hour).  We decided to stay here in Pelican Bay, but moved out of the open central area to a more protected little cove up against the mangroves on the eastern side of the bay.  We had no sooner set the anchor than a sailboat arrived and followed us in.  Shortly after that, two more boats arrived, all no doubt looking for the same sort of protection.  Nice to be first in, and have your pick of where to set the hook.

That same weather forecast also called for a chance of sprinkles, which gave us a good chuckle.  Forecasts at home would call for light rain or showers, but I have to admit that 'sprinkles' is sometimes a perfect description.

Despite the forecast, the day itself was beautiful - hot and sunny, with few clouds and a nice light breeze.  Time to go exploring!

On the western shore of the bay is a cut in the mangroves, which leads to a small lagoon.  We thought it might be a good spot to go and look for manatees, having spotted one out in the open the other evening.  Camera in hand, we ventured out, and were not at all disappointed. There were at least twenty manatees in there, slowly circling the lagoon, and our little dinghy, rising slowly to the surface and exhaling very loudly.  Sometimes, all you see is the nose above the surface.  Other times, they rise above the surface, showing their bristly faces and algae and barnacle covered backs.  We saw at least one baby, hanging close to mom's side.

Full disclosure requires that I confess to our little comedy of errors.  I managed only a few really bad shots before I ran out of memory on the camera. We returned to the mother ship, did what we had to do to create more memory on the card, had lunch, and got back in the dinghy for a repeat visit.  I was somewhat more successful this time, and the manatees were cooperating nicely, until the camera shut down of its own accord.  WHAT??  Out of battery this time, much to my chagrin.  And so, we just sat and watched for a while.

Sunset brought about a flurry of activity near the mangroves in our new anchorage.  Small schools of fish, obviously feeding, splashed and thrashed around in the shallows.  This caught the attention of the wading birds in the area, and they all descended to take advantage.  Great egrets, snowy egrets and herons perched all around the water's edge, and even a pelican or two came to see what all the fuss was about.  The gulls, of course, showed up too.

We never seem to tire of watching all that goes on around us.  

Busy, busy

There has been lots to watch over the last few days here in Pelican Bay.  The anchorage pretty much cleared out over Sunday as people either went home, or traveled on to their next stop.  There was one other trawler left and a couple of sailboats by the time we went to bed Sunday night.  We were woken in a hurry Monday morning to the strange sound of what seemed to be a single wave slamming into the dinghy at the rear of the boat.  We rushed onto the deck, and could see one wave slowly moving away from us across the bay.  It was like a teeny tiny little tsunami, maybe 2 feet high, and all alone.  Not at all like wake from a passing boat, and very strange, indeed.

As we stood and wondered what had happened, we noticed that the trawler across from us seemed to be pushed up very close to the mangrove shore.  We could clearly see the anchor line stretched out to the right, and could only wonder what exactly had happened.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, the little red TOWBOAT US tug arrived, spent a little time with them, then left without actually doing anything that we could see.  So the poor guy was still stranded.

A while later, a sailboat entered the bay.  As we watched, they overshot the route into the easternmost part of the bay, and ran aground.  I should mention here that the whole bay is no deeper than 10 feet, and most is considerably less than that, so it is easy to find the bottom if you are not very careful.  You can see from the photo that the bow is sitting several inches higher than the stern.

At this point, the TOWBOAT US guy came back, spoke to folks on the sailboat,  then turned and headed back to the trawler.  First order of business was to pick up the anchor, then a towing line was attached and he began to pull her off the sand.

Well, he huffed and he puffed, and he pulled and he pulled, and ever so slowly, we began to see movement. Inch by inch, the boat pivoted and turned, then began to move freely, still under tow.  Those poor people had been up against shore for several hours by now.  He towed them to the middle of the bay, where they dropped anchor again, and I'm sure had a good stiff drink!

Meanwhile, the sailboat had launched their dinghy, and with a little help from another sailboat, managed to free themselves as the tide came up.

Yesterday, we took a little trip up to Burnt Store Marina for fuel and water.  It was a beautiful day for a run, and conditions were great.

We decided that we would return to Pelican Bay for the night, and determine our next destination.  As we sat on the aft deck having a cocktail, we saw a large boat approaching the southern end of the bay - not the normal entrance for most folks, but the only way to get into a very protected little 'hurricane hole'.  With strong winds forecast for overnight, we weren't surprised. But suddenly, he stopped moving.  Sure enough, he was too close to shore, and had run aground.  We could see people on the decks, trying to gauge the depth with boat hooks and weighted lines.  The sun was going down, and it would be dark soon.  Not a good time to be stuck.  They launched their dinghy after a few minutes, took a few soundings, and managed to eventually back off in fairly short order.  Their second attempt to enter was much more successful.

Throughout the entire exercise, we were surrounded by dolphins.  You can hear them exhaling as they surface often before you see them, and they were all around us.  But they don't stay in one place, and I only managed a couple of photos of fins!

I also managed to spot a manatee, and a small flight of little rays, but had no time to take any pictures.

The wind did pick up overnight, and we were up several times checking our position.  Our anchor held throughout, and we didn't drift at all, but neither of us had a particularly good sleep.  If the wind continues to settle, we may move on today - or not.  We'll see what happens today, and what we feel like doing.  And that's the beauty of having no firm plan.

Cayo Costa and Pelican Bay

We have done our time at Laishley Park Marina in Punta Gorda, slipped the mooring lines and ventured off into the wild.  Well, at least as far as Pelican Bay at the bottom of Charlotte Harbor.  We are anchored just off the barrier island of Cayo Costa, a state park and home to ospreys, pelicans, frigate birds, laughing gulls and many other birds, as well as feral hogs.  Thankfully, we haven't run into any of the hogs, and they don't seem to swim like the ones in the Bahamas that we have seen on YouTube.

We arrived to find a fair number of boats, all bunched up in one corner for no reason that we could discern.  We kept our distance, though, and had lots of space.  Our first sunset here was spectacular.  I know, more sunset pictures...but I never get tired of them.

The Gulf of Mexico is just across the island, which at this spot is maybe a mile wide.  Tour boats visit the park throughout the day, and there are rustic cabins, and campsites as well.  We launched the dinghy the next morning, and set off exploring.  The beach is beautiful, and the water is still warm enough for swimming...at least for we Canadians, used to swimming in Georgian Bay all summer!!

There is a huge dredging operation under way, which we have been told is to rebuild the beach at Boca Grand, on the island just north of Cayo Costa.

This poor old tree seems to be standing on tiptoes to stay out of the surf.

At the very south end of the island are more of the same...tree trunks, and root systems and some serious driftwood.  If it wasn't for the bright sun and blue water, it could be the stuff of nightmares.

Clearly, visitors to this part of the island are driven to leave something beautiful behind, and have created this shell tree.

Today, we had lunch at Barnacle's on North Captiva.  It is in a very protected little harbor, with flat water and lots of large, expensive homes.  Great cheeseburger, really good clam strips, and cold, cold beer.  Yum.

Laishley Park Marina

Laishley Park City Marina in Punta Gorda has been our temporary home for the past few weeks.  It's a great place to stay while we get the boat ready for traveling, with easy access to everything we might need...several marine supply stores, grocery stores, Lowes/Home Depot, and, of course, Walmart!  We have dealt with a number of small issues (like a leak in the water system), and done the necessary cleaning and polishing.  Serious teak work will have to wait, though.

The weather has been wonderful.  In fact, we have even complained (very quietly) that it's sometimes just a little too hot.  On those days, we just work a little less.  We had been here for almost two weeks when Michael observed that we had not yet visited the Tiki Bar.  Amazing!  We were very quick to remedy the oversight, and headed off to the Bloody Mary bar that Sunday morning.  For $2.50 you get a shot of vodka in a glass, with ice, and head off to make your own drink just the way you like it.  Choices included several different Bloody Mary mix varieties (from regular to extra spicy), celery, olives, horse radish, and shrimps.  What a civilized way to spend a Sunday morning.

There has been a bit of rain, and we are in a great position to watch the clouds build over Charlotte Harbor.  Clouds also make for lovely sunsets, which we can see from our aft deck.  It's a favourite spot for our 'Is it 5 o'clock yet?' cocktail.

There are plenty of birds around the marina.  Pelicans and terns are constantly fishing, and the snowy egrets wait patiently on lines to catch their dinner.

This green heron made himself at home on our forward deck while he waited for the sun to go down so he could indulge in a little night fishing.

Another day of hard work was capped off by a short run in the dinghy to make sure it was in good running order.  How better to celebrate than a cold beer at the Tiki Bar?  This little beach seems custom made for our little boat.

Endings and beginnings

October was a month of mixed emotions for us.  A surprise visit from a long lost cousin of Michael's created a flurry of Levy family based activity over our Thanksgiving weekend.  Cousin Roy's mother and Michael's father were siblings.  She married a Dutchman, and the family grew up in the Netherlands.  The 'boys' had not seen each other for 58 years!!  Roy was on a mission, visiting as many relatives in Canada as he could find...and there are quite a few.  We caught up with another cousin who was camping in Parry Sound for the long weekend, and we were invited to join them for Thanksgiving dinner, which was great fun.

Roy and his wife, Marina, are also sailors, so a trip out was required.

The Trojan was hauled out of the water and put to bed at the end of October, bringing an end to our season in Georgian Bay.  And just in time, too, as the day after we left the area for Toronto, it snowed in northern Ontario!

October was also a time of loss for us, as we said a sad farewell to Edee, our intrepid boat cat.  After 3 surgeries for cancer, it became clear that she was in pain, and we had to make that difficult final decision. She was with us for many years,and is missed.

We began our trip south with a full car, and a nervous approach to the US border.  Sure enough, my passport has been flagged after my last encounter, and we had to speak with the officials in the office.  After a wait of about 30 minutes, we spoke to a very nice border guard who told me to expect to be interviewed every time I cross, but if I stick to the rules, and can demonstrate strong enough ties to Canada, I should be OK.  And so....we're in!

We traveled via Alabama to pick up new registration stickers for the President, and to visit with friends there.  Roger and Deena put us up for a couple of nights, and were able to catch up with several others on the dock.  I was taken to task by several of them, who complained (very nicely) about the recent lack of activity on this blog, and I have promised to do better over the coming months.

Our arrival in Punta Gorda started several days of hard labor to get the boat ready to launch.  We scraped barnacles (well dried after 7 months on land), and painted the bottom and all the running gear (props and shafts and rudders), and cleaned, and tested batteries (finding some needed professional help), and did whatever else needed to be done.  We were very lucky to be staying with friends, so could walk away at the end of the day, and not have to worry about staying on board while we got her ready.

Launch day promised wind and rain, and we kept one eye on the sky as our time grew nearer.  They had to move two other boats in order to get to us, so we waited, and watched.  Finally, as the travel lift moved slowly towards the launch slip, the rain started out of a sky that had turned almost black, and the wind howled around us.  But the rain only lasted for about ten minutes, and the sun reappeared for the rest of the day.  The wind, however, was sticking around, so we arranged to stay at a slip at the boatyard for a day or two before we headed out of the protected canal system into the open waters of Charlotte Harbor.

I seem to be a magnet for every kind of biting insect that lives in the mangroves surrounding the boatyard, and my arms and legs were quickly covered in itchy red spots that made it look like I had measles. Antihistamines and hydro-cortisone cream have worked wonders, and the spots are finally fading away.

We left on Monday, at about noon, in order to exit the lock into the harbor waters at high tide.  It was still very shallow, but we made it through without incident.  The wind was still blowing, with seas of about two feet...nothing for us to worry about in this boat.  She ran very well, and got us safe into Laishley Park Marina by late afternoon.  We have some work to do before we are really ready to head out anywhere, so will make this our base for the next few weeks...at least until after Thanksgiving, which we will spend with our friends here in Punta Gorda.

We are very happy to back in the warm sun, and looking forward to the next few months.