Time to catch you up....We've had a crazy stressful 10 days...silly us, we thought things might go a little more smoothly now that we've totally committed to this way of life.  Not so much!
We left the boat storage on January 21st at 7am. 


Heading down the canal to our "Future"..

 

About 15 minutes later Gary checked the engine room only to find the Port Engine water circulating pump had PUKED....as in gave up the ghost, or in the simplest terms QUIT!!!  GREAT!!!!!!   Decided we could hobble along on one engine, since we usually only run one at a time anyway and headed onto Fort Myers to get diesel fuel.....oh yes, that is 400 gallons of diesel fuel which translates into $$$$$!!!.  BUT....it should last us for many months and I am taking bets on that.

 



3 dolphins swimming ahead of us under the bow of the boat.  Brave souls...

The dolphins were in the Myakka River though ready to guide us out into Charlotte Harbor....I am still praying that they are a fortuitous sign of our future.

 

SO,,,, we made it to the fuel dock and filled up, no problems then headed back to Glover Bight in Cape Coral to anchor for the night.  We were off on our timing and ended up getting there after dark and had to wind back into the protected anchorage and though I tried several times to blind us both with  my hand held spotlight, we made it and had a peaceful night with 2 other boats.

 

 

Since we had to track down a new cooler for the engine and wait for it to be delivered at our son Cory's, we spent 2 nights in the Fort Myers Beach mooring field.  Then we started having trouble with the batteries not holding a charge, which the Captain says means we have to equalize them which means overcharging them.  So, ok, we will stay on a ball for 3 nights and rent a slip for one night. Had that all planned out until Gary tried the Xantrex Battery Charger and couldn't get it to work on equalize.  ANOTHER log in the road.  The upside we didn't have to rent a slip...actually saved $$$.  To stay on a ball for four nights in Naples it cost us $42.40!!  AND he got the new cooler and installed it to boot.  I'd say a good stay.

 

On Monday we headed for the Shark River in the Everglades....a nine hour trip from Naples in 10-14 mph SE winds.  We passed only 2 sailboats in that nine hours and arrived to find ourselves the only boat anchoring that night.  Perfect......well except for the no see ums which were vicious.

 The mouth of the Little Shark River

The red marker shows the Green Buoy going in in the picture We anchored where it says 12.

Sunrise on the Little Shark River 

 

Then came yesterday morning with the above beautiful sunrise and calm seas.  We knew it would be getting windy and boy did it.  It wasn't bad in Florida Bay but when we were withing sight of the Seven Mile Bridge in the Keys the full effect of that East Southeast wind was upon us.  Every time we get in really windy and rough conditions (Gary says that it isn't that windy of course) I get nervous especially when we have the dink on top of the boat, that we are going to roll.  Well, it wasn't bad, really it wasn't.  I did throw on my life jacket but Gary and Bob.....yes Bob the boat dog is still aboard and ready for the challenges we face.  We rocked and rolled into the Boot Key Harbor entrance and I even took a video of the action.  Posted on Utube at  http://youtu.be/LdzX0v32GVU

 

Entering Boot Key Harbor 

 

 



So I could end here on a good note.....but wait, this is us I am talking about there must be more mayhem afoot.  No surprises here.  I called into The City Marina for a mooring ball and no dice!  They are all filled up.  Can we take any more????   Well yes I guess the gods of the sea think we can...We are now anchored in Sister Creek waiting for a ball to free up.  Probably won't be until Saturday now as there is a cold front coming and no one is leaving.  GREAT....  It would be ok out here, we are alone again, except for the fact that when Gary tried to start the dink...it isn't pumping water which means the impeller is shot and now we will have to row ourselves a mile to the Marina???  I DON"T THINK SO!!!!  I'll let you know tomorrow how that one turns out!!!

 

 

So to end this lengthy 'catch up' on the trials and tribulations aboard TIE A KNOT  this sums it up in a picture....what Gary found this morning when he opened the engine room hatch....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's all folks......

 

 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 



Well we've gone and done it!!  If you hadn't heard, we sold our home in Rotonda and closed on December 31st.  It was a very stressful 3 months of wondering if it would ever go through BUT it did and it is now a part of our past, so enough said about that.

We moved aboard the boat on New Year's Eve and started our 'new life' of living aboard in the New Year, quite fitting don't you think?  We have been living in the boat yard 'on the hard' for 3 weeks.  Night time  tinkle bucket and all.  It really hasn't been that bad, in fact I've rather enjoyed it.  As usual we have met so many great people here.  Not many full time cruisers but a lot of snowbirds down to use their boats for the winter. There was a great New Year's Eve party and a week later a Spaghetti dinner with a band....these boaters know how to have fun!

We launched her on Friday at 10:30, fully expecting to leave by noon....oh sure, like that would happen!  Of course the first "issue" was, once again, the head.  Oh, you are so surprised I bet! 
Yes Gary is thrilled to know that plumbing is again in his near future.  Then another more serious and pressing issue was the port engine not starting.  After 2 days of sitting at the dock playing with wires and meters and lots of bad words......we are McGivered together enough to head to Marathon and fix the issue properly when we get there.  It's something to do with grounding and new battery wires and.....well, way over my head!

We plan on leaving the dock tomorrow morning at 7 am. Our first stop on our journey will be Fort Myers City Dock for fuel (not looking forward to that tab) and then on to Naples where we will use Cory's car to come back and get our truck.  Then on to Marathon in the Keys and from there......wherever the siren call takes us.

 

 

So cross your fingers that we make it through Florida Bay without catching a crab pot or two and motor into Boot Key Harbor and actually have a ball waiting!!! (No reservations)

Time Sure Does Fly!

I can't believe how fast 3 weeks has flown by!!  We have been blessed with pretty decent weather.on this visit.  Today is only the second time since we have been here that it has rained all day.  I'd say the sun has had equal billing with the Michigan gloom so knowing what it could have been I have to give mother nature a thumbs up.  It is good I think, to experience the changing weather, makes us appreciate the constant sun in Florida more.  Of course spending so much quality time with family that we seldom see has been a real treat.

All the boats are gone from the marina in Bay Harbor

View of the rocky bottom in about 12 feet of water.  The cleanest water we've seen since the Florida Keys last January!

One of the reasons we choose to live in Florida...early morning frost in early November

Indian Mission Church on the bike walking path in Petoskey circa 1859 .  This path has really made our walks worth looking forward too.  The city of Petoskey has done a fabulous job on making the waterfront accessible to everyone.

Some of the many many geese that are out and about this time of year.  This was on a chilly morning and the geese were facing the rising sun warming their feathers!

Remember these coats from our November trip in Marco Island!   They are FAB!

Petoskey Harbor Light

Frost on the pumpkins....next is snow....maybe as soon as this week.

The Bear River that runs into the Petoskey Harbor and is a favorite spot for trout fisherman.

City Park near Petoskey City Marina

One of the farms near Belaire Michigan.  We took a road trip Sunday around Torch Lake which is North of Traverse City.  Lots of  cherry, apple and crop farms.  Maybe Michigan isn't back to thriving yet but it is on the road to recovery it appears.

Couldn't resist this great photo op.

Beautiful Michigan

We have been in Petoskey for 2 weeks now.  For those of you who do not know Petoskey is in upper Michigan on Little Traverse Bay in Lake Michigan.  The weather has been decent, I won't say great as today is foggy and gloomy.  Heck it was still dark at 8am this morning, I woke up thinking 'am I in Alaska?'  We have been having a good time though.
We are staying with Gary's dad, in his condo and we have had great walks every day on the trail along the water below his place.  The fresh air puts us back on the boat again, it is great although a bit nippy but no wind which keeps it from being BRrrrrrrr!!
We love Petoskey so it is good to be here again.  Maybe we'll even see snow before we leave!!

The shoreline is very rocky but a great perch for this Sea Gull

The white tips on these pine needles are drops of dew.  It was a Beautiful morning with dew everywhere.

Houses at Bay Harbor about a mile west of us.

View from Dad's Deck

Looking onto Lake Michigan from Dad's deck
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The following pictures were taken on the nature trail below the condo 

Clouds

One thing I know....when you are on land you don't often look up. There are too many distractions. I found that on the water you really pay attention to the beauty around you. You are always looking ahead and that view is always of water and sky. You appreciate the world around you more and one of the most amazing things you can look at are the clouds in the sky. Their formations let you know when fronts are approaching and when storms are imminent, but they are mostly just wonderful to look at and be in awe of.

GLAD TO BE SAD

Tie A Knot was hauled and shored today.....BUT.... we are 'glad' to be sad.  We have had 10 months of the privilege of 'living the dream' so although it doesn't make us happy to see her on shore again we are very thankful for the experiences she carried us through.

The first half of the trip was the hardest for us. There was illness and Portugese Man O'War attacks . Systems had to be tweaked, parts replaced ( I promised I wouldn't bring up the you know what...refrigerator) and we had to learn to bend ourselves to her whims (and we thought we were the alpha dog!!)...  Not so much. We expected margaritas and Jimmy Buffett all the time, relaxation and a life of ease.  It wasn't exactly the life of ease we had planned, but looking back it was a pretty good ride, We laughed a lot along with the screams of "mercy".

So we smothered her with love and $$$$$ and changed her name from Sea Angel (NOT) to Tie A Knot...then we both settled into our routines. Her engines may have belched smoke at times but she never let us down!  3,500 miles on a 25 year old boat that probably was not babied very much through her many owners is quite a feat in any one's book. I found there is a rhythm to life on a boat that you don't have on land.  Now that I have been home for a few weeks I find that I liked that pace, it is much too easy to fall back into the frenetic life ashore.  The water is truly God's "chill pill".

It was an awesome journey that allowed us to travel to places we had never been and meet many new friends.  That was the very best part...even more than the scenery...the wonderful people we met. It is like moving from town to town and always being in a community of people on your wave length.  How often does that happen in life.

So now we will enjoy our family, and continue working on the Old Girl. We would love to take her to the Bahamas in the late spring of 2012 but for now we are still CLODS! (Cruisers living on dirt)!!!

Waiting

The big moment

And we thought we made it without hitting any crab pots.  Well looks like we got one!

Gary was ecstatic with his Interlux Micron Extra bottom paint.This is after 11 months in the water with NO bottom cleaning.

This is the crab pot line that was wrapped around the prop

Still looking good.....(from a distance :)

Settling in for a nap...I wonder if the boats talk to each other at night.?..you know...."Boat Story"