Trip Diary for January, 2009
Jan. 1-17;
Clearwater, FL: Thursday, New Year's Day was rather uneventful with Lola
doing laundry and Larry watching the Outback Bowl game that Iowa won (only one
game because we couldn't receive major network channels). Friday-Saturday were
busy days of boat projects for Larry and ironing for Lola until going shopping for boat repair parts at West
Marine and a light dinner at Panda Express. Sunday began slowly with the
11:10 AM service at
Heritage UMC, lunch at Chili's and some
grocery and boat supply shopping; it was 3:15 before we returned.
Monday afternoon was devoted to finding a now rather scarce analog phone jack to upload Lola's medical
data, lunch and a bit of shopping. Dinner aboard allowed time to digest
the new shipment of surface mail from W. Lafayette including 40-some Christmas
letters/cards. Tuesday was devoted to driving 20 mi. to St. Pete
Beach to purchase Cummins diesel supplies before going to lunch and spending the
afternoon with long-time W. Lafayette/Purdue friends Bob and Gloria Zink.
Wednesday morning Larry started on his list of boat projects: replacing
the duckbill valves in one of the VacuFlush toilets (stinky!), untangling the
anchor rode, and bringing this web
up-to-date after 6 weeks of procrastination (not an easy or efficient method). The day was one of scattered, intense thunder showers after more
than a week of nearly ideal weather with highs in the mid-70's. Thursday
was again sunny, but about 10 degrees cooler than recent days. We decided
to relocate to a different slip in order to have cable TV (which enabled local
and network channels not available with our DirecTV satellite). It took
about two hours to get all lines re-worked for the 3 ft. tidal effects.
Then it was more boat projects for both of us until a grilled pork
chop dinner aboard before watching the Univ. of Florida win the BCS Bowl national
championship. Friday was another cooler, but beautiful day.
Larry finally achieved an up-to-date web, but the Wi-Fi link went down Wednesday
afternoon with no target date for repairs. Several more boats flying the
AGLCA burgee arrived today. Lola invited them to join us for dinner at Frenchy's Salt Water Cafe; Shore Thing (Ed and Linda Brennan) and
Highlander (Charles and Jeannette Burke) accepted. Following breakfast at Marina Restaurant
Sunday, we chose to try a church closer to the marina,
First United Methodist in Clearwater.
Their 11 AM traditional service included an unusual, moving element, "Remembering Your
Baptism". Not a re-baptism, but it included restating its vows and
then walking past the baptismal font. Lola had her nails re-filled and we
shopped a bit before returning at 5:30 to watch the last half of the NFL playoff
game. Monday was a slow day. We enjoyed lunch at Marina
Restaurant while the laundry washed nearby. Tuesday morning Larry charted routes to Ft. Myers
in preparation for our next boating segment. After lunch aboard, he began
working with income tax software while Lola ironed. As forecast, windy rain
showers began in the late afternoon when a front moved across and temperatures
dropped by 10 degrees. A later dinner at
Frenchy's capped the day. Wednesday, with our stay at this
marina winding down, we decided to be tourists. About noon we headed down
Gulf Way, the road down the barrier islands along the Gulf
south of Clearwater, to John's Pass and Treasure Island. This allowed a
stop at
Kilwin's for ice cream after a McDonalds sandwich for
lunch. Coming back we followed inland roads, stopping to visit the
101-year old
Belleview Biltmore Resort, Beach
Club, Golf and Spa, claimed to be the world's
largest all-wood structure still in use today. This classic hotel opened
in 1897 with 145 rooms and more than 400,000 sq.ft. of space; it is still most impressive.
Thursday began late because we had gone to bed after midnight. It
was a cool, gray day and we spent it onboard on numerous small projects.
About 3:30 PM the TV switched to live coverage of rescue operations for
US Airways 1549 flight that crash-landed into the Hudson after losing both
engines due to bird ingestion. It was mesmerizing with the incredible
result of no fatalities. Early morning Friday temperatures reached
45 as north winds finally brought to FL traces of the arctic blast giving the
northern country lows in the -40s. We worked aboard until 4:30 before
going out for the evening. The 7 AM Saturday temp was 39!
While that doesn't generate sympathy from those back in IN suffering zero and
below, seeing one's breath in the shower room, even with warm water, accelerates
operations. Most of today was devoted to a thorough cleaning inside the
boat. Boating is now primarily in protected waters of
the GIWW, but our next leg includes crossing the huge Tampa Bay. Thus,
Gulf waves cannot be ignored. Tomorrow's forecast includes a brief
window of friendly Bay waters we hope to exploit. To celebrate our wonderful month in
Clearwater, we enjoyed seafood dinners at
Frenchy's.
Jan. 18-25;
Sarasota, FL: We dropped lines at 6:30 AM Sunday for a pump-out before heading south
to Marina Jack's in Sarasota.
The forecast was on target. Waters were totally flat the entire trip with
Tampa Bay's Sunshine Bridge showing its beauty. Dolphins surfaced
everywhere.
Despite having 30% of distance being no wake zones, we arrived at 1:40 PM.
After settling in we walked 5 blocks to the
Mattisons City Grill for
dinner. Monday was mostly spent aboard. Ultimately, we
walking into town for a bit of shopping and dinner at
Patricks. At 5 AM
Tuesday, with the temperature only 37 and north winds gusting to 25, the
carbon monoxide alarm in our stateroom woke us! There was definitely a
strange odor everywhere as we opened hatches and windows to circulate more
outside air. A comprehensive search found nothing amiss so Larry
turned-off all electrical things including the inverter/battery charger before
we returned to bed. After a little
more light sleep, the day was devoted to watching the Obama inauguration on
TV. We finally took a break to walk into town for a light Mexican dinner
at Cinco de Mayo.
The odor source was never identified, but did not return. After a late wake-up and breakfast
Wednesday we walked 6 blocks to the bus transfer station to ride to
St. Armands Circle, the upscale shopping district across Sarasota Bay on the barrier
island. While the weather was a crisp 58 degrees, we enjoyed shopping and
walking the beach.
The highlight was an excellent late lunch/early dinner at the Cuban-style
Columbia House.
We did not leave the boat Thursday. Following showers and
laundry the day was devoted to boat projects, web updates and starting income taxes.
Friday we moving our car from Clearwater to Ft. Myers.
Enterprise picked us up at 10 AM to start that 260 mi. loop. This allowed
us to enjoy a final seafood lunch at
Frenchy's. It was 8:30 PM
returning to the boat we were greeted by a strong sulfur odor! This was traced
to an overcharging house battery (bad controls on the
inverter/charger?). The odor was boiling sulfuric acid. Fortunately,
we have a back-up charger that will be used until the defective inverter/charger
can be repaired. Saturday started a warm-up as we
stopped by IHoP for breakfast before turning in the rental. Upon
returning, Lola went to the on-site laundry while Larry tested and confirmed the
inverter/charger failure and scheduled its repair in Tampa. The day ended
with a beautiful sunset, highlighting the lighted fountain,
and dinner aboard.
Sunday,
Jan. 25: We cast-off at 10:20 after attending
the 8:30 traditional service in the Chapel of
FUMC. 
Church was only
4 blocks from the boat. It was a perfect day for boating: temperatures
reached 72 with a 5 mph breeze. Pleasure boats along the 37 mi. of the
GIWW were everywhere. Another surprise was the large number of
fisherpersons pulling in fish as we passed. It was not uncommon to see
multiple lines hauling in fish simultaneously. Traveling at a modest 8
mph, even with 20% of the route being no-wake, we reached
the excellent
Palm Island Marina at 3:10 PM.
After rinsing down the boat, we took the dockmaster's advice to stroll 50 yards
to Johnny Leverocks Seafood House for its outstanding Sunset Menu (before
5:30) items.
Jan. 26-31;
Ft. Myers, FL: With 53 mi. to cover, we dropped lines Monday at 8:25
AM, just in time to reach the Boca Grande swing bridge's 9 AM opening (14 ft.
clearance, it opens every 30 min.). Finally, temperatures were suitable for
shorts; 79 degree high! Winds were ENE at 5-10, so the huge Charlotte
Harbor was flat. Boats were everywhere, but especially the last 30 miles
into Ft. Myers. Numerous times it was necessary to take quick action to
avoid serious waking/rocking. About 1 PM we passed the southernmost point
for this loop: 29 degrees 28.45 minutes near Sanibel Island. Soon
thereafter we reached the end of the GIWW and entered the western Okeechobee Waterway
and the Caloosahatchee River. By 2:30 we docked at the
Fort Myers Yacht Basin. The boat will remain here until March 7.
Tuesday began with a visit to
Bennett's Fresh Roast, a
uniquely wonderful spot for incredible pastries and exceptional locally roasted coffee. Larry attended the noon downtown
Rotary Club at the
Royal Palm Yacht Club.
It was actually hot and humid today: 82 was the high. It was tax time
Wednesday morning. At 1 PM we left for lunch at Subway and then
continued on our efforts to restore the nation's economic health. At 6:30
PM Bruce and Bonnie, Phantom of the Aqua, came by to walk downtown for
wonderful Chinese dinners at Ichiban's. At 1 PM Thursday we
drove to Sanibel Island, 20 mi. from the boat. The first stop for a nice
light lunch was the Island Cow
which pledges "Unattended children will be given Expresso and a free puppy!" 
Then it was shelling on the island's great beaches 
followed by resting in beach
chairs reading, playing Sudoku and visiting the unusual lighthouse
with its near-by large osprey. 
At sunset we continued north off Sanibel
to Captiva Island and the
Bubble Room,
a restaurant world-famous for its cake desserts. It was 8:45 PM before we
made it back to the boat. 1/2 in. of light rain occurred from 9-noon
Friday as temperatures dropped 20 degrees. The weather provided an
excuse for just staying aboard reading and relaxing. At 5 PM we left for
dinner at Iguana Mia.
Stopping by Wal-Mart on the way back we were shocked to run into Purdue
colleagues Bud and Mary Lynn Harmon. Now retired in St. Louis, but
visiting Sanibel, Bud was Head of Animal Sciences when Larry was Head of
Agricultural and Biological Engineering. We visited for 30 min. NE
15-20 mph winds brought early Saturday morning temperatures to 42!
About 1 PM we went out for a bit of lunch, grocery shopping and buying a
digital-to-analog TV converter in order to receive network channels, i.e.,
tomorrow's Super Bowl.
Water miles traveled to date: 2,317; this month:
148
Questions or comments? Just
e-mail us.
Their 11 AM traditional service included an unusual, moving element, "Remembering Your
Baptism". Not a re-baptism, but it included restating its vows and
then walking past the baptismal font. Lola had her nails re-filled and we
shopped a bit before returning at 5:30 to watch the last half of the NFL playoff
game. Monday was a slow day. We enjoyed lunch at Marina
Restaurant while the laundry washed nearby. Tuesday morning Larry charted routes to Ft. Myers
in preparation for our next boating segment. After lunch aboard, he began
working with income tax software while Lola ironed. As forecast, windy rain
showers began in the late afternoon when a front moved across and temperatures
dropped by 10 degrees. A later dinner at
Frenchy's capped the day. Wednesday, with our stay at this
marina winding down, we decided to be tourists. About noon we headed down
Gulf Way, the road down the barrier islands along the Gulf
south of Clearwater, to John's Pass and Treasure Island. This allowed a
stop at
Kilwin's for ice cream after a McDonalds sandwich for
lunch. Coming back we followed inland roads, stopping to visit the
101-year old
Belleview Biltmore Resort, Beach
Club, Golf and Spa, claimed to be the world's
largest all-wood structure still in use today. This classic hotel opened
in 1897 with 145 rooms and more than 400,000 sq.ft. of space; it is still most impressive.
Thursday began late because we had gone to bed after midnight. It
was a cool, gray day and we spent it onboard on numerous small projects.
About 3:30 PM the TV switched to live coverage of rescue operations for
US Airways 1549 flight that crash-landed into the Hudson after losing both
engines due to bird ingestion. It was mesmerizing with the incredible
result of no fatalities. Early morning Friday temperatures reached
45 as north winds finally brought to FL traces of the arctic blast giving the
northern country lows in the -40s. We worked aboard until 4:30 before
going out for the evening. The 7 AM Saturday temp was 39!
While that doesn't generate sympathy from those back in IN suffering zero and
below, seeing one's breath in the shower room, even with warm water, accelerates
operations. Most of today was devoted to a thorough cleaning inside the
boat. Boating is now primarily in protected waters of
the GIWW, but our next leg includes crossing the huge Tampa Bay. Thus,
Gulf waves cannot be ignored. Tomorrow's forecast includes a brief
window of friendly Bay waters we hope to exploit. To celebrate our wonderful month in
Clearwater, we enjoyed seafood dinners at
Frenchy's.
