by Judy Handley | Feb 2, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 103, Year 11: Extending Our Stay in Bonita
Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Weather: Partly Cloudy and Warm, High Temp in the 80’s
Location: At Home with Mary Ellen and Lee French, Bonita Springs, FL
We are still here in Bonita Springs. Steve’s engine is still in the shop (the one we hope to take back with us), so we decided to stay one more day. We had to call Lee Kaufman on Sea Turtle and ask him to go over to Windbird to run the engine to charge the batteries. We have to keep that freezer full of food going. So thank you, Lee. We had a bit of a lazy day, visited with Mark’s two sisters and one nephew tonight, and ended our evening in the hot tub with Lee. The hot water and water jets felt great. We will probably return to West Palm tomorrow. But then again, we could decide to stay just one more day. We have had a wonderful visit with Mark’s family and are finding it hard to pull ourselves away.
by Judy Handley | Feb 1, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 102, Year 11: Enjoying the First Day of February
Date: Monday, February 1, 2016
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Hot, High Temp in the 80’s
Location: At Home with Mary Ellen and Lee French, Bonita Springs, FL
We had a lovely first day of February. It was mostly sunny and very warm . . . well, actually hot with the high temp in the 90’s. Lee and Mary Ellen drove us to the TD Bank on 5th Avenue in Naples. That is ‘the’ street in Naples and the TD Bank was quite lovely. Then we drove a bit further south to Naples Outfitters. They have Chacos sandals and I was hoping to buy a pair. But they didn’t have wides, so I’ll have to order. But at least I did get to try on the sandals and found the size I need. Then we drove back to a fancy schmancy shopping area called Mercado and had lunch at AZN. The weather was perfect so eating outside was delightful and the food was excellent. This evening Mark’s sister Jeanie came over and shared her photos from her recent trip to Paris and Prague with us. The trip before this one was to Rome and she also showed us photos from that trip. Both she and Mary Ellen and Lee have been to Rome and they really think that Mark and I should go there. Tonight they got so far as to have Mark looking up flights for this May. Who knows? We might be in Rome in May. Mary Ellen and Lee’s son Danny came over for dinner with his boys, Daniel and Noah. Just after we finished dinner, Heather called to see if we would like to Skype with her boys. We had talked to her earlier in the day to arrange this and we had a delightful call. Sam and Jonah were home sick from school today with colds, but by this evening they were feeling a bit better. And Ollie was his jolly self, demonstrating all of the yoga poses he knows. We sure miss our grandbabies. Hopefully we will be able to arrange a Skype call with Justin and his crew in the next few days as well.
Tomorrow we will head back to West Palm Beach. Lee and Mary Ellen will drive us to Alva to Steve’s place where we hope to pick up his Johnson outboard that was in for repairs today. Hopefully we can have lunch with Steve before heading on across the state. We’ve had a wonderful time here with Mark’s family and are so grateful to Lynda and Lee Kaufman for watching over Windbird. But we are anxious to get back and get ourselves into some sort of daily routine. Probably won’t happen, but we can try.
by Judy Handley | Jan 31, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 101, Year 11: Alva to Bonita Springs
Date: Sunday, January 31, 2016
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Warm Enough
Location: At Home with Mary Ellen and Lee French, Bonita Springs, FL
Early this morning, Steve, Mark, and I drove from Alva, north and east of Fort Myers, south to Bonita Springs where Mary Ellen and Lee live. And we had a wonderful day with Mark’s family. Mark’s sister, Mary Ellen, and her husband Lee had a fantastic breakfast waiting for when we arrived. And after breakfast, Steve, Mary Ellen, and I went to an art show in old town Bonita. In the early afternoon, Mark’s other sister, Jeanie, and her significant other, Tom, arrived. Then all of us except Mary Ellen and Lee drove south to Naples to check on the progress of multi-million dollar home Steve designed. We saw it last year when the walls were just beginning to go up. Today the basic structure of the house is completed and it is quite a house. This is probably the largest and most expensive home Steve has ever designed and it is really overwhelming. The foyer alone is 30 feet wide. Mark noted that Windbird would fit neatly in the second floor master bedroom and bath.
After our tour of this home, we went to one of the high schools in Naples to see Steve’s granddaughter compete in a volleyball tournament. We saw both of Steve’s daughters and really enjoy watching Katie play. She has a killer serve which won the second of the two games we watched.
Then we drove back to Mary Ellen and Lee’s to visit with their son Danny and his significant other, Linda. Lee grilled steaks to perfection and we had salad and baked potatoes to go with the steaks. It was a fantastic meal and a great way to end the day. We will be here until Tuesday morning when we will head back to West Palm Beach.
by Judy Handley | Jan 30, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 100, Year 11: Across to the Gulf Coast (by car)
Date: Saturday, January 30, 2016
Weather: Partly Sunny and a Little Warmer
Location: Visiting with Mark’s Brother Steve in Alva, FL
This morning Mark’s brother, Steve, drove to West Palm Beach and whisked us away to Florida’s Gulf Coast to visit with family for a few days. Lee and Lynda Kaufman on Sea Turtle arrived just minutes before we left and we didn’t get to talk to them face to face—only on the radio and via cell phone. But they will be in West Palm Beach for at least a couple of days and keep an eye on Windbird while we are visiting with Mark’s family. It is a great relief to not have to worry about the boat while we are gone, so thank you Lynda and Lee.
We drove back to Alva where Steve lives and entered what I call the “enchanted land” where he lives. Although it is no longer marina, Rialto is truly a lovely place. We had lunch aboard Steve’s trawler and then Mark and Steve spent the rest of the afternoon working on one of Steve’s old Johnson outboards. The one they were working on Steve would live to give to us to keep onboard Windbird in case our other dinghy outboard fails again at some point. Unfortunately they were not successful in getting the motor started, but hopefully it is just a clogged carburetor. Steve is going to take the motor to a repair shop on Monday in hopes they can get it started. We are now thinking that we will not return to West Palm Beach until Tuesday, hopefully with the Johnson outboard.
While Mark and Steve worked on the outboard, I sat on the dock and read. And when it got too buggy and chilly, I went into the guest house and read on the leather sofa. It was so comfy that I decided that if I ever live in a house again, I must have an old leather sofa. When Mark and Steve came in from working on the motor, we sat around and talked, had dinner, and then talked some more. Tomorrow we will drive about an hour south to visit with Mark’s sisters who live in Bonita Springs. We will get up early and drive down to have breakfast with Mary Ellen and Lee. In the afternoon we will go to Naples to see Steve’s granddaughter play in a volley ball tournament and while there we will get to see more of the family. We will then stay in Bonita Springs until we return to West Palm on Tuesday.
by Judy Handley | Jan 29, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 99, Year 11: Visit with Brad and Sue in Boynton Beach
Date: Friday, January 29, 2016
Weather: Mostly Cloudy and Cool
Location: Anchored in the West Palm Beach City Anchorage, FL
It was mostly cloudy and cool today, but hey, we finally got off the boat for the day. We have been on Windbird since we left Little River nine days ago except for a short foray yesterday morning to take our dinghy outboard ashore. So we were so delighted that Brad and Sue invited us to come visit today, have lunch, and do some laundry. And while there, we were able to pick up a letter sent to us by Ollie and our new FoodSaver vacuum sealer arrived. I always write that Sue is my sister-in-law and often people ask me why I don’t say Brad is my brother. Sue was married to my brother Bennie until he died at age 33, leaving her with my two nieces and one nephew. Sue met Brad after my brother’s death and they have now been married for 50 years! In all of our travels over the past couple of months, I totally missed that December 3rd was their 50th anniversary. So a very happy, although belated, 50th anniversary to Brad and Sue! And a very hearty thank you for transporting us to and from Boynton Beach today (including a stop at a West Marine in Delray Beach), letting us do our laundry at their house, and feeding us a fantastic lunch. They are such a happy, upbeat couple, and look great for a couple of ‘gray hairs’. Since we are going to be around here for the next two weeks, we are invited to return next week to have dinner when my niece Lynn is visiting from Boston. So we’ll look forward to a return visit. When they picked us up today they drove a little south of Boynton Beach to take us to West Marine to buy a couple of small boat items. We then drove up the coast to Boynton Beach where they live and made a stop at the public beach. It is really a very nice facility. Then we drove to the inlet leading from the ocean into the Intracoastal. There is a fixed bridge that would not allow Windbird to enter there, but we enjoyed seeing the area.
While at Brad and Sue’s we got a phone call from A Mechanic on Wheels about our dinghy outboard. The news was mixed, but the good thing is that the motor can be repaired at a cost considerably less than a new motor. The crankshaft and bearings are actually fine, but the seals and water pump are not. Parts have to be ordered, so we are not sure when we will have it back. But in the meantime, we are fine here without a motor. Rowing to the dock is a short distance and for that we are very grateful. Also while we were at Brad and Sue’s, our new FoodSaver vacuum sealer arrived. When we got home we vacuum packed all of the granola that I made in December and early January. I’m happy to report that it works great.
Lee and Lynda on Sea Turtle will arrive here tomorrow morning. They have agreed to look after Windbird in our absence. And soon after they arrive, Mark’s brother will pick us up and take us across the state to the Gulf Coast. Steve lives just north and west of Fort Myers and we will stay at his ‘estate’ tomorrow night. Actually Steve lives on a trawler that is docked at what used to be Rialto Marina on the Caloosahatchee River. Rialto is no longer a marina, but it is an absolutely lovely riverfront property. On Sunday we will drive south of Fort Myers to visit with Mark’s sisters who live in Bonita Springs. We will return here on Monday or Tuesday. Thankfully the cold front has moved out into the Atlantic, so for the next few days we should have daytime temps in the 70’s with lows in the 60’s. Maybe I can shed this sweater that I wore today!
by Judy Handley | Jan 28, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 98, Year 11: Be Careful What You Wish For
Date: Thursday, January 28, 2016
Weather: Still Overcast and Still Rainy
Location: Anchored in the West Palm Beach City Anchorage, FL
Be careful what you wish for. In last night’s log I said that we had really hoped to just sit here for at least a week and it looks like that is going to happen. In fact, we’ll probably be here for as long as we are allowed to stay. A few things happened today that changed our plans for heading to the Bahamas. That trip is now on hold. There was a break in the rain overnight and in the early morning, so the dinghy motor repair guy called and wanted to pick the motor up today. We got it to shore and by noon we found out that it is not going to be a cheap fix, if it can be repaired at all. So we have to deal with that as you certainly can’t head to the Bahamas without transportation to shore. So that was one set-back. Then Mark got an email inviting him to do another consulting job between now and the first of March. Since we were suddenly looking at an expensive repair bill for our dinghy motor, that certainly sounded invited. But Mark has to have ready access to cell service to do this, and we wouldn’t have that in the Bahamas. Add to that the pressure the weather was putting on Mark when he still has a cold and still has some stomach issues, and leaving for the Bahamas on Tuesday starting sounding like a really bad idea. So we have changed our plans. To what, I’m not sure, but we will stay in Florida through the month of February and figure out if going to the Bahamas in March might be a possibility. But for now, we’re just going to stay put and deal with the issues at hand.
Now for the dinghy motor story . . . t repair man first called to tell us that we needed a new crankshaft to the tune of $1,000. Mark then suggested a few other things for the guy to try. When we talked to him late this afternoon, he still was not successful in getting the motor to start. He thinks that the main bearings in the crankshaft are frozen, but he can’t know that for sure without taking it apart which will cost $150 on top of the $100 we owe him from today. If replacing the bearings will do it, then we will ‘only’ owe him $700. We told him to go ahead and find out if replacing the bearings will do it, but we’re not sure it is worth having this done. This guy says it is a shame to just trash this engine, and we agree, so we’ll hope that replacing the bearings will do the trick. If not, we have to buy a new motor or find a used one. Mark talked to his brother today and he has a couple of old Johnson 15 hp motors just sitting around. Since we are going to Steve’s on Saturday, we’ll definitely take a look at those.
We are going ahead with our plans to visit with family. We were in the ‘hurry up’ mode to see them since we thought we were leaving early next week, so we made those plans. Tomorrow Brad and Sue (my sister-in-law) will come pick us up and take us to their house in Boynton Beach for the day. Then on Saturday morning Mark’s brother will pick us up and take us over to the Gulf Coast. We’ll then return here either on Monday or Tuesday and start sitting still and relaxing!
