A Key West Christmas!

Merry Christmas to our dear friends, family, and followers - we hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful day and that Santa was very good to you!

Paul and I are in Key West and have been here since Friday.  We are in the mooring field here with just a short dinghy ride to downtown Key West and all the craziness.  Being on a mooring is very peaceful and quiet and it's a lot cheaper too! 

Let me back up - when last I blogged, we were en route from Sanibel Island to Marco Island.  We arrived to Marco in the mid-afternoon and it was lovely there!  The marina was very posh and once again, we grabbed our bikes and went to the beach.

Before our departure at Sanibel Island - the marina there was so cute - very friendly staff and they delivered the paper and warm blueberry muffins to us in the morning! 

At the Esplanade Marina on Marco Island - quite a change from Sanibel - much fancier!  You can see Master Plan in the background in the middle of the photo - Paul and I get ready to go on our bike ride to the beach!

The beach is HUGE at Marco - we went to Tiger Tail Public Beach on the north end of the island - really beautiful!

First mate on the beach doing some shelling - what a surprise!

Sigh . . . another beautiful sunset on Florida's West coast - nice to see it set in the water.

It is fun to watch the sandpipers skitter on the beach as the waves come in - they snack on the good stuff that is left as soon as the wave goes back in the water . . .

The sun is just about gone as a Pelican flies by . . .

We had a great visit to Marco - we enjoyed the facility very much.  We had a leisurely morning on Thursday - I tied up some loose ends on the business front before our departure and we left Marco just before 11:00 AM.   Our destination was to anchor in the 10,000 Islands, which is part of the Everglades National Park - just a few hours south of Marco.

There are so many canals on Marco Island - almost all houses are on the water or the beach - amazing.

An Osprey on her nest on a channel marker as we leave Marco . . .

Heading South leaving Marco Island behind.  The clouds are so cool, aren't they?

The Captain!  "King of the world!"

As we approached our anchorage spot, we noticed this white ahead on the left - but we soon found out it isn't just beach - it's a huge group of white pelicans.  We went by and decided that we would anchor, get settled, and return on the dinghy so we could get a closer look.

From the dinghy - our closer look - here they are - hundreds of them!  Once they fly, you can see the black color inside their wings - but when they are just standing on the beach, they are all white.

The Captain with the pelicans behind him.

Master Plan at anchor just before sunset  - it was so beautiful here - peaceful and quiet - a lovely evening.  We had to close the boat up tight, however, when dusk approached, as it got very buggy very quickly!

Sunset over 10,000 Islands - a beautiful evening once again! 

So we had a peaceful and relaxing evening on anchor and our plan was to get up very early and make the trek across the open ocean to Key West.  The weather forecast was very promising and it did not disappoint - we had a very easy 80-mile crossing to Key West - it was pretty much due south.  We departed 10,000 Islands in the dark at about 6AM and pulled into Key West at noon time.

We're not in Kansas anymore - lots of cruise ships and activity in Key West!

We then got to the mooring field and got checked in and settled in for the evening.  We went into town for dinner and I ate my weight in peel n' eat shrimp - they call them Key West pinks and they are delicious!  Of course, had to wash them down with a few beers . . . YUM.  On Saturday (Christmas Eve), we went in and explored Key West for the day.  Paul used to live in this area and we had visited many times before so it was fun to return.

We rented a small electric car for a few hours to really get around.  Here is Paul in front of his old stomping grounds - the Casa Marina.

A rooster crossing the street - not sure why he did - I guess because he could!  AR AR AR

There are lots of great old trees in downtown Key West - there is some really cool architecture and great history here too.  Many think Key West is just a drinking town - which it certainly has plenty of - but it also has a lot of cool cultural things to offer too!

Along the docks, a cat takes a nap - looks quite comfortable, huh?

OK - not sure why this is sideways - so please tilt your head left - sorry!  Anyway - can you see the tarpon under the pelican?  There is a particular area on the docks and the tarpon are HUGE!

After a great day in Key West, Paul and I had a few more shrimp, a few more beers, and then had some fun with some photo backgrounds - enjoy!

I only wish I looked this good in a bikini!

So it is Christmas Day and we started the day by just relaxing and hanging out on Master Plan - reading, relaxing, etc.  Then we went on a dinghy ride around all of Key West, which was pretty cool.  We are now doing some more relaxing - then will head in to take showers, then grab some dinner in town.  Our plan is to leave tomorrow morning and head to Tarpon Belly Key - about 30 miles East from Key West - we will anchor and it will be very beautiful and peaceful.  Then the plan is to head to Marathon and eventually end up in Miami by the end of the week.  We will then work our way up the ICW back to Stuart, thus doing one big loop around southern Florida!  It has been a great trip so far and we are looking forward to the week ahead!  I have disconnected from work and plan to read some books, relax with my sweet Captain, and enjoy the scenery. 

Paul and I feel truly blessed to be able to see all this cool stuff and as we reflect on the past year, we are so grateful for so much - but especially our dear friends and family - so thank you!  We wish you a very Merry Christmas and here's to ringing in 2012! 

We'll be posting again soon - sending lots of love from Key West - Jen & Paul

Today's Quote:
I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.  ~Charles Dickens

Sanibel Island

Good morning from beautiful Sanibel Island!

We hope everyone is having a great week and gearing up for Santa's visit!  Hopefully everyone has been nice and not naughty - if naughty, you have 4 days to get your act together!  :-)

We left Moore Haven early yesterday morning and really enjoyed the second half of the Okeechobee Waterway - and there were a lot of "firsts" sitings as we cruised - explained below in the photos.  We reached Fort Myers in the mid afternoon and docked at Sanibel Island at 4pm.  What a beautiful place and there is only one marina here and it's really cute - great staff and quaint facilities.  We're so glad we brought our bikes as the bike paths here are awesome.  Once we got settled, we rode our bikes to the beach to enjoy the nice sunset.

Enjoy the photos below:


A barge docked near us in Moore Haven - he passed us at about 11pm the night before, but the locks were closed, so he had to wait it out until morning.



And off he goes heading East bound . . .



This part of the Okeechobee Waterway is filled with agriculture - it was a very calm day and the reflection caught my eye.



You can see the fields in the background - this is where they'll get water for the fields - these are located periodically along the way.





A Master Plan adventure "first" - cattle grazing along the way!




Approaching the 4th Lock (of 5) - you'll notice the dam on the left - most locks also have a dam next to them.




Here is the lock about to close - note the water level - we dropped at least 10 feet in this lock.




Assuming our lock positions - Paul at the bow (close to the pilot house) and me at the stern.




Leaving the lock - you can see the wet wall on the right showing how far we went down.



Another Master Plan first - horses grazing in the front yard!



Another "first" - a CAMEL (yep - a camel) resting in the front yard.




A very cool "first" - a manatee right off our bow - just as we were leaving the 5th Lock.




Heading back into civilization - Fort Myers



Not a first - but always a thrill - a large dolphin playing in our wake.

An Osprey in a palm tree right next to our slip next to Sanibel - cool!

Shells shells and more shells - Sanibel is notorious for their beautiful shells!  Some additions were made to the placemat!

My sweet captain walking the beach at sunset.



Sigh - sunset . . .



The first mate scoping out more shells with the Sanibel Lighthouse in the background.



The lighthouse at sunset.

 So we are now heading to Marco Island where we will spend at least one night - weather is looking great and our next destination hopes to be Key West.  We'll keep you posted!  Love, Jen & Paul

Today's Quote:
Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.  ~Norman Vincent Peale

Cruising for Christmas!

 Greetings dear friends, family, and followers!

I type this from Moore Haven City Docks in Florida.  Paul and I left Stuart this morning to head on our most excellent Christmas adventure vacation! 

Let me back up - we continue to enjoy Stuart - such a great place - and here are a few photos from the last few weeks.

A few weekends ago we had 4 straight days of rain!  So - when there's rain, there's a rainbow - taken from our bow at the marina.

Since it was a rainy weekend, it was a great opportunity to get to the Navy Seal Museum in Fort Pierce - which is about 30-40 minutes from Stuart.  Since we have the van, we are very mobile.  What a cool place and one of the exhibits featured the actual lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama where the 3 Navy Seals simultaneously shot the 3 hijackers, setting free Captain Richard Phillips on Easter Sunday in 2009.  What an amazing story and the museum is a great tribute to the incredibly talented and brave men who have served their country so dutifully since World War II. 

A picture of the inside of the lifeboat - it reminded me of a small commuter plane - there are 22 seats - oh yea, but with 3 bullet holes!

We met a great cruising couple - Renee & Mike - who stayed in Stuart for a few weeks - along with their sweet Golden Retriever Luka.  Mike is a navy veteran (graduated from the Academy in Annapolis) and they joined us when we went to the Navy Seal museum.  They have a beautiful boat - Blue Grotto - and I took a photo as they departed last Friday.  They will spend the winter in the Keys.  We definitely hope to run into them again soon - great people!

Paul was in Ft. Lauderdale all of last week taking a safety certification class so he can upgrade his Captain's license.  He returned on Friday evening and we spent the weekend preparing for our journey - we "fed the bitch," "pumped the bitch," and bought lots of groceries (cuz ya know we don't miss a meal).  It has been pretty up in the air as to where we would go - and our plan is still pretty open - but we did decide to head West and cross the Okeechobee Waterway and spend time on Florida's beautiful West coast.  The Okeechobee Waterway runs between Stuart and Ft. Myers - 144 miles - and there are 5 locks, 3 of which we went through today.  Our marina - Sunset Bay - is 8 miles from the InterCoastal - so we just kept heading west.  We had gone a few miles west last winter on our dinghy, but this time, we're going much farther! 

So - we departed at about 8am this morning and in less than 10 miles was our first lock - St. Lucie Lock.  Paul glides the boat in and the lock tender throws us the lines and we hold on to them - Paul at the bow and me at the stern - careful not to tie them down (but still hanging on tight) since the boat is always moving.  In this lock we rose about 8 feet.  Then, we headed about 25 miles to Port Mayaca lock.  This lock was much more uneventful - we rose less than a foot.  Paul took a video - please click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWVg50jb66E

When you leave this lock, you cruise right into Lake Okeechobee.  It is HUGE and pretty shallow - we were on it for about 25 miles. 

Heading into Lake Okeechobee from the lock.  The lake is pretty brown and not terribly exciting . . . which is fine when you're on a boat - you don't want a lot of excitement.  Because the water is shallow and there was some wind today, it was a little choppy, but very bearable.  Lake Okeechobee is the largest fresh water lake in Florida and the 7th largest fresh water lake in the USA!

A look back at the Port Mayaca lock.

So - we went 25 miles across the southern part of the lake and the next town is Clewiston.



The lake is behind us and we hit the shore on the other side - it reminded me a lot of the Everglades.

 

If you want to go into Clewiston, you go straight through this lock.  However, since we wanted to continue on the waterway,  we took a right here to continue West.




Heading to Moore Haven from Clewiston - a long canal - very flat.  A nice ride - wide, deep, and uncomplicated!

So - we reached the third lock - Moore Haven Lock - in about 10 miles.  One of the gates wasn't working, so Paul masterfully guided Master Plan through a 25' opening - Master Plan is 15' wide, so when you factor current and wind, there is not a ton of wiggle room - he did an excellent job!!

Moore Haven Lock - Paul navigated Master Plan beautifully through this narrow opening!

In the lock - Paul on the bow and me on the stern.  In this lock, we were lowered 3 feet.



Gives you an idea of where we are and how far we are from everything. 

We arrived to Moore Haven City Docks at about 4pm.  It's a small town and sadly adversely affected by the rough economy.  We were really surprised not to see any alligators today, but maybe tomorrow!  This area is well known for them.  A nice couple from our marina are docked here as well - they made the trip yesterday and saw a ton of alligators, so we hope we'll see them (from a safe distance of course!) tomorrow.


He's a great captain, and great husband AND he does windows!  :-)



Master Plan at the Moore Haven City Dock settling in for the evening.



Pictured here is City Hall (across the street from the picnic table) - where we pay for the slip. This is pretty much the extent of the town - there is a library next door and a playground behind City Hall.



Our new purchase - two used bikes - we bought them to use this winter and thought it would be a good idea to bring them on this trip.  We took a little ride around town once we got settled.

So - our plan for tomorrow is to head to Sanibel Island - about 80 miles - and then we'll take it from there depending on weather and what we feel like doing next!

Thanks for following along and for your love and support - we'll be blogging again soon!  Love, Jen & Paul

Today's Quote:

When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.

~ Jean Shinoda Bolen

Enjoying Stuart!

Good evening everyone -

Greetings from sunny Stuart.  Paul and I continue to enjoy this great area.  We are settling in nicely and it's nice to reconnect with people we knew last year and meet many new and friendly faces.  We have been blessed with beautiful weather; it has been quite windy on occasion, but very comfortable here at the dock. 

Paul flew to Norfolk on Monday and returned yesterday with our van - so we have a vehicle here, which is convenient and opens up a lot of options!  We also purchased bikes, so we would get more exercise and not be tempted to jump in the van everytime we needed to run a quick errand.  We discovered a great bike shop here and the people were really friendly and we found two used bikes reasonably priced and in really good condition.  Paul arrived late yesterday afternoon with the van and we picked them up today.  There are several bike racks by the Marina Office - so we're keeping them there (locked up of course).

Our marina is called Sunset Bay for a good reason - the sunsets here are amazing!



This past Saturday, there was a boat parade - so in the true spirit of things, the owner of the marina's restaurant decked out his boat in Christmas lights and docked it in the heart of the marina!  We saw the parade from afar - there were probably about 15 boats with great lights and decorations - very cool.



Every Sunday afternoon, there is a free concert right in downtown area on the water - the band this particular week wasn't all that great, but it is a really cool offering to the community.  Earlier in the day on Sunday in the same area is a great Farmer's market with lots of cool things available made locally.



To get from downtown Stuart to the marina is a lovely boardwalk that runs along the river - very pretty and scenic and not terribly far - maybe a half mile - lovely!



Along the board walk, we see lots of cool wildlife - this heron perches on a rock waiting to hopefully catch a snack (aka fish!)



This particular heron found success - it's a little hard to see this, but he is perched atop an old dock piling and working to move the fish around in his beak so he can get it in the perfect position before he swallows it!  YUK.



A gecko (not selling insurance) enjoys the sun.



Sunset again - Master Plan is dead center in this photo.



Looking back at the marina at sunset.  Master Plan is one of the smaller boats here!



When we were walking along the dock this evening, we saw a ton of fish swimming near the surface - not sure what type of fish they were, but it was really kind of cool to see.

So we are still figuring out our plans for a trip over the holidays - we're pretty sure we'll go across the Ogeechobee Waterway and hang out on the West coast for a while, but it's all weather dependent.  We'll see and we'll keep you posted!

Thanks so much for your love and support - lots of love, Jen & Paul

Today's Quote:

It's your life--but only if you make it so.

~ Eleanor Roosevelt