May 30-May 31             Daytona, Florida 

We had a fun day with Stephanie and Joe, who insisted on staying busy instead of relaxing.  Joe enjoyed navigating and piloting, allowing David to take frequent naps, and Stephanie declared that she “loved nothing more” than installing shelf paper and making the galley shelves organized and pretty.  What a great help and joy they both were!  With Joe’s assistance, we were able to drop the dinghy and ride around the marina.  It was a delightful sunset cruise. We completed the Memorial Day weekend by having an assortment of hors d’ourves and wine on the aft deck, good conversation, and watching the fireworks display over the water.

The next day, we rented a car, took Stephanie and Joe to the airport at Jacksonville, and then utilized the car to shop Jo Ann’s Fabrics for more sewing supplies and groceries.  Marinas are often located significant distances from supply sources and we are learning to be better shoppers so that we will have what is needed on board.

May 29                          Cocoa, Florida

We constantly were amazed by the continuing procession of magnificent homes as we cruised through the ICW.  Cocoa Village Marina was an excellent choice, providing easy access to the charming downtown area.  S.F. Travis, a local hardware store, was like a walk into the past with its high ceilings, wooden floors, and multilevel shelves.  It had a huge assortment of boat parts.  Stephanie enjoyed the local shopping before we returned to the boat for drinks and dinner.

May 28                          Vero Beach, Florida

With Joe’s capable and efficient aid, we fueled again and headed for the ICW to head northward. The weather was lovely and we occasionally saw porpoises as we headed to Vero Beach City Marina. The marina was not accessible to the beach or to any shopping so we had a quiet evening. We dined on great steaks cooked on the grill on the bridge of the boat.  We had a beautiful evening on the aft deck.

May 26-May 27             Jupiter, Florida

We had no difficulty in crossing the lake, the second largest in the United States.   We easily navigated the two locks that formed the western exit/entrance to the lake.  We entered the river leading to Stuart and then the ICW to Jupiter where we planned to stay at the beautiful Admiral’s Cove Yacht Club, an upscale facility with beautiful yachts and large fishing boats docked in front of a magnificent clubhouse.  Across from the marina were lovely, elegant homes.  The next day was spent working for SGA and attempting to finish projects. Stephanie and Joe came that night and were immediately dazzled by the ambiance of the area and the size and amenities of our new boat.

May 25                                    Lake Okeechobee, Florida

We left the dock at Gulf Harbor Marina at 8:30 AM and headed for Fort Myers Municipal Marina for fuel and pump out.  We bought two new fenders, smaller than the ones on the boat and easier for me to handle. Following our chart and GPS, we headed up the Caloosahatchee River and the Caloosahatchee Canal to Lake Okeechobee.  Enroute we went through four locks and under a succession of bridges.  All the lock and bridge masters were pleasant, cooperative, and quick to respond. 

We spent the night at Roland Martin’s Marina, located on the west side of the lake and the starting point for the twenty-five mile journey across.  Our docking was an embarrassment. The lines and fenders were not ready and we almost panicked when we realized we had no dock assistance.  Fortunately, some other boaters quickly came to our aid, took our lines, and gave us instructions on placing the fenders.  The marina was a charming place, small and quaint.  There was an active restaurant and outside bar overlooking the water.

JOURNEY OF THE BOTTOM LINE 2010

May 14-May 23              Fort Myers, Florida     

We arrived in Fort Myers, Florida and spent our first night on our beautiful new boat.  We were delighted to find the boat clean, inside and out, with the lights and a/c on, and a chilled bottle of champagne in the refrigerator.  Our flight from DFW was delayed, we were re-routed to Tampa, and our luggage failed to come with us. We made a hurried trip to Target and were outfitted in new shorts, shirts, and shoes. The luggage, packed with clothing and numerous articles for the boat, arrived two days later.

The previous owners generously had left many items that made our transition easier. We knew some changes in the interior were necessary to make the boat “ours.”  Although expensively decorated, the salon and staterooms were “in the wrong colors (gold and pink}” for us.  We gave or packed away numerous items that were deemed unsuitable.  Bags and bags were sent to the dumpster, The Salvation Army, or Goodwill Industries.

The week was spent learning about the boat and meeting with workmen to have the salon valances changed from cloth to teak, the new name applied, the carpet cleaned, the plastic curtains made for the bimini top, and complete all the work left unfinished from the survey report.  We spent considerable time and money at Macy’s and Jo Ann’s Fabrics. We planned to remake the new bedspreads to fit the customized beds on the boat and to cover the valances and headboards in the staterooms.  New curtain fabric for the master stateroom was selected and my new sewing machine was soon humming away.

To gain extra knowledge about the boat, a captain was hired to work with us for a day.  Unfortunately, we did more socializing than actual instruction. We realized later we should have utilized his time more effectively. Remarkably, the workers completed all scheduled work on time. With great excitement and considerable fear and trembling, we were ready to start our ICW journey.