The Great Loop - Griebel Style!

  We intended to stay at Everglade Isle Resort for three days, and stayed seven.  The resort is by far the cleanest and best managed marina we have visited.  Amenities include the pool with free snacks on the bar, a heated pool with a hot tub, an inside and  outside bar, FREE laundry and occasional free meals.  We enjoyed a free burrito breakfast, $12.00 all  you can eat Taco Tuesday Bar, and free eats for a football game.   We also enjoyed a BINGO night (the final payout of the night was $1500.00), a band at the outside bar, and a Morrocan Night with dinner and a movie (we did not attend the latter).   The marina is paired with an RV resort filled with snowbirds who stay from November through March.  Many seem to have been part of the resort for years.  Some have bought their piece of property for $350,000.  Properities include the slab for the motorcoach and a grass topped hut.  Some residents have screened in the h...

    We left Naples on January 16 with John and Jen Heim along for the ride.  Uncharacteristically, we pulled away from the dock exactly at the planned time, 8:00 AM.  On time departure was necessary for us to arrive at high tide.  I am continually amazed by the amount of water surrounding this state, and the shallow depths of most of it on the western and southern coast.    We were a bit surprised by some morning fog.  We had made a pact before we left on the loop to never navigate in fog, but.....we did.  We found we had limited visibility ahead, but our AIS and radar were working perfectly, and we figured combined with slow speed and a Gulf run, we should be fine.  We did have a good two hour run, and after a call to the marina for directions regarding depth, we settled into lucky Dock 13.   Rose Marina is very nice, and in a reasonable location for bike rides to stores, restaurants, and museums.  Before John and Jen lef...

  We left Punta Gorda close to 8:30.  Brian wanted a deal on gas, so we filled up.  He made it to $100.00 to save $.025 a gallon.  That was a good start!   Sadly, the rest of the day did not go so well....or at least the mid and end of the day. We were taking the intracoastal to Naples.  I had planned a route, which was somewhat difficult, as the waterway was difficult to follow on the map.  In addition, there were depth issues.  I manually set a route, and when we were getting gas, checked the route with a local.  He gave a thumbs up, and we left with confidence.  All went well, until it didn't.  Right around Pine Island, we hit a shoal.  Brian immediately put the boat in neutral and then used the throttle to try to nudge it off.   Nope.  We called Boat US, and a tow was dispatched.  We were expexting an hour wait, but thankfully, Towboat showed up in about a half hour.  As we waited waves were ba...

  The storm that was predicted Wednesday after leaving the Crow's Nest did not disappoint.  Staying further south in Florida we had he advantage of a late hit.  The storm hit Burnt Store, Safe Harbor at about 6:15.  There were gusts of wind 40-50 mph and a driving rain.  The rain lasted only about 10-15 minutes.  However the effects of the wind and rain created a storm surge.  We experienced a three foot rise in less that 20 minutes.  The water came over the docks, making leaving the boat  impossible due to strong current and potential of electrocution. The marina shut power to the docks for about 3 hours.  If you hear of storm surge down south, take the warning seriously.  The water moves fast.   Other loopers were not so lucky.  A tornado hit Panama City and significantly damaged two looper boats.   The boat storage unit at Panama was hit and the roof collapsed.  I am sure there were many other boats ...

    Hello Sarasota! We had a long trip ahead for our trip to Venice, Crow's Nest.  We scheduled a couple of long trips in order to be in Naples by January 12.  The trip to Venice turned out to be fantastic! We left Clearwater in the morning after a self pumpout.  It was breezy with winds blowing about 15 mph.  Even getting to the pumpout was a challenge due to stiff winds blowing us into the dock.   We hit the dock harder than we should have.  I had fenders deployed, but we missed it "by that much!"  (Fans of Get Smart will understand the reference.)    We were a bit wary of travel, but thought the intracoastal would give us some protection.   We were correct.  The inracoastal was smooth sailing.  We could still feel the wind, but the waters were calm.  We had dolphins for company, and the city scenery was fantastic.  Traveling over Tampa Bay was a bit sporty, but we brought the Take Five up to spe...