Our Nauti Time on the Great Loop

Saturday, January 29, 2021 - Tween Waters Resort and Marina, Captiva Island,  FL IT HAS BEEN A BUMPY RIDE!!!!!  Gale winds are nothing to ignore.  As I mentioned yesterday, we are on a “T” dock with no protection from the elements.  The wind at it’s full glory was and still is going strong.  Jim and I were up all night Friday as the boat rocked and rolled more then we have ever experienced.  The waves (3 feet) here in the channel were catching the swim platform making loud bangs.  Actually everything was making loud noises.  We would go onto the bridge nearly every two hours to make sure we were still tied to the dock and that the canvas was intact.  One of the times we checked the bridge, one of the zippers came unzipped and the isinglass (window) was flapping in the wind.  It took awhile to be able to get it zipped again, but no damage.  In the wee hours of the morning we started to hear a scrapping on the boat.  After checki...

  Friday, January 28, 2022 (Longboat Key Resort Marina - Tween Waters Resort and Marina (Captiva, FL) We are looking forward to adding more sites and experiences to our adventure.  Slow and easy as we leave Longboat. Crossing Sarasota Bay was easy if you stay in the channel markers.  Those crab pots were being good and staying out of our way.  LOL!! We passed Siesta Key, Venice, and Boca Grande.  All areas we have heard about from other loopers.  We faced more bridges then expected but only had to have three of them lift or swing so that we can pass.  But wow, the homes were beautiful. We are still seeing sailboat casualties.  I just don’t understand how they can be left in the water.  It is obvious that they have been grounded for some time. The dolphins constantly played and swam by the boat.  One scared the heck out of me with it’s noise as it splashed back into the water. Between Boca Grande and Cato Costa, we have our last open body...

Monday - Thursday, January 24-27, 2022 - Longboat Key Marina This has been such a relaxing and fun stay here at Longboat Key.   We explored the Resort side of the property and went to the beach.  Unfortunately it is still chilly and overcast but that white sand is beautiful. After walking our dock numerous times, we met two couples from New Hampshire and Massachusetts.  They live and work on their boats during the winter.  They joined us for docktails after finding that both of them were interested in upgrading their boats and wanted to take a look at Our Nauti Time.  One conversation led to another and we had dinner at The Colombian Restaurant in St. Armands on our last night at Longboat.  It’s always interesting to meet different people from different parts of the U.S. The sun is really trying to come out late in the afternoon. It’s always bitter sweet to say goodbye to a beautiful location where we made more memories, but we start floating tomorrow for...

Sunday, January 23, 2022 - Longboat Key Club Moorings (Longboat Key, FL) As I mentioned in my last blog, our boat can be a dingy up to some of the other boats moored here.  LOL!!!  Take a look at this beauty. It almost looks like it can take off and fly…….Maybe 007 is here…..  Did you notice it’s dingy at it’s side…. OMG!!! We walked around the property yesterday even though it was windy and cloudy.  We were able to find the Tavern and Whisky Bar to watch the beginning of the Bucs vs. Rams game.  I had to be very careful as I was cheering on the Rams…..  Time to go outside and get in more walking.  Jim  visited the hot tub for a long soak.  Made him feel so good…. Dinner reservations at Portofino just down the dock from us and I must say it was excellent.  Tomorrow more exploring.

Saturday, January 22, 2022 (Clearwater Harbor Marina - Longboat Key Club Moorings, FL)   Long story short, on Thursday (1-20-22) we were waiting for the new thruster propellers to be delivered and that didn’t happen.  They finally arrived on Friday, however the diver had car issues and didn’t arrive at the boat until late morning.  It took him approximately 5 hours to figure out how they were to be installed.  No fault of his because of the new design of these things.  He about froze in the water.  Jim had to poor warm water down his dive suit to warm him up a bit.  But in the end SUCCESS!!!!  And they work!!!! So we now have a plan to leave Clearwater Harbor on Saturday, January 22.  The weather is chilly with slight rain, wind gusts at 10-15 mph with swells of 3-4 feet.  We are going anyway.   Leaving the harbor was bitter sweet as we did have a great time there and made new friends.  Looking back at Clearwater as we headed d...

Thursday, January 20, 2022 (Clearwater Harbor Marina, FL) Well, we are still here!!!  I have expressed before how you need to be flexible while living on a boat and that is exactly what we are experiencing again.  LOL!!!  This may sound like a broken record, but the bow thrusters don’t work AGAIN….  We had another diver (who was here at the marina anyway) take a look see in the water.  Now the propellers are missing.  HUMMMMM!!!  After contacting the marina services in Tarpon Springs, it appears that the propellers were not installed properly when they did the previous work.  The good thing is that they recognized that it was their mistake and will cover the diver and travel expenses to hopefully fix it.  The propellers are to arrive anytime this morning and (keep your fingers crossed) everything will be installed and work.  Jim does have a question with one of the new parts but I am not going to talk about that just now in case it jinxe...

Thursday - Sunday, January 13-16, 2021 (Clearwater Harbor Marina, FL) Our Maple Grove, MN buddies, Betty and Al Mayers flew in for a long weekend in the sun and some relaxing.  Perfect timing as Minnesota was cold and expecting more snow. We are excited to show them the area, have good food and drink and play 500.  It was great to take the trolley to Clearwater Beach to walk the beach and try the liquid beverages along the way. It was beautiful walking Pier 60 in the sun. After enjoying some great dinner and wine we walked back to the boat to take in the lights on the water. Our plans are to leave Clearwater Harbor marina on Saturday and stay at Gulfport Marina.  But as always, owning a boat means that you need to be flexible.  After checking the forecast, we found that a severe storm was headed to the west coast of Florida with swells projected to be 15-20 feet and severe thunderstorms.  The Gulfport Marina has stationary docks which means that when you tie you...