Swing Set: Cruising Full Time
12/03/12Eight Days At Keewadin IslandWe spent eight days anchored off of Keewadin Island and would perhaps still be there except for the fact that we finally ran out of water, and we wanted to meet Bert and Renee from St. Louis, who were coming down for a meeting for Bert's work. Until then, though, we spent every day doing a little of this and that on the boat, and we did spend one afternoon on the beach. We visited the "burger boat" on this day and each had a delicious hamburger with all the trimmings for not a bad price of $6. Holly pretty much ruined any chance of making new friends by barking her head off at anyone who remotely looked as though they might stop and chat. She does look cute, however, in her neckerchief. Mark and Terri came down in their boat from Naples on Thursday and... |
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11/27/12Keewadin and Little Marco IslandsWe've found a good spot here just inside the Little Marco Pass, between Keewadin and Little Marco Island. The beach on the southern end of Keewadin Island has a lot of beachgoers, even on a Monday when we thought it would be deserted around here. On Sunday afternoon, there were plenty of boaters around. We took a walk along the crowded beach with Holly, and she learned to jump over the anchor lines as we walked along the water's edge. A familiar looking boat caught my eye; it was a 1997 Formula 330SS with the same color scheme that our 280SS had. Upon closer inspection, the boat wasn't in very good condition, unlike our old boat that a friend wound up buying eventually, keeping it in pristine condition. When we got back to Swing Set, a boater came by and... |
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11/25/12We Leave Naples in Our WakeWe had a quiet Thanksgiving Day. I called my dad, and Rosie talked to members of her family. We didn't venture from the boat, doing some reading and enjoying some late afternoon sun in the cockpit. Most beings save their Thanksgiving nap until after they have dinner, but Holly doesn't know anything about all that and naps when she wants. Here she is partaking in just that thing while Rosie has the turkey breast roasting in our convection/microwave oven. Even though our original microwave worked just fine, trading it for the convection model was one of the best things we did in preparing for our life aboard the boat. We ran the generator while cooking the turkey, but still it only took about one and a half hours to roast, turning out with a crispy skin and moist... |
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11/22/12Happy ThanksgivingBefore I get started on the subject of today's holiday, let me recap the week. Last Sunday, Gary and Judy came with us on Swing Set to look for our anchor one last time. The tide was at its lowest point when we attached our grappling hook to the stern of and began dragging it behind. My plan was to make ever widening concentric circles around the perceived spot where I thought the anchor might be. I immediately was confronted with a problem that put an end to our search. The depth had a high degree of variability, and I was churning up sea bottom in some areas as shallow as three and a half feet. The anchor was not worth us running aground, and I didn't feel like lowering the dinghy to search with it. Instead, we fired up the grill and made lunch. We stayed until... |
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11/17/12Final Days in Bimini BasinLike all good things, our stay in Bimini Basin will draw to a close. Our plan is to head south on Monday afternoon, or Tuesday morning at the latest. It's not getting crowded in here, but we have had the addition of three more sailboats in as many days. Interestingly enough, we are becoming known around these parts, so it might be time to leave just on that account. On Thursday afternoon, while Rosie and I were enjoying some late afternoon sun, a pontoon boat came by and the couple on board waved hello and pulled alongside Swing Set. It turns out that Art and Nancy Leefers were from Grafton, Ill, and had found our blog months ago. They were just out sightseeing in the rented pontoon and saw Swing Set as they entered Bimini Basin. They keep their big boat at Grafton... |
