Took a walk downtown Fort Myer and found a cute VW Bus that was being used to promote Tillamook Cheese.  We stopped and did a sample tasting and signed up to win Chesse for One Year! Keep your fingers crossed!

We just happened to arrive the day the boat show began in Fort Myers!  We could walk to the show from the marina, so we spent the day looking at boats and equipment.  Beer’s were not too bad $6.00 for a 16ounce.  The first thing we came up on was a machine that could wash the bottom of a boat while it is in the water (Drive in Boat Wash).  Hum?? wonder if this would be a good business on the Ohio River???.

This little salesman named, Gus, tired to get Chris to purchase a pontoon!

We found a pair of Sea Doo’s that were set up for fishing with poles, nets, and cooler.

We took it slow down the canal and through two locks to Fort Myers.  We saw some wild life including several birds and even some cows getting a drink. 

We landed at Legacy in the early afternoon and have a great front yard and a great back yard view.  Slip D16 will be our home for the next few weeks. 

MMMMM warm weather! 88 deg all week and nice sunsets!

As we headed out of River Forrest, the canal was very peaceful. We had a bright sunny day and it was not too hot and no winds. 

We passed an aged presidential boat that we think belonged to Roosevelt.

  We had to wait on a swing bridge to open. It is a rail road bridge, so it is only 9 feet high when closed.

When we reached the Port Macaya lock it was open and was just a pass through.  This was the first time we had experienced this.  We followed a sail boat through and then a power boat across the lake.  It took about an hour and a half. 

Once we reached the canal on the other side of the lake, we passed a few fishermen.  The lake is known for bass and crappie fishing.  As we were heading up the canal, we bumped into something and think we bent prop already. Opps, again!

We made it to Moore Haven city docks and checked in just before a rain storm.  Afterward there was a rainbow, so we thought this is a good sign. 

Our neighborhood has been struggling to keep the road we live on open.  The road is eroding in areas near the Ohio River and there is a section that will be very costly to repair.  Boone County had this on their agenda, so we had to sit outside of the Glade County Library to get internet service and watch the Fiscal Court Meeting. It was great until the skeeter attack!

After a leisurely trip from Big Bone, KY to Stuart, FL we are now on the water!

We stopped in Charleston, SC to visit the kids and grandchild.   We have another grandchild on the way, a little girl, and she is expected around December 4, 2018. James was away on a flight, so Papa spent time with Austin, so the girls could attend a baby shower.  We roasted hot dogs on the fire and had S’mores one night, and we helped gather baby “stuff” from storage and get it clean in preparation for our new addition.

We visited St. John’s Yacht Harbor to see how the repairs to their docks were going.  All look good and they said that we should be able to get a slip in March, so we will plan to head north after we play in Florida one more winter.

We made a pit stop at Tommy’s.  On our way down, we followed what we thought was a cement truck, but it was a drink shaker for Monkey Shoulders vodka! We followed them as far as we could, but they did not take the exit we did.

Once we arrived, we went for a nice sunset cruise on the lake. The canal that leads out to the lake is beautiful. We kept our eye out for alligators but did not see any.

We were able to hang out with Tom and his friends at a few local places and hear good music.

Our boat was polished and put into the water on November 9, 2018.  We spend the weekend getting it stocked.  Boner got a new harness so he can look like a sailor, but it may take awhile (if ever) for him to get use to it. We need to have our fire suppressant system tested on Monday and then we will head across Lake Okeechobee to Moore Haven.

With a heavy heart we pulled up anchor and began our short trip to River Forest Yacht Center.  The winter went so fast! By pulling into River Forest again we completed the great southern loop of Florida. It was an ambitious plan which kept us busy.

The St. Lucie Lock was our first sign that our winter travels will soon be over.  We got settled into the RF marina and began to prepare the boat to be hauled out of the water.

This year we spent 58 hours cruising and traveled 572.5 miles.  We used 663 gallons of fuel. With the loop of Florida under our belt, we need to think about finishing the Great Loop in the next year or so. That means look out Canada. That being said, we don’t think Boner will be up to the finish. We’ll see.

We monitored the weather as we began to think about heading north to Stuart.  We decided to end our winter travels early since the Ohio River overflowed its banks at record levels.  We were able to leave Harbour Towne Marina and travel “outside” on the Atlantic Ocean as the winds and the waves were sorta calm.

First thing we did was pass this large freight boat. We wanted to get ahead of him before we were in the inlet channel.

The was a first for Paraiso to venture into the Atlantic. We could not believe just being 1.5 miles off shore we were in 350-425 feet of water.  We will have to swim for shore if something happened. We can see why Mark said to drop a line when you go on the outside from Ft. Lauderdale. This is big fish depths!

Bonner did not like the ocean because the waves are always a bit larger than on the Gulf of Mexico.  He had his head stuck in the corner of the bridge.

We made good time and arrived at our potential anchorage at 12:30PM.  We decided to continue to travel for a few more hours to a second location that Janis had picked out near Stuart.  We would not make the last lock opening at 4:30PM so we anchored out in Peck Lake. Had a little trouble starting the gen set but eventually got it going.

Once at anchor we monitor our boat movement via the GPS on our Garman.  Lots of squiggles since the winds were changing.

We cooked out steaks on the grill and enjoyed the sunset.  It was a beautiful night with a full moon.

We decided to travel to Plantation Key to attend a Nautical Flea Market that our friends, Mark and Patti, from Odyssey II recommended.  It was quite busy and had many vendors including food and drink vendors. We met up with Mark and Patti and their granddaughter Charlotte once we were in the park.

Check out the surf table – would look good at the landing.  Janis liked the wooden motorcycle.

After looking at all the booths we took a break at an area where there was a beach for the kids to cool off. Charlotte had to also get a swing in with Grandma before heading back home.

Chris had to make a detour to the dentist. Last year, Vince came on board with a tooth ache and waited till he had lock jaw! When Chris started to measure ibuprofen by the dozens it was time to see someone. YELP to the rescue!  The Doc we found on yelp said he needed a root canal!  Two visits and 5 hours later all was better.

Our good friends, Sean and Dana flew down to visit us and to attend the Miami Boat Show! They were also celebrating their 10-year anniversary.  Awe! They were pumped and ready to party when they landed (I think Tito’s had a little something to do with that). We had the perfect local bar picked out for them. After dinner and a few drinks, the day they arrived, we got up early the next day and headed to the boat show.

We had to get breakfast first!   Including Mojitos!

Then it was boats, boats, boats and more boats! Miami is a great place to get boat drunk!

How many engines do you need???? apparently five is a good start!

Sean checking out a new inflatable.   Chris deciding what is his dingy should be????

The next day we hung out on the boat in the AM and watched this huge boat come in to be docked. This marina has many beautiful boats coming and going all day. Little XM radio, a beer,  life is great!

We then headed to the beach at Hollywood.  We found a bar or two and played in the sand.   The crowd on the beach was amazing. It was wall to wall. Who’s that tourist standing next to that hot local babe!

Dana met this really short guy! We had to get a photo. 7’4″ in case you’re wondering. (sorry salt water on the lens)

We had to make a trip to “Le Tub” and watch the sunset over a great burger. It never gets old taking sunset pictures at Le Tub.

Hollywood has food trucks in the park on Mondays, so we decided to check them out.  It is a good way to try different foods and help the local business persons.

Sean and Dana flew back to Cincinnati the next day.  A great time was had by all.