"TOILET SEAT REEF" AN UNUSUAL PASSAGE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS

 

Of all the ways to mark a channel, the srangest could be with toilet seats!   Local knowlege is always paramount in your decision making even if it comes in strange advise. These channels are too shallow for most cruisers including our Great Escape.

  At some point in time it became fashionable to decorate your toilet seat and help mark the channel with it !   When seeking local knowlege never rely on the advise of only one expert.  Always try to get as much direction as possible when ever you're leaving a marked  waterway !

    Some of the pics are from fellow bloggers as "ABOARD C-BAY" and "Chloe's blog"

 This channel off of Islamorada Key, is supposed to be kept passable by the prop wash from passing boats !  Lotsa Luck

MERRY CHRISTMAS : dock Xmas party at Port Charles Harbor

    MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL !!! Dock Six at Port Charles Harbor has an anual Christmas party with good food, carols, and good cheer.  In picture "ECHO" is lit up.

(DOUBLE CLICK PICS TO SEE BETTER)  This year we gathered on "RV and Jean.s  boat, "WE DID IT".  Santa, with Jean's help, gave out gifts to us !

 

                                                                          .

GREAT ESCAPE WAS LIT UP TOOGreat food to eat and great friends to enjoy the season  on "WE DID IT"

Paul Hopkins gets his gift from Santa.  (for some reason Santa insisted the female guests sit on his lap.  We're not sure how Paul wound up there.)

Is Your Boat Winterized Yet? (Do Boats cry real tears when confined to a dock?

                              Above, Great Escape, backed in and tied to the dock til spring 
                                           
                                  Below, Great Escape in SALT WATER should be  the
                                           Prefered Winterization method.......BUT.......

                  ALAS.... when we look at our budget we are forced to keep our boat
                  in St. Louis in a frozen harbor all winter with a bubbler running

                  Every year in the spring, or sooner durring the hard freeze in our area
                  durring the winter, we hear of a boat, or two  that  sink
                  at the dock. This can be due to improper preparation for the winter.

                Important items to be completed to keep a boat in the water in winter are:
                      1,  All "thru hull" sea cocks must be closed and filled with antifreeze.
                      2,  All water lines and strainers subject to freezing must be emptied
                           and filled with antifreeze.       
                      3,  Air comditioners / heat pumps must be filled with antifreeze.
                      4,  Marine toilets and their holding tanks likewise should be winter-
                           ized with antifreeze.
                      5,  I keep a marine electric (110) heater in the bilge set to go on when
                           temp drops below 40 degrees.  This helps keep various items like
                           batteries, hoses, gaskets, etc. etc. in the bilge from freezing.
                      6,  Bilge pumps should be in working order and it doesnt hurt to run
                           some antifreeze thru them.
                      7,  Cabnets in the baths and galley should be emptied of all freezable
                                   substances.  This includes refrigerators inside as well on decks.
                      8,  A good time to change the engine and generator oil is at this time
                           each year even though this isn't a must.
                      9,  This is also a good time to check the battery bank to avoid "heart
                                    ache" in the spring.
                     10,  If there is any doubt about  your ability to get this job done on
                            your own;  have it done professionally.  (I've always done my
                            own winterizing in the past.  However, since we acquired
                            Great Escape in 2009 I've had our marina do it.  Crawling around
                            in the bilge wrestling with 4 inch hoses, I have decided is just too
                            much work.  Also if something is missed, your insurance co. may
                            not be forgiving after your boat sinks . A pro is insured for their
                           .work.
                      11,  Run the pink antifreeze thru the ice maker.
                      12.  Seal the fuel vents with small oil soaked rags,
                      13,  Seal the vent covers that aeriate the bilge to prevent cold drafts
                                    entering the engine compartments.
                      14,  Fuel additives, stabilizers can be addet to fuel tanks.

         One thing I do before the really cold weather in late Jan and Feb. sets in is to
         have a system on board that allows JoAnn and I to occasionally stay on board
         after winterization.  It goes like this:  I keep a small amount of water in the large
         water tank.  (about 50-75 gallons)  In the small water tank I keep 6-10 gallons of
         antifreeze. This allows me to switch from the large tank to the small tank
         before leaving the boat to go home and run the antifreeze to all lines used
         until pink ( Hot water heater is bypassed for this process but left  full and on all
         winter).  We use the built in wall electric heaters rather than the winterized
         heat pumps.    I know our friends in Alaska who follow our blog can't do this as
         your winters are a little cooler than here in St Louis Mo.
           When we recently took an Alaskan cruise I couldn't believe how many Pilot-
           house 4788s we saw there.  Every harbor had several where as we only have
          5 in the whole St. Louis area.
                (WHEN THE HARBOR FREEZES IN WE DON"T LEAVE ANY
                  WATER ABOARD)  (this list is not intended to be a complete
                              winterization schedule)          
            

An Early Merry Christmas to all our Boating Friends

Tis the season to celebrate brotherly love and our Lords comming! 

To herald the season, boats can be decorated.  Even if they're winterized and have to to stay at the dock.

Some times Santa arrives in strange ways on the mighty Mississippi. (without a reindeer in sight, including Rudolph)

And he knows if you've been naughty.

Or NICE !

But bringing toys and goodies reguardless!

Even on Anchor Yanker Island! (in July)

When its snowing outside, stay warm inside.  (winterkinder alle warten auf den ersten schnee)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR FRIENDS!! (from JoAnn and Dave, and our Grandkids)

A Yachting Blog On Blogs of Some of our cruising friends doing the Great Circle route

When you check out our blog, if you click on "view my complete profile" you can see the other blogs we are following, and their great pictures.  The picture above is "One September"' and their  blog is full of great pictures taken as Mike and Judy do the Loop.  They just stayed at Bobby's Fish Camp and went on to Fairhope Alabama across Mobile Bay.

 "Last Resort" has just crossed the the Gulf of Mexico from Appalachacola to Tarpon Springs.

Here are Freya and Don on Last Resort.  JoAnn and  I got to renew our friendship and tour their boat at the Looper meeting at Joe Wheeler Marina in Alabama in October.  It was truely beautiful.  They are from Canada and sold a resort on the Trent-Severn Waterwayand bought a boat.

"Fandango" when cruising down the Tenessee. They have a pictoral history of their trip in their blog.

Kate and Kathy  are On "Fandango" with their husbands. They are holding Asian Carp involuntarily caught while cruising on the "White Trash Palace" while staying at our harbor, Port Charles Harbor.

Judy and Mike, on "One September" are from Virginia Beach. They plan to do the "Loop" again when they cross their wake in Virginia.  We are looking forward to seeing them when they return to Port Charles next year doing their second loop.  They suggested that we head south again with them then.  Who knows what the future holds???

Darrel and Lisa on "Why Knot" are St. Louis natives who write a great blog.  You can follow them on "Why Knot",  by going to our profile and clicking on their blog. When they've finished the "loop", they also plan to do it again!

"Why Knot"  Stayed with us at Port Charles Harbor'  They are on the lower Tombigbee River heading for Mobile Bay at this writing. 

Joel and Debbie on "Water Music" are taking 4 years to do the Loop and their blog is facinating with many pictures.  Check it out.

"Swing Set" from our own area.  Mike and Rosie left many friends behind, sold their home and plan to live full time aboard Swing Set.  The picture above is in Bimini Basin in the Ft. Myers area of Florida.  Their blog is fun to follow.  Their recent blog tells of being in  Marco Island area.

Oh!!    I left out  Holly,  This is Holly On "Swing Set" enjoying the aft deck, as any great boat dog would do. 

Crossing Mobile Bay among Shrimp Boats and Naval Vessels Fall of 2009

As we saw Mobile Bay ahead we left the ICW (intracostal waterway) and Bon Secour Bay behind.

Into open water carefully watching the navigation markers as we would leave the prescribed "safe" channel and cut diagonally across the bay. A path worked out on our chart the night before allowed at least 8 foot depth all the way.  The short cut saved about 2 to 3 hours off of the trip.

Heading west

Fishing boat ( in the backround are the Ecor Rouge Cliffs.  The red colored cliffs are claimed to be the highest shoreline point of the United States from Maine to Galveston Bay)

To cross we ran inside at the lower helm. It was too cold in the morning breeze outside at the Fly-bridge helm on the upper deck.

Shrimp boat in middle of Mobile Bay.

 Back in the Traffic Way, after our short cut that seemed to work out well, with out a hitch.  A problem with plotting your own course out side of the channel, is that since hurricane Ivan, there is always the chance of hitting uncharted litter in shallow areas of the bay like someones old refrigerator etc..

Cargo ships as we approached down town Mobile.  The Bridge in the background is the beginning (mile 0) of the "Tenn-Tom Waterway" that took us 480 miles to Kentucky Lake.

New style naval vessel being completed

Another cargo ship that dwarfed us as we passed it.

Downtown Mobile Alabama's waterfront

 First sight of the "Tenn-Tom Waterway" was the Mobile River.

 Looking for a good spot to anchor for the night on "three River Lake" off of the Tenn-Tom.  We were still  subjected to tidal action until we got above the Coffeeville Lock and Dam so anchoring has to take this into consideration.  Time for that glass of wine and to relax on the hook (at anchor).  Another of our boating rules is to be at a dock, or on the hook with a glass of wine at 4:30 PM each day!

Yachting, Boating, and Cruising Restaurants On the Water

                                                                            

A favorite of mine for fried chicken on the river in the St. Charles Mo.- Grafton Illinois area.

"Kinders" on Mississippi R. at Golden Eagle Ferry (above)"Crows Nest Bar and Grill" at the Crows Nest Marina in Venice Florida is just a walk down the dock.  It  has a great fresh seafood selection along with steaks etc. etc.  One of the times we ate there they had stone crab on the special list!

Another favorite is "Flippers" (as in porpoises).  Its at Bear Point Marina in Orange Beach Alabama on the ICW (intracoastal waterway).  Of course there are many other great places in the Gulf Shores-Orange Beach area, but again Flippers is just a short walk down the dock and they have free home made ice cream for desert!  When we stayed in Bear Point Marina the porpoises would come in the harbor every morning to round up fish.  It was quite a show !

"LuLu's" is Jimmy Buffett's sister"s place and is right on the ICW in Orange Beach Alabama.  Lots of loud music, and I'm told that Jimmy does show up unannounced on occasion when he's in town. The food, although secondary to the atmosphere and tourism appeal is still fairly good.

If you're just not in the mood for breakfast aboard, there is this place just off the dock at Clearwater Beach Municipal Marina Florida.

One of our favorites is "Hellas" in Tarpon Springs Florida.  We recommend docking at the municipal dock there because everything you want to do in Tarpon is a short walk from there.  Hellas has the most awesome Greek food and occasionally a waiter walks by with a flaming dish of something and all the Greeks in the place go wild yelling "Opa Opa".  I have know idea what they are yelling but its fun to see.  Here, JoAnn and I are seated with friends Bob and Donna who drove up from Anna Marie Isl. to Tarpon to visit with us while we were docked there.  Bob and I met JoAnn and Donna at the same time and took them on a picnic for our first dates.  We were students at U of Mo. then.

Restaurant at Grand Mariner Marina on Dog River in Mobile Alabama.  Known all over the area for their fried crab claws.  Well I didn't think they were as good as a "Boscher Town" burger back home.

"Tiki Bar and Grill" at Roland Martin Marina in Clewiston Florida is a great stop on the Okeechobee Waterway.  Good food and very festive atmosphere and music.

Well here we are at the "Bubble Room" on Captiva Island.  A free trolley ride and short walk from the South Seas Yacht Basin.  Very good food and awesome deserts like red velvet cake.

Of course a favorite place to dine is on the boat with at a quiet dock settled in for the night.  Captiva Island's marina