WANNA SEE A MANATEE ???

Manatees are gentle giants related to elephants way back in time.  They are vegans and move very slowly.

Like your pet dog they actually have come to our boat when our friend Chet Suske whistled to  them. 
 
 

Slow and bulky these guys are subject to much danger from boats.   

 
 
 

They love fresh water and will seek out opertunities to get it  like this hose left running, but letting them drink from your hose further erases their fear of humans,

Scars from propeller dammage are seen frequently.

 

These pictures are a compilation of shots taken by us, by  friends Tom and Lisa Stiefavter, cruising with us and by visiting friend Chet Suske, while docked  at Captiva Island's South Seas Yacht Basin .  Also some of the pics are from Mike and Judy's blog on "One September"The Blog "One September" can be accessed by clicking on our profile and then clicking on "One September" listed under the blogs we follow.  They are doing the Loop in an awesome boat and take many beautiful pictures.

When cruisung in warm waters always obey the Manatee warning signs as these guys aren"t expected to survive in the long term.

Each time we've stayed at Captiva Island the manatees were there and actually cleaned the bottom of "Great Escape"

New River in Ft. Lauderdale (Or a Piece of PARADISE !)

On "New River", this is our Great Escape at the time of purchase. It's at the previous owners dock behind his house  in Ft. Lauderdale Fla.  She was called IIK's and we changed the name to Great Escape on way home to St. Louis Mo.

"New River" is beautiful and this was our view, from the cockpit, during morning coffee during our short stay there.

Across the channel there was a huge Sea Ray

As we left the dock the scenic vistas unrolled before us, one after another.  This was my first time to run our new boat on my own.

Heading down New River toward downtown Ft. Lauderdale, passing huge MEGA YACHTS was a little nerve-racking at first! Some were over 120 ft. long. Some needed two push boats to help make the turn by our dock on New River

Our first bridge was easy as we just followed the "JUNGLE QUEEN".

 Slowly the surroundings changed from tropical residential to tropical Metro as we neared down town.

The Jungle Queen sailed past us twice a day when we were moored at the dock.  The captain would be telling the tourists about the area on a loud speaker on the boat.  I told JoAnn that those people think we're "rich people" He He He... Little did they know we were only staying for free at that dock in paradise.

JoAnn and daughter Robin on top deck getting excited over our nearing the tourist areas of Ft. L. and the beaches.

"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.