All the way across Okeechobee...

And this is the only pic we got?
Iphoneography

Back in the water...

On the way over to Ft. Myers we stopped at River Forest Yachting Center in Moore Haven, FL for the night. While there we were offered a deal on a bottom job we just couldn't turn down. About half the price we normally pay to have it done.
The folks here at River Forest have been great. Not only did we get a great price, they way over delivered on service. Never have we had such a good experience at a boat yard.

They had it back in the water right on schedule. Even went the extra mile and bead blasted the shaft and spurs.

Looks like new...

Just for the fun of it... they painted the thruster shaft to look like an eye. The painters said if we come back, next time they would really get creative.

This is the first time in our boating life that we have left a boatyard happy. No unexpected charges and nothing but superb service. The way it should be done. Here's a link to River Forest Yachting Center.

I did some video, and will post it later, of the boat being placed back in the water that will show off the yard and equipment. Impressive.

It's so good to be home.
Tomorrow we run back across Lake Okeechobee to Stuart then we'll really be back home.

Adios,

Istaboa

Rough day at sea...

Jorge, a good friend we first met at Compass Cay sent this too me. Pretty amazing stuff. To these folks the perfect storm is a common occurance.

Remember the little albino seal that was abandoned?

Alas... It's found a home!!      A happy ending to a story and a new beginning for Nafanya.


 

Rejected Ginger Seal Pup Finds A Home, Gets Webcam

A ginger-haired seal pup who was rejected from her black seal tribe has a new home at the Akvatoria dolphinarium in Adler, Russia.
Nature photographer Anatoly Strakhov first took pictures of the animal on Russia's Tyuleniy Island in September, according to ABC News. The photographer told the Daily Mail, "the poor seal is almost blind and so was unlikely to survive in the wild."
Since then, images of the rare albino creature -- dubbed Nafanya -- have circulated the globe, spurring an outpouring of sympathy from the public.
"She now has a special enclosure with a pool, and two weeks after her arrival, people are already coming to see her," Yulia Frolova, head of the dolphinarium, told the Daily Mail. "She has a good appetite, and always seems in a happy mood. She is such an unusual seal with very beautiful bright blue eyes."
Though Nafanya is in quarantine for a month and can't play with fellow animals at the center just yet, the pup will be making plenty of virtual friends thanks to a webcam that will document her day to day living.
Other seals have been struggling as well. Hawaiian monk seals are listed as "critically endangered" on the IUCN Red List, possibly due in part to competition with fisheries over food, entanglement in nets, and habitat loss from rising sea levels.
An unknown disease has been killing ringed seals in Alaska, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proposed last year listing the animal as threatened due to projected losses from climate change.

Railto ~ Redux

We fired off some Iphone pics yesterday that didn't do this place justice. This marina is really pretty and unlike any marina we've ever tied up to before.
So we took a little walkabout to experience Rialto. Many have told us that the place was beautiful and they weren't exagerating.

Everywhere you look could only be described as... picturesque.

Radar was puzzled by all the sounds of birds and the smells of whatever had been there before him.

The marina is not very large. All side ties and maybe enough room for 10 boats, but the magic of this place is not the docks. A fellow named Bear helped us tie up and gave us a golf cart tour of the grounds. Very nice fellow that we later discovered was just a patron like we were. He was just being neighborly.
Then Steve, the fellow in charge, came by to get our info. He offered to send someone by later to build us a fire on the grounds next to our personal dock if we wanted to grill something out. A hickory wood fire grill did sound tempting, but we said no thanks, that wasn't necessary, maybe next time. (If we'd had a good steak... this would've been a different story.)
Folks could not have been any nicer.

 Time has hidden the message, but if you enlarge, it says...

The owner and caretaker keep this place looking perfectly natural, yet manicured. It's truly a work of art. And did I say quiet? After staying a week in downtown Fort Myers (which we like a lot) Rialto was so quiet about the only thing you could hear was fish jumping, birds singing, and ears ringing.
I could go on and on, but I think the pictures will tell the rest of the story.

Pictures on page 2.

Tarzan land ~ Rialto

 Marv took a really nice shot of Istaboa leaving Legacy.

Everything will be brief because we're doing it all via iphone.

This place is really unique.

The proprietors have done a wonderful job of making this marina an eco paradise.
If you're ever this way, check it out.
The last pic is from our last night at Legacy Harbour aboard Kasey's Choice.

Pete, Mel, Marilyn, and Donnie holding Cloe... Docktails

Back @ The Veranda

Appears we're heading back east.
Hit the Veranda for one more Happy Hour.
Oysters and Martinis!!

Downtown Ft. Myers

We've been here before and like it then... and we like it now. Downtown FM is very cool.
A good grocery store 2 blocks away, a bakery just up the street, plenty of restaurants within walking distance, and the folks around here are very nice. What's not to like?

Bold Pursuit

Last night old friends and the owners of Bold Pursuit, Don and Sharon, drove into town and took us out to dinner. It was good catching up with them. They've bought a new boat and are selling Bold Pursuit.

She's an extraordinary steel hulled Motor Sailer with a galley that rivals any chef's kitchen. This boat could take you around the world in grand style with gourmet meals.

They've decided it's the time in their life to buy a home in Fernandina Beach, FL and have acquired a new boat that will better fit their new requirements. 

Now we have friends in Fernandina to visit... with a dock!

 Definition of flat calm

After leaving Riverforest and slowly motoring along the Caloosahatchee River there wasn't a lot to see, but passing through Labelle, FL we enjoyed the sights of the beautiful old Florida style homes. Palm trees towering above centuries-old oaks that are draped with spainish moss made for a nice frame for some of these old houses.

More on page 2.

Happy Thanksgiving

To all our friends and family, we hope you all have a safe, fun, and delicious Turkey Day.
Personally, I want this turkey... Nirvana Thanksgiving! Then call 911.

Can you imagine the crust on this thing... mmmmmm........

Today we're tied up at Legacy Harbor in downtown Ft. Myers. Directly in front of fellow Compass Caysians, Marv and Carol. Good to come back to a marina and see old friends. Everybody here's so nice. 

Our Thanksgiving plans are to walk over to the historical Veranda restaurant for dinner. We've dined here before and it is excellent. 

Cut from the Veranda's website:

Young Manuel Gonzales built two houses at the corner of Second Street and Broadway. The corner house, built in 1902, was occupied by he and his family. The second, was built for his mother, and was located adjacent to the first house, in what is now the Veranda's parking lot.
The two houses were joined by Peter Pulitzer, son of the publisher, in the early 1970's for his long-time fishing buddy, Fingers O'Bannon. The original kitchen building from the second house, along with a secluded garden courtyard, now joins the two houses. Paul Peden bought the two buildings in 1978 and transformed them into the Veranda.

It really is a fine restaurant that's steeped in Ft Myers history. Click here for more history ...Veranda
Got a bunch of pictures while cruising Labelle, FL that will be posted later.

Again, Happy Thanksgiving.

Adios,

Istaboa


funny pic..  no reason, just weird.

Busted a move...

Yup, we finally threw off the lines and went for a boat ride. It feels good. We've been at dock for way too long.

Woke at 5:00AM and got an early start. It's a beautiful day and Istaboa is running well. The plan is to cross Okeechobee and spend the night at Riverforest Marina on the other side of the lake.

 The Lucie Canal is a lot like the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Just banks lined with palm trees instead of rocks.

Port Myaca Lock is on the eastern side of Okeechobee. Once you pass through here, you're in the lake for miles and miles. On this day the lake is very calm. Our last crossing a few years ago was incredibly nasty. Okeechobee is a muddy lake and after that run we looked as if we had taken Istaboa down a muddy row in a cotton field. Totally covered in muck from bow to stern.

Tourism, Okeechobee style.

This is what they were looking for. 

Large aligators are as common around here as squirrels in a park.
This guy was quite large. Probably 8' long.

Tonight we stay at Riverforest and get a head start for Ft. Myers tomorrow. We plan to have our Thanksgiving there then spend a few days before heading back to Stuart.

It's good to be moving again, even the boat looks happy.

Adios,

Istaboa