Shell Point Marina

From the minute we were towed into Shell Point Marina (which has a Ruskin, FL address), the day after the election, we felt welcome. Tim, the manager of the marina, was very helpful and we were able to breathe a sigh of relief that we were not leaking water into the bilge and that we were tied up to the dock. Finally, some time to relax and quit worrying. All the work that we need to get done on the boat can be done there at the marina.

Tied up two slips away was the yacht Katapoul and two of the kindest souls you’ll have the blessing to run into – Jo and Paul. Both young army veterans, they were busy below decks on the boat that they had just bought getting the boat ready for a trip around the world. They sold nearly all that they owned in Missouri, bought their boat in Naples, FL and moved it to Shell Point to do some work on it before they head out on their adventure. They arrived every morning early and worked all day, stopping occasionally to chat with us and to share their dreams. I envy them! They are the dreams I had as a young man their age. Instead of children, they will have two dogs and a bird as their mates on the voyage. Both Jo and Paul were more than willing to share their knowledge of all sorts of boat things with us. They were very helpful to us and we appreciate it very much.

Jo and Paul's boat

I had an e-mail from Paul a day or so ago and he said that they are ready to move aboard the boat and hope that they will be able to get away from the dock by December 19, headed to the Bahamas. They will be sending e-mail updates as they voyage along and I shall pass along the updates.

Our flight back from Tampa was scheduled for early morning the Saturday after the election and we will be forever thankful for the ride that Jo and Paul gave us to the Tampa airport on Friday night after we had shared a great dinner at a local seafood restaurant. THANKS, Jo and Paul!!!

The time we spent at the dock at Shell Point before we flew back to Albuquerque was time spent lazing about for a bit and some activity sorting out the lines and equipment that filled nearly every space aboard the Eye Quit. Some of the stuff was beyond further use and we filled garbage cans with it. Some things just needed to be cleaned up, which we worked hard at and then got packed back aboard..

A mother pelican and her brood on the floating dock next to our dock.

We were sorry to have to lock up the Eye Quit on Friday evening and head for the airport. It broke our hearts to leave her there, knowing that we could not be back until some time in January.

Hopefully, we will move the boat south to the Keys and her home in the Community Harbor in Tavernier by the end of January. Jo and Paul promised to keep an eye on Eye Quit until they left. The small solar panel we installed keeps a trickle of charge going into the batteries, which power the bilge pump. All seems to be working! So far we have not gotten a frantic call telling us that Eye Quit has suddenly started taking on water.

I will soon be sending e-mails to both Tim and Mike to arrange the work that needs to be done as they haul Eye Quit out of the water.