Still In Fort Myers

Day 2-3  March 1 and 2

We awoke fairly early this morning after a relatively good night’s sleep.  Since we were tied to a dock, the only thing that I was concerned about was the tide which runs about 1 foot in this area.  I had tied the boat loosely so that it would not hang on the moorings so tide was not an issue.

We prepared bacon, egg, and toast for our first boat meal.  We had added a small stove top toaster to our equipment list so it was neat to have real toast.  The toaster uses quite a bit of butane fuel to create the toast but it is worth it.  We carry quite a bit of fuel. 

Yesterday, when we arrived at the marina, the harbor master had asked us to move to a set of docks designed for small boat, however, the wind and seas were following and the docks in question were in a tight confined area.  I knew that trying to get the boat stopped roaring down wind would be a problem, so I spied an open slip designed for big boats and was able to easily spin around and land there without difficulty.  I informed the harbor master what I had done and he told us that we could stay there for the night but would have to move if we planned to stay longer.  So, the first order of business was to move the boat to the small boat dock.

The move to the smaller dock went off without a hitch.  The guy in the large trawler parked next to us helped us launch and the harbor master’s assistant helped in the landing.  It went well. 

Our next chore was to solve the axle problem on the trailer.  We had taken the trailer to a storage lot about 10 miles from the marina.  The lot owner told us that it would be ok to work on the trailer in his lot.  I jacked up the damaged axle and removed the brake drum.  I was amazed that it had been so hot that all of the paint had burned off the drum and it appeared that it had been in a fire.  Once off, I realized that the brake shoes had been burned or ground off and the springs that held the shoes were all distorted from the heat.  The all parts of the bearings were completely gone except for one inner race on the outside bearing.  Everything was very rusty.  I assume that the rust was caused from dunking the raw ground down metal into the salt water of the bay.  The hub was severely damaged from grinding on the brake shoes and needed to be replaced.

At the marina last night, I was talking to several boaters who were “live-aboards” and they told me that the “Northern Tool Company” store in the area had complete drum and brake units that were quite inexpensive.  We finally tracked down that store and they did have the drum set.  The reassembly process was quite simple, however, it took until the middle of the afternoon the finish the project.  We stored the trailer and headed back for the boat.

For lunch today, we broke a cardinal rule by stopping at a Wendy’s.  We were away from the boat and didn’t want to take the time to hunt down a neat place to eat.  So We Did It.

One of the exciting things about this trip is that we are able to visit with a number of folks that live in the area.  We joined my cousin and his wife, Tom and Mary McGhee for dinner at a really nice Italian Restaurant named Mona Lisa.  The food was fantastic, the entertainment, a very talented male singer, was great and getting to know my cousin, whom I had not seen since I was a very small child, was most enjoyable.

From the Mona Lisa, we traveled to Naples where we joined our daughter in law Claire and her parents, Alan and Joellen Yeasted at their lovely home for the night.  Our son Scott will join us as well as Claire’s sister and her family and Alan’s sister, Sister Rita Yeasted for the Christening of our newest grandson, Joseph Giovanni. tomorrow. 

Day 3:  March 3, 2013

We both had a great night’s sleep!  Joellen prepared a wonderful breakfast and we spent the morning getting ready for the Christening and celebration that was to follow.  I had an opportunity to walk around the beautiful lake that is located in the neighborhood.  This is a really nice gated community and the layout and landscaping is fabulous. 

My cousin Fran and her husband Bob Boardman joined us at the church for a really nice service.  The deacon who performed the service was most effective adding light entertaining touches to a serious ceremony.  There were two babies to be baptized and he invited the small children of the families in attendance to join and assist him in the service.  It was a truly beautiful moving ceremony in a lovely setting.

Back at the Yeasteds we celebrated with a nice lunch and socializing for a good part of the afternoon. The afternoon included a spirited game Bache Ball in which Scott and I came out victorious.  The weather forecast looked to be bad for the next two days so we accepted an invitation to spend another night at the Yeasteds.  Janine and I made a trek back to Fort Myers to check on the boat and plug the boat into shore power to power up the batteries.  We returned to Naples by about 8:00 and crashed not long thereafter.