Hi folks! We are now in Naples, on a mooring, awaiting a pump, which will (hopefully) fix the overheating issue on the engine.

Naples is a pretty OK place to be while you're awaiting parts. We're on a mooring buoy just south of the city dock. ($10/night).
These are new since we were here last with Rogue a couple years ago. There are half a dozen moorings in this location, and it's an easy dinghy ride in. For $10 you get the use of the showers and laundry facilities too. They request that you get your holding tank pumped out as you register (we needed to anyway) but they don't charge anything for the service, and then they give you an alligator tie (red) that you have to put on your Y valve so that they can check at any time to see if you're still using your holding tank.

We walked into the town today (about 7 blocks away) and stopped at a sidewalk café for lunch. Then we had a half hour dinghy ride up river so we could get to a West Marine. We traveled through a narrow waterway where small simple homes lined the banks. A world away from the huge mansions we passed on our way in through Gordon Pass!

Coming in through Gordon Pass was more exciting yesterday, than it has been during the other times we've come through it. There's always a lot of current there. This time we were on the end of a towline from Boat U.S., our rescue boat. The captain of the towboat was very easy, calm, and humorous. We were conversing on the ship's radios and he cautioned us before we entered that he was going to shorten the toe line, and that we might experience a bit of rocking a rolling, but that it would be fine, and that he would make it as comfortable as possible. He sounded as professional as a Captain on an airline. Well-spoken, even gave us a little narrative of the scenery as we traveled up the river to the city dock.

Backing up a bit, the boat has had this overheating issue, but usually during only the most critical times....when we were coming into the Everglades a few nights ago, a storm was upon us then and we had to take down the sails and run only with the engine. It overheated, we cleaned the sea strainer a couple of times, but it kept overheating, so we were just going at an idle. It was midnight before we dropped anchor in an area of the glades that was deep enough so that we felt comfortable anchoring there with our 5-½ foot draft. But....we rocked and rolled dramatically ALL NIGHT LONG! (Shari and Robyn and Ray...it still wasn't as rough as that night we all spent outside of Key West)! LOL

So yesterday, we got up at first light to try to make it up to the Matanzas River, we were sailing along at 7 knots, no engine, heeling over slightly, one of our best sails, when some ominous looking clouds started appearing. We turned on the ship's radio, and nothing was forecast, so we assumed it was just going to be a typical brief summer t storm, then it would pass quickly. We took down the sails and started picking through the clouds, continuing our course north. BAM! It got worse like right now. We were plowing through, not making any headway to speak of at all, and then....then....the engine started shooting up hot again.

Archie called the Coast Guard to ask what they were showing on radar. They said it was all reds and oranges. They would not predict how much longer the storm would continue. They thought it might be a day or two. ~?~ Then they started asking their usual questions, what was our lat. and long, how many people were aboard, what size was the vessel, etc. etc. and offered to call a tow service for us. Yes, we have unlimited Boat U.S., but we wondered if any of them would want to come out for us in this nasty stuff. One did! The one based out of Naples! We turned around and headed South, and he headed North, and the rest is history. Thank Goodness for Towing Insurance!

But, then, after we were safely on a mooring ball here in the harbor, well, who should pull up but a Coast Guard boat with 5 crewmembers on board! Two of them boarded us and started asking questions about our mechanical issue, which we explained, then they did a routine search. Are there any weapons on board? Yes. Arch showed them where, and pulled out it's registration. Flares? Yes, current. Fire extinguishers, life jackets, alligator tie on the Y valve, they looked in the bilges, and all around, and we came out Perfect! Hallelujah there. I took their pictures and pictures of the boat. After I get dinner together I'll try to get back to this blog and post them.