Delilah's Meanderings

A lot has happened since the last blog. The captain (me) finally put on his big boy pants (peg leg) and went single hand (solo) sailing for half a day. There was one lesson learned ... remember to take off the windshield cover before dropping the buoy line and motoring off (Arrrr)! I stopped at the fuel dock on the way out Matanzas Pass and practiced hoving to. The auto pilot holding the boat into the wind makes putting the main sail up and taking it down a piece of cake.

Sunday morning March 20th I motored up to the Cape Coral rental house and tied off to the dock behind the house. I got there before Kim, Melanie, Deanne, Jamie and four (Owen, Brynn, Evan, and Mallory) of our ten grandkids. There was enough time before they arrived to start a load of laundry (no coins needed) and take a shower which everyone appreciated. The house was very nice. We celebrated Mallory’s 2nd birthday today!

It was a busy, fun week. We swam in the pool, fished in the canal (caught sea weed), played Uno and Farkle, tried coconut and papaya from the yard, all went for a boat ride, dinghy rides in the canal, went on the Pieces of Eight pirate ship at FMB, went to the beach at Bowditch Park at FMB, and went to Naples Zoo. Also Owen, Brynn, and Evan had a turn sleeping on the boat. The Captain and Admiral took a short bike ride each evening to give the young people a rest! ;-)

Well, all good times must end. Deanne flew home to Chicago on Wednesday evening and the rest of the crew had a flight out this evening. The flight back to Indy was at 830pm and we had to be out of the house at 10am. How is that for planning? :) This morning the kids woke to find that the Easter bunny had left gifts. Kim and I motored the boat to Bimini Basin and the three oldest grandkids came along for the ride! Melanie, Jamie and Mallory drove to Four Freedoms Park in Cape Coral - just a short dinghy ride away from where we anchored. We did our best to fill in the hours today. It took the van crew about fifteen minutes to get to the park and it took us sailors about two hours. During our boat ride, all three kids took a turn at the helm. Owen was a natural. He even helped us keep an eye out for crap pot buoys. Brynn and Evan liked to play in the salon area, even resting on the cushions for a little bit. Kim took the kids one by one up on the front deck of the boat and they all relaxed watching the waves. It didn't take them long to feel comfortable moving around on the boat. Of course, it was stressful for Grammy to keep them corralled and safe! After we arrived at the park, a quick trip to McDonald's and Burger King to get everyone fed was in order. We ate this nutritious food on a picnic table and enjoyed the breeze. After eating, the kids really enjoyed the playground equipment. Owen made fast friends with a few other boys playing tag football. Evan and Brynn ran from one area to the next, in constant competition with each other. And Mallory acted like she was way beyond two years old. A typical day. Then we took a short walk to Ice Ssssscreamin and everyone had an ice cream cone. One more trip to the restrooms and then they were off to the airport!

Now it is just the two of us aboard Delilah. We are thinking of heading north in a couple days for change of scenery.

There are lots of pictures to check out in the March album.

fair winds,
Captain Mark