Delilah's Meanderings

Picking up from the last post, we did not sail out Boca Grande Pass ... save that for next season!

After a nice stay at Cayo Costa, Tuesday 4/12 we sailed up Charlotte Harbor to Punta Gorda and anchored outside of Fisherman's Village marina for the night. This anchorage is out in the open and we had a bumpy night. By noon the next morning we were tucked into slip B2 at Fisherman's Village Marina. We spent the afternoon in Fisherman's Village looking in the shops and eating at the restaurants of course!

The next morning we ate our cheerios, hopped on the borrowed marina bikes and went to Publix to get groceries before the Yunkers (our daughter Rebecca and her husband, 2 boys ages 4 and almost 2) arrived for a two day visit. They just spent several wonderful days at Disney World with Tom's family, but were ready to get away from the crowds and relax. The weather was beautiful and there was a nice breeze so after lunch in the Marina day room we went for a day sail. Luke the 4 year old thought the boat should go much faster and didn't understand why the motor boats were beating us. It was nice sail and a good way to come down from the frantic pace at Disney World. The Yunkers loved sitting on the hammock and bow seats. After returning we ate at Harpoon Harry's with a view of the water. That night Rebecca and Ben the youngest slept in the starboard aft berth and Tom and Luke slept on the salon table which drops down and makes a queen size bed. This was our first experience of having this many sleep over on the boat and it worked out great. The next morning we had breakfast (donuts!) in the day room and then went for dinghy rides, before they had to get on the road heading for home.

We motored over to the fuel dock for 14 gallons of diesel and pump out. Prior to going over there I warned the attendant we were coming and that we would try not to hit anything. He asked if he should move his car ... which was pretty funny! We motored across Charlotte Harbor and entered the South Gulf Cove lock. This time the Admiral said I will drive and you do the controls. This small lock is self-serve. I did not hold the button long enough and we barely squeezed into the lock as the gates were not completely open ... YIKES! We decided not to stop and hunt for the lost Rocna anchor and instead went directly to the Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage (CHBS) dock. We spent the weekend on the dock enjoying the company of our many boat yard friends and also worked on getting the boat ready for summer storage. Sunday night we attended a grilled salmon pitch-in dinner in the hut. The hut is a large screened building next to the dock which contains two bathrooms and showers, washer and dryer, frig, ice machine, vending machine with 50 cent sodas, tables and chairs. The docked filled up before they started pulling boats out of the water today. A boat rafted along side Delilah as there was no more dock space. It was Delilah's turn to be lifted out of the water around 11:30AM. She is now sitting on blocks, high and dry. The fun time is over and the work has begun to "summerize" her.

So the season is over and too quickly! We did everything we planned on doing and more. Delilah performed better than expected and we had no big issues that impacted the fun. We met many new friends and made plans to connect with some of them in the summer. We will miss this boaters' community but are anxious to be home.

Please stay tuned next season when our sailing adventures continue!

Fair winds,
Mark & Kim aboard s/v Delilah