Delilah's Meanderings

Hello to all. I’m sitting out on the boat deck attempting to catch up on our blog. There are a few issues for me to conquer…I’m not familiar with Mark’s Surface Pro, I can barely remember yesterday let alone the past few weeks, and the sun is prohibiting me from seeing this screen. Serious stuff, huh?

Last week Mark gave a quick update on our new dinghy. I was looking forward to the adventure as much as the purchase. You can probably glean from prior posts that I plan our lives around our next meal! Well this wasn’t that kind of trip. Bummer. We were in Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami – all in industrial areas. Somehow in our frantic day, we managed to squeeze in a hamburger for lunch at Five Guys. Dinner with friends (much later that evening) was more relaxed after returning to FMB. We are really happy with the new dinghy. Now we are on the verge of buying a new to us/used motor (6 hp). It never ends.

We aren’t doing as much sailing as we would like. There was a short trip south to Naples. Even then, we had to use the engine as much or even more than we used our sails. We made the decision to go to Naples City Dock mooring field instead of Marco Island (our original destination) due to a quirky engine. We thought the diesel in the port tank had water in it. The engine kept dying. We were pretty low on fuel in the starboard tank. Oops. We made it to Naples and tested the engine using the port tank. Fired up fine, stayed in neutral without dying. Turns out that switching the tanks on Delilah means you have to give her a little time to get used to using a new tank. We’ll keep that in mind in the future.

We had good weather in Naples and enjoyed the area (and by this, I mean food). One morning I took an Uber to a local Publix and stocked up on groceries. Mark stayed on the boat to work. Real work, not boat projects. I’m sure I had the better end of the deal that morning! We only stayed in Naples for three nights. Our old dinghy chose to begin its deflation process in Naples. That combined with the quirky engine gave us some bad vibes. ; ) As we were leaving the fuel dock, we met a couple on another Gemini 105Mc. We look forward to seeing them again and sharing stories! Our trip back to FMB was beautiful. We had light winds pushing us north. The sails were finally being of use…even the screecher! I saw a sea turtle floating just ahead of us. At first I thought it was possibly a big trash bag. As soon as we were close enough to see him in all his glory, he shyly ducked underwater.

The real reason we returned fairly soon back to FMB was an expected storm. We’re comfortable here and prefer this area if hunkering down is needed. And it was. We had at least one really rough night and day. I can’t remember exactly…I tend to block these things from my mind. Mark’s been keeping a diary of sorts and his notes say we had winds gusting above 30 miles an hour. I’m here to tell you it felt like a lot more! That was two weeks ago. The weather since has been just gorgeous. We have enjoyed listening to the Coast Guard playing “Retreat” and “Reveille”. Sometimes we hear fellow boaters conch blowing at sundown. Mark’s sister and brother-in-law gifted him a conch shell before we set out this season. So one evening Mark joined in. He played the horn in high school which I was sure was going to give him an advantage. We were both laughing so hard at ourselves that he couldn’t fully catch his breath. You’d think we were a couple of grade schoolers. We’ll try to behave with more decorum the next time. Lol

The past few days have been very busy, filled with special memories. We helped a good friend celebrate her birthday, we attended the Fort Myers ArtFest, and we spent time with family visiting Cape Coral. The birthday festivities lasted a couple of days with a variety of friends. We had breakfast out (a special treat!), managed to squeeze in a couple of happy hour meals, ate a nice dinner out, and ended two evenings playing games on board others’ boats.

The day of the ArtFest was sunny and hot. The ArtFest was very crowded. I was overwhelmed with all the talent and variety of art being featured. Oh to be rich. Several things were calling my name but my purse wouldn’t (or couldn’t) answer. I did manage to buy a t-shirt. : ) Each year an artist is selected to create posters and t-shirts. It’s certainly fun to wear one of these pieces of art. I’m grateful that Mark is willing to spend his day walking in and out of these booths. We went with our friends (the birthday girl) this year and last year. Last year we took several buses to get there which took over two hours. This year we decided to be “smarter” and take Ubers. It was certainly quicker but the ride home was one I’m not willing to repeat. Quite an experience, that’s all I’m going to say about that ride.

Two of my dad’s brothers vacationed together with their wives in Cape Coral. One day we met them all for lunch at Doc Ford’s (probably my favorite place). Then on Super Bowl Sunday, they picked us up and we spent a couple of days with them at the house. The food was delicious and never ending. The hospitality was heartwarming. The game stunk. (had to get that in here) Yesterday we returned to Delilah in style (with one uncle/aunt and their friends). We rode in a power boat with a 200 hp Yamaha. Much faster trip on the water than we’re used to…needless to say I was white-knuckled. Haha After docking for lunch, we were then dropped off right at our back door, so to speak. The captain (my uncle’s friend, John) graciously rafted up to Delilah for a quick visit on board. We were sad to say goodbye but looking forward to a repeat visit next season.

Today has been a very busy one for Mark at work. Obviously I decided to finally focus on this blog. Mark is way better at staying on task than I am. I told him at least two weeks ago that I would do the next blog. Procrastination at its finest! We really enjoy sharing our stories with all of you. Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us. Until next time….

Kim