Delilah's Meanderings

Sailing the coastal waters of Southwest Florida, the Keys, and the Bahamas

Vessel Name: Delilah
Vessel Make/Model: Gemini 105Mc Catamaran
Hailing Port: Whiteland, IN
Crew: Mark & Kim Hayes
About:
We have been sailing over 25 years. Starting with a 14 foot sailboat, then a Catalina 22, and next a Pearson 27 before buying our dream boat the Gemini. This is our seventh season aboard Delilah. We are seasonal coastal cruisers, spending the winters on the boat in Florida. [...]
Social:
25 February 2021
14 February 2021 | Boot Key Harbor
30 January 2021 | Boot Key Harbor
19 January 2021 | Boot Key Harbor
12 January 2021
05 January 2021 | Pelican Bay, Cayo Costa, Florida
29 February 2020
15 February 2020
08 February 2020
18 February 2019
03 February 2019
25 January 2019
10 March 2018 | Warderick Wells Cay, Exumas
Recent Blog Posts
07 February 2022

Season 7 aboard Delilah begins

It has been a really long time since our last post. Last year's cruising season was cut short when I ruptured my Achillie's tendon playing pickle ball in Marathon in the Florida Keys on Feb 18th. We flew home and I had surgery March 1st. The surgery went well and 6 months later I was mostly back to [...]

25 February 2021

Man plans ... God laughs!

I am writing this blog on the couch with my left leg propped up on two pillows in our house in Whiteland, Indiana. A week ago today, I ruptured my left Achilles tendon while playing pickle ball. There was loud pop and I went down. Next thing you know, everyone was helping me and Kim. Applying first [...]

14 February 2021 | Boot Key Harbor

Still Enjoying Marathon

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone from Boot Key Harbor. We continue to enjoy our time in Marathon, especially life on a mooring ball. We've been here for one month and I just paid for another two weeks. This is highly unusual for us to stay in one place. We're not exactly the relaxed type of people! Within [...]

30 January 2021 | Boot Key Harbor

Enjoying Marathon

Kim said it was my turn to do a post ... so both your luck and mine ran out! We are still in Boot Key Harbor, but now tied to mooring ball U1. We were 10th on the waiting list and it took 12 days before we got the call. What a relief it is compared to anchoring in tight quarters in shallow water. [...]

19 January 2021 | Boot Key Harbor

Made it to the Keys!

Hello. We are currently anchored in Boot Key Harbor at the Marathon City Marina. Waiting for a mooring ball. When we arrived on Thursday, January 14, we were #10 on the wait list. Today we are #6. We hope to be on a mooring ball in about a week (or less!).

12 January 2021

Heading to the Keys...

On a quiet morning sprinkled with rain, we set out for warmer temperatures. We have spent the last six nights at Ft. Myers Beach mooring field. Today we are making our way south down the coast to Marathon in the Middle Keys. With luck we might be able to pick up a mooring ball at Boot Key Harbor. There [...]

Grandson's Visit

19 March 2017 | Fort Myers Beach mooring field, ball 36
Well, our grandson (Owen) went back to Indiana last night after spending six nights aboard with us. It has taken me all day to adjust to his absence.

Mark came up with the idea of each grandchild spending spring break with us once they reach 10 years old. Owen is our oldest grandchild, he will turn eleven the end of April. His visit was a huge success. We really enjoyed the one on one time, especially here in sunny Florida!

We went day sailing twice. Our first time was short with very little wind. Owen fished off the back of the boat. He had a fish on the line once, but lost it. Our second attempt was a beautiful day full of sunshine and good wind. Owen spent some time at the helm. He liked to report on our depth and speed. He was also very good at spotting the crab buoys. Owen pointed out every bird he saw. However, his favorite activity was watching for dolphins. We were blessed to see dolphins on several occasions...especially during our dinghy rides. He drove the dinghy like a pro. One day, we saw a pod of five or six dolphins very close to us. Owen exclaimed "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

One day we bought trolley passes and covered a lot of ground! We started by heading north over the Matanzas Pass Bridge and went to Smugglers Cove for a round of putt putt golf. Then we stopped at Pinchers for lunch. After that, we continued south back over the bridge and all the way down to Lover's Key State Park to enjoy the beach. Owen and Mark tossed the football back and forth.

Another day we cruised on the Pieces of Eight pirate ship. Owen had a blast! The staff seemed to really enjoy having him on board. He was given the task of playing the bongos during the cruise. He got his face painted, had a sword fight with the captain, and played limbo with the other kids. This cruise is very interactive and Owen easily was the loudest crew member! LOL

Almost every day, Owen and Mark would toss the football and/or shoot baskets at the Bay Oaks Recreation Center. One day I joined them in a game of h.o.r.s.e. Each evening we would play board games together. We played Scrabble, Farkle, Pirate's Dice, Tri-ominos, and Owen's personal favorite Yahtzee. He was so sweet...always rooting for Mark and I to do well and generously gave high fives when we did do well!

On our last day with Owen, we started out with another visit to Heavenly Biscuit for breakfast. We had went earlier in the week and Owen said it was the best breakfast he has ever eaten! He had the egg and bacon biscuit sandwich and also a cinnamon roll covered in icing. The cinnamon rolls are large enough to share...this kid wolfed an entire one down in record time! We played basketball, tossed the football, went to the beach and Mark and Owen played in the Gulf. On our way back to the boat, Owen had his last visit to Kilwin's for superman ice cream in a waffle cone. We tried to cram in as much fun as possible yesterday!

I think the best part of our week together was Owen's enthusiasm. He loved experiencing this way of life and took photos all day long! Each night Owen would be asleep about two minutes after his head hit the pillow. When the sun would start to rise around 7:30 each morning, Owen would leap out of his bunk. Grabbing his camera (iPhone), he would greet his Grandpa with "Let's go out to see the sunrise!" Every single day. He was equally enthralled with the sunsets. The first evening on board at sunset, Mark taught Owen how to blow the conch shell. This became a nightly ritual Grandpa and Owen enjoyed together. It seemed like every meal was his favorite. Every day was better than the last. Such wonderful memories we were able to create!
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Delilah's Photos - Main
7th season aboard Delilah - February 2022
22 Photos
Created 5 February 2022
7th season aboard Delilah - January 2022
21 Photos
Created 16 January 2022
6th season aboard Delilah - February 2021
20 Photos
Created 7 February 2021
6th season aboard Delilah - January 2021
37 Photos
Created 5 January 2021
5th season aboard Delilah - March 2020
22 Photos
Created 4 April 2020
5th season aboard Delilah - February 2020
63 Photos
Created 4 February 2020
5th season aboard Delilah ... January 2020
35 Photos
Created 22 January 2020
4th season aboard Delilah ... April 2019
13 Photos
Created 5 May 2019
4th season aboard Delilah ... March 2019
49 Photos
Created 4 May 2019
4th season aboard Delilah ... February 2019
37 Photos
Created 2 February 2019
4th season aboard Delilah ... January 2019
31 Photos
Created 15 January 2019
2 Photos
Created 29 December 2018
April 2018 - third season aboard Delilah
13 Photos
Created 8 April 2018
3rd season aboard Delilah ... March 2018
63 Photos
Created 3 March 2018
3rd season aboard Delilah ... February 2018
67 Photos
Created 9 February 2018
3rd season aboard Delilah ... January 2018
25 Photos
Created 24 January 2018
13 Photos
Created 5 April 2017
83 Photos
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42 Photos
Created 2 February 2017
1 Photo | 4 Sub-Albums
Created 7 January 2017
49 Photos
Created 6 January 2017
Getting Delilah ready for 2nd season.
3 Photos
Created 6 January 2017
15 Photos
Created 9 February 2016