Delilah's Meanderings

Monday Jan. 14th Delilah was launched and finally ready to start a new season of cruising. This year it took a little longer because the 6hp outboard motor was in the shop, because of a stuck exhaust valve and broken rocker arm. Fortunately it was still under warranty. We spent the night on the dock at the boat yard and the next morning motored to the lock and anchored waiting for some maintenance to be completed before we could go through to Charlotte Harbor and back in salt water. While at anchor we ate lunch and successfully test started the outboard, what a relief. Went through the lock and motor sailed south down the Harbor. While under way I was lying down on the deck doing something and looked down and saw a dolphin swimming below me. I yelled to Kim to come up and see. For several minutes the dolphin swam with us going back forth and from hull to hull. Kim got some good video. During the excitement I lost my hat in the water! The dolphin dropped back to check out the floating hat and then raced back up to the bow. Around 4PM we anchored in Pelican Bay next to Cayo Costa State Park. This is a great anchorage. Our first night at anchor we enjoyed ground turkey lettuce wraps. Food tastes better after a day on the water!

Time is different when you are cruising. We are usually in bed around 8:30pm. In January and February it can be chilly at night in an unheated boat, sometimes getting into the 40s. I prefer a sleeping bag and Kim likes to layer on blankets. It usually warms up nicely during the day and most days are sunny. We have the cockpit enclosure on which makes it like a sun room.

Back to the story, we slept in to 7AM this morning and had cheerios for breakfast. I got the dinghy down and outboard down and we headed to Cayo Costa dock. Kim bought post cards for the grand kids and we caught the shuttle to the beach. We walked down the beach and found some shells. We just missed the shuttle, so we walked back to the dinghy and then back to the boat. We love the food at restaurant on nearby Cabbage Key. It was a 30 minute dinghy ride. We both had Mahi Mahi sandwiches and potato salad and it was delicious as usual. Back to the boat and a game of scrabble which I won this time. I grilled turkey smoked sausage, while Kim made mashed sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli for supper ... yum yum. I love eating on the boat. The dinghy is back on the davits and we are ready to head south down the ICW tomorrow morning to the mooring field at Fort Myers Beach. Kim checked with friends and there are plenty of open balls just waiting for Delilah.

What a great start for season 4 aboard Delilah.

fair winds,
Kim and Mark