 Dee Light  |
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 Bahamas 2005 |
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Dee Light |
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Bahamas 2005 |
| Monday June 20th 2005 – Old Bahama Bay - West End, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas | Old Bahama Bay - West End, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas - 242-346-6500 / 800-444-9469 - Website www.oldbahamabay.com - dockage $1.35 per foot plus power and water | |
Weather Forecast – Winds from East 8 to10 KNOTS .. Seas 2 to 4 feet – Thunderstorms and 82
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.. last night we found out that we could check out of the Marina at 07:00 am this morning so that is just what we did .. after checking out of the Marina and checking out the weather we headed out of the Marina at 07:45 am .. we had a light rain and we headed into 3 to 5 footers at our Bow but as soon as we turned towards Lucaya ( Southeast ) we ROCKED and ROLLED all the way to Lucaya .. we had a light mist / rain for the entire trip but the main Storm Cell was heading up the Florida Straight a number of miles behind us .. a number of other Boats that headed out of West End at the same time that we did were heading for Florida turned around when they got caught in the Storm Cell .. we had our roughest Seas just a few miles from Lucaya when four Sea Rays passed us VERY close on our Starboard Side .. UFFFFDA !!! .. did they give us some BIG wakes !!! .. they ROCKED us and things went flying in every direction .. we ended up loosing many of Betty’s Sea Shells, a bottle of Dan’s Jim Bean and a bottle of Margie’s Rum .. their Boat wakes plus the Seas were the ROUGHEST waters that we have had yet on our entire trip !! .. Betty and Margie were both very upset and they started to look for a ‘Wall Mart Truck’ or a ‘Greyhound Bus’ to head back to home on .. we did request to get Fuel before we went to our assigned Slip but they had drained their Fuel Tanks over the Weekend and the Fuel Truck was not going to arrive until later this afternoon .. so we went directly to our Slip .. we had Dee Light backed into our Slip by 09:30 am .. on the End T Head of the D Dock right next to us was a 60 foot Viking ( JIMMY DREAMS – Miami FL ) .. they have made a number of neat modifications to their Viking .. we took many photos and got many neat ideas for Dee Light .. once docked Dan made arrangements with a ‘local’ to clean our ‘Salt Encrusted’ Dee Light for $50.00 .. it was the best bargain of the day .. once settled in we had a light breakfast / lunch on the Back Deck .. after lunch Betty and Margie went shopping and Marv worked with Dan to line up Airline Tickets and a Rental Car for Dan and Margie to return to Cape Coral for the Royal Palm Yacht Club’s Fourth of July Celebration .. Margie and Dan are in charge of the RPYC event .. Tuesday morning they will be flying into Fort Lauderdale, getting their Rental Car from Avis, stopping by to see some of Dan’s family and then driving on to Cape Coral .. after we got their return trip arranged for we took the Marina’s Courtesy Water Ferry to the Port Lucaya Marina and the many shops that surround the area .. we found Margie and Betty at the first Pub that we came across .. after spending a few minutes with them Dan showed me around the area .. there is much to do and see so I am glad that we decided to spend a number of days right here .. before heading back to Dee Light Margie made dinner reservations at an Italian restaurant called Luciano’s .. by the time we were ready to take the Water Ferry back for dinner it was raining real hard .. we put on our rain gear and headed out .. we talked the Water Taxi Captain into dropping us off at a spot a little closer to our restaurant on the side of a docked Tour Boat .. Dan pulled the Tour Boat closer for Margie to get on it .. KPLUSH ‘buckets’ of rain water came down on Margie .. UFFFDA .. so by the time we made it to the second floor restaurant we were soaked .. Dan and Margie treated us to a great evening out .. our meals, the service, the Ice Cream, etc were excellent !! .. by the time that we returned to Dee Light the rains had stopped for a few minutes so our trip back was less eventful .. Travel – Today 36 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1094 Miles – Tender 178 Miles |
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| Tuesday June 21st 2005 - Lucayan Marina - Lucaya, Bahamas | Lucayan Marina Village- Lucaya, Bahamas - 242-373-7616 – Website http://www.lucayanmarinavillage.com - Dockage $1.20 per foot ( weekly rate ) plus water at $5.00 per day plus electrical | |
Weather Forecast – Winds from South 15 KNOTS .. Seas 3 to 5 feet – Thunderstorms and 82
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.. Dan and Margie were up early .. ( 05:00 am ) .. once they were ready we all walked to the Marina’s Guard House where we woke up the Night Guard .. at 06:00 am the Marina’s Courtesy Van drove them to the Airport for their flight to Fort Lauderdale .. last night during the Thunderstorm our Main Navigation Computer must have been hit as it is now DOWN .. UGH !! .. the Lucayan Marina Bahamas is located at the deep-water entrance of Bell Channel, Freeport, Grand Bahama Island .. the Marina offers superior Marina facilities in a classic setting of turn-of-the-century brick and coral walkways, mature shade trees, picturesque piers and cast-iron lanterns .. the Lucayan Marina Bahamas is a short half-day cruise from any South Florida port .. ( HA ) as a designated Bahamas Port of Entry, boaters can make the Lucayan Marina Bahamas their first call in the Bahamas .. whether it's a fueling stop, overnight stay, long holiday weekend or long-term berthing, Lucayan Marina Bahamas is a sophisticated, world-class gateway to the Bahamas which features the very best in amenities and services .. Lucayan Marina Bahamas has long been considered one of the most conveniently located and easily navigated Marinas in the Bahamas .. the Marina, with its concrete docks, is both beautiful as well as a safe haven for yachts of sizes up to 175 feet .. Betty went to the Grocery Store and I spent much of the day working on our Navigation ‘stuff’ .. I was able to get my ‘very old’ system up and running and I will plan to keep it running as a back-up unit .. I had to ‘rebuild’ my new Nobeltec System from scratch and after much time I was able to get it up and running again .. it appears that Lighting did hit the unit and knocked out some of my ‘devices’ but I am to get most of it working again .. UFFFFDA !! .. after lunch Betty took the Water Ferry to Port Lucaya and got her hair done up in a ‘local look’ .. a local gal named Tammy did the ‘bead job’ on Betty so now she looks like a ‘tourist’ .. I caught up with her later .. after dinner we ended up making a successful trip to the ‘Isle of Capri Casino at our Port Lucaya’ .. so we had to celebrate with a trip to the Ice Cream Parlor before our Ferry ride back to the Marina .. Travel – Today 0 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1094 Miles – Tender 178 Miles |
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| Wednesday June 22nd 2005 - Lucayan Marina - Lucaya, Bahamas | Lucayan Marina Village- Lucaya, Bahamas - 242-373-7616 – Website http://www.lucayanmarinavillage.com - Dockage $1.20 per foot ( weekly rate ) plus water at $5.00 per day plus electrical | |
Weather Forecast – Winds from South 15 KNOTS .. Seas 3 to 5 feet – Thunderstorms and 82
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.. it has been overcast, on and off light to heavy rain, windy, 80 to 82 degrees, etc ever since we made it to Lucaya .. YUCK !! .. but today it looks a little better .. some broken skies at least and the winds are down a little .. when Dan was here he bought some ‘Fish Bait’ that has been in the Freezer ever since then .. today after Betty spent some time reorganizing the Freezer it is the only thing left in the Freezer soooo I did some ‘trolling’ on the Dock and found a new home for Dan’s Bait .. (( Margie said that she did not want it back in their Garage )) .. we launched the Tender and took Autumn for a good ride .. we were going to take the Tender up the Grand Lucayan Waterway but the Thunder Clouds moved in so we took the Public Bus ( $1.00 ) to Freeport to the Lucaya International Bazaar instead .. the Bazaar looked like it was first built in the mid 1970s and due to the Hurricanes that have made it thru the area it is need of much attention .. since Hurricane Frances last August the main Hotels and the Casino have been closed thus there is not a lot of tourist traffic that makes it way to the Bazaar anymore .. as a results many of the Shops are closed or have moved to the Port Lucaya Marina area .. after walking around some and an Ice Cream treat we took the Public Bus to the Downtown Freeport area where we went to the Farmers Market .. they had much of the same ‘stuff’ but at much lower prices .. we saw live Crabs for sale ( $6.00 ) at a number of the Booths .. then we took the Public Bus to Port Lucaya Marina before we headed back to Dee Light .. we read in the local Newspaper that there has been a number of Tender Motors reported stolen so we hoisted our Tender back up before we headed out for dinner and the Casino to spend the quarters that we won yesterday .. when we returned to Port Lucaya by Water Ferry Betty went to a ‘local Bahama Native Hair Emergency Room’ where she had an adjustment done to her ‘new look’ .. the Emergency Room Technician redid each of the spring loaded Beads .. it did not change her appearance but did relieve much of the pain that comes with the ‘native look’ .. when we made it to the Casino Betty was successful in depositing her quarters but I returned to Dee Light with some left in my ‘tub’ of quarters .. Travel – Today 4 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1094 Miles – Tender 182 Miles |
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| Thursday June 23rd 2005 - Lucayan Marina - Lucaya, Bahamas | Lucayan Marina Village- Lucaya, Bahamas - 242-373-7616 – Website http://www.lucayanmarinavillage.com - Dockage $1.20 per foot ( weekly rate ) plus water at $5.00 per day plus electrical | |
Weather Forecast – Winds from ESE 12 KNOTS .. Seas 2 to 4 feet – 82
  Owner of the Marina's Home  |
.. the 60 foot Viking that was docked next to us was replaced by MIDNIGHT SAGA II a 1986 steel / aluminum Boat built in Holland .. once they cleared Customs the Crew has been bust working on the Boat .. this is their Home Port and they have been traveling in the United States for the last number of Months .. when we got up this morning it was still overcast .. AGAIN .., just like it has been ever since we made it to Lucaya .. YUCK !! .. but today it looks a little better .. some broken skies at least and the winds are down a little .. we launched the Tender back once again and headed up the Bahamas ICW as far as we could before heading out into the open waters and Seas of 2 to 3 footers .. we found our way to the Entrance to the Grand Lucayan Waterway and headed up the Waterway .. much to our surprise the Waterway has not been developed at all .. the Grand Bahamas Waterway provides an easy access to and from the Abacos .. the Waterway traversing the entire Island .. it is 8 miles from South to North .. and it is a great way to get to and from The Abacos but you should first check your Charts for height and draft limitations .. we elected to NOT take Dee Light thru the Waterway due to the depth at the North End at Dover Sound .. the construction of the Waterway took place many years ago .. it is described as a ‘financial folley’ or as a ‘little misadventure of civil engineering’ .. at the North End of the Waterway we went past an 8 Story Condo that was never completed .. as we headed North we saw evidence of many other construction projects that were started and never completed .. we met one Boat from Naples Florida as we traveled the Waterway .. most of the manmade Waterway is lined with a Seawall but the upper third of the Waterway is less finished and at Dover Sound a number of Wooden Poles mark the Waterway ..once back to Dee Light we hoisted our Tender up onto Dee Light and a Thunderstorm moved right in .. later the sun came back out and we took the Water Ferry to Port Lucaya for the evening .. we ended up walking on the Beach and had dinner at China Beach .. we enjoyed Chinese Food ( Stir Fried Conch ) on the Beach served by an all ‘local’ Staff and were entertained by a ‘Kite-Surfboarder’ that was enjoying the winds and surf right in front of our table .. he was most enjoyable to watch .. Travel – Today 32 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1094 Miles – Tender 214 Miles |
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| Friday June 24th 2005 - Lucayan Marina - Lucaya, Bahamas | Lucayan Marina Village- Lucaya, Bahamas - 242-373-7616 – Website http://www.lucayanmarinavillage.com - Dockage $1.20 per foot ( weekly rate ) plus water at $5.00 per day plus electrical | |
Weather Forecast – Winds from SE 10 to 12 KNOTS .. Seas 2 to 4 feet – 82
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.. two days ago three Boats traveling together from the Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club in Palm City Florida made there way into the Marina .. we met the three couples and found out that they are just starting out on their annual six week Boating Trip thru the Bahamas .. they also are the people that recommended the China Beach restaurant that we went to last night .. this morning I helped them with their Lines as all three headed out for Nassau .. from there they plan to head down the Exumas .. PORT LUCAYA Port Lucaya is in the heart of it all .. every evening the Island dances to live music with a tropical beat in the open air of Count Basie Square .. this popular gathering spot is the stage for mini-Junkanoo parades, calypso, limbo-dancing, fire-eaters, and a wide variety of local entertainers. .. even Santa and his helpers take up residence in the Square with a dazzling display during the Holiday Season .. you can dive into sensational duty-free shopping at more than 80 fine shops at the Port Lucaya Marketplace adjacent to the Marina .. substantial discounts off U.S. retail prices on jewelry, watches, designer fragrances, cameras, china, crystal and more ! .. enjoy waterfront dining or cocktails at any of the nearby restaurants .. unspoiled beaches with crystal-clear waters and pristine reefs teeming with tropical fish offer a fantastic escape from the ordinary. UNEXSO, one of the top Caribbean dive centers is adjoins our Marina .. UNEXSO offers a multitude of dives and diving services including the magical Dolphin Experience .. .. the sun finally came out today .. at last !! .. so we took the Marina’s Water Ferry ( see Photo ) to Port Lucaya and walked the Beach .. I left Betty at one of the Beach Pools where the Beach Chairs are sitting in a few inches of Pool Water and the view over looks the Beach and Open Seas .. she reportedly had a very GOOD nap .. I went back to Dee Light to get ‘things’ ready to head out in the morning ( weather permitting ) .. later after Betty made it back from the Beach and we got Dee Light ready for our anticipated trip in the morning we paid our account at the Marina Office and then headed to Port Lucaya for our last night out at the Bahamas .. Travel – Today 0 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1094 Miles – Tender 214 Miles |
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| Saturday June 25th 2005 - Lucayan Marina - Lucaya, Bahamas | Lucayan Marina Village- Lucaya, Bahamas - 242-373-7616 – Website http://www.lucayanmarinavillage.com - Dockage $1.20 per foot ( weekly rate ) plus water at $5.00 per day plus electrical | |
Weather Forecast – Winds from South 5 to 10 KNOTS .. Seas 2 to 4 feet – 82
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.. we were unable to check the weather out on out on our PC as the Wireless System in the area was down .. but the weather looked much as it was forecast to be last night so we decided to head out for Florida .. after getting ready we left the Marina about 07:00 am .. we made our way past Freeport and all the large Tanker Ships in 2 to 3 foot Seas .. once past West End and into the Florida Straights we had unorganized Seas .. 2 to 5 footers from the South, 4 foot Rollers from the Southwest and occasional waves from other Boats .. but nothing that Dee Light could not handle .. after we were comfortable that our Nobeltec Navigation System was working good I shut down our ‘backup’ Navigation System .. our Inverter for all of our of our Navigation Interments / Equipment ( inc our PC ) died yesterday .. so I hooked everything to a 110 system and our Generator .. all is working great today .. we decided to ‘enjoy’ the moment and just maintained an easy pace of 23 miles per hour .. we could detect the South to North flow of the Florida Straights and we made adjustments a number of times .. a GREAT day on the open waters .. we made it to the Lake Worth Inlet at 10:45 am .. we passed Singer Island ( many high end Estates etc ) and around Peanut Island and headed North on the ICW .. YUP we are back to the ‘glass and brass’ again .. and it was easy to tell that it was a Saturday with all the Boats and two piece outfits out today .. we tied a very thirsty Dee Light off to the Marina’s Fuel Dock at 11:15 am .. the last time that we took on Fuel was at Spanish Wells .. UFDA !! .. with their slow pumps and our empty Tanks it took a long time to fill Dee Lights Fuel Tanks .. the WINDS came up when we were taking on Fuel so by the time we were ready to head to our Slip it was really windy .. but we managed to get Dee Light slid between two large Bertram Boats .. we are dwarfed in the land of the giants !! .. before we headed out this morning I took out ‘Bahamas Courtesy Flag’ down .. most all the Immigration / Customs Offices are closed over the weekend so we have decided to be ‘Illegal Aliens’ until Monday when the Office near the Marina will be open again .. after checking in at the Marina Office we spent he afternoon taking the SALT off Dee Light .. SALT-AWAY sure worked great !! .. earlier we had inquired at the Yacht Club about dinner and were told that they had a ‘private wedding party’ going on and that the ‘Club Members’ could only dine in their Bar area .. we were also told that Saturday nights it is mandatory for the men to wear jackets .. YUCK .. so we inquired about alternate spots for dinner .. the Harbour Master told us about two very good places just across the street ( US 1 ) from the grounds .. later we decided to walk to San Gennaro’s for dinner .. it was quite a walk just to get to US 1 as the grounds cover 60 acres .. but we made it and had a GREAT American / Italian dinner that was topped off with a stop at the Ice Cream Parlor on our way back to the Marina .. our Cell Phones still do not work .. when we were in the Bahamas we used the Cell Phones until Verizon’s Computer caught up with us .. now we get a ‘message’ that we will have to wait until Monday to have our service reactivated .. Travel – Today 102 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1196 Miles – Tender 214 Miles |
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| Sunday June 26th 2005 - North Palm Beach, Florida USA | Old Port Cove Holdings Inc - North Palm Beach, Florida - 561-626-8669 - Website – www.opch.com - dockage $1.50 per foot – and has free Beacon WI-FI | |
Weather Forecast – Winds from Southeast 5 to 10 KNOTS .. Seas 2 to 4 feet – 88
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.. we used our Boat US Membership for savings on our Fuel purchase as well as for a discount on our dockage .. we saved enough today alone to pay for our Membership for our full year .. UFDA .. Old Port Cove Holdings, Inc., has been Palm Beach County's largest Marina Operator since 1972 .. they features three beautiful waterfront locations: Old Port Cove Marina & Yacht Club, The "NEW" New Port Cove Marine Center, and, Beautiful North Palm Beach Marina .. there family of Marina Facilities are dedicated to caring for your every yachting and sport fishing need - because pleasure boating is there #1 priority !! .. the Administrative Offices are adjacent to the Marina Service Building here at Old Port Cove Marina .. the Marina is located just off US Highway #1 in North Palm Beach .. Old Port Cove is a beautiful 60 acre Condominium and Boating Community much like what is being developed at our Home Port of Centennial Harbour Marina in Fort Myers Florida .. this morning Betty and Autumn took a good walk around the 60 acre grounds .. the entire 60 acres are manicured absolutely to perfection .. not a twig or leaf out of place and the Boats in the Marinas are just the same .. it is had to see that this area was hit so hard by two Hurricanes just last Fall .. we were unable to get our Tender off Dee Light so we asked to move Dee Light to another Slip where we could launch our Tender .. once we had Dee Light relocated and our Tender back in the water we headed down the ICW to the Riviera Beach Municipal Marina that is located near the Customs / Immigration Office .. we filled our Fuel Tank up and got directions to the Customs Office near their Marina that will be open on Monday .. we called the Customs Number and got checked in over the phone and got our ID Number .. so now we have 24 hours to appear in person .. and that is our plan for Monday morning .. from the Riviera Marina we headed to Singer Island to look at the unbelievable Homes and Condos .. we also went to Peanut Island that was surrounded with ‘Sunday’ Pleasure Crafts enjoying the day .. a former Coast Guard Station structure and a JFK Bomb Shelter are located on the Island and it is now being used at a ‘Party Playground Park’ for Boaters, Campers, etc and it is sure used by a lot of boaters .. we beached our Tender and walked around some checking out all the different colors that ‘two-piecers’ come in these days .. before heading back up the ICW .. on our way back to Dee Light we went thru a number of side Canals and saw many ‘to die for homes’ that lined the Canals .. we were enjoying the maze of Canals that we had to hail down another Boater for directions back to the ICW .. later we had dinner at the Old Port Cove Holdings Yacht Club .. Dee Light was docked right out the Club’s Front Windows .. this Yacht Club dose not have a reciprocal agreement with our Yacht Club ( Royal Palm Yacht Club ) back home but it would sure have our vote to be added to the list .. Travel – Today 22 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1196 Miles – Tender 236 Miles |
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| Monday June 27th 2005 - North Palm Beach, Florida USA | Old Port Cove Holdings Inc - North Palm Beach, Florida - 561-626-8669 - Website – www.opch.com - dockage $1.50 per foot – and has free Beacon WI-FI | |
Weather Forecast – Winds from East 5 to 10 KNOTS .. Seas 2 to 4 feet – 89
 Customs / Immigration Office    |
.. since we arrived back in the USA on Saturday we have been ‘Illegal Aliens’ as we have yet to clear the US Customs / Immigration .. on the weekends the only Customs / Immigration Office in this area is about 20 miles away at the Airport .. the ‘local’ Office operates Monday thru Friday and that is located just down the ICW near the Riviera Beach Municipal Marina .. sooo once we got Dee Light ready to head out later today we took off in our Tender and headed down the ICW to the Riviera Beach Marina at the Port of Palm Beach .. we docked our Tender at the Marina’s Dinghy Dock and walked to the Customs / Immigration Office .. since I called yesterday and got our Clearance Number once we got in front of our Customs Officer it took us all of five minutes to get our clearance .. soooo now we are no longer ‘Illegal Aliens’ .. once back on Dee Light we put our ‘Bahamas Courtesy Flag’ back up on our Marine Antenna just below our Green Bay Packer Flag .. we took it down during the time that we were ‘Illegal Aliens’ .. HEADLINES Green Bay WI – AP - ..normally Summer up North comes between July 17th and July 24th .. and some years it dose not come at all .. this morning we saw that it is 92 degrees in Green Bay Wisconsin .. so Summer has come early this year .. lets hope that it is still Summer up North on the 15th of July when we are planning to head up North .. .. once we got our Tender hoisted back up on the Bow of Dee Light we headed up the ICW .. and what a great trip we had .. we passed many many to die for Homes, Condos etc .. we also saw much damage from last Falls Hurricanes .. UGH !! .. with our Antennas lowered we were able to get under all of the many Bridges along the ICW .. as we were in route up the ICW both Betty and I got our Cell Phones activated again .. as we approached the Stuart area the skies started to look very DARK and the winds picked up .. as we got close to our Marina we called ahead to the Marina on our VHF Marine Radio and on our Cell Phone but we were unable to contact anyone so we docked Dee Light on the end of a T-Dock .. we had Dee Light docked and hooked up by 02:15 pm .. we thought that it was strange but there were only three other Boats docked at the Marina .. ?? .. when I walked up to the HUGH building complex I found that all the doors were locked .. I finally found a person only to find out that we were at the WRONG Marina .. we docked Dee Light at the Floridian .. and the Floridian is closed for repairs due to he Hurricanes .. soooo I got further directions and we headed out again .. this time I was able to contact the Harbour Master and with the help of the Harbour Master we had Dee Light docked for the second time today at 03:30 pm .. we ended up getting docked in the Slip of one of the Boaters that we talked with when we were at Lucaya Bahamas .. the Harbour Master had our paperwork with him saving us a trip to his temporary Office .. this entire complex was hit VERY HARD by the Hurricanes last Fall and they have a long way to go to get the facility back to what it was before the Hurricanes .. the Club House was all but destroyed so they are operating out of a tent .. all their Offices, etc are in Mobile Structures .. heavy rains moved in right after we got Dee Light docked so we never even got off the Boat until it was time to take Autumn for a walk … Travel – Today 8 and 42 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1238 Miles – Tender 244 Miles |
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| Tuesday June 28th 2005 – Palm City, FL | Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club - Palm City, FL - (772) 336-3000 - Website - www.hrycc.org - Dockage FREE | |
Weather Forecast – Winds from East 10 to 15 KNOTS .. Seas 3 to 5 feet – 90
 The Floridian - Club House - Closed  Harbor Ridge - Club House - Closed |
.. Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club has a ‘reciprocal agreement’ with our Yacht Club ( Royal Palm Yacht Club – Fort Myers Florida ) back home thus our first nights Dockage is FREE when we stay here .. there are a number of other Yacht Clubs that have the same type of setup that we should take advantage of more often .. the Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club is nestled on a secluded 885 acres .. this Audubon award-winning Community fronts over two miles of the St Lucie River making Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club a true gem .. the ‘gem’ has been tarnished by the Hurricanes but in another six Months to a Year it will be back in full operation .. the Marina is North and West of Stuart Florida about three miles up ( North ) the St Lucie River from the ICW that heads West to Fort Myers .. it is truly a great Yacht Club and for the ‘Golfer’ it is a ‘deelight’ .. but for the Boater that is without ‘ground transportation’ it is located a long ways from anything .. when the Harbour Master brought us our complementary newspaper and our Golf Cart Key he shared some ‘local knowledge’ of the area that we can explore by water .. we put our Tender in the water and took off up the North Fork of the St Lucie River with Autumn .. we went many miles up the River .. it is much like the Orange River just up from Fort Myers Florida .. beautiful .. we also found the ‘Bird Sanctuary’ and ‘Bird Island’ .. after dropping Autumn off at Dee Light we headed down River to Stuart .. we followed the Harbour Masters directions to find a Dinghy Dock below the Bridges only to find some ‘skinny’ waters ( twice ) and get caught in a downpour .. UGH !! .. and we found many Docks that have not been repaired or replaced since the Hurricanes .. but after the RAIN we did find a good Dinghy Dock above the Bridges .. we found a Board River Walk, walked into ‘Old Stuart’, did some shopping, had lunch at the Riverwalk Café & Oyster Bar, and found an Ice Cream Parlor .. YEA !! .. when we got our Tender back to Dee Light it was so windy that we elected to not put the Tender up until the winds go down .. we took the Golf Cart and explored part of the 885 acres that the Harbour Ridge complex is on .. it is hugh .. it is a LARGE Golfing Community built around Golf Courses, Pond and the River Frontage .. as we drove around it appeared to be deserted .. we saw hardly anyone but Contractors Employees .. we are assuming that the entire facility was shut down and now it is slowly opening back up .. later we had a bite to eat at the temporary Club House .. at least that is what our plan was .. they have a very limited schedule and they do not serve dinner on Monday or Tuesday so we went back to Dee Light for dinner .. the original Club House ( see photo ) is being rebuilt due also to the Hurricanes so they have a HUGH Tent set up as their temporary Club House .. all of the Clubs Offices, Restrooms, Pro Shop, etc are in temporary facilities also .. it will be some time before they are in full operation again .. Travel – Today 32 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1235 Miles – Tender 276 Miles |
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| Wednesday June 29th 2005 – Palm City, FL | Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club - Palm City, FL - (772) 336-3000 - Website - www.hrycc.org - Dockage FREE | |
Weather Forecast – Winds from Southeast 10 to 15 KNOTS .. Seas 2 to 4 feet – 91
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.. this morning we will be heading out for the Indiantown Marina at Indiantown Florida .. I have told Betty so many stories about that Marina and she has never been there so we just gotta stop there for one night .. at 08:00 am we headed down the St Lucie River to the ICW and then headed West on the ICW towards Indiantown .. our one Lock had an open Gate as we approached it ( St Lucie Lock ) so we made it thru the Lock without a wait at all .. it was a great day to travel on the ICW .. as we entered thr Marina Basin we had to squeak past a Work Barge that was occupying part of the Marina Entrance area .. once past the Work Barge got turned around and we were tied off to the Concrete Dock right in front of the Marina’s Office at 11:00 am .. when we registered at the Marina Office we found out that the WI-FI connection that we are able to receive on our PC is from one of the Boaters that lives in the Marina .. this Marina has been here for many year and they now have over 500 Boats in storage and it is a good Hurricane Hole .. Note – the Shore Water is NOT good drinking water .. it is just good for cleaning only .. good thing that our Water Tank was full .. it was not long after we got Dee Light docked that the rains moved in .. UGH !! .. we read that they have Bicycles that we could use .. well they are very well used Bikes that have seen many miles already in various stages of repair .. after the rains came to an end we picked out the best two Bikes ( one with a flat tire and the other with no breaks ) .. we headed into town ( Indiantown ) for a tour of the area and for dinner .. English is not the principal language of the area as there are few English speaking people here .. it is challenging to communicate with the ‘locals’ .. we found our way to the Café Los Amigos Authentic Homemade Mexican Food where I watched Betty enjoy the best most authentic Mexican food that she has ever had .. later we found a Food Store that sold Ice Cream ( no Ice Cream Parlor in Indian Town ) .. the last time that I boated to Indiantown was just over ten years ago when we were passing thru the area with our new 47 foot Mainship .. not much has changed at all .. we had our Ice Cream just outside the Italian Restaurant where we had dinner ten years ago .. Travel – Today 27 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1262 Miles – Tender 276 Miles |
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| Thursday June 30th 2005 – Indiantown FL | Indiantown Marina – Indiantown FL - 772-597-2455 – Website www.indiantownmarina.com - Dockage $1.00 – has WI-FI | |
Weather Forecast – Winds from Southeast 05 to 10 KNOTS .. Seas 1 to 3 feet – 90
 Weather Radar at 03:00 pm  Lake Okeechobee at 04:45 pm - The Lull Before The Storm  Weather Radar at 06:00 pm |
.. Indiantown Marina is located on the St. Lucie Canal which links Stuart on the East Coast to Fort Myers on the West Coast via Lake Okeechobee and the Calloosahatchee River .. it is a great stop off point to break up the trip from Coast to Coast .. we could make it to Fort Myers from here but we are planning to stop at the Roland Martins Resort Marina in Clewiston Florida on our way to Fort Myers for a number of reasons .. we like it there and we want to talk to Little Man about the upcoming Hurricane Season .. who knows we just may have to give him a call for dockage if a Hurricane starts up the Gulf and is heading for Fort Myers .. .. we had planned to head out for Clewiston about 08:00 am but when I went to get our Navigation Equipment up and running I discovered that it had ‘died’ overnight .. UGH !! .. I proceeded to spend the next number of hours working on the Electronics and Betty spent the day in the Laundry Room getting our laundry caught up .. just when I gave up all hopes of getting our `Navigation System going I got it to work .. after we tested it out we looked at the weather and saw that there was a small weather system just East of Naples moving very slow .. but nothing else .. the Skies were all but clear and there was almost no winds .. soooo at 03:00 pm we pulled out of the Marina .. it was later in the day than we normally head out but we have boated this stretch of waters many times so we headed out .. on our way to the Port Mayaca Lock we saw a Sailboat being tipped over on its side by a Work Boat .. they were tipping the Sailboat to clear the underside of the High Bridge just before the Lock .. we have heard of this being done but have never seen it in action before .. once we made it to the Port Mayaca Lock we were told that there would be a delay at the Lock due to a Work Towboat that was in the Lock .. a 50 foot Searay made it to the Lock at the same time that we did .. as the two of us pulled out of the Lock we could see the Skies ahead of us churning and turning very dark / black .. ugh .. once out on Lake Okeechobee we had only 1 to 2 footers .. ie ‘the lull before the Storm’ .. and what a STORM it was .. we started out heading South at 24 knots until we got into the Storm .. as we headed South the winds came up and we had the Lake waters going over Dee Light and then the buckets of rain came down on us .. our Radar was useless and we could not see any of the Markers until we were right on top of them .. there was much lighting and the waters became choppy with 4 to 6 footers .. over the Marine Radio the Crew on the Searay said that they could see a Funnel Cloud forming .. Betty tried to take a photo of it .. it was a rough stretch of waters .. when we made it to the Clewiston Lock the Lock Gate was shut .. we have been thru the Lock many times but we have NEVER ‘locked thru’ the Lock before today .. our overall length is about 66 feet and the interior of the Lock is about 70 feet so it is a very tight fit .. we locked thru the Lock with a Manatee and a number of Turtles .. a few minutes later ( 06:00 pm ) Little Man had Dee Light tied of to the Dock in the rain .. being a Cowboy Little Man uses a ‘snap’ of the Line to lasso the Cleats .. Betty said that it was a two drink day .. after we got cleaned up a little we walked in the rain to the Tiki Hut / Bar and had dinner right at the Bar .. one of the Guys at the Bar raises Organic Shrimp .. he was charcoaling the Shrimp at the Bar and were they GOOD .. and I do not like Shrimp .. just as we were walking back to Dee Light another Boat was pulling into the Marina .. it was the A Yacht ( 50 foot Searay – Wabasha MN ) Pauly and Summer Ayotte were aboard .. we have known them and Pauly’s father John for years thru boating ( small world ) .. after they had a bite to eat at the Bar they stopped by Dee Light to chat .. they traveled the same waters that we had but they were about two hours behind us and they said that the Lake was just a little choppy .. no problem at all .. it was great to see them and get caught up with them a little !! .. Travel – Today 39 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1301 Miles – Tender 276 Miles |
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| Friday July 01st 2005 – Clewiston, FL | Roland Martins Resort Marina - Clewiston, FL - 800-473-6766 / 863-983-3151 – Dockage $1.00 per foot - Website – none - Harbour Master - Little Man | |
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Weather Forecast – Winds from Southwest 10 to 15 KNOTS .. Seas 2 to 4 feet – 91
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(( .. in the September 2004 issue of YACHTING has an article on Little Man .. and the Clewiston weekly Newspaper also recently had an article on Little Man .. the following is bits and pieces from the two articles .. )) | |
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The Legend of ‘Little Man’ |
Big Man Among Boaters
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Clewiston FL – the Dockmaster at the Roland and Mary Ann Martin Marina and Resort is Michael ‘Little Man’ Daugherty he is described by many boaters as ‘the best Dockmaster in the World’ .. and known only to many Boaters as .. ‘Little Man’ .. he came to work at the Marina seven years ago as a ‘jack of all trades’ doing whatever had to be done at the Marina or the Tiki Bar that is also located at the Marina .. ‘they threw me on the Dock one night and said .. you have it Little Man and I’ve been there ever since’ .. when he is securing a Boat to his Docks today he uses the skills that he developed back in Montana when he was a Cowboy securing a horse or a Steer with a Rope .. Little Man says that ‘I more or less trained myself .. most of its common sense .. some I learned and some I did it my way’ .. in any event the Boaters know that they can hail him at whatever time and Little Man will be there waiting for them .. .. all Boaters have had many different experiences with Dockmasters .. and not all good experiences .. in the Florida Keys where appeals for dockage seem to be routinely sorted out on a Roulette Wheel labeled ‘YES’ .. ‘NO’ .. ‘FORGET IT’ and ‘SPIN AGAIN’ .. UGH .. and then there are some Dockmasters that just do not want to leave their air-conditioned Throne to assist boaters at all .. Little Man said ‘these boaters are my bread and butter and they know it .. so they can hail me and I will be there .. .. Little Man said that when Hurricane Charley was heading towards Southwest Florida the Hurricane Gate was closed for repairs so the Boats that were at the Marina were could not get out of the Marina .. Little Man secured all on Boats on the Dock with Lines that formed a gigantic Cobweb of Lines, Boats, Docks, etc. .. when Hurricane Frances was approaching from the East many Boats filled the Marina .. he had Boats rafted off three deep .. and he once again tied off all the Boats in that ‘Web’ and then he rode out Frances on a 54 foot Hatters that the Owner had abandoned and entrusted Little Man to take care of during the Hurricane .. the experience was much like riding one of the unbroken horses that he rode when he was growing up back in Montana .. .. as boaters make there way to other Marinas they will mention their experience with the other Dockmasters and most will laugh and say ‘oh you met Little Man’ .. they had all heard more than one story about the ‘best Dockmaster I the world’ .. soooo if you find yourself out on Lake Okeechobee at dusk just hail him on 16 .. he’ll be there .. |
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.. we wished Pauly a safe trip as A YACHT went by us on the way to the Clewiston Lock .. they are headed back to Fort Myers today and will be flying to Wabasha Minnesota on July 05th for a week .. after having a GREAT breakfast ( Omelet ) at the Marina’s enlarged Coffee Shop Betty took Gloria ( Gloria Vanderbilt’s Limo ) to Wal-Mart and stocked up our Galley .. Betty said that it was so interesting to shop at the Clewiston Wal-Mart because it is stocked for the ‘area’ .. ie many products that you will not find in a ‘big City’ Wal-Mart .. I worked on our Tender .. the last number of days one of the ‘Tubes’ on the Tender has been loosing its air pressure .. ?? .. later I helped the Crew on the 50 foot Searay that came across the Lake with us .. they got into some ‘bad’ Fuel when they were in the Bahamas so I helped them change out a total of four Fuel Filters .. after they left they called back on the VHF and said that what we did worked great !! .. YEA !! .. I also worked in Dee Light’s Engine Room for much of the day .. the Skies dumped more buckets of rain on us again todat .. I know that Dee Light is now salt free but now she is water logged !! .. it was enjoyable to watch Little Man in action .. Marine Radio in one hand Lines in the other hand lashing down the Boats much like a Cowboy would handle a Calf that he just lassoed .. after a delightful dinner aboard Dee Light we spent the balance of the evening at the Tiki Bar .. we did not have a long walk as Little Man had Dee Light docked right in front of the Tiki Hut .. but we headed back to Dee Light early as the Country Music was UGH and the Mosquitoes were horrible !! .. Travel – Today 0 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1301 Miles – Tender 276 Miles |
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| Saturday July 02nd 2005 – Clewiston, FL | Roland Martins Resort Marina - Clewiston, FL - 800-473-6766 / 863-983-3151 – Dockage $1.00 per foot - Website – none - Harbour Master - Little Man | |
Weather Forecast – Winds from Southeast 10 to 15 KNOTS .. Seas 2 to 4 feet – 93
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.. we were off the Dock at 07:30 am and were thru the Clewiston Lock with out a hitch .. the ‘Cut’ has a number of Boats etc that are victims of the many Hurricanes that came thru the center part of the State last Fall .. we made it thru all four Locks with only a wait of about 40 minutes at one of the Locks .. I had put our Marine Antennas up when we were at Clewiston so we had to request that a number of the Bridges open up for us .. that did slow us down a little but we were not in any rush at all .. we made it into our Home Slip at Centennial Harbour Marina at 02:15 pm .. after getting settled it a little we barrowed Bernie and Barbara ( SITTING DUCK ) Car and drove to Betty’s place where we had stored our Cars .. from there we went to Fort Myers Beach where Betty got her ‘Beach Fix’ and we both got our Beach Bread Fix .. once we made it back to the Marina we headed out for Daddy Dee’s Ice Cream Parlor for Marv’s Ice Cream Fix … Travel – Today 72 Miles – Cumulative - Dee Light 1373 Miles – Tender 276 Miles |
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| Sunday July 03rd 2005 – Fort Myers Florida | Centennial Harbour Marina – Fort Myers Florida - 239-461-0775 – Website - www.marina33901.com | |
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NOTE – the adventure on Dee Light continues .. but this concludes the Log of our 2005 Bahamas Trip .. we hope that you have enjoyed traveling along with us and we would like to invite you to share your comments, thoughts, ideas, etc about our Log, our Trip, the adventure, etc with us .. .. please send your comments to .. marvboater@aol.com .. .. thanks much .. The Crew of Dee Light |
