Dee Light
Logs - 2004 - Summer - UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Fort Myers Florida
NOTE .. for a larger version of the photos on this page .. just click on the photo .. NOTE
NOTE .. for a larger version of the photos on this page .. just click on the photo .. NOTE
.. after School was out for the Summer Betty’s granddaughter Danielle from Indianapolis Indiana arrived at Dee Light .. Danielle is a seasoned boater as last Fall she joined us from Hammond Indiana to Alton Illinois when we were doing ‘The Loop’ .. she spent much time with Betty at the Pool, at the Beach, shopping, walking Autumn, working in the Galley, fishing, etc. ..
One of the rarest observable astronomy events took place today as Venus crossed the face of the Sun for the first time in 122 years .. the spectacle was visible from all of Europe and much of Asia and Africa .. some eastern residents of North America had a chance to see the final moments of the transit .. which ended around 7:25 a.m. ET .. images and video of the transit .. from telescopes small and large .. were posted live on the Internet at several sites around the world .. the last one was in 1882 but the next one comes fairly soon .. on June 6, 2012 ..
.. HEADLINES - Los Angeles CA - His wife of 52 years, Nancy Davis Reagan, and their two children, Ron Reagan and Patti Davis, were with him at 1:09 p.m. (4:09 p.m. ET) when he died at his home in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles .. His office said he died of pneumonia, described as a complication of Alzheimer's disease, a condition he made public in a stirring letter in 1994 .. Former President Ronald Reagan -- who led a conservative revolution that set the economic and cultural tone of the 1980s, hastened the end of the Cold War and revitalized the Republican Party -- died Saturday at age 93. "Because of his leadership, the world laid to rest an era of fear and tyranny," President Bush said .. on Friday June 11th we watched with the World the funeral services both in Washington DC and as the sunset in California ..
One of the rarest observable astronomy events took place today as Venus crossed the face of the Sun for the first time in 122 years .. the spectacle was visible from all of Europe and much of Asia and Africa .. some eastern residents of North America had a chance to see the final moments of the transit .. which ended around 7:25 a.m. ET .. images and video of the transit .. from telescopes small and large .. were posted live on the Internet at several sites around the world .. the last one was in 1882 but the next one comes fairly soon .. on June 6, 2012 ..
.. HEADLINES - Los Angeles CA - His wife of 52 years, Nancy Davis Reagan, and their two children, Ron Reagan and Patti Davis, were with him at 1:09 p.m. (4:09 p.m. ET) when he died at his home in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles .. His office said he died of pneumonia, described as a complication of Alzheimer's disease, a condition he made public in a stirring letter in 1994 .. Former President Ronald Reagan -- who led a conservative revolution that set the economic and cultural tone of the 1980s, hastened the end of the Cold War and revitalized the Republican Party -- died Saturday at age 93. "Because of his leadership, the world laid to rest an era of fear and tyranny," President Bush said .. on Friday June 11th we watched with the World the funeral services both in Washington DC and as the sunset in California ..
.. the second week that Danielle was here we brought Dee Light to Fort Myers Beach for a couple of days .. on our way there we managed to have an encounter with the Cape Coral Water Patrol .. he said that we were going too fast .. can you believe that ?? .. UGH !! .. we stayed at the Matanzas Inn and Marina .. Klaus and Gabriele joined us for the trip there and we all headed to the Beach for the balance of the day ..
.. we saw many Dolphins both on our way to the Beach as well as on our way back to Fort Myers ..
.. we saw many Dolphins both on our way to the Beach as well as on our way back to Fort Myers ..
.. a couple of days before Danielle headed back up North we went to the Babcock Wilderness Adventures Center in Punta Gorda Florida for the day .. we explored the native Florida Swamps lands aboard a converted School Bus .. we found in most interesting to see many different animals in their own natural surroundings .. even many Alligators .. we even were able to touch / pet one of the small Alligators ..
.. the next number of weeks we had mixed emotions as watched as a number of boats heading out of our Marina for adventures that they had been planing on for some time .. Rich and Nancy ( ADAGIO – 36 foot Carver ) headed out for the Bahamas in early June after spending 10 Months at the Marina .. a few days later Bernie and Barb ( SITTING DUCK – 53 foot Carver ) also headed out for the Bahamas .. about two weeks later Forest and his family aboard their Sailboat PURRSNICKITTY headed out for the Keys ..
HEADLINES - BAGHDAD, Iraq (June 28) - By TAREK EL-TABLAWY, AP - U.S. Transfers Sovereignty to Iraq – Surprise Move in Hopes of Blunting Expected Insurgent Attacks - The U.S.-led coalition transferred sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days early Monday in a surprise move that apparently caught insurgents off guard, averting a feared campaign of attacks to sabotage the highly symbolic step toward self-rule .....
.. since we made the decision to confine our boating activities to US waters we decided to head North ( by air ) to see Marv’s Grandson Marcus and to take in part of the Great Excursion Flotilla .. we left Fort Myers on June 29th ..
Click here ....
.. to go to the Log of our trip North to the Grand Excursion Flotilla on the Mississippi River .......
.. on Tuesday July 06 2004 we returned from our trip up North ..
HEADLINES - BAGHDAD, Iraq (June 28) - By TAREK EL-TABLAWY, AP - U.S. Transfers Sovereignty to Iraq – Surprise Move in Hopes of Blunting Expected Insurgent Attacks - The U.S.-led coalition transferred sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days early Monday in a surprise move that apparently caught insurgents off guard, averting a feared campaign of attacks to sabotage the highly symbolic step toward self-rule .....
.. since we made the decision to confine our boating activities to US waters we decided to head North ( by air ) to see Marv’s Grandson Marcus and to take in part of the Great Excursion Flotilla .. we left Fort Myers on June 29th ..
Click here ....
.. to go to the Log of our trip North to the Grand Excursion Flotilla on the Mississippi River .......
.. on Tuesday July 06 2004 we returned from our trip up North ..
Summer Continued – July 08 2004 - Centennial Harbour Marina – Fort Myers, FL - (239) 461-0775 – Mile 136 .. shortly after we made it back from our Trip North Bernie and Barb ( SITTING DUCK ) made it back to the Marina from their trip o the Bahamas .. they had a great time and enjoyed the clear waters and great weather .. about an hour after SITTING DUCK made it to the Marina TRUE NORTH also pulled into the Marina .. Jon has had a change in employers and soon will be joining a Hospital in Virginia .. instead of shipping their boat from Wabasha Minnesota to Virginia they decided to take it by water .. they left Wabasha about three weeks ago .. after spending two nights at Centennial .. a visit to West Marine for a new Canadian Flag .. a trip to the Pool .. dinner at the Boaters Pot-Luck .. a trip to Fort Myers Beach .. a tour of the Edison Estate and restocking the boat TRUE NORTH headed out of Centennial Harbour Marina and soon will be heading up the East Coast to their new location .. they have about 1,000 miles to go .....
.. in mid July Dee Light took a short trip to Naples Florida .. our Crew consisted of Betty, Jon, Sarah, Jeremy ( Sarah’s brother ), Marv and Autumn .. we had a great trip .. the Seas were near flat and the skies were clear for our entire trip except the last ten minutes of our return trip when the Skies dumped an afternoon shower on us just as Pete ( SYNERGY ) helped us dock Dee Light back at Centennial .. it was the first time that we stayed at the Naples Yacht Club and we found it to be a great Yacht Club .. the Harbour Master was most helpful .. in the past we have always stayed at the Naples City Docks .. the Yacht Club knew that we were coming and had our Home Yacht Clubs ( Royal Palm Yacht Club ) Burgee flying from their Main Mast when we arrived there .. here are some of our trip photos …
.. at the end of July Jim and Kim ( JIM & AYE ) made it back from their trip to the Bahamas .. they spent most all of their time in the Bahamas in the Exumas around the Nassau area .. Jim was quick to share his medical dilemma with us .. he had to have emergency Hernia surgery when they were on the Hook right after their Generator gave out .. UGH !! .. what an adventure !! .. a few days later Gabriele and Klaus ( AEOLA – Wilhelmshaven Germany ) decided to relocate inland to weather out the upcoming Hurricane Season .. the day that Klaus took AEOLA up the River to the Port LaBelle Marina Gabriele and Betty headed to Sanibel Island for one last day at the Beach .. after spending about two Months at the Port LaBelle Marina Klaus and Gabriele are planing to head to the Bahamas and Caribbean Islands for the Winter Months ..
.. in mid July Dee Light took a short trip to Naples Florida .. our Crew consisted of Betty, Jon, Sarah, Jeremy ( Sarah’s brother ), Marv and Autumn .. we had a great trip .. the Seas were near flat and the skies were clear for our entire trip except the last ten minutes of our return trip when the Skies dumped an afternoon shower on us just as Pete ( SYNERGY ) helped us dock Dee Light back at Centennial .. it was the first time that we stayed at the Naples Yacht Club and we found it to be a great Yacht Club .. the Harbour Master was most helpful .. in the past we have always stayed at the Naples City Docks .. the Yacht Club knew that we were coming and had our Home Yacht Clubs ( Royal Palm Yacht Club ) Burgee flying from their Main Mast when we arrived there .. here are some of our trip photos …
.. at the end of July Jim and Kim ( JIM & AYE ) made it back from their trip to the Bahamas .. they spent most all of their time in the Bahamas in the Exumas around the Nassau area .. Jim was quick to share his medical dilemma with us .. he had to have emergency Hernia surgery when they were on the Hook right after their Generator gave out .. UGH !! .. what an adventure !! .. a few days later Gabriele and Klaus ( AEOLA – Wilhelmshaven Germany ) decided to relocate inland to weather out the upcoming Hurricane Season .. the day that Klaus took AEOLA up the River to the Port LaBelle Marina Gabriele and Betty headed to Sanibel Island for one last day at the Beach .. after spending about two Months at the Port LaBelle Marina Klaus and Gabriele are planing to head to the Bahamas and Caribbean Islands for the Winter Months ..
.. Betty’s daughter Cheryl and her family made it to Fort Myers for their Summer vacation .. the first few days they stayed at Betty’s place at Fort Myers Beach .. they spent much time at the Pool and walking the Beach at Fort Myers Beach .. the following is our Log of our trip to Key West with them ..
Sunday – August 08 2004 - Centennial Harbour Marina – Fort Myers, FL - (239) 461-0775 – Mile 136 .. the weather in Southwest Florida has been rain with gusty winds .. rain with mild winds .. and just plane more rain .. and on Sunday morning we had more rain but the forecast ahead looks much better .. both the winds and the rains are to start to back off some .. Cheryl’s youngest daughter Aimee was unable to join us until today so we had decided to take Dee Light to Fort Myers Beach for the night thus getting a few miles of our trip under out belt .. after spending their last night Cheryl, Katie and Danny moved their things onto Dee Light .. Marv and the Crew from Indianapolis headed out with Dee Light at about 09:15 am .. at the same time Betty went to the Airport to pick up Aimee at about noon .. she was not able to join us until Sunday due to her Summer Job .. when Dee Light made it to the Marina at Fort Myers Beach the Tied was moving out at a very rapid pace … as we attempted to dock Dee Light at the Matanzas Inn the Tide Current caught us on our Starboard Side and pushed us towards the Concrete Bridge Piers .. it was just at that time that we discovered that the Bow Thruster was not operating and the Current thru Dee Light into one of the Concrete Pier Bases .. Concrete dose not give at all but Dee Lights Port Exhaust Housing right at the Water Line did as we slammed into the Base .. UGH !! .. with Richards help on the Dock on our second attempt we did get Dee Light docked but without the Bow Thruster it was not a pretty docking at all .. it was not long at all and Betty and Aimee joined us at Dee Light .. Marv checked out the Engine Room and quickly determined what was wrong with the Bow Thruster .. one of the Batteries that are hooked together to develop the 24 Volt Electrical System had failed .. it appears that a faulty connection at the Negative Post caused the problem .. anyway Marv was able to replace the Battery after a trip to Moss Marina .. after the Crew spent the afternoon at the Pool we had a great dinner at Matanzas Restaurant that was topped off with .. yes .. a walk to the Ice Cream near the Beach ..
Sunday – August 08 2004 - Centennial Harbour Marina – Fort Myers, FL - (239) 461-0775 – Mile 136 .. the weather in Southwest Florida has been rain with gusty winds .. rain with mild winds .. and just plane more rain .. and on Sunday morning we had more rain but the forecast ahead looks much better .. both the winds and the rains are to start to back off some .. Cheryl’s youngest daughter Aimee was unable to join us until today so we had decided to take Dee Light to Fort Myers Beach for the night thus getting a few miles of our trip under out belt .. after spending their last night Cheryl, Katie and Danny moved their things onto Dee Light .. Marv and the Crew from Indianapolis headed out with Dee Light at about 09:15 am .. at the same time Betty went to the Airport to pick up Aimee at about noon .. she was not able to join us until Sunday due to her Summer Job .. when Dee Light made it to the Marina at Fort Myers Beach the Tied was moving out at a very rapid pace … as we attempted to dock Dee Light at the Matanzas Inn the Tide Current caught us on our Starboard Side and pushed us towards the Concrete Bridge Piers .. it was just at that time that we discovered that the Bow Thruster was not operating and the Current thru Dee Light into one of the Concrete Pier Bases .. Concrete dose not give at all but Dee Lights Port Exhaust Housing right at the Water Line did as we slammed into the Base .. UGH !! .. with Richards help on the Dock on our second attempt we did get Dee Light docked but without the Bow Thruster it was not a pretty docking at all .. it was not long at all and Betty and Aimee joined us at Dee Light .. Marv checked out the Engine Room and quickly determined what was wrong with the Bow Thruster .. one of the Batteries that are hooked together to develop the 24 Volt Electrical System had failed .. it appears that a faulty connection at the Negative Post caused the problem .. anyway Marv was able to replace the Battery after a trip to Moss Marina .. after the Crew spent the afternoon at the Pool we had a great dinner at Matanzas Restaurant that was topped off with .. yes .. a walk to the Ice Cream near the Beach ..
Monday – August 09 2004 - Matanzas Marina – Fort Myers Beach, FL - (239) 463-3838 .. after checking the weather we headed out of the Marina at 07:15 am .. Richard helped us with the Lines and said to have a great trip .. once out past the last Sea Buoy we set the Auto Pilot at 180 degrees .. by 0:00 am the Skies became clear and the Seas flattened off to only 3 to 4 footers .. the Key West Express passes us on our Starboard Side about 09:30 am and the Ferry out of Marco Island passed us at about 10:45 am .. soooo we knew that we must be heading in the right direction .. our Crew decided to sleep in for the day soooo they did missed most of the trip but Betty got them up as we were approaching Key West and they were able to enjoy seeing Key West as we approached the Islands .. we went past the Carnival Cruse Ship JUBILEE as we approached the Marina .. we had Dee Light docked at The Galleon Beach Resort in Key West by 02:00 pm .. once docked the Crew was quick to get Dee Light hosed down and then headed out to do some exploring on their own .. the Harbormaster pointed out a Snorkeling – Diving Tour Boat operation located right in the Marina Harbour .. Cheryl was quick to check it out and made arrangement for the Crew to head out Tuesday morning .. Danny found two young boys that he teamed up with for the balance of the day .. the gals explored the Streets, Shops, Bars, etc. .. later after watching the sunset at Mallory Square we had dinner at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Restaurant, Bar and Sore .. and yes we did do some shopping and had our Ice Cream ..
Tuesday – August 10 2004 – The Galleon Beach Resort - Key West FL - (800) 544-3030 .. after a very quick breakfast Cheryl and her three headed out on the ‘Sea Breeze Underwater Adventure’ .. ( www.keywestscubadive.com ) for a half day of snorkeling and diving .. Cheryl is an avid Diver and has been diving for a number of years .. Betty and Marv took advantage of the time and did some shopping and exploring in the Duval Street area .. Marv ended up with a new p[air of Birkenstock Shoes .. Jon and Sarah arrived about 01:00 pm for the wedding tonight .. after the Dive Boat returned the Gals spent the afternoon at the Pool and Cheryl took a good long nap .. later the Gals headed to Duval Street, Cheryl rested on Dee Light and we went to the wedding with Jon and Sarah .. the Groom ( Ted ) is from Lake City Minnesota but did work here in Key West at Sloppy Joe’s for part of a year .. when he was living here he met Molly ( Bride ) .. thus when they decided to get married Key West was their spot .. the Wedding was on the Beach at the Southernmost Point Hotel .. most everyone there had traveled from Minnesota for the Wedding and they were enjoying Florida to the max .. after the Wedding there was a Reception on a Deck that extended over the water .. right after the Reception we joined the Gals at an Ice Cream Parlor on Duval Street .. Schooners was a must on the way back to the boat
WEATHER - Bonnie and Charley .. it looks like Bonnie is not going to be a upgraded to a Hurricane on Wednesday and it still appears to be a compact storm .. it will likely bring heavy rain to Northern Florida on Thursday .. Charley still needs to be watched very closely the next few days !! .. Friday night into Saturday morning could be very stormy in the Southwest Florida area as Charley moves by just West of us .. at this time is appears that the Seas on Thursday should be ok for our anticipated return trip to Fort Myers ..
.. later Sarah ( 1-800-PAR-TYS-ARAH ) and Jon took Katie to the ‘Bars’ on Duval Street until 03:00 am .. Jon and Sarah spent a very short night in Dee Lights Penthouse Suite ..
Tuesday – August 10 2004 – The Galleon Beach Resort - Key West FL - (800) 544-3030 .. after a very quick breakfast Cheryl and her three headed out on the ‘Sea Breeze Underwater Adventure’ .. ( www.keywestscubadive.com ) for a half day of snorkeling and diving .. Cheryl is an avid Diver and has been diving for a number of years .. Betty and Marv took advantage of the time and did some shopping and exploring in the Duval Street area .. Marv ended up with a new p[air of Birkenstock Shoes .. Jon and Sarah arrived about 01:00 pm for the wedding tonight .. after the Dive Boat returned the Gals spent the afternoon at the Pool and Cheryl took a good long nap .. later the Gals headed to Duval Street, Cheryl rested on Dee Light and we went to the wedding with Jon and Sarah .. the Groom ( Ted ) is from Lake City Minnesota but did work here in Key West at Sloppy Joe’s for part of a year .. when he was living here he met Molly ( Bride ) .. thus when they decided to get married Key West was their spot .. the Wedding was on the Beach at the Southernmost Point Hotel .. most everyone there had traveled from Minnesota for the Wedding and they were enjoying Florida to the max .. after the Wedding there was a Reception on a Deck that extended over the water .. right after the Reception we joined the Gals at an Ice Cream Parlor on Duval Street .. Schooners was a must on the way back to the boat
WEATHER - Bonnie and Charley .. it looks like Bonnie is not going to be a upgraded to a Hurricane on Wednesday and it still appears to be a compact storm .. it will likely bring heavy rain to Northern Florida on Thursday .. Charley still needs to be watched very closely the next few days !! .. Friday night into Saturday morning could be very stormy in the Southwest Florida area as Charley moves by just West of us .. at this time is appears that the Seas on Thursday should be ok for our anticipated return trip to Fort Myers ..
.. later Sarah ( 1-800-PAR-TYS-ARAH ) and Jon took Katie to the ‘Bars’ on Duval Street until 03:00 am .. Jon and Sarah spent a very short night in Dee Lights Penthouse Suite ..
Wednesday – August 11 2004 – The Galleon Beach Resort - Key West FL - (800) 544-3030 .. we were up at 05:30 am making coffee and checking on the weather .. it is days like today that the Weather Channel becomes your best friend .. Tropical Storm Bonnie is still on the same track that it was last night but Charlie’s course has changed .. it is now heading for the Western End of Cuba and then it is expected to head Northwest to Key West .. from there the anticipated track is right on to Fort Myers .. UGH !! .. with all that YUCK Weather News we decided to head out today instead of our original plan of staying until Thursday .. we did a second look at the weather when we checked out with them .. the Harbormaster said that they had a number of Liveaboards out on the Hook that they were going to move into the Marina today .. including the Harbormasters Boat .. Jon and Sarah left in a hurry as Jon has 50 Boats to take care of back in Fort Myers .. we quickly got Dee Light ready and we were out of the Marina by 08:30 am .. Betty and Cheryl enjoyed the ride on Dee Lights Bow as we pulled out of the Key West area .. they spotted Dolphins and other Sea Life .. Katie joined them when she got up from her short night in the Front Cabin .. and before 11:00 am Aimee also joined them .. Danny took a good long nap as he was also out quite late with some Boy Scouts that he met up with .. there has been a group of High Adventure Boy Scouts aboard a Sailboat harbored in the Marina the last few days .. they will be heading up the East Coast of the Keys today .. once we were out past out last Marker we set our course at due North .. we had Seas from the Southwest of about 3 to 4 feet .. and we had ‘Rollers’ that were from the East of about 4 to 5 feet .. this condition continued until we were just in site of our first land in the Marco Island area .. the Gals on the Front Deck enjoyed the sun and tolerated the Salt Water until about noon when they came in for lunch and a good long nap .. we spotted RoSaKa ( 65 foot Viking ) heading South .. we contacted Captain Sam on our Marine Radio .. he said that they had changed their plans also due to the Hurricanes .. in stead of going to Key West today as planned he is now heading to Miami Beach where he plans to weather out the Hurricanes . at this time it looks like they will be able to make it to Key West on Sunday – Monday of next week .. the Rollers picked up as we headed North and then started to settle down as we approached the Fort Myers Beach area .. the Port Engine started to flutter a little on our final leg of the trip .. with much help on the Dock we had Dee Light docked and all hooked up by 04:00 pm .. Betty and Cheryl hosed down Dee Light, showered up, and then headed to Betty’s place to get a few things done there in preparation for Hurricane Charlie .. and the Gals did a load of laundry .. and got some sun at the Pool when the clothes were in the machines .. Marv had dinner with the Crew from the Centennial Harbour Marina and then joined the Dee Light Crew for dinner at Nino’s Italian Restaurant and a trip to Daddy Dees Ice Cream Parlor …. Once back to Dee Light we checked out the weather one more time .. there dose not seem to be any more changes .. Fort Myers appears to be Hurricane Charlie’s prime target .. UGH !! ..
Thursday – August 12 2004 - Centennial Harbour Marina – Fort Myers, FL - (239) 461-0775 – Mile 136 .. we were up before 05:00 am to check the weather out .. the weather in Southwest Florida is the only topic around .. it appears that Hurricane Charlie may be tracking further North than projected yesterday .. thus Tampa is now the in the center of the Track and not Fort Myers as was the case yesterday .. but we will still be getting the winds and the Surge .. all the local Schools have closed .. they are having a ‘Hurricane Day’ .. much like a ‘Snow Day’ up North .. about 07:00 am Captain Ron and Brenda ( Bandit ) headed out for the Moore Haven Florida area to find a Hurricane Hole to weather out Charlie .. just after 07:00 am Betty, Cheryl, Danny and Katie headed out to the Beach .. they wanted to go to the Beaches on Sanibel but the Bridge to the Island is now shut down to cars going onto the Island sooo they headed to Fort Myers Beach .. Marv worked on getting Dee Light ready for Charlie .. Aimee stayed right in the Sack until noon ..
OUR HEADLINES this morning …..
Southwest Florida placed under hurricane watch
Forecasters say Category 1 or 2 storm with winds of 85 to 105 mph .. 3 to 6 inches of rain possible
By GRANT BOXLEITNER , gboxleitner@news-press.com
Published by news-press.com on August 12, 2004
Southwest Florida's 1 million residents came to grips with a stark possibility Wednesday - the first direct hit from a hurricane since 1960.
"It looks like Lee County is the bull's-eye on the target, and we're going to take a hit," said Booch DeMarchi, spokesman for Lee's Emergency Perations Center.
Hurricane Charley continued to creep closer as a hurricane watch was posted Wednesday along the west coast from the Florida Keys to Anna Maria Island in Manatee County. The storm could make landfall somewhere in Lee County about noon Friday, forecasters said this morning.
A direct hit by a Category 2 hurricane - sustained winds between 96 and 110 mph - could cause more than $700 million in damage to the affected area, according to the American Meteorological Society.
Officials in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties said they would determine what coastal areas to evacuate and what shelters to open at meetings this morning.
Southwest Florida has been grazed by tropical storms in recent years, but Charley looks different. It was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday with winds of 75 mph. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm could reach Category 2 strength of 96 mph by tonight as it approaches Cuba.
Southwest Florida should start seeing weather deteriorate rapidly early Friday morning, forecasters said. Tropical storm force winds in excess of 45 mph extend more than 100 miles from the eye of the storm, which is dumping 3 to 6 inches of rain, said Krislyn Williams, meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center.
Officials are preparing for a storm surge as high as 10 feet along shorelines. Storm surge - a wall of water that accompanies a tropical system - from Charley means the western Caloosahatchee River could rise between the gulf and at least the Edison Bridge linking North Fort Myers and downtown Fort Myers, said Robert Van Winkle, lead meteorologist for NBC-2.
"If you live on water that in any way is connected to the Gulf of Mexico, you will have some storm surge flooding Friday," Van Winkle said. "The surge won't go that far up the river, but it could go to at least Fort Myers."
High tide is 11:32 a.m. Friday at Punta Rassa and at 2:41 p.m. Friday at Edison Bridge. A high tide during a storm can worsen waterfront flooding ...................
All the local Schools have closed .. they are having a 'Hurricane Day' .. much like a 'Snow Day' up North ..
.. later Betty and Marv finish up Dee Light’s Lines .. we have every Line and Fender that we have lashed down to Dee Light .. our Water Tank is full of water .. by 04:00 pm we had most everything that we could think of done .. Cheryl took the Crew to a Pet Store that allows people to pickup and pet the animals that they have for sale .. the Staff at the Marina did a great job preparing the Marina and the Boats for Charlie’s arrival .. there was a parade of Boats ( Pleasure Craft .. Shrimp Boats .. Commercial Boats .. US Coast Guard .. etc. ) all day heading up the River to find a safe spot for their Boats above the Franklin Lock .. the Marina has filled up with Boats from all over .. many that we have never seen before .. we have been in contact with a number of boaters that have their Boats in our Marina that are now up North for the Summer .. Brian and Jenny’s Boat (SUMMER SOUL ) asked us to take care of the Canvas on their Boat .. we also used their Anchor Line to re-tie the entire Boat to the Dock .. the Lines and Canvas had to be taken care of on Gene and Kathy ( FRONT PAGE ) Boat ..
WEATHER UPDATE .. at 05:00 Hurricane Charlie was upgraded to a Class Three Hurricane ... at about 02:00 pm Friday the center of Hurricane Charlie should be about 50 to 100 miles off the Shore Line .. the Surge in the Fort Myers area could reach 10 feet .. this has never happen before .. the entire Islands of Sanibel and Captiva have been evacuated ..
.. Aimee and Katie spent part of the afternoon watching TITANTIC .. they decided to hang in and go down with the Ship .. Jon called and said that he was all done with the 50 Boats that he takes care of and that he was also able to get their Home all ready for the Hurricane .. they even have a sign painted on the outside of their Hose to welcome Charlie .. we walked into town for dinner only t find that the Downtown area was all but evacuated .. we did find a Chinese place open and we had a great Chinese dinner .. Cheryl and her Crew spent the rest of the evening packing up for their trip North tomorrow .. and we all watched Charlie’s progress .. at 10:00 pm Tornadoes were added to our weather concerns .. UGH !! ..
11:00 pm .. all flights in or out of Fort Myers were cancelled .. we spotted a Trawler on the Hook just outside the Marina and just off the ICW Channel ..
Thursday – August 12 2004 - Centennial Harbour Marina – Fort Myers, FL - (239) 461-0775 – Mile 136 .. we were up before 05:00 am to check the weather out .. the weather in Southwest Florida is the only topic around .. it appears that Hurricane Charlie may be tracking further North than projected yesterday .. thus Tampa is now the in the center of the Track and not Fort Myers as was the case yesterday .. but we will still be getting the winds and the Surge .. all the local Schools have closed .. they are having a ‘Hurricane Day’ .. much like a ‘Snow Day’ up North .. about 07:00 am Captain Ron and Brenda ( Bandit ) headed out for the Moore Haven Florida area to find a Hurricane Hole to weather out Charlie .. just after 07:00 am Betty, Cheryl, Danny and Katie headed out to the Beach .. they wanted to go to the Beaches on Sanibel but the Bridge to the Island is now shut down to cars going onto the Island sooo they headed to Fort Myers Beach .. Marv worked on getting Dee Light ready for Charlie .. Aimee stayed right in the Sack until noon ..
OUR HEADLINES this morning …..
Southwest Florida placed under hurricane watch
Forecasters say Category 1 or 2 storm with winds of 85 to 105 mph .. 3 to 6 inches of rain possible
By GRANT BOXLEITNER , gboxleitner@news-press.com
Published by news-press.com on August 12, 2004
Southwest Florida's 1 million residents came to grips with a stark possibility Wednesday - the first direct hit from a hurricane since 1960.
"It looks like Lee County is the bull's-eye on the target, and we're going to take a hit," said Booch DeMarchi, spokesman for Lee's Emergency Perations Center.
Hurricane Charley continued to creep closer as a hurricane watch was posted Wednesday along the west coast from the Florida Keys to Anna Maria Island in Manatee County. The storm could make landfall somewhere in Lee County about noon Friday, forecasters said this morning.
A direct hit by a Category 2 hurricane - sustained winds between 96 and 110 mph - could cause more than $700 million in damage to the affected area, according to the American Meteorological Society.
Officials in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties said they would determine what coastal areas to evacuate and what shelters to open at meetings this morning.
Southwest Florida has been grazed by tropical storms in recent years, but Charley looks different. It was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday with winds of 75 mph. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm could reach Category 2 strength of 96 mph by tonight as it approaches Cuba.
Southwest Florida should start seeing weather deteriorate rapidly early Friday morning, forecasters said. Tropical storm force winds in excess of 45 mph extend more than 100 miles from the eye of the storm, which is dumping 3 to 6 inches of rain, said Krislyn Williams, meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center.
Officials are preparing for a storm surge as high as 10 feet along shorelines. Storm surge - a wall of water that accompanies a tropical system - from Charley means the western Caloosahatchee River could rise between the gulf and at least the Edison Bridge linking North Fort Myers and downtown Fort Myers, said Robert Van Winkle, lead meteorologist for NBC-2.
"If you live on water that in any way is connected to the Gulf of Mexico, you will have some storm surge flooding Friday," Van Winkle said. "The surge won't go that far up the river, but it could go to at least Fort Myers."
High tide is 11:32 a.m. Friday at Punta Rassa and at 2:41 p.m. Friday at Edison Bridge. A high tide during a storm can worsen waterfront flooding ...................
All the local Schools have closed .. they are having a 'Hurricane Day' .. much like a 'Snow Day' up North ..
.. later Betty and Marv finish up Dee Light’s Lines .. we have every Line and Fender that we have lashed down to Dee Light .. our Water Tank is full of water .. by 04:00 pm we had most everything that we could think of done .. Cheryl took the Crew to a Pet Store that allows people to pickup and pet the animals that they have for sale .. the Staff at the Marina did a great job preparing the Marina and the Boats for Charlie’s arrival .. there was a parade of Boats ( Pleasure Craft .. Shrimp Boats .. Commercial Boats .. US Coast Guard .. etc. ) all day heading up the River to find a safe spot for their Boats above the Franklin Lock .. the Marina has filled up with Boats from all over .. many that we have never seen before .. we have been in contact with a number of boaters that have their Boats in our Marina that are now up North for the Summer .. Brian and Jenny’s Boat (SUMMER SOUL ) asked us to take care of the Canvas on their Boat .. we also used their Anchor Line to re-tie the entire Boat to the Dock .. the Lines and Canvas had to be taken care of on Gene and Kathy ( FRONT PAGE ) Boat ..
WEATHER UPDATE .. at 05:00 Hurricane Charlie was upgraded to a Class Three Hurricane ... at about 02:00 pm Friday the center of Hurricane Charlie should be about 50 to 100 miles off the Shore Line .. the Surge in the Fort Myers area could reach 10 feet .. this has never happen before .. the entire Islands of Sanibel and Captiva have been evacuated ..
.. Aimee and Katie spent part of the afternoon watching TITANTIC .. they decided to hang in and go down with the Ship .. Jon called and said that he was all done with the 50 Boats that he takes care of and that he was also able to get their Home all ready for the Hurricane .. they even have a sign painted on the outside of their Hose to welcome Charlie .. we walked into town for dinner only t find that the Downtown area was all but evacuated .. we did find a Chinese place open and we had a great Chinese dinner .. Cheryl and her Crew spent the rest of the evening packing up for their trip North tomorrow .. and we all watched Charlie’s progress .. at 10:00 pm Tornadoes were added to our weather concerns .. UGH !! ..
11:00 pm .. all flights in or out of Fort Myers were cancelled .. we spotted a Trawler on the Hook just outside the Marina and just off the ICW Channel ..
Friday – August 13 2004 - Centennial Harbour Marina – Fort Myers, FL - (239) 461-0775 – Mile 136 .. we were up by 04:00 am checking on the weather ..
12:00 am .. the Eye of Charlie hit Cuba and both the direction and speed of the Hurricane changed .. the projected Track is now closer to Fort Myers and instead of hitting us about 02:00 pm today it now appears that it will hit us at 08:00 pm .. Charlie is still a Class Two Hurricane ..
02:00 am the National Hurricane Center updated the status of Charlie .. the heavy rains will now hit us about 02:30 am ..
02:30 am .. the winds picked up and did the Rains .. Thunderstorm .. Lightning hit us hard .. UGH !! .. but then the first wave was over quickly as it came ..
WINK-TV has maintained non-stop live TV coverage of the Hurricane all day yesterday and right thru the night .. Jim Farrell is the Head Meteorologist for WINK .. he has been updating us with the live coverage .. WINK-TV Website is .. http://admin.winktv.com/public/ ..
03:30 am .. we talked over options again .. the options are getting limited but we do have our Plan A .. Plan B .. etc. …..
04:15 am .. very light rain .. winds now have calmed down .. the ‘Lull’ .. we will now wait for the update at 05:00 am ..
05:00 am .. National Hurricane Center 05:00 am update .. the center of Charlie is now about 25 miles North of Cuba traveling at a speed of 18 mph .. thus Charlie is now in the Gulf for the first time .. with the Wind Speed at 110 Charlie remains a Class Two Hurricane ..
HEADLINES – News-Press – Fort Myers FL ..
Eyes on Charley - SW Florida waits, watches as hurricane spins closer
By GRANT BOXLEITNER
Published by news-press.com on August 13, 2004
Florida’s West Coast braced for today’s arrival of Hurricane Charley on Friday as more than 1 million people from Key West to Tampa were told to evacuate their homes ahead of the storm, authorities said. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami predicted Charley to become a Category 3 storm today, packing winds in excess of 110 mph by the time it makes landfall likely sometime late this afternoon near the heavily populated Tampa Bay region ..
05:30 am .. the US Coast Guard has shut down and LOCKED all of the area Draw Bridges ..
07:00 am .. Marv met with Dave ( Harbormaster ) .. we put together an initial Plan and we plan finalize a Plan before Dave leaves ..
07:30 am .. Marv drove to the elevated Parking Ramp downtown and was able to get his Thunderbird inside on the third level .. Dave and Eric worked the Docks and prepared the Boats the best that they were able ..
07:45 am .. the Airport had all the Airplanes leave the Airport ..
08:00 am .. Cheryl was able to find a one way Rental Mini Van … sooooo her Crew got their luggage to Betty’s car .. they will drive to Avis and leave Betty’s car at the Airport ..
08:45 am .. both Bernie and Pete moved their cars to the open Parking Ramp .. and Dave ( Harbormaster ) headed for his family ..
09:00 am .. Cheryl and her Crew left the Marina .. they are going to head for Cheryl’s friends place North of Lake Okeechobee .. .. Betty cleaned up the interior of Dee Light and Marv buttoned down the Hatches ..
09:30 am .. the Trawler that had spent the night on the Hook right in front of our Marina relocated just below our Marina .. ?? .. if the boat comes loose it will smash into A Dock .. UGH !! ..
10:30 .. the Skies are not looking good at all .. and the Radar is showing that Charlie is North of Key West moving our direction at 18 mph ..
Plan A .. ride out the Hurricane on Dee Light ..
Plan B .. relocate to the Boaters Lounge at the Marina .. it is a concrete building but has a framed roof .. the area will take a 22 foot Surge ..
Plan C .. relocate to the Restrooms behind in the Marina Office .. all concrete walls and it has both a structural concrete elevated floor and roof .. it is well built but it is lower but will take a 15 foot Surge ..
Plan D .. relocate to our Car at the third Floor Level of the Parking Structure .. this is only a back up plan to Plan C .. i.e. If there are too many people or if the Surge gets over 15 feet ..
11:00 am .. WINK said that now the Surge could be up to 18 feet .. UGH .. the Marina will not exists once the Surge gets above 11 feet and High Tied for the day is 02:00 pm today .. this is real bad news ..
11:45 am .. Charlie’s Track just changed .. Charlie is now going right at Fort Myers .. this is real bad news .. and they are still forecasting a Surge of 18 feet .. this dose not make sense to me .. I do not think that the Surge will be that high based on the direction of the of the Eye and the land mass that it is tracking ..
12:00 pm .. Jon called .. they abandoned their Home in Cape Coral as the forecasted Surge will devastate their Home .. he said that they were going to head East to our run the Hurricane .. this was a most WISE decision ..
(( .. the balance of our Log for today is from Marv’s hand written notes .. i.e. this is when we packed up the PC and our other stuff in preparation for Plan B .. ))
12:30 pm .. after having some of Marv’s homemade Vegetable Soup we relocated to the Boaters Lounge .. we took enough supplies for two days .. the Boaters Lounge is located above the Marina’s Office and it overlooks the Marina .. we spent much time during the Storm on the Balcony that faces the Marina ..
12:35 pm .. there were a total of 14 people .. 7 dogs .. and 1 cat that took refuge at the Marina ..
12:40 pm .. Cheryl called and said that they made it to Jim’s parents place and would be spending the night there .. if Charlie’s Track dose not change they will get there share of winds from Charlie .. but the speeds should be way down by then ..
01:00 pm .. the Hurricane has now been classed as a Category Four as the winds are now over 145 mph .. the owner of the Trawler left his Boat by Dinghy ..
01:15 pm .. Marv helped Eric turn the Power and the Water off to all the Docks ..
01:45 pm .. we talked with Jon again .. they are headed to Fort Lauderdale .. and are now well out of the Hurricane’s range ..
02:00 pm .. we heard an Electrical Transformer exploded .. it was the first of many explosions that we heard in the next hours ..
02:15 pm .. the first real heavy winds picked up .. the wind direction was from the Shore Line right straight across the River .. i.e. from the Southeast right at the Port Side of Dee Light .. this will be a real test of our Line preparation .. it will work or we will have a real mess ..
02:16 pm .. all the Power in the downtown area of Fort Myers terminated .. yet the Power at the Boaters Lounge remained on .. it did flicker quite a lot but it always came back ..
02:20 pm .. the Trawler below A Dock is starting to move .. the winds are pushing it Southeast across the River ..
02:30 pm .. Eric moved his family to the Apartment behind the Boaters Lounge .. his House can only take an 8 foot Surge ..
03:00 pm .. a Sailboat broke loose from its Slip on D Dock and was pushed up to a Finger on D Dock ..
03:15 .. the winds are now making a ROARING sound .. I have been told that this occurs when the wind speed is at about 100 Knots ( 120 mph ) .. the Exterior TV Antenna must have ripped off but we could see a fuzzy picture of WINK on the TV in the Boaters Lounge ..
03:45 pm .. the wind direction has now changed .. it is coming right up the River from the Southwest .. with the River water flying thru the air it was difficult to see at all .. Dee Light disappeared from our sight .. many Boaters called us during the Storm to check up on their Boats ..
04:00 pm .. the Trawler is now dragging its Anchor up the River towards the Bridge ..
04:15 pm .. the Boats n A Dock really took a beating .. many times we could see the underside of some of the Boats .. the Fly Bridge ripped off Sharon’s Boat on A Dock ..
04:50 pm .. the boat A GIVEN ( 53 foot Hatters ) broke loose from A Dock .. the boat drifted up River with the winds pushing it .. it came to a rest at the Tie-Along area of B Dock .. Eric headed up a group of Boaters that were able to get it tied off .. if they were unsuccessful the Boat would have caused damage to a number of Boats on B Dock ..
05:00 pm .. the Trawler that was drifting up the River has now disappeared into the winds and River Waters .. UGH .. (( .. we later were told that it collided with the Bridge just above the Marina .. the Bridge ripped off everything above the Deck of the Trawler ..
05:30 pm .. Jon called and said that after they have dinner at a Sports Bar in Fort Lauderdale they were going to return to Fort Myers ..
07:00 pm .. the Surge crested at about 6 feet .. as it went down it left black marks on the Concrete Pilings that support the Marina’s Docks ..
09:00 pm .. we relocated back to Dee Light for the night .. with our Generator we had Power and we had filled our Water Tank .. we made some adjustments to some of the Lines on Dee Light as the winds had really stretched them out ..
10:00 pm .. from our Fly Bridge we could see that there was not a light on anyplace in the area ..
11:00 pm .. Jon and Sarah stopped by Dee Light to let us know that they made it back .. they then headed to their place to find minimal damage to their Home but no Power and no Water ..
11:30 pm .. we went to bed .. it felt good to be back in our own bed .. there were many others that did not fare as well .. in the morning we will have to start our preparations for Danielle that is now heading our way ..
.. the photo above is of Dee Light when the winds were from the Southeast at about 90 mph .. later the winds shifted to the Southwest and increased up to over 140 mph .. later we had to adjust our Dock Lines ..
12:00 am .. the Eye of Charlie hit Cuba and both the direction and speed of the Hurricane changed .. the projected Track is now closer to Fort Myers and instead of hitting us about 02:00 pm today it now appears that it will hit us at 08:00 pm .. Charlie is still a Class Two Hurricane ..
02:00 am the National Hurricane Center updated the status of Charlie .. the heavy rains will now hit us about 02:30 am ..
02:30 am .. the winds picked up and did the Rains .. Thunderstorm .. Lightning hit us hard .. UGH !! .. but then the first wave was over quickly as it came ..
WINK-TV has maintained non-stop live TV coverage of the Hurricane all day yesterday and right thru the night .. Jim Farrell is the Head Meteorologist for WINK .. he has been updating us with the live coverage .. WINK-TV Website is .. http://admin.winktv.com/public/ ..
03:30 am .. we talked over options again .. the options are getting limited but we do have our Plan A .. Plan B .. etc. …..
04:15 am .. very light rain .. winds now have calmed down .. the ‘Lull’ .. we will now wait for the update at 05:00 am ..
05:00 am .. National Hurricane Center 05:00 am update .. the center of Charlie is now about 25 miles North of Cuba traveling at a speed of 18 mph .. thus Charlie is now in the Gulf for the first time .. with the Wind Speed at 110 Charlie remains a Class Two Hurricane ..
HEADLINES – News-Press – Fort Myers FL ..
Eyes on Charley - SW Florida waits, watches as hurricane spins closer
By GRANT BOXLEITNER
Published by news-press.com on August 13, 2004
Florida’s West Coast braced for today’s arrival of Hurricane Charley on Friday as more than 1 million people from Key West to Tampa were told to evacuate their homes ahead of the storm, authorities said. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami predicted Charley to become a Category 3 storm today, packing winds in excess of 110 mph by the time it makes landfall likely sometime late this afternoon near the heavily populated Tampa Bay region ..
05:30 am .. the US Coast Guard has shut down and LOCKED all of the area Draw Bridges ..
07:00 am .. Marv met with Dave ( Harbormaster ) .. we put together an initial Plan and we plan finalize a Plan before Dave leaves ..
07:30 am .. Marv drove to the elevated Parking Ramp downtown and was able to get his Thunderbird inside on the third level .. Dave and Eric worked the Docks and prepared the Boats the best that they were able ..
07:45 am .. the Airport had all the Airplanes leave the Airport ..
08:00 am .. Cheryl was able to find a one way Rental Mini Van … sooooo her Crew got their luggage to Betty’s car .. they will drive to Avis and leave Betty’s car at the Airport ..
08:45 am .. both Bernie and Pete moved their cars to the open Parking Ramp .. and Dave ( Harbormaster ) headed for his family ..
09:00 am .. Cheryl and her Crew left the Marina .. they are going to head for Cheryl’s friends place North of Lake Okeechobee .. .. Betty cleaned up the interior of Dee Light and Marv buttoned down the Hatches ..
09:30 am .. the Trawler that had spent the night on the Hook right in front of our Marina relocated just below our Marina .. ?? .. if the boat comes loose it will smash into A Dock .. UGH !! ..
10:30 .. the Skies are not looking good at all .. and the Radar is showing that Charlie is North of Key West moving our direction at 18 mph ..
Plan A .. ride out the Hurricane on Dee Light ..
Plan B .. relocate to the Boaters Lounge at the Marina .. it is a concrete building but has a framed roof .. the area will take a 22 foot Surge ..
Plan C .. relocate to the Restrooms behind in the Marina Office .. all concrete walls and it has both a structural concrete elevated floor and roof .. it is well built but it is lower but will take a 15 foot Surge ..
Plan D .. relocate to our Car at the third Floor Level of the Parking Structure .. this is only a back up plan to Plan C .. i.e. If there are too many people or if the Surge gets over 15 feet ..
11:00 am .. WINK said that now the Surge could be up to 18 feet .. UGH .. the Marina will not exists once the Surge gets above 11 feet and High Tied for the day is 02:00 pm today .. this is real bad news ..
11:45 am .. Charlie’s Track just changed .. Charlie is now going right at Fort Myers .. this is real bad news .. and they are still forecasting a Surge of 18 feet .. this dose not make sense to me .. I do not think that the Surge will be that high based on the direction of the of the Eye and the land mass that it is tracking ..
12:00 pm .. Jon called .. they abandoned their Home in Cape Coral as the forecasted Surge will devastate their Home .. he said that they were going to head East to our run the Hurricane .. this was a most WISE decision ..
(( .. the balance of our Log for today is from Marv’s hand written notes .. i.e. this is when we packed up the PC and our other stuff in preparation for Plan B .. ))
12:30 pm .. after having some of Marv’s homemade Vegetable Soup we relocated to the Boaters Lounge .. we took enough supplies for two days .. the Boaters Lounge is located above the Marina’s Office and it overlooks the Marina .. we spent much time during the Storm on the Balcony that faces the Marina ..
12:35 pm .. there were a total of 14 people .. 7 dogs .. and 1 cat that took refuge at the Marina ..
12:40 pm .. Cheryl called and said that they made it to Jim’s parents place and would be spending the night there .. if Charlie’s Track dose not change they will get there share of winds from Charlie .. but the speeds should be way down by then ..
01:00 pm .. the Hurricane has now been classed as a Category Four as the winds are now over 145 mph .. the owner of the Trawler left his Boat by Dinghy ..
01:15 pm .. Marv helped Eric turn the Power and the Water off to all the Docks ..
01:45 pm .. we talked with Jon again .. they are headed to Fort Lauderdale .. and are now well out of the Hurricane’s range ..
02:00 pm .. we heard an Electrical Transformer exploded .. it was the first of many explosions that we heard in the next hours ..
02:15 pm .. the first real heavy winds picked up .. the wind direction was from the Shore Line right straight across the River .. i.e. from the Southeast right at the Port Side of Dee Light .. this will be a real test of our Line preparation .. it will work or we will have a real mess ..
02:16 pm .. all the Power in the downtown area of Fort Myers terminated .. yet the Power at the Boaters Lounge remained on .. it did flicker quite a lot but it always came back ..
02:20 pm .. the Trawler below A Dock is starting to move .. the winds are pushing it Southeast across the River ..
02:30 pm .. Eric moved his family to the Apartment behind the Boaters Lounge .. his House can only take an 8 foot Surge ..
03:00 pm .. a Sailboat broke loose from its Slip on D Dock and was pushed up to a Finger on D Dock ..
03:15 .. the winds are now making a ROARING sound .. I have been told that this occurs when the wind speed is at about 100 Knots ( 120 mph ) .. the Exterior TV Antenna must have ripped off but we could see a fuzzy picture of WINK on the TV in the Boaters Lounge ..
03:45 pm .. the wind direction has now changed .. it is coming right up the River from the Southwest .. with the River water flying thru the air it was difficult to see at all .. Dee Light disappeared from our sight .. many Boaters called us during the Storm to check up on their Boats ..
04:00 pm .. the Trawler is now dragging its Anchor up the River towards the Bridge ..
04:15 pm .. the Boats n A Dock really took a beating .. many times we could see the underside of some of the Boats .. the Fly Bridge ripped off Sharon’s Boat on A Dock ..
04:50 pm .. the boat A GIVEN ( 53 foot Hatters ) broke loose from A Dock .. the boat drifted up River with the winds pushing it .. it came to a rest at the Tie-Along area of B Dock .. Eric headed up a group of Boaters that were able to get it tied off .. if they were unsuccessful the Boat would have caused damage to a number of Boats on B Dock ..
05:00 pm .. the Trawler that was drifting up the River has now disappeared into the winds and River Waters .. UGH .. (( .. we later were told that it collided with the Bridge just above the Marina .. the Bridge ripped off everything above the Deck of the Trawler ..
05:30 pm .. Jon called and said that after they have dinner at a Sports Bar in Fort Lauderdale they were going to return to Fort Myers ..
07:00 pm .. the Surge crested at about 6 feet .. as it went down it left black marks on the Concrete Pilings that support the Marina’s Docks ..
09:00 pm .. we relocated back to Dee Light for the night .. with our Generator we had Power and we had filled our Water Tank .. we made some adjustments to some of the Lines on Dee Light as the winds had really stretched them out ..
10:00 pm .. from our Fly Bridge we could see that there was not a light on anyplace in the area ..
11:00 pm .. Jon and Sarah stopped by Dee Light to let us know that they made it back .. they then headed to their place to find minimal damage to their Home but no Power and no Water ..
11:30 pm .. we went to bed .. it felt good to be back in our own bed .. there were many others that did not fare as well .. in the morning we will have to start our preparations for Danielle that is now heading our way ..
.. the photo above is of Dee Light when the winds were from the Southeast at about 90 mph .. later the winds shifted to the Southwest and increased up to over 140 mph .. later we had to adjust our Dock Lines ..
Saturday – August 14 2004 - Centennial Harbour Marina – Fort Myers, FL - (239) 461-0775 – Mile 136 … woke up at 06:00 am we had mostly sunny skies .. we walked thru the rubble to the Parking Ramp and retrieved our Thunderbird .. we headed to Betty’s place .. on our way to Betty’s place we drove thru what looked much like a WAR ZONE .. that area did not take the hit that much of the other areas have had .. Betty’s place was not harmed at all .. nothing .. see photo .. around Betty’s house many of the trees, etc. were wind damaged .. but all in all her place is in good shape .. we emptied our the Refrigerator and headed to where Cheryl left her car on their way out of town yesterday .. when we returned to Dee Light we re-rigged our lines and put things back to order .. we will leave our Hurricane Lines attached as Danielle is not too far off ..
HEADLINES .. too many for us to choose from .. check out .. http://www.news-press.com/ .. they did a great job ..
.. Cheryl called and said that they made it back to Indianapolis safe and sound .. the Trawler that hit the Bridge .. was towed by our Marina on its way down the River .. Jon and Sarah relocated to their Boat in our Marina as they do not have any power or water at their place .. Betty’s son Randy that lives at Betty’s place on the weekends moved in with us on Dee Light for the night .. after having dinner with a number of the other Boaters from our Dock at Pinchers we went to bed ..
HEADLINES .. too many for us to choose from .. check out .. http://www.news-press.com/ .. they did a great job ..
.. Cheryl called and said that they made it back to Indianapolis safe and sound .. the Trawler that hit the Bridge .. was towed by our Marina on its way down the River .. Jon and Sarah relocated to their Boat in our Marina as they do not have any power or water at their place .. Betty’s son Randy that lives at Betty’s place on the weekends moved in with us on Dee Light for the night .. after having dinner with a number of the other Boaters from our Dock at Pinchers we went to bed ..
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