Dee Light
Spring of 2004
At our Home Port of Fort Myers Florida - 03-31-04 to 06-15-04
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
.. by the end of March many of the Boaters that have wintered at Centennial had started to head off in many different directions for the Summer months .. on the last day of March the Marina hosted an ‘End of the Year Appreciation Party’ .. the Marina had Wally’s from North Fort Myers cater the dinner .. they served Barbecued Ribs, Chicken, Pork Roast, Baked Beans, Corn-on-the-Cob, Cookies, etc. .. we all had way toooo to eat .. but it was sooo good .. the evening was capped off with many prizes for the boaters ..
.. the first weekend of April our Marina hosted the Southeast NORDIC TUG Owners Association 2004 Rendezvous .. sooo the Marina once again was filled to the Break Walls with boaters form all parts of the Country .. we saw the brand new 52 NORDIC TUG and it was quite a treat ..
.. the day that Aimee and Erin left to head back to the Tundra ( Indianapolis Indiana ) a number of Sarah’s relatives along with a number of Boaters from Rochester Minnesota made their way to Dee Light for an outing on the water .. the waters were bust with weekend boaters and we saw a number of large Dolphins that seamed to travel with us for most all of the trip .. we went to the Matanzas Inn and Restaurant .. Barnacle Dick helped us when we docked at the end of the Dock .. it was a great outing and also served as a Sea Trial to test out a number of systems on Dee Light that we have been working on ..
.. the day that Aimee and Erin left to head back to the Tundra ( Indianapolis Indiana ) a number of Sarah’s relatives along with a number of Boaters from Rochester Minnesota made their way to Dee Light for an outing on the water .. the waters were bust with weekend boaters and we saw a number of large Dolphins that seamed to travel with us for most all of the trip .. we went to the Matanzas Inn and Restaurant .. Barnacle Dick helped us when we docked at the end of the Dock .. it was a great outing and also served as a Sea Trial to test out a number of systems on Dee Light that we have been working on ..
.. on April 6th we took a ‘road trip’ to Indianapolis .. by leaving Dee Light at 04:30 am we were able to avoid the slow traffic on I-75 as we headed North .. the traffic around Atlanta was not for the ‘light hearted’ but once we were heading thru the mountains of Tennessee traffic was much better .. we used the Cigarette Lighter on Betty's car for power and our Air Card to access the Internet .. and it work great for the entire trip .. the trees, flowers and plants were just starting to pop out ( Red Bud and Dogwood Trees ) as we passed thru the mountains .. it was just beautiful in mountains ( much like traveling thru some parts of Wisconsin ) .. we made a pit-stop at the White House on our way North .. i.e. Holiday Inn Express at White House Tennessee .. Autumn was a GREAT traveler !! .. she stays right in her Back Seat and mostly nodded off .. when we were at the Hotel she stayed right on her towel ( from the boat ) and was out all night .. a 'Dogs' life !! ..
Betty’s daughter bough a new house and we helped her with the move .. packing, painting, cleaning, etc. once again confirming our decision to live on a boat .. Betty also was able to see all of her ‘babies’ ( grandchildren ) and Betty was able to move the last of her things to Florida that she had left in storage when she moved to Fort Myers Beach Florida a number of years ago .. before we left Florida we picked a large bag of Grapefruit off Betty’s Grapefruit Tree and Betty picked up three cases of Peppers and Tomatoes to share with family and friends .. we never saw the sun when we were at Indy and Betty’s car was even covered with ICE on one of the mornings .. YUCK !! .. we were busy and the days disappeared and before we knew it we were heading back to Florida .. on Tuesday morning the 13th when we headed out it was rainy, windy and BITTER COLD .. YUCK !!! .. it was both foggy, windy and rainy as we passed thru both Tennessee and Georgia .. we drove South almost to the Georgia – Florida boarder and spent a night at Adel Georgia .. the next morning it was still cold and windy but no rain .. when we pulled into the Marina it was still very windy but it was 80 degrees and sunny .. Klaus and Gabriele took very good care of Dee Light when we were gone .. due to the winds when we were gone Klaus redid the lines and had added a number of lines .. as a results Dee Light survived the high winds unscathed .. even Autumn was glad to be back home again ..
Betty’s daughter bough a new house and we helped her with the move .. packing, painting, cleaning, etc. once again confirming our decision to live on a boat .. Betty also was able to see all of her ‘babies’ ( grandchildren ) and Betty was able to move the last of her things to Florida that she had left in storage when she moved to Fort Myers Beach Florida a number of years ago .. before we left Florida we picked a large bag of Grapefruit off Betty’s Grapefruit Tree and Betty picked up three cases of Peppers and Tomatoes to share with family and friends .. we never saw the sun when we were at Indy and Betty’s car was even covered with ICE on one of the mornings .. YUCK !! .. we were busy and the days disappeared and before we knew it we were heading back to Florida .. on Tuesday morning the 13th when we headed out it was rainy, windy and BITTER COLD .. YUCK !!! .. it was both foggy, windy and rainy as we passed thru both Tennessee and Georgia .. we drove South almost to the Georgia – Florida boarder and spent a night at Adel Georgia .. the next morning it was still cold and windy but no rain .. when we pulled into the Marina it was still very windy but it was 80 degrees and sunny .. Klaus and Gabriele took very good care of Dee Light when we were gone .. due to the winds when we were gone Klaus redid the lines and had added a number of lines .. as a results Dee Light survived the high winds unscathed .. even Autumn was glad to be back home again ..
HEADLINES – Thursday, April 15, 2004 - PALM BEACH FL -- 136 - Foot Yacht Burns to Hull – A 136-foot mega yacht built for the King of Spain and docked at the Sailfish Club burned into the Intracoastal Waterway Thursday night .. Firefighters working through the night stood at the edge of the dock and hosed the floating inferno with foam, but with little effect. Before the sun went down, black smoke billowing from the Janie II could be seen for miles. At night it became a bonfire on water, drawing onlookers from all over the island and to the other side of the lagoon .. when we were heading South this Fall we crossed wakes with the JAMIE II on the Tenn-Tom Waterway .. when we were at the Demopolis Yacht Basin in Alabama we took the photo on this Webpage .. it is dated 2003-10-31 .. we were docked just on the other side of JAMIE II ..
.. we spent an entire evening with Gene and Kathy ( FRONT PAGE ) to review their recent trip to the Bahamas .. they have taken a Winter trip to the Bahamas on their boat for a number of years .. this was their first trip with their new FRONT PAGE .. they shared many good ideas, places to go, places that we must see, Ports, anchorages, etc. .. the entire night was an educational experience .. they have changed their minds and will not be heading North with FRONT PAGE for the Summer but will be leaving FRONT PAGE at the Centennial Harbour Marina until they return in the Fall .. Betty took Forest fishing at the Bow of Dee Light .. Forest caught three large Catfish .. no one was more surprised than Betty .. Forest ( 5 ) and his family live on their boat on A-Dock ..
HEADLINES - Thursday, April 22, 2004 - NEW YORK (AP) -- The world's largest cruise ship, the Queen Mary 2, arrived in New York on Thursday, steaming into its Hudson River berth for the first time against the backdrop of a hazy Manhattan skyline .. Arrival in New York a 'very big moment' -- Gigantic, it is. Titanic, it's not .. Ninety-two years and eight days after another British ocean liner almost but not quite made it to New York on its maiden voyage, the Queen Mary 2 steamed through the Verrazano Narrows and up the harbor for the first time Thursday .. on June 23rd 2003 we headed Dee Light over the same waters as the QUEEN MARY II traveled .. we went under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge .. ( one of the World’s largest Suspension Bridges ) .. and into the New York Harbor .. just a short distance up the Hudson River we passed The Statue of Liberty .. it was truly a highlight of our Great Loop Trip .. a few days later we took our bikes up the Coastline of the Hudson River to the Port where the QUEEN MARY II docked ..
.. we spent an entire evening with Gene and Kathy ( FRONT PAGE ) to review their recent trip to the Bahamas .. they have taken a Winter trip to the Bahamas on their boat for a number of years .. this was their first trip with their new FRONT PAGE .. they shared many good ideas, places to go, places that we must see, Ports, anchorages, etc. .. the entire night was an educational experience .. they have changed their minds and will not be heading North with FRONT PAGE for the Summer but will be leaving FRONT PAGE at the Centennial Harbour Marina until they return in the Fall .. Betty took Forest fishing at the Bow of Dee Light .. Forest caught three large Catfish .. no one was more surprised than Betty .. Forest ( 5 ) and his family live on their boat on A-Dock ..
HEADLINES - Thursday, April 22, 2004 - NEW YORK (AP) -- The world's largest cruise ship, the Queen Mary 2, arrived in New York on Thursday, steaming into its Hudson River berth for the first time against the backdrop of a hazy Manhattan skyline .. Arrival in New York a 'very big moment' -- Gigantic, it is. Titanic, it's not .. Ninety-two years and eight days after another British ocean liner almost but not quite made it to New York on its maiden voyage, the Queen Mary 2 steamed through the Verrazano Narrows and up the harbor for the first time Thursday .. on June 23rd 2003 we headed Dee Light over the same waters as the QUEEN MARY II traveled .. we went under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge .. ( one of the World’s largest Suspension Bridges ) .. and into the New York Harbor .. just a short distance up the Hudson River we passed The Statue of Liberty .. it was truly a highlight of our Great Loop Trip .. a few days later we took our bikes up the Coastline of the Hudson River to the Port where the QUEEN MARY II docked ..
.. on April 23rd we attended the wedding of Paul Ayotte and Summer Jones at the South Seas Resort on Captiva Island Florida .. both Jon and Sarah were in the wedding .. the ceremony was outside on the East side of the Island with the ICW Waterway in the background .. the reception and dinner were inside in the Kings Crown Dining Room .. it was evident that a lot of time was spent planning out every detail .. after the wedding we were all in for a real treat when John danced up a storm with his son Paul ..
.. Saturday morning after the wedding we took a road trip to Holmes Beach Florida to meet up with Marv’s grandson Marcus and his parents Jewel and Bob .. they were staying with Bob’s parents .. the Harrington House Bed and Breakfast at Holmes Beach Florida that we stayed at was right on the Beach sooo we all enjoyed two days on the Beach and in the Pool with Marcus .. Marcus thoroughly enjoyed the Beach but he was too young to really enjoy the waters .. sooo Jewel and Bob enjoyed the water for him .. on Sunday Jon and Sarah joined us for the day on the Beach .. the B & B was much like taking a step back in time to ‘Old Florida’ .. Holmes Beach in located on Anna Maria Island near just South of Tampa .. the area is blessed with a number of very good restaurants that take advantage of the Beach and the Sunsets .. we took advantage of a number of the restaurants and we even found the Big Olaf Creamery where we had Amish Homemade Ice Cream .. before we headed back to Fort Myers we stopped in at the Galati Marine Yacht Sales .. the Marina is located at the North end of Anna Maria Island .. we just had to check out Sam Galloway’s new 65 foot Viking that was just getting the finishing touches on it before heading to our Marina in Fort Myers .. it is a beauty !! ..
.. on Wednesday the 28th Sam Galloway’s new 65 foot Viking ( RoSaKa – Fort Myers FL ) made its way into the Centennial Harbour Marina from Anna Maria Island Florida .. the Captain ( Sam ) told us that the owner is planning to do many trips with the new boat .. they will be going to both the Bahamas and Key West for Fishing Tournaments as well as many other short outings .. but our Marina will be RoSaKa’s Home Port ..
.. Betty’s granddaughter Sierra had a great time visiting her Grandmother and staying on Dee Light .. they went to every area Beach and spent hours at the Pool at the Marina as well as at the Pool at Betty’s place .. Sierra could not get enough of the water and the sun .. she even went on a boat ride with 40 adults on John’s boat LONG GONE .. Sierra also met a new friend Forest that lives on a boat with his family on A Dock .. they spend much ‘pool time’ together .. after spending a week living aboard Dee Light Sierra and her day headed for Orlando Florida to spend a day at Disney World before they headed back to Indianapolis Indiana ..
.. Sue ( ODYSSEY – Solomons MD) returned to the Fort Myers area at the end of April to take care of her mother for about two weeks .. we ended up spending an evening getting “Bahamas Tips’ from Sue as they spent four Months there this Winter .. we took many notes ..
.. with the help of Pete and Bernie we installed a new Wireless Exterior Antenna for our Wireless Internet System .. we are hopping that this system will help us keep in contact when we are in the Bahamas .. a few days after Randy and Sierra left Betty’s mother came to Fort Myers for about 10 days .. since staying on Dee Light would be difficult for Betty’s mother we all stayed at Betty’s place at Fort Myers Beach .. Betty and Midge spent much time shopping at the Malls and the Flea Market .. three days they ‘shopped till they dropped’ .. and we also enjoyed many restaurants and even took in one of the Cook Outs at the Marina .. we took advantage of our time at Betty’s place getting a few more things done on Dee Light at getting together with a number of friends that are located in the Fort Myers Beach area .. Midge even did a little fishing near the Bow of Dee Light .. she put her line in the water 6 times and got 5 Catfish .. when Midge was here Betty also turned one more year closer to getting Medicare so we had to celebrate with a night out at The Veranda ..
.. with the help of Pete and Bernie we installed a new Wireless Exterior Antenna for our Wireless Internet System .. we are hopping that this system will help us keep in contact when we are in the Bahamas .. a few days after Randy and Sierra left Betty’s mother came to Fort Myers for about 10 days .. since staying on Dee Light would be difficult for Betty’s mother we all stayed at Betty’s place at Fort Myers Beach .. Betty and Midge spent much time shopping at the Malls and the Flea Market .. three days they ‘shopped till they dropped’ .. and we also enjoyed many restaurants and even took in one of the Cook Outs at the Marina .. we took advantage of our time at Betty’s place getting a few more things done on Dee Light at getting together with a number of friends that are located in the Fort Myers Beach area .. Midge even did a little fishing near the Bow of Dee Light .. she put her line in the water 6 times and got 5 Catfish .. when Midge was here Betty also turned one more year closer to getting Medicare so we had to celebrate with a night out at The Veranda ..
.. Marv’s sister and brother-in-law from Scottsdale Arizona spent a four day weekend at Dee Light .. Jim had a meeting in Atlanta Georgia and Judy arranged to link up with Jim there and fly together to Fort Myers for a visit .. they had owned a Condo in Benita Beach just South of Fort Myers .. sooo on Saturday when we took a ‘road trip’ we checked it out .. like most all of the properties in Southwest Florida it has increased in value dramatically .. our road trip ended up in the Naples area where we found a friend’s / former neighbors place in Naples .. Jon and Sarah joined us on Sunday when we took Dee Light to Fort Myers Beach for lunch .. we had four fun packed days that ended up going by way toooo fast .. Judy had a great time sharing childhood ‘stories’ with us .. Betty and Judy even made it to the Beach for a long walk ..
.. a few days after Judy and Jim left Marv developed blurry vision in his left ( Port ) eye .. after numerous visits to the Eye Doctors and after Lazier Surgery we decided to put our plans to head out to the Bahamas for the Summer on HOLD .. a few weeks later ( after numerous visits to the Doctors ) we decided to not head to the Bahamas for the Summer .. instead we will spend the Summer boating out of Fort Myers Florida ..
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