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Kismet in Torch Lake

Dining with Friends On the Torch

On the Torch at Last! We enjoyed a relaxing day floating on the hook on Torch Lake, as the day unfolded, we had done a few boat chores, caught up on some reading and before we knew it we were getting ready to join our friends, Jim and Cindy, at their cottage for dinner. We brought up the anchor and had a nice cruise down the lake, back towards the bridge on the west side of the lake, right across from the famous sand bar which is always a big party scene. Although Jim and Cindy have a nice dock…

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Charlevoix City Marina and Park, Charlevoix, Michigan

Charlevoix the Beautiful

Just as the Chamber of Commerce slogan suggests... Charlevoix The Beautiful. Charlevoix was our homeport for many years so we consider it a home away from home. It seems this friendly little town exists in its own little bubble and embodies all that small-town America promises. With concerts and festivals in the downtown park during the summer and a high-tech fountain for the kids to play in... all found right on Round Lake. An idyllic and picturesque town if there ever was one, a people's place, for land lovers and boaters alike. Here's Kismet (above) very right next to her old slip,…

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Eating Ice Cream Cones

Fernandina Beach Marina

We were happy to meet up again at Fernandina Beach Marina with the crew on Mosey (above), we last saw them in Marathon in February. Also in attendance at the rendezvous was the crew of Active Captain (below). We had left the marina for a little cruise and to get a pump out. The paper mill (see the smoke behind the boats) was an interesting sight. Fernandina Beach Marina for the MTOA 2012 Southern Rendezvous.     On the way out of the marina for our pump out, we got some good photos of Roy, Ellen, and Lucy, on Our Turn (above).…

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Crew of Sea Gator, Marathon, Florida

Rendezvouing with Sea Gator in Marathon

When I was in the planning stages of putting together our book, Women On Board Cruising, an acquaintance introduced me via email to Pat Erhman, a long-distance cruiser, along with her husband Rick on their boat, Sea Gator. I was so happy about the introduction because Pat and I corresponded quite a bit over the course of creating the book and I hoped someday our paths would cross on the water. Today it finally came to be. A friend, another contributor to the book, Ellen, ran into Pat in Marathon earlier in the season and told her we were also…

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Jim on Kismet in Boatyard

Boat Yard Blues

We never addressed the issue of bottom painting our Ranger Tug until one day, while taking our boat out of the water in Ft Myers Beach; we were surprised by the excessive growth of barnacles on the hull of Kismet. We recognized the problem and we wanted to take care of it ASAP. After arranging to have our boat hauled by 3D, a self-service boat yard in Key West, I began researching how to clean the hull and what to apply to help the process along and what kind of paint we might need. Because we use our boat in…

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Kismet Cruising, Everglades, Florida

Valentine’s Day Dinner in Russell Pass – Everglades National Park

Not many women get an opportunity to enjoy a romantic Valentine's Day dinner with their sweetie in a remote setting like our anchorage tonight in Russell Pass – Everglades National Park. It might not appeal to some but I have to tell you I'm lovin' it. We're anchored tonight with two sailboats, one in front of us and one behind us. Showers outside this afternoon and an early dinner on the back deck of Kismet (early because we want to eat outside before the bugs come to eat us). We didn't see any alligators or turtles during our stay, it's…

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Kismet Cruising, Goodland, Florida

Haul Out – Driving to Goodland, Florida to Relaunch

We've completed almost two Great Loop boat trips (a circumnavigation of the Eastern United States from the Heartland Rivers to the North Atlantic Seaboard, Canada and the Great Lakes) and both times we bypassed a few stops we wished we had had time to include in our schedule while in southwest Florida. The first is the little town of Goodland, Florida, just south of Marco Island and the second is Everglades City, at the mouth of the Barron River, on Chokoloskee Bay, just inside of Everglades National Park. Today, we pulled the boat out at Fort Myers Beach and drove to…

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Women at Farmer's Market

Up Early for the Farmer’s Market

   In true boater tradition, Ranger Tug owners still at the rendezvous, Carol, Jess, Cheryll, and I got up early to hit the Farmer's Market about two blocks away from the marina under the San Carlos Blvd. Bridge. It was a small affair but we all found something we needed.

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Boater Friends on Kismet

Cheers with Good Friends

CHEERS... Here's to Here & Here's to There. Whenever we meet up with boaters from our homeport of Charlevoix, Michigan, we have a special toast, and it's always the same. The HERE is always where we currently are and the THERE is always where we love to be and it's always the same... Charlevoix. We've been meeting up with Hal and Marianne (above) in Florida for the last few years. (Hal is our harbormaster in Charlevoix, Michigan and they are both dear friends.)  This year they decided to try the Cape Coral area so it worked perfectly with our schedule. Before we left home, we…

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Happy Hour on Dock, Fort Myers Beach

Shrimp Night Dockside, Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Two days after the Ranger Tug 2012 Southern Rendezvous planned festivities there are still five Ranger Tugs at the dock, including Roam, Kismet, Illusions, Gepetto, and Caroline Ann, most staying for the week. This really gives us an opportunity to spend some quality time, as a smaller group, with those still here. We figured since we are situated almost across from the shrimp boats in the harbor that we should track some down and have a party on the dock tonight. Jim and Mike, on Illusions, took a dinghy ride over to where the shrimp boats are tied up, found…

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Fort Myers Yacht Basin

Fun Times in Fort Myers, Florida

Kismet was dwarfed by two larger boats in the Fort Myers Yacht Basin Marina. This is a fun spot to spend a few days or more. The downtown is vibrant with more shops than ever. It's a quick walk to the grocery store from the marina and they have a Joe's Crab Shack just a few blocks away. To top it off there is a great farmer's market under the bridge every Thursday. As it turned out we ran into another Looper, docked right next to Kismet, we'd recently met John & Kay on Admiral's Choice at the 2011 Fall AGLCA…

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Kismet at Anchor, Cayo Costa, Florida

Could Not Pass Up Anchoring in Pelican Bay

We had two ideas for an anchorage tonight, Pelican Bay, off Cayo Costa State Park, and a cove off Captiva, Sanibel Island. When we arrived at the entrance to Pelican Bay, it looked so inviting with twenty-some boats, sail, and power, already anchored it seemed a no-brainer to find a spot for ourselves and join in the fun. We felt like we were at anchor in the islands with boaters dinghying, Bahama style, (steering the dinghy while standing), from one boat to the next, meeting up with old friends and making new ones. It was that kind of night.

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The Historic Village of Boca Grande

The Historic Village of Boca Grande, on the island of Gasparilla, is located at the southern tip of the Cape Haze Peninsula on Florida’s Southwest Coast midway between Sarasota and Ft. Myers. Nature has blessed this lush barrier island with seven miles of powdery white beaches stretching the entire Gulf side. Downtown is just a short walk from the marina and the beach, on the Gulf side, not much farther. We spent the afternoon of the day we arrived, and the morning of the day we departed, exploring the town and stopping in a few shops on our way to…

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Whidden’s Marina – A Family Tradition

We bypassed the newer marina in favor of tying up at the famous and historic, Whidden's Marina. Boca Grande's oldest marina was founded in 1926 by Sam Whidden and has been run by the Whidden family ever since. Back in the 20s, the marina was also a well-known night spot, dance hall, and restaurant. All that has changed, but not the flavor and old-fashioned hospitality of this "Old Florida" establishment. We enjoyed the old museum and gift shop (which really was another museum of sorts) and the laid-back atmosphere. It reminded us of Hoppies, in Kimswick on the Mississippi River. I…

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Dinghy Davit Decision

   Lisa and I gave a great deal of thought to the purchase of our Ranger Tug and GMC tow truck but, until recently, we never gave much thought to the dinghy we'd need and how we'd transport it on and off of the water. We finally had some boating downtime over the holidays and were able to do some research after a great deal of thought settled on a small 7' 7" Achilles inflatable, with a soft bottom, made of Hypalon material and powered by a Tohatsu 4 HP 4 stroke outboard. It arrived in a neat little package…

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Stopping at Pop’s – Nokomis Beach, Florida

On our way to a Nokomis and a little restaurant, we passed a few times when traveling through this area. Today we decided to make Pop's a lunch stop and to meet up with fellow MTOA members, Fred and Lorraine Ford-Smith. Fred and Lorraine met us on the dock and we gave them a quick tour of Kismet. They were interested to get on board a Ranger Tug 27 because they're thinking of downsizing someday. It worked out well because we were early enough that the dock was not yet crowded with weekend boaters stopping for lunch at Pops.

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Anchorage Off the ICW Between Lido and Otter Keys, Florida

Lido and Otter Key provided a peaceful anchorage for Kismet tonight. Before dinner, we got in the dinghy and cruised a nearby canal, this is where we found this very unusual (to us) tree (below). No leaves on the tree just these beautiful bright red, orchid-like, flowers sitting next to some closed-up, brown pods. Do you know what kind of tree this is? Please let us know if you do. We haven't seen another like it, so we think it's somewhat unusual, but hey, we're from northern Michigan and a little unfamiliar with tropical plants. This is the sun (below) just…

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Time for Some Big City Action in Sarasota

When we've been anchoring out a lot we look forward to getting into a big city marina and we can't think of a better place along this beautiful Gulf Coast than Sarasota. It has everything here to satisfy a cruising boater. Nice marina facilities (Marina Jack), restaurants right on the dock, music to serenade you to sleep, a newer downtown area with shops and more restaurants, and if you happen to be there on a weekend – an amazing farmer's market and art fair. We love Sarasota! The Sarasota Farmer's Market is a visual treat. The quality of produce available…

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De Soto Point and Longboat Key Anchorages

De Soto Point Anchorage on the Manatee River A quiet night and calm waters greeted us at DeSoto Point on the Manatee River (above and below). A few other boats were already anchored for the night when we arrived late afternoon. It was late so we stayed on the boat, made dinner, and enjoyed the sunset. Longboat Key, a Favorite Anchorage We are loving the nice January weather, it makes anchoring out a real treat. We had company tonight when Captain Kathe and a group of women came by to say hi.

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Gulfport Marina, Florida

First Time in Gulfport, Florida

On our way to Gulfport today. Great cruising weather, calm as could be, and not too many boat wakes to contend with and we were happy about that. We've heard lots of good reports from other boaters about this little community near St. Petersburg. We made arrangements to stay one night at the Gulfport Marina, just about a mile from the downtown area. Here's an artsy idea for your car when it needs a new paint job. Tribal art! This is just a little representation of this little community. Many restaurants along the beach area but lots of art galleries and…

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Reddington Beach, Florida

Redington Beach Anchor – Florida

Anchoring in Florida is a real treat. Lots of options available, and we decide to try a few new spots (new to us anyways). Instead of anchoring in St. Pete Beach, which we've done a couple of times before, we stopped a little earlier and tried this spot off Redington Beach. It turned out to be a picture-perfect spot in a well-protected cove, a good choice for our first night at anchor during this winter trip to Florida.

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Captain Greg and Monster

Captain Greg and Monster Help Us Fuel Up

Before leaving Tarpon Springs we needed to top off the fuel tank, we found the F & Y fuel dock close to the Sponge Docks and we were surprised at all the help we got. Captain Gregg and his little dog Monster greeted us along with the fuel guy and helped us secure the boat and fuel the boat. Captain Greg is pretty proud of his companion, Monster. The captain is a real Tarpon Springs fisherman, he and his crew, including Monster, go out in the Gulf several days at a time until his boat's fish, holding tank is full…

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Turtle

Are You a Turtle?

I was doing laundry at Turtle Cove Marina's Club House during our last day in Tarpon Springs when Jim joined me and we decided to have a beer in the club's bar. It appears Jim had an ulterior motive for meeting me at the clubhouse, he had heard they would have the bar open with an array of snack food available while a football party was starting to heat up. We had met the owner of Turtle Cove Marina, Ed Spaeth, at the beginning of our week's stay at the marina, so he readily welcomed us to the party and while…

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Kismet Docked, Tarpon Springs, Florida

Turtle Cove Marina – Tarpon Springs, FL

The last three times we were in Tarpon Springs by boat, we stayed at the Municipal Marina by the sponge docks. We always enjoyed the stay for it's proximity to the great restaurants and it's also a good spot to hear the Greek music and smell the great aromas wafting from all the little restaurants, but the facility is slowly deteriorating and we just felt it was time to try something different. After hearing several recommendations for Turtle Cove Marina from other boaters we decided to give it a try and we were not disappointed. It's also only a couple…

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