Kismet Secure at Legacy Harbor Marina, Fort Myers

We planned our winter trip to include a month-long stay at Legacy Harbour Marina in Fort Myers. Many of our Looper friends stay in this area during the winter months, some of them at this marina. We find that boating is like that, we bump into Loopers or boaters we know everywhere we go– planned or not. We did parts of our second Loop with buddy boats, Bella Luna and C-Life. We know other Loopers docked here from being involved with AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association). In the past, when in Fort Myers, we’ve always stayed at Fort Myers Yacht Basin, but this year we wanted to be where our friends were even though the Yacht Basin is only a few blocks away.

When we arrived at Legacy, we were given a couple of choices for dockage. We chose the dock in front of Joe’s Crab Shack. It was the perfect spot for Kismet for the month of March. Let the festivities begin!

The marina staff had some high standards for running the marina. We enjoyed getting to know the whole crew during our stay.

Tom and Patsy Conrad were in their slip on A Dock. We haven’t seen them since the last AGLCA Rendezvous we attended.

Every Thursday there is a great Farmer’s Market under the bridge just a few blocks from the marina. Great spot for a market because in inclement weather the farmers are well-protected from the elements. This is a great place to pick up some fresh, Florida produce, flowers, herbs, plants, fresh fish and shellfish, and even some microgreens (above and below).

Our friend, Louis, on Bella Luna (above), made a habit of giving his female boater friends blossoms off the gardenia plant he got at the market. Such a gentleman!

Needless to say, we ate well during our stay in Fort Myers including a day trip over the river to Cactus Jack. Louis, Diane, Robert, and Kay (below) made the excursion lots of fun.

Fort Myers’ Bike Night is lots of fun! Thousands of bikes, of every conceivable shape, color, and size, show up, once a month, for a spectacular party. Two or three bands keep the place hopping and if you want to buy a biker outfit, there are many vendors that will help you out.

And then there were the parties on the deck of the marina or Tiki Hut. We attended them all during the month of March. Starting with the marina’s Boater Appreciation Party (below).

Mike (above)  is checking hands during the Dinghy Poker Run.

Hometown friends, Mike and Lynne, joined us in Fort Myers for a week. No, they didn’t stay on our boat, they rented a room close by. Our first boat trip with them was across the river to St. James City and the Waterfront restaurant on Pine Island. It was a rough ride over and docking on the waterside of the restaurant was a little challenging. It was a fun trip.

While Mike and Lynne were still here we visited Wicked Dolphin Rum Distillery. The staff provides a good tour and taste testing of some of their products.

Some of the women spent an afternoon shopping and having lunch, at Ichiban’s downtown. I have become addicted to their Hot and Sour Soup.

Jim and I went to soup at Ichiban’s another day and look at our fortune cookies! Spot on!

McGregor’s Pizza was a favorite spot for pizza and calzones. They only have two tables in there, but we made it work many a time. EXCELLENT CALZONES!

Afternoon lunch (above) at Brad and Patti’s condo in Cape Coral, yes, it does seem we do everything in groups.

Another party at the marina! This time a small group of boaters had a Marina Appreciation Party. Louis, Diane, Butch, Kelle, Kay, and Robert (below) planned a festive and delicious feast to honor the marina staff. The party included live music to dance to.

Diane, Patsy, and Lisa (above). Diane, Kelle, and Kay (below).

Louis’ favorite local BBQ pit catered the party.

Claudia (above, second from left), brought Jell-O shots. Bottom’s Up!  Thanks, Claudia!

This is how you have a party for eight on Kismet. Brunch is served with arepas and fresh fruit.

Near the end of our stay, a group of us went downtown to hang out at the top of Ford’s Garage. Great view of the river and downtown up there even a live band.

One last Happy Hour on True North, Tom and Patsy’s boat.

Near the end of our stay, fellow tug nuts, Cheryl and Rich, on Roam and Jess and Mike, on Illusions (below) came to visit at Legacy.

Across the river from the marina is this beautiful anchorage. We came to anchor at this spot a few times to get away from the commotion at the marina. So when our month’s time was up at Legacy, we came over here for one last night on the hook. First time I had ever seen an anhinga bird. He sat in a nearby tree for a long time until sunset came.

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Malibu Rapids has Two Slack Tides a Day

In order to gain access to the inner sanctum of Princess Louisa Inlet and subsequently Chatterbox Falls, you first have to negotiate the entrance to the inlet, Malibu Rapids. (This is also where the Malibu Club sits promptly on top of the big boulders at the entrance to the inlet.) Although it is unwise to transit the rapids any other time but slack tide. Slack tide is when the current changes direction and the condition in between when the tide stops going out and before it starts coming in, or vice versa. It’s at this point that the current is minimal and, in boater terminology, this condition is known as slack tide.

We have evidence that not all boaters heed that golden rule (see the video below). Transiting the rapids is no ordinary task when conditions are slack, let alone any other time. Before and after slack tide the current can run as fast as seven to ten knots around the bend at Malibu Rapids. So you can imagine how treacherous it can be having that current push you around like a little toy boat through a narrow winding opening surrounded by huge boulders all around you, above and below the water.

More Info here about safe cruising through Malibu Rapids.
VHF Securité Call and Malibu Rapids

Since there are only two slack tides per day and no reasonable place to anchor during the last 30 miles of Jervis Inlet, we planned our cruise to arrive shortly before slack tide. This way we could assess the situation and watch a few other boats go through. Timing our arrival required a bit of calculating on our part. We took our time leaving our anchorage that morning at Hardy Island and leisurely cruised up Jervis Inlet so we could arrive at Malibu Rapids before the second slack tide of the day. Much like Desolation Sound, we were surrounded by so much natural beauty we kept rubbernecking from port to starboard side during our cruise up the 1 to 1.5-mile wide Inlet. The closer we got to Malibu Rapids the more spectacular the scenery became.

Little did we know that what awaited us, inside Princess Louisa Inlet, is even more jaw-dropping.

Just as planned, we arrived 30 minutes before the scheduled slack tide and took our time to watch a few of the boats already lined up take their turns at the narrow doglegged channel before we made a securite call ourselves to announce our intentions. The waiting and not having prior experience under our belts was actually more nerve-wracking than what the actual transit turned out to be. I guess that’s what comes with careful planning and execution of a difficult task, making the long-considered challenge a bit anti-climactic in the end.

Leaving the rapids behind us (above) and we headed into Princess Louisa Inlet (below).

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Ganges Harbor, on Saltspring Island, is a short 10-mile run from Montague Harbor and the gathering point for the boaters participating in the Ranger Tugs 2013 Desolation Sound Cruise. We left early for Ganges, with yet another blue-skied day with just a light breeze and fairly calm waters.

We looked forward to meeting up with about 45 Ranger Tugs and their owners for five days of socializing, pot lucks, and finally taking three days to cruise together up to Desolation Sound, and this was just the Ranger Tug boats, we would meet up with a group of Cutwater’s (about another ten or fifteen) in Nanaimo for the cruise to Comox.

We met folks from Illinois, Georgia, Texas, California, Utah, Nevada, and Oregon with most being from Washington and Canada’s British Columbia, even Ganges.

We wanted to arrive early so we could get our boat washed up and looking pretty, but much to my surprise and dismay I found out the town had a shortage of water and there was a ban on washing boats in the marina. The good news was that by skipping the boat cleaning process we could move right on to meeting other Ranger Tug owners as they trickled into the marina. On the first evening, a happy hour was held on the dock with everyone contributing snacks. We had two full days in Ganges, plenty of time to walk around town to do some last-minute provisioning (vegetables, wine, and fish), we even found two small wood chairs for the cockpit of Kismet at the local hardware store.

The first thing we did when we arrived in the harbor was to fuel up. We wanted to be full-up and ready to go when we vacated the docks on Sunday.

We were surprised that the majority of the Ranger Tugs in attendance sport the classic dark blue hull with the second most popular color being the new dark grey with one or two dark green, two yellow, and three variations of red.

Low tide at Ganges is quite a drop down from shore (below).

We met Vickie and Bruce, on Moondance, at the 2011 Ranger Tug Rendezvous in Bremerton, WA., they recently went from a Ranger Tug R25 to an R29. Bruce and Vickie are very instrumental in a lot of the Ranger Tug cruises and rendezvous.

On our second day in Ganges we took Andrew Ranger Tugs Customer Service Manager extraordinaire and his wife Carlene (above) to lunch at Calvin’s, overlooking the harbor. Andrew and Kenny (also in Customer Service) and Jeff, Ranger Tugs Sales Manager are kept so busy during these gatherings (more later) we felt it might be nice to get Andrew and Carlene away from the docks for a brief spell. The benefit for us was that we really got to them as a couple, hear about their recent wedding and talk about their interests outside of work.

There were lots of these float planes buzzing overhead as they landed in the harbor (above).

The town of Ganges has a very popular Farmer’s Market on the weekend. It really had more arts and crafts with a lot of fresh baked goods, but we found a little produce section and managed to score some nice swiss chard to go with the fish we had bought in town for dinner that night. We really enjoyed the participation by the youngsters at the market, it was interesting to see what they were selling, some very creative, future marketers.

The piano (above) is available for impromptu performances (apparently it gets moved all over town), bring your music or play from heart, we thought it was a very unique item and added even more character to this bustling Canadian town.

Leon and Karen, on ScottFree (below), stopped by to ask a few questions about doing the Great Loop boat trip in a Ranger Tug. The biggest benefit of having two days to gather together in Ganges was that we could take time to meet some of the other Ranger Tug owners, we enjoyed having time to sit and talk with some as we did during those two days before we skipped up the coast to Desolation Sound.

The second night was another happy hour followed by our first captain’s meeting where we discussed our departure schedule (carefully timed and coordinated to get so many boats out of the marina in an organized fashion), the distance being cruised, and the particulars of transiting Dodd Narrows. With 11-foot tides and a very narrow channel, Dodd Narrows is a rapids with up to 7 MPH currents at full force and therefore is safest and best advised to traverse at slack tide. With that said the timing of 50 boats leaving Ganges had to be orchestrated so everyone arrived by slack tide.

After the main captain’s meeting boaters broke up into three groups to receive more specific instructions for our group, having chosen the time of departure and speed each wanted to travel and determined the group they would join. Predetermined, experienced lead boaters headed each group along with sweeper boats previously assigned. One group went at 6 A.M. at a fast speed to catch the morning slack, while the other two groups, ourselves included, signed up to go late morning, so we’d arrive for the early afternoon slack.

There is a kind of electric buzz around the marina tonight as everyone is ready to go and we all kind of know, the excitement is just about to begin.

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Kismet will be cruising the Tennessee River for four weeks!

For die-hard boaters, like us, there’s no better feeling than heading out on the road (for trailerable boaters) on the cusp of an adventure, we were just itching to do a little river cruising. We took our Kismet on a 680-mile road trip, from Traverse City, Michigan, before we floated her off of the trailer today into Lake Barkley at Green Turtle Marina, in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. Our intention is to cruise the Tennessee River for the next four weeks.

We had spent a couple of days at home, prior to departure, rigging the boat up and provisioning for our month-long excursion. We also made storage arrangements, ahead of time, for our truck and trailer in Grand Rivers, Kentucky for the duration of our cruise.

The reason for choosing Green Turtle Marina as a starting point is because this marina, nestled in the calming waters of the Kentucky Lakes, is a natural gathering place for “Loopers.” Upon arriving at the marina, they are usually exhausted from experiencing one of the most treacherous rivers in the United States, the mighty Mississippi River (followed by a short stretch of the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers – or Tennessee River depending on the chosen route). By the time they get through the Lake Barkley Lock and Dam, they are ready to unwind and regroup a little before they head out on the calmer waters of the Kentucky Lakes and Tennessee River.

We’d been to Green Turtle before and, even though we’re not currently cruising the Great Loop trip ourselves, we wanted to get to know some of this year’s participants. Launching at Green Turtle will also give us an opportunity to re-explore the beautiful 240-mile stretch of water from Grand Rivers down to Joe Wheeler Marina, in northern Alabama, our final destination, it’s where we plan to attend AGLCA’s 2012 Fall Rendezvous. Our aim is to try to recapture a little of the thrill of doing the Loop and observe the excitement amongst the current Loopers, many whom we hope to get to know as we bump into them while cruising south on the same route.

The first person to greet us when we pulled up to the boat ramp in the marina was Paul Kessinger (his son, John, above, joined Paul on their sailboat, Memsahib, to do the Great Loop boat trip). See what they have to say about that encounter on their blog… The Tardis Project.

Bruce, (above) on Tango, was our dock mate at Green Turtle, he’s doing the Loop boat trip in this 25-foot sailboat. Bruce is the perfect example of the spirit and determination it takes to do a 6,000-mile boat trip. We hope to bump into Bruce again, and several other Loopers we met at Green Turtle, as we make our way down the Tennessee River to Joe Wheeler in Rogersville, Alabama for the AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association) 2012 Fall Rendezvous.

The Tennessee River begins at the confluence of the Holston and French Broad Rivers, east of Knoxville, Tennessee, and runs 652 miles southwest to Chattanooga, Tennessee, down into Alabama where it runs south and west before turning and heading north at the Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee borders. From here the river runs north through Tennessee and the western section of Kentucky before it ends at the Ohio River, just east of Paducah.

When Loopers arrive at Green Turtle Marina they will actually be going upriver, although traveling south, as they access the Tennessee River via the Barkley Canal shortly after leaving the marina at Grand Rivers.

Lisa and I have navigated these waters twice before during our two Loop boat trips and have gone as far east on the Tennessee River as Chattanooga. We know there will be lots of territories still left for us to explore and we’re excited to get started.

Most of the boats tied up to this dock are Looper boats.

We are leaving Green Turtle (below), headed for the Barkley Canal, and the start of our return trip to the Tennessee River.

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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, that now our friends Jean and Gary (below) reside on First Sight.

Charlevoix used to be our homeport, now we try to visit at least once a year. The Charlevoix Municipal Marina is one of the best around.

On our daily walk, we picked up a few pots of chivse (below) from a garden club summer sale. Fresh herbs for dinner.

The harbor in Charlevoix lit up like Christmas on a warm spring night. Charlevoix the Beautiful!

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Recently we made a post about meeting Ted, on Manatee (below – left), a very friendly boater whom we spent only about an hour’s worth of total time with. We first met Ted while we were both traveling south on the GICW (we slowed down for a short conversation about where we were headed), we finally met up with each other in Goodland, Florida where we anchored near the Calusa Island Marina where Manatee was docked.

In an hour’s length of total time, I don’t think you could say we were good friends but good enough for us to know Ted is a good-natured guy, willing to help out another boater if the need arises. Not long after we left Goodland for Marathon, another Ranger Tug boater, and friend, called us from his anchorage in Russell Pass (in the Everglades) to discuss his engine starting problems, he was literally dead in the water. This was Rich’s first time in the Everglades, so he was looking for information on where might be a good place to get his boat towed to for repair. Having only been in this area a few times ourselves, I didn’t know much more than Rich but immediately my thoughts turned to our encounter with Ted in Goodland. I suggested to Rich that if he got back to Goodland (he did get a jump start from a fishing boat) he might want to look Ted up. My thoughts were that Ted, being a long-time winter boating resident of the Goodland area, would be able to more accurately guide Rich to a qualified service technician.

In the end, Rich did connect with Ted. Ted not only helped determine what Rich’s starting problem was but he also had the necessary parts on his boat to correct the problem. Thanks to Ted, Rich, and Cheryl were back on their way the next day.

Over the years we’ve been long-distance cruising, we’ve come to the conclusion that boaters are one of the friendliest and most helpful people around. Most will go out of their way to help a fellow boater whether they need directions, a lift to the store or. Most, like Ted, will be more than willing to lend a helping hand to solve a problem and get you back on the water. So, a big “Thank You” to Ted and all the other “Teds” out there who make us proud to be members of this friendly and helpful boating community.

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