We let Katie and Dean have a good night's sleep last night, and Katie reported sleeping for 11 hrs. She needed it! They have been 'on the run' as it were, for quite some time. Their 42ft yacht has endured some strife, waves that weren't there when they set sail, rain, severe cold...oh, and the humans did too! Easy to forget that it is the humans that make the whole thing GO! as it were.
They were up bright and early and we picked them up at Laishley Marina around 9am. As Waz and I were going over the bridge to Punta Gorda, we could see Dean and Katie in their dinghy, blatting towards the rendezvous point. Dean was especially notable in his dayglo orange shirt!
They left the dinghy at the end of the pier at Laishley, and we all went off to John Ski's Breakfast restaurant. It has been great catching up with their travails and travels since we last saw them the day before we left Houston. They were docked over at Portofino Marina, across Clear Creek.
We finished our meal and came back to the boat. We made tea and chatted, exchanging information on our lives and our trips...so different in a motor yacht, to their sailboat. They took off across the Gulf of Mexico from Mobile Alabama. They initially had a buddy boat with them, but those folks turned back with some boat trouble, so Katie and Dean were on their own out there. Brave, in my book!
Katie needed a haircut, as I have said, so we set up next to the car, on the grass, and gave her the required 'wally' (as we downunda folks sometimes call it...or Lowering of the ears! take your pick:) )
We did some errands while we were out, and of course took them to the Marine Trader store:) It's a
'guy' thang!
They had things to do, and so did we, so back to the Marina we went. On our arrival, quite a crowd was gathered around a wildlife truck, parked at the boat launch ramp...
Yes, it was a Manatee Rescue. Katie asked, and was told that the Manatee had been 'called in' earlier in the day, and the boat (bottom photo) had gone out to bring in the large, older, 8ft Manatee. It was apparently very thin and had a 'bonk' of some kind on it's head. They speculated that the sudden cold snap (weather) had meant that it wasn't eating etc etc. They will take it to the Zoo and get it checked out and hopefully feed it up and release it.
Dean is inspecting the rescue boat.
This boat is especially built. 8ft is large for a Manatee! so it must be quite old to have achieved that size. The boats motor is midway and behind the pilot house or control console, in this case to enable it to back up to any place where they can onload and offload a Manatee.
Katie and Dean leaving towards the channel to get back to their yacht which is at anchor out in the middle of the briny.
I took this photo standing on the spot where we said Au Revoir K and D.
There were lots of boats coming and going and the parking lot was full of trucks with empty boat trailers. This is the public boat ramp at Punta Gorda.
On our way back to the car, we stopped to observe an Egret that had some fishing line wrapped around it's wing. Not much hope for it to be caught. We did alert the Wildlife people who were still at the parking lot, and they said they would "look into it". Ok!
The fella on the right was filleting fish for his customers (charter boat) and the same Egret was making hay while the boat was in, as it were. It has a piece of fish in it's beak.
The Capt. was throwing the heads, tails and carcasses back into the water. Not something we like to see around parked boats.
We didn't go home, from Punta Gorda, but went up to Sam's club to get my glasses 'fixed'. They called me this morning to ask how my new glasses were. I said they were fine, except I had to keep pushing them up in order to see straight. They suggested that the next time I was up there, I could call in and they would fix them for me. They did! Very obliging!!! and I can now see without looking like I am checking out the nostril openings of the people I am talking to close up!
I did that while Waz went in search of food...pizza and a drink for $2.79. He also got time to look at the TV's again! sigh!
We went in search of berries...blueberries and strawberries...found some sugar-free cold cuts which didn't have 61 ingredients and preservatives in them, a pineapple (which we are really enjoying!!) and a couple of other things while there.
We came home via the Auto discount store - lightbulbs for the engine room
The Pharmacy, looking for Propylene Glycol. This is to go in the recess of the new Depth sounder. I guess the liquid aids the sound transmission. No luck there, so we came home and looked up what we might find in it's stead.
Early dinner was in order, as I hadn't eaten since breakfast...and didn't feel hungry until we left the pharmacy.
We had some already baked potatoes (last night) and I baked some NZ lamb chops in the convection oven. Smear them with Dijon mustard, roll in panko breadcrumbs, and baked in a foil lined pan with a little olive oil for however long it takes to brown both sides (turning, of course), and still have it pink in the middle. Alternatively, you can pan fry them, which I much prefer, as the panko gets nice and crunchy:)
A large salad was had on the side, and afterwards, we went walking.
Waz is set to go to Miami with Len tomorrow, to look at a boat. Stef and I might play, while the cats are away:)
Well, time for my cup of decaf coffee...first one of the day, and of course, the last. It is now almost 10pm..gosh! that time went fast!;)
Ciao ciao
It's against the marina rules to clean fish at the dock... Surprised nobody at the marina put a stop to it.
ReplyDeleteThat Egret I think is the one I saw in November, it actually has the hook as well .... Located between it's wings high up on it's back. Does not seem to be holding it back any. How come you aren't taking some of this time to cruise the ICW Sarasota to Ft. Myers while you wait to head North on your loop? It's wonderful out here. :)
Sounds like it is the same bird, Mike. No, doesn't seem to hold it back at all. It was very feisty when it came to claiming the fish:)
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