No View like the one we get...

...sitting on the back of the Fly Deck with a cuppa and watching the world go by..360 degree views.
Gosh it is good to be back cruising. :)

I do wish we weren't sitting here at 9.45pm (Eastern standard time) dealing with our travel insurance company by phone and running out of money because we are constantly transferred to someone else who 'can help' us, but every time we tell them what we want, they transfer us to yet another department! arggggggggggghhhhhhhhh!

It is such a waste of resources!! They already have ALL the information they need to process our claim, and yet they want us to fill in forms (which we cant submit online) and send the ORIGINAL statements and such by snail mail. We have paid cash upfront to the Hospital and other providers and we need that reimbursement NOW. What don't they understand about NOW! and what don't they understand about wasted resources and processes that are ridiculous and redundant?

They have already said our claim is valid! Why cant they just process it and get the money back to us. They are now saying they will go ahead and pay the hospital et al, and then we can be refunded...REALLY?? and how long do they think THAT will take.....AND they want us to renew our policy with them?? aieee...

Ok, Rant over!

Yes, we have been sitting up back for hours...even ate our dinner on our knees (on a plate of course!) while sitting and watching the world go by. Sublime...and cool! Yes, there is a stiff breeze  blowing which somewhat mitigates the 90+ degree temps of the day....I should be saying that in the past tense, because it is now pitch black and night time.

We left Port Charlotte and our dock of the past six months, at just 8.20am, this morning. It is always great to hear our Cats purring down under.
The wind wasn't up yet, and we wanted to get out onto the harbor before it did arrive. The first ripples came down the canal as we cast off.

The sun was just poking it's nose above the horizon when I took this photo down the residential canal towards the harbor. See the ripples!

It was easy to drop all the lines and push on out, away from the dock, turning on the spot, and heading for the tight bend at the end of the canal. Goodbye!!

There were crab pots and a palm frond stuck in the sand at the end of the canal that we had to avoid. It did show us where the REALLY shallow parts were, but Waz took the corner like the pro that he is.

The large house at the end of 'our ' road, is now finished and looking fabulous. Over the past two years we have watched the construction and landscaping. The owner apparently spent over $250k on the latter!

 We have turned our baby around, after motoring into the next canal in order to turn. and now motoring on out of there into the harbor.

...and we are gonsville! yay! 2015 cruising, here we come:)

 There were lots of Frigate Birds fishing on Charlotte harbor. I managed this fuzzy photo as one flew overhead.

 The captain is VERY relaxed:) In his happy place, methinx! It is HOT! 95F, but we have a fan on the dash, and there is a breeze coming in the windows! phew!

 Sooo happy to see the gorgeous green water of the harbor again, after living in brown muddy waters in the canal.

We saw a Coast Guard boat standing by without his AIS system on. We always wonder why they do that stealth thing, lol.
It was a bit like main street on the ICW, once we turned in. There were also a Huge number of small fishing boats at the mouth of the Harbor. Tarpon season is in full bloom!

Coast Guard boat just sitting there!

 All the small craft fishing at the entrance to Charlotte Harbor.

 Turning around the red marker at the confluence of the ICW and Charlotte Harbor. We are southbound now.. All those boats ahead are anchored in Pelican Bay. One of the places we have never found a way into, and don't want to risk trying, coz there is a large sand bar on the way in!

The water was a little choppy, as you can see, but we liked that it was the stiff breeze creating it, because without the breeze, the heat would not have been much fun!

Lovely to see these two Osprey Chicks on the nest. Their parents were not far way, and these two were squawking up a storm.

See what I mean about Main Street? This is coming through the narrow markers as we enter Fort Meyers. Fortunately it is slow speed zone, or all the idiots would be waking us. As it was, there were those who didn't read the signs or thought they didn't apply to them, and tore on through the crowd. Aiee!

We have been to this little Island at Fort Meyers before...last year on the way north, so we know what to expect this year. There are less boats parked this time around which makes it easier for us to anchor.

Look at that! right on 3pm! not bad for a day's cruising. Parking in 7.1ft of water. Im not too worried about the depths so far...yay!...so far, I said! lol.

If you can ignore the veiny legs and appreciate my resting spot, this afternoon, this is the view from the fly deck, while I caught up on some reading and R&R:)

 

Eventually the worms got to us, and I made a cold salad plate for dinner. It was yummy!

 

Waz has been doing insurance paper work while I have been writing, and needs me to write the NICE e-mail to the insurance company so we get paid! Lets hope they can expedite this whole thing.

Being told it is easier for us to pay cash upfront, was all wrong apparently! Well, they can sort that, but they need to pay NOW!

Ciao ciao. On the road again tomorrow! Moving steadily across, then up Florida going north.