Ding Darling Anchorage

 Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Day 66.

We have been at the Legacy Harbor Marina in Fort Myers since last Sunday; 10 days. This is the longest time we have been anywhere. The week turned into a month commitment here, coming and going during the month, as they don't have room for us for the whole month. Due to the vaccine schedule in the panhandle, combined with the forecast for heavy winds, all plans had to be changed.

The way pricing works, once we were here over a week, the most economical plan was to pay for a month, although we couldn't actually stay for 30 days. Part of learning to be a boater, I needed to get a handle on the marina pricing plans. It was a bit like volume pricing, the more you buy, the lower the price per unit. So, new plan: we had to leave today, not return until Sunday, and then go and return again on certain agreed upon dates.

We were anxious to start cruising again. We spent the morning getting ready to ship out (last- minute shopping, empty the holding tank, get the lines ready, check the systems, fill the water tank,warm up the motor, etc.).

The day was a pleasure: comfortably warm (still wearing Devigi summer clothing), and sunny. The birds were singing and it was quiet on the dock; Sassy must have had an extra day at the resort because they didn’t return yesterday; we will miss them.

We had left the stern door open all night to enjoy the cool air but, not with standing having the screen in place, the little black bugs were all over the ceiling and walls of the salon. Hopefully at anchor we will not be living with these little tiny bugs.

We expected to be out at anchor for 5 or 6 days and hoped to have good Wi-Fi with our hotspot because this was bill week and it takes me two days to get everything together, reviewed, and paid for the month. The process is new for me as until we left in December, all the bills came in the mail for my review. Getting all of them on line is a system change for me, and I do not take easily to change (this may seem unbelievable to some in light of my jumping off the cliff onto Magic Moments and motoring into the sunset with almost no preparation, but it is true. I tend to resist change and my bill paying system works for me. A new system creates stress....but there was no choice). When the weather is not so beautiful, I don’t mind sitting at the computer so much. I had lots to follow up this week for WIL, and I had at least two segments of the blog to dictate and edit, so I had many things to keep me busy in addition to the dishes and cleaning. Laundry had to wait until we were back on the dock.

We were hoping to get a second vaccine closer, although it was beginning to look more and more unlikely. But we were going to give it a try. In the meantime, we determined to enjoy cruising around the general area as much as possible.

In addition to several trips back to Publix before we left and of having missed a call from Lee County which I had hoped would give me a second vaccine nearby, (I really freaked out when I realized we had each missed the Lee County call!), we finally got off the dock quite beautifully actually. Captain Roland is getting better and better at de-docking.

A good part of my day while we were cruising was spent listening to the impeachment trial. It was extremely painful listening to the details presented by the house managers; so upsetting.

We anchored in Pine Island Sound within the “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, between Captiva and Sanibel Islands, where we had anchored before. The location is perfect protection from south winds and it was windier than we had hoped.

The anchorage is lovely: it is peaceful, beautiful, cool and clear, and comfortable. We had a wonderful dinner of lamb, grilled off the stern (no grilling on the boat is allowed at marinas, another advantage to anchoring), mushroom risotto, and lots of wine. While I did the dishes, we caught up on the news.

Thursday, February 11, 2021. Day 67.

The impeachment trial continued to dominate my life. I again listened on my phone, I didn't know if I’d be able to get TV reception, but I was concerned that seeing the videos of January 6, and all that led up to that day, would be far too upsetting; listening was difficult enough.

We had hoped to move to Pelican Bay (we had heard how lovely it was), but the winds were so heavy that we had to postpone moving and stay in this protected area. So there we stayed, between Captiva and Sanabel islands. The boat was rocking quite a bit with the wind so I delayed spinning until after 4pm. 

Roland put out the fishing line with lore hoping that he would be able to catch some fish. No success. We were really looking for an opportunity to test the dinghy again (we really needed the practice), and to try the stand up paddle boards. Unfortunately the heavy winds caused the delay of those plans as well. Between the impeachment trial, trying to arrange the second shot closer, simultaneously making arrangements for a second trek to the panhandle, and various computer and paperwork obligations, I had plenty to keep me busy.

Friday, February 12, 2021. Day 68. And Saturday, February 13, 2021. Day 69.

I wasn't sleeping. I had insect bites all over my arms and ankles, and the itching was driving me crazy. I was miserable. The wind was rocking the boat and the eerie sounds of the chain rubbing were not helping.

The day was cool, the morning foggy, but the wind had abated a bit. Opportunity to go to Pelican Bay, or try the dinghy or the SUPs? This is the only place nearby that was protected from the south wind so, we stayed. It is interesting on the boat at anchor: there is always a beautiful water view!

There were several other wonderful anchorages if the wind had been from the north, however that was not the situation so there we stayed. It was pretty and it was quiet, so I did my work, read, cleaned, and listened to the shocking and incredibly painful impeachment trial, for yet another day.

In the late afternoon, I got into my brand new shorty wetsuit while Roland set up one of the SUPs for me to try (I guess I look a bit like a guinea pig!). It was a little awkward the first time trying to board the board (smile), off of the swim platform (thank goodness for the staple), but the wind was still too strong and the water way too choppy. I had to paddle into the wind rather frantically to avoid being blown away from the boat. After very few minutes it was clear that the conditions were not appropriate for stand up paddle boarding. I got myself back onto the boat, not so easily, and we decided to wait until it was calmer. Unfortunately, calmer it was not going to be for quite awhile.

So, with the wind blowing steadily, we cooked, we ate, we drank, we cleaned, we listened to the impeachment trial, enjoyed the scenery, paid bills, read, and I found ways to exercise. Unfortunately, I was still sleeping very little as a result of the insect bites which were still causing me to itch all over.

We have had several weather delays throughout this trip however none have ever been as long as this one. As much as I enjoy anchoring out, I was now looking forward to returning to the marina, doing the laundry, going for a run, cycling, obsessing over getting the second vaccine shot, and waiting out the next 10 days of heavy wind.