Other than the first trip to Legacy from Port Charlotte where the boat had been stored when we bought her, we have kept her on the dock working on a few projects we felt were critical to cruising, like having the engines examined and getting some maintenance, we weren’t sure had been done in a timely manner, performed. It was time for a cruise and friends visiting from “Up North” gave us the perfect excuse to get off the dock and work the kinks out.
We tossed the lines about 10am and headed down the river for the ICW (Inter Coastal Waterway)it was a beautiful day and the boat ran perfectly. We ran up to Cabbage Key for lunch and a tour of the island then started back.
On the way back the Captain spotted dolphins off the bow and advised us to watch the wake. Sure enough, a pod of at least 5 dolphins had joined us and cavorted in the wake for a good long time. The highlight from my vantage point was a baby dolphin securely tucked between two adults as they swam along to the starbord side.
We had to kick the speed up on the ride back as the sun was setting. The upside of this was the sunset view we were treated to as we ran up the river to the marina and the “running in the dark drill” which included setting the boat up to show radar, finding the running lights and the spot light.
All in all a good run which has us ready for more. Any suggestions?
Paul and I spent a lot of time during the months preceding our retirement talking about how we would fill our days and what we would do with ourselves once we were no longer working (for us those last years were 12 hour days 6 or more days each week, thinking about “the after life” kept us going).
After discussing and discarding several plans, we settled on a modest boat to live aboard in Florida or other parts south (read warm – did I mention those last working years were in Africa, on the equator?) ; but also with an eye toward being able to do “The Loop” or maybe someday parts even warmer like the Bahamas.
in August 2013, we found Kelmar and decided she would do. We took possession in September and moved her from Port Charlotte to her winter home at Legacy Marina in downtown Fort Myers. We have begun the work of getting her ready to do”The Loop” in the spring if all goes well. So far this includes removing the old name in preparation for renaming her Infinite Sea, installing dinghy davits and outfitting her with a suitable dinghy, and Paul is working with a mechanic to give the engines a thorough once over.
Below is a picture of the soon to be Infinite Sea in her new home.
Travels of the Infinite Sea 