S/V Sanibel: A Valentine Treat

Snack Time - A triscut, salami, cheese, avocado and jalapeno.

Three days shy of a month of being back in Charlotte Harbor. I find it interesting that we started out here on these exact dates three years ago. For me time has flown by, but for others they say “is that all it’s been?”

When we first arrived we spent time with friends, Judy and Gary on s/v Cool Runnings, until their departure on January 31^st. Judy gave us a Mexican Train domino set. Thank you Judy! We will get good use out of it. We’re hoping to meet back up with them in Key West in the coming days.

Sunset as we left s/v Cool Runnings in Fisherman's Village Marina.

The sunsets on Florida's seas are beautiful.

The weather hasn’t really been in our favor. We’ve gotten quite a lot of rain, for days on end even. The first set of rain storms confirmed that somewhere in my bed quarters I had a leak. I knew about the leak and hoped it would miraculously fix itself, but it hadn’t; how disappointing especially when I woke in the morning to find myself lying on soggy sheets, blankets, and etc. It’s difficult to identify where the leaks are coming from with headliners and when countless nooks and cranny's are involved. Furthermore, Jimi couldn’t begin to fix the leaks until it stopped raining. My temporary solution was to try to collect the water as it entered my berth. I did my best to identify where the drips were coming from and I found three places to set bowls catching the intruding water. It helped immensely and over the next two days, I collected somewhere around a gallon of water. Once the rain stopped we poked around some more and think we’ve figured out what’s happening. The leak seems to be coming in at the hull seem. Jimi can fix this, but he’ll have to wait for a hot, dry sunny day. In the meantime, I hope for no rain.

This is the top corner of my mattress and sheet.

These were the three containers I used to catch water. I emptied them twice in a 24 hour period.

Somewhere along this shelf is where the leaks are.

I’ve kept myself busy with a lot of reading and knitting. I’ve made soap bags, a hanging organizer for my vanity, an apple bag, another bag for onions and potatoes, a bag for bags, and carrying holders for our new Yeti mugs.

Apple bag. Apples should be stored in a dark, cool place away from other fruits and vegetables. As they sit around they put off a gas that causes other fruits and vegetables to ripen faster.

This small bag will hold one onion and two potatoes. That's a good size for us right now.

I love my bag of bags. I use all my scraps of cotton yarn and came up with this. The grocery bags are pushed in from the top and can be pulled out one at a time, as needed, from a small opening at the bottom.

My hanging organizer.

Soap bag - no wash cloth needed. It lathers nicely with 100% cotton yarn.

While in Punta Gorda, We’d only been able to get to shore a few times for walks. Most of the time we either couldn’t go because of weather or went only for groceries, showers or laundry. It seems like we’ve been stuck on Sanibel more than usual.

On February 1^st, friend, Bob from s/v Windygo arrived to buddy sail with us. Jimi and Bob help each other with projects as needed. We’ve had him over for dinner and he’s had us over for dinner. Bob loaned us an antenna and when we hooked it up to our TV, we were able to get reception for the Super Bowl. That was GREAT – we felt as though we didn’t want to miss the game since our home team, the Broncos, was playing.

Bob arriving at the anchorage.

Chicken pot Pie from scratch on Super Bowl Sunday.

Bob had us over for dinner and grilled us some FANTASTIC steaks.

I took the leap and cut my hair. It’s length was to the middle of my back and now it sits above my shoulders. It’s still thick and out of control, but at least it’s easier to manage on a sail boat.

Jimi had had many other repairs and projects he's worked on including the patching the genoa sail, patching the dinghy, replacing the lamps in the saloon, turning 275 feet of anchor chain around and some other miscellaneous projects.

Patching the sail.

Replacing the butyle tape under hardware.

The finale of our stay in Charlotte Harbor this year was the visit of John and Christa, from Ann Arbor, Michigan. They have been close friends of Jimi’s since his teen years. They came aboard Sanibel for a tour and an afternoon sail. Afterwards we walked along the water’s edge to the Tiki Hut where they treated us to a nice lunch. We had a fabulous time.

John, Jimi and Christa.

Lunch at the Tiki Hut.

The Tiki Hut.

Jimi and Christa in conversation.

On Saturday, February 13^th, we sailed off; we’re heading south with s/v Windygo following along. We stopped for the evening in Pelican Bay and continued the journey on Sunday. We arrived at Fort Meyers Beach, Florida around 3 pm.

It’s good to be on the move again. The way I look at it Jimi took me on a romantic sail to Fort Meyers Beach for Valentines’ Day. He also gave me some chocolate covered strawberries and a potted flower – Hyacinth. Just before sunset we went for a relaxing walk on the beach. I can’t think of a better way to spend the day.