We departed Jan 25, 2020 around 0930 heading west on the Caloosahatchee River. It was a rather hectic morning. We still had to secure the dinghy, walk dogs, and secure many items both on deck and below. No plans to sail so we weren't too worried about loose items but consider these the learning days. Dogs were secured into their life jackets, which didn't phase Phoebe at all, but Roxy was not happy. Roxy is still not adapting to boat life as well as we would like.

Our first stop is J. P. Franklin Campground. We arrived there around 1530. It was not our greatest docking job. We had fairly high winds blowing us off the dock and no one around to help. The docks have no cleats just pylons and it was difficult to bring the boat closer to the dock. In any case we made it with minimal to moderate bickering. Every couple should have to go boating together for a year before marriage. It is a true test of communication and teamwork. Next stop is Fort Myers Beach on Jan 27, 2020.

We arrived in Fort Myers Beach (FMB) around 1500 on 1/27/20. Our home for the next few days will be Moss Marina. We were greeted at the dock by a couple of deck hands so needless to say our docking experience was great! We quickly met our neighbors on the dock and settled in. Everyone was so nice. It's fun to meet other boaters and talk about experiences or get advice. Amy can't get away from nurses or ED peeps, they seem to be everywhere. Dr. Charlie, next door to us, has given us some great places to stop as we venture further South. We have plans to have some work done while we are here. We have an electric windlass to install, repair of the engine alarm and fuel gauge. The boat projects never end. There is no end point just as there is no end point with a house.

By day 3 we had only seen the service manager once. That was to say he will get to us first thing in the morning. That morning came and went. They got about 2 hours into the replacement of the windlass and disappeared. It took another 3 days for anyone to circle back to us. They assigned a gentleman that was brand new to Florida and new to the marina that day. He was very nice (Gary) and got the job done, What started out as a 2 day job was completed in 6. That seems about right. Concurrently a mechanic showed up to look at the engine and troubleshoot the alarm and fuel gauge. Alas he was unable to get either one working as desired but he did get us a new dipstick that we could actually reach. The last one was unreachable by either of us (and Bruce has really long arms). Our 4 night stay has now become a 10 day stay. On the day we were to depart there were high winds and a very choppy Gulf. We decided to stay put in the marina. The winds had us swaying most of the night. This rough weather did nothing to calm Roxy's anxiety but with the help of pharmaceuticals (hemp and melatonin) we all got some rest.

Our planned departure date is now 2/10/20 for Factory Bay in Marco Island area.