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Coconutscruising, Fort Myers, FL (2026)

12/02/2018

Success comes in all different forms and ideas! For us, completing a second great loop trip without major damage to ourselves or our boat is an accomplishment we are very proud to say we did! As we sit here going over all our records for the past eight years when we started this "retirement" life and reflecting upon all the good (meeting so many new life long friends along the way), the bad (falling in an open hatch and breaking your back), and the ugly (finding things in the water that result in new props), it is really a Wow moment for us. We are blessed and thankful that we are able to enjoy this lifestyle. We don't know what the future holds for us and Coconuts but we are so happy you all have been a part of our adventures. Thank you!

12/02/2018

We arrived at Fisherman's Wharf marina in Venice, FL just before 5 PM. Thankfully the dockmaster and crew were still there as we docked against an incoming current...Bru did an awesome job and we got settled in just in time for Island Girl's, Ken and Karen Stark to come aboard for happy hour drinks before heading off to the Dockside Grille. Island Girl crossed their wake in Sarasota 10 days earlier. We caught up over dinner and more drinks and stories of how our trips have gone since we last saw each other in Green Turtle Bay, KY. We left yesterday morning bright and early headed to Ft. Myers. The wind kicked up quite a bit making traveling on a Saturday in warmer weather a little less congested!! We arrived at our winter port, Legacy Harbour Marina around 2 PM. Eric, the dockmaster was there to greet us and catch our lines as were Karen and Ken from Island Girl with cold bubbly and warm Krispy Kreme donuts! Such a nice thing to do for fellow loopers! Driving down from Sarasota to welcome us as we crossed our wake for our Platinum flag!

11/30/2018

On our way to Sarasota today and then Fort Myers on Saturday! Lovely! It's so nice to travel on the weekends on the waters of Florida-not! Timing is everything! Lol But we are anxious to get to our winter port... and cross our wake for the second time. We left Tarpon Springs this morning and if you haven't checked out the video of our escorts, please do. They are so fun to watch! The trip from Steinhatchee was uneventful, a little bumpy (east winds kicked up to 20 knots at times) but the seas were never more than 2'. We arrived at Anclote Isles marina with plenty of daylight, hosed down the boat and then Herb on Phanthom, a looper who just completed his second trip around and is also the harbor host here, arrived and gave us a lift into town. We checked out the sponge docks then headed off to Costa's for dinner. Sponge diving is a big business in Tarpon Springs but they are also known for their many many Greek restaurants. Enjoy the photos and video.

11/28/2018

Good Wednesday morning. We arrived in Carrabelle, FL on Saturday after leaving Niceville, Florida, on Friday, going through Panama City and anchoring out at Saul Creek 5 miles before Apalachicola. From the water we were able to see some of the destruction left behind from Hurricane Michael, seven weeks earlier. So many blue tarps on roofs, trees snapped off like they were twigs and boats, even huge boats destroyed or beached. It was so poignant since it was the day after Thanksgiving...The anchorage we found was wonderful - peaceful, serene and out of the wind. We woke early the next day and arrived in Carrabelle ahead of schedule. The weather window for crossing the gulf did not look favorable until later the coming week, so the first mate got settled in and set her mind to staying put. Unfortunately for the captain, he woke up Sunday, checked the weather reports and thought it would be a great day for a crossing. In hindsight, it was, but he was overruled by a very nervous first mate. 😥 How many times have the weather reports been wrong?? So here we are today, heading to Steinhatchee, Florida. Where you say? Exactly! It is in the bend of the panhandle of Florida. We should arrive later this afternoon and it will set us up for a shorter run to Tarpon Springs tomorrow. So until then here are some pictures of the devastation and a few others...

11/23/2018

Happy Thanksgiving!! We had a quiet early dinner today, just the two of us on board Coconuts. It was a lovely day and we were able to get caught up on a few chores while taking the day off from the water. We hope you all had a wonderful turkey day as well.
I know it’s been quite a while since my last post. So much to see and so many places we’ve been, by the time we could catch our breath, we were off again to another destination, with and without company on board. So I’ll try to recap who joined us, and when and where we ventured.
We arrived in Chattanooga early enough to have dinner with an old high school friend of mine and his lovely wife. Diggie and Deb Moore took us to one of their favorite Italian restaurants where we enjoyed a delicious meal and entertaining conversation. We left to go home the next day, found the house in good condition but the yard was another matter. Tropical Storm Michael had wreaked havoc on our yard so it was clean up duty for a few days. We received good annual reports from our doctor visits, picked up our son and his dog and returned to Coconuts the following week.
It’s always nice to spend time with our children and having Billy on board with his dog, Chance, was a real treat. We dropped the rental car off on Monday morning and left the marina in Chattanooga heading further up the Tennessee River towards Knoxville. We would travel four days, lock through three locks, pull into three marinas along the way, and went to the end of navigation on Tellico Lake to the foothills of the Smokey Mountains before we stopped in Lenoir City to explore via rental car the city of Knoxville. The fall colors were just starting to appear and the river was so tranquil and breathtakingly beautiful it was easy to sit back, relax and unwind. We said our goodbyes to Billy and Chance on Saturday. Had just enough time to wash sheets and vacuum up the “extra” dog hair Chance had left behind, and welcome our good friends Robyn and Gary Tyer on board for our cruise back down the Tennessee to Chattanooga. We put Gary to work tying up the boat to the lock wall as we ascended down the locks and Robyn was great at manning the fenders (also known as bumpers)! We arrived at one marina just in time for the end of the season fish fry with all the fixings! The local fishermen and women invited us to a full dinner – fresh crappy, cole slaw, green beans, macaroni and cheese and hush puppies - it was delicious! We made our way back to Chattanooga with a day to spare before we said our goodbyes early the next day. That afternoon, we met up with three fraternity brothers and their wives for lunch at a local restaurant. Afterwards they wanted a tour of Coconuts to which we were happy to show them.
We left Chattanooga and headed back down to the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway where we started our trip south, heading for Mobile. We did the usual stops along the way anchoring here and there as well as a few marinas to include Bobby’s Fish Camp. The weather was not cooperating as we locked through the last lock of this part of the trip (hallelujah!), rain and a fierce north wind on Mobile Bay. So much so that we were concerned the water would be blown out, making the already shallow bay that much shallower, so we turned up the Tensas River and dropped anchor for two days. It was so nice, the current kept us steady and the anchor held great. With the wind slightly decreasing, we pulled into Dog River Marina to fuel up and get a quick haul out to have a look at the bottom paint job on the boat and the zincs. All looked great and we were put back in the water in no time. After another day in Dog River we made our way over the Fairhope Yacht Club so we could meet up with a dear old friend, Fred Jordan. It was great to spend some time with him before he headed off to visit his elderly sister for the holiday. We were all set to leave when after warming up the engines we discovered a coolant leak that was difficult to find the source. Because the engines were hot, we had to wait until the next day to investigate and dismantle the coolant tank from the engine in order to get to some hose clamps and bolts we thought might be the culprit. After tightening all that we could, we put everything back together with no extra parts! Fired up the engines and crossed our fingers! Success! No leaks! We headed out the next day, arriving at the Pensacola Yacht Club later that afternoon. Yes! We made it to Florida except we still can’t shake the cold weather! We hired an Uber the next morning and spent all day enjoying the Pensacola Naval Air Museum. What a great place, if you really want to see and read everything, one day doesn’t do it. Nevertheless, we left two days ago and made our way to Bluewater Bay Marina in Niceville, Florida. We stopped here to visit another dear old friend and his wife, Nellie and Joann Dunnam. They were gracious enough to come, pick us up at the marina and take us over to Destin for a lovely lunch at one of their favorite seafood restaurants right on the Gulf. Afterwards we went back to their beautiful home and had a very nice visit.
We will leave tomorrow, anchoring out for several days before we get to Carabelle, Florida and a marina that survived Hurricane Michael. Seven years ago, when we did our first loop, we stopped in Apalachicola for an evening or two because they are known for their great oysters, but sadly the hurricane took out most of the marinas east of Panama City. We will stay put in Carabelle until we get a good weather window to cross the Gulf to Tarpon Springs. It will take about 14 hours to cross the Gulf so the weather conditions have to be very good before we leave. We are almost to our winter home in Fort Myers where we will officially cross our wake. If the weather cooperates, we think we may be there by the end of next week.

10/08/2018

So it's been nearly a month since my last post. We were going to cruise up the Ohio River as far as Louisville but unfortunately the rainfall caused so much debris and elevated the water levels that it was much too dangerous to take the boat up river. So instead we stayed put at Green Turtle Bay Marina, rented a car and did some exploring by land. We also were visited by our dear friends, Dave and Brenda Wiggins, who were in the middle of moving from Virginia to California and caught up to us in Grand Rivers! It was so unexpected and short but so very nice to see them and we were so happy they went slightly out of their way to spend the night on Coconuts!

We did go up to Louisville, making the most of a soggy weekend by visiting a number of distilleries, the Louisville Slugger museum and of course Churchill Downs. Our son flew in to meet us and we had a really nice time catching up with him and then caught up with two couples who knew Bru in college. Oh the stories our son got to hear! 😳

We arrived back in Grand Rivers, did some last minute errands then started making our way up the Tennessee River. Our first night we anchored out, enjoying the quietness of our surroundings, but the next morning the heat and high temperatures came back and we were forced to find shelter in marinas where we could plug into shore power and run our air conditioning units. Although the Tennessee doesn't have nearly the debris the Ohio did, we still had to keep a sharp eye out for the random tree trunk floating down river as well as the long wait for the occasional tow and barge backup at the locks and the heavy current when the locks were spilling so much water after all the rainfall and flooding near Chattanooga. It was challenging at times. We spent a few days at Grand Harbor at the mouth of the Tenn-Tom waterway where we helped Sea Jamm celebrate crossing their wake and visited the nearby Civil War Shiloh Battlefield before heading further up the Tennessee River. We will be in Chattanooga in a day or two where we will stay put for a week or more so we can catch up on doctor appointments and bring our son and his dog back with us for a week long cruise up to Knoxville. Hope you are enjoying our second loop as much as we are.

09/03/2018

Coconuts and crew left Alton marina and went as far as the Melvin Price lock and dam (about 2 miles away) and waited three hours before we gave it up and went back to Alton marina for one more day. Apparently the big commercial lock was broke and all barges and recreational vessels were going through the smaller recreational lock... but the barge traffic was so backed up and blocking the river on the south end we couldn't get through. We left much earlier the next day and went through with no waiting as most of the backed up barge traffic had cleared during the evening hours! In fact, we left so early we pulled into Hoppies marina at 11 a.m. We could have kept going but the last time we did the loop we couldn't get in to Hoppies and you just can't do the loop without stopping at Hoppies! Unfortunately, Fern, the 82 year old marina host, had knee surgery and couldn't come down to the dock to fill us in on what to expect after Hoppies on the Mississippi. Debbie, Fern's daughter, did come down and talked to us about the rest of the trip but it wasn't the "Fern experience" we had heard so much about! Oh well, in keeping with our usual luck, it was also Monday so everything in "town" was closed. With no where to go, we hung out on the boat, did some boat jobs and got up early the next day to head south. Had a great current pushing us along the way (4 knots) and managed to find a nice anchorage at mile 28.1 just off the main channel and well out of the path of the tows. Had to run the generator all the way because of the heat, but by eleven p.m. it wasn't sounding very good. We turned it off and tried to sleep with only the fans to cool us... it was a bit uncomfortable. Early the next morning we tried to change the generator impeller thinking that might be the problem only it didn't look bad, although the rubber vanes had taken on a bent over shape. So we opened up the replacement impeller only to realize it was an old one that we kept as an emergency spare...we didn't have a new one! With the odd sound it had been making we didn't want to put in a used impeller. Ugh, we would have to run without air conditioning. So we opened up the flybridge, pulled up the anchor and headed to the Ohio River where our progress was slowed as we lost our 4 knot shove. We went through the new Olmstead lock that has been under construction for 30 years! Ribbon cutting ceremony was suppose to be the next day... so it was not operational when we went through. Next was lock 52, where friends had waited three hours to get through a few days earlier...luck was finally on our side as they opened the lock as we approached and we did not have a wait. We arrived at the Paducah City Docks at 4:00 p.m. The docks are relatively new as they did not have a city dock seven years ago. We were the only boat there. After settling in we cleaned up, got the boat cooled down after we plugged in to shore power and went out in search of dinner. We left the next day headed for Green Turtle Bay Resort and Marina. Decided it was pretty early and our AIS didn't show any barges waiting at the Kentucky lock on the Tennessee River so we headed that way instead of going the longer route to the Cumberland River. Got through the lock without concern, went through the canal that joins the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers and pulled into the marina. After a few days of making several phone calls, more investigating on our particular generator, disassembling the sound shield to access different areas and purchasing and installing a new impeller, with crossed fingers, we fired her up and all is well! Phew... the captain is happy and that makes life great for the crew too! We will stay put for another week before heading up to Louisville on the Ohio. More later!!

08/24/2018

Well it's been 20 days since my last post. Exactly half of that time we spent at the Illinois Valley Yacht Club (Ivy) in Peoria. Not by our choosing as we arrived on a Sunday and said we would stay until Tuesday but storms came through Monday evening so we decided we would leave Wednesday morning. On Monday we visited the Caterpiller museum, it was very interesting and they had simulators of bulldozers and backhoes you could try... what a riot! I have a new respect for those operators! Tuesday we decided we would change out the water pump impellers on both engines as they had well over 400 hours on them. This is a job we have done more than a dozen times and the only thing that makes it difficult is getting the rubber vanes small enough to fit on the shaft of the pump and into the housing...that is until this fine day. We had the old impeller out of the starboard engine and needed to "bump" the engine to get it aligned properly when on the second "bump" the engine turned over! Any other time this would not be a problem but without the new impeller in place, no water was going through the engine! We tried for several minutes to shut the engine off but it wouldn't stop! We tried everything and then panic set in as we thought about the engine seizing from no water going through and looking at a price tag of over $30,000! So we did the only thing we knew would definitely stop the engine...we pulled the fire suppression system for the engine room. Finally the engine stopped leaving us in shock! We recovered enough to put in a call to Steve D'Antonio, Marine Consultant, for guidance. Steve gave us contact info for Sea Fire Mfg. and our replacement canister went to the front of the line. After all was said and done and a week later, there was no engine damage, new stop buttons were ordered for both engines and a new fire suppression system was installed. We were so glad we had a great place to hang out for the extra week. We can't say enough about the Ivy club. They treated us like one of their own, we swam a mile every day in the 25 yard pool and the very talented bartender, Steve, gave us a pencil drawing of Coconuts! Three days before we were going to leave, our friends on Kara Mia came in to the marina. It was good to hang out with them again and on Wednesday morning in the fog, we departed for points south. Our plan was to go to Logsdon tug service but when we arrived there was no room so we proceeded through the LaGrange lock and then moved over and around the lock and dropped anchor for the evening. Unfortunately, they decided to let water out of the tainter gate all night long so the evening was very bumpy but we survived, the anchor held and we headed down to Grafton the next morning. Grafton is a cute little town where the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers meet. We had made arrangements to have the 4000 hour service done on the engines in Alton, 15 miles down river but the Cat dealer couldn't fit us in until the 24th so we decided it was a good time to rent a car and go see our dear friends Pam and Rick on Tourist, who live in Illinois near the Iowa/Illinois border. The morning of our departure to go see them, we woke up to mayflies all over the boat. Ugh!! Bru spent over an hour trying to wash them off the boat before we left. They don't hurt, they are just annoying. We got to spend several days with Pam and Rick before we headed back to Coconuts for the short ride to Alton. We arrived here yesterday and the mechanic is on board today completing the service needed. Tomorrow is the 22nd anniversary here at the marina and they are planning a big party with food, music and fun for all so we will stick around and think about leaving on Sunday. Hope you enjoy the pictures...

08/05/2018

Oh dear it's been quite a while since I last updated so here goes... last time we had arrived back in to the U.S. in De Tour, MI. As we were getting ready to leave, Bru noticed the transmission oil gauge was nearly full of transmission fluid. So that's not a good thing! The daybreak departure was stalled until 9:30 am when the local, very small boat yard opened and provided a plug so we could temporarily bypass the gauge. With the oil gauge bypassed, we set off for Mackinaw City. The ride on Lake Huron was ok, of course the weather forecast was totally wrong but it wasn't uncomfortable. We made our way in to the marina, settled in and then set off to find the nearest restaurant possible as the first mate twisted her foot when we left De Tour. The next morning we were up early again so we could maneuver around the sailboats racing from Chicago to Mackinac Island. We pulled in to Charlevoix only to find out it was the Venetian festival! Every slip and every rental car were taken! We had planned to stay and visit some surrounding towns via rental car! That didn't happen! We did make reservations at Irish Boat Shop to do some small jobs on the boat but they couldn't get to us until Friday and it was only Tuesday. So we tied up at the assigned slip and walked into town to see just what a Venetian festival was all about. Yep, just like any other festival... lots of people, vendors, food, music, etc.... we woke up the next morning and the boat was covered in bugs! Ugh, with no other slip available to move to, Bru quickly made a phone call to Boyne City and got a slip for two nights. So off we went 15 miles down Lake Charlevoix, the marina was very nice, a bit nerve wracking at first (see pic) but nice. On Friday we came back to Charlevoix to have the work done, spent the night at the work slip and left the next morning for Frankfort, MI. It was a long day on Lake Michigan but the seas were great! We docked at Harbor Lights and when we walked into town found they were having a sidewalk sale. Yes! We found the local craft brewhouse, it was excellent, Storm Cloud brewery. Not wanting to grow grass under foot were left the next day for White Hall, MI where we had visited seven years earlier. Unfortunately, it was Sunday and not a lot open but we managed to find the local brewery and pub and filled our tummies. We headed out the next morning for Holland, MI arriving at the Yacht Basin with just enough time to clean up and meet an old co worker of mine from the Hill, Ed and his wife Gail. They were gracious enough to show us all around Holland and some of the more notable homes in the area...AmWay founders De Voss and Van Andal. We had a nice dinner with Ed and Gail and then, of course, left the next day. The weather was suppose to turn ugly on the Lake in two days so we decided we'd have a long day and go all the way to Hammond marina, just south of Chicago instead of waiting. We made it just fine and the weather and lake were our friends. At Hammond we spent three nights. It was definitely a much needed rest for the entire crew. We used Uber and Lyft to take us to and from Chicago's Science museum so Bru could check out the German U boat there and then we took a ferris wheel ride on the navy pier while killing time before the architectural boat tour of the city. Great day! In between we checked out the casino... we are still on board Coconuts so neither one of us hit it big. We left Hammond yesterday at 7:30 am, it would have been earlier but we had to step our mast again to get under some of the fixed bridges on the waterway. What a day making our way around barges coming and going and of course waiting nearly 3 hours at one of three locks. We pulled in to the marina at 7:30 PM! It was all we could do to get ourselves up to the restaurant, Big Fish Grille at Harborside marina, but boy was it worth it. The food was outstanding! We collapsed and woke up this morning early enough to get through one lock and tie up here at Heritage Harbor Marina in Ottawa, IL. This marina is delightful! They love loopers and the locals are so very friendly. The food was, once again outstanding! I may never have to cook again! Alas, we are off again early but I think we'll be staying put for a few days once we get to our next stop, Peoria.

07/23/2018

Hello USA!! We left Little Current two days ago and headed to our final Canadian anchorage. The weather report was not real favorable but we left early enough to get settled before the wind kicked up. We started for Hathom Island but noticed Anchor Island before we got to the turn off for Hathom and decided to give it a try. It was so nice and we were all alone. Most everyone goes to Hathom because it's beautiful and Norm and Elaine, who live there, invites the boaters for happy hour on their porch most evenings. Both Islands are just above the Benjamin Islands, which are just gorgeous too! Once settled in Bru decided he needed to go for a swim. We had a great evening and got up early this morning to head for Gore or Meldrum Bay. But the day turned into a wonderful weather window to go all the way to De Tour Village and here we sit. All checked in and happy to be back with good cell phone signals and internet connections!!

Coconutscruising

12/02/2018

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