Double Wide is on the Move!

Yahooo! Our Bahamas 2014 Adventure is under way!!

My good friend Tom McHugh and I flew out to Fort Myers on Saturday, 3/15 to move Double Wide to the Bahamas. The plan is to get the boat to Marsh Harbour by 3/22 to meet Michelle, and Tom’s wife Diane. Tom & Diane will stay with us for a week of R&R. Tom has been one of my main go to friends when there is a tough delivery to make so we thought we better give him a “Cruising” experience!

Back to the update. Tom’s Brother & Law, Mike, met us at the airport in Fort Myers and the three of us spent the day buying perishables and other last minute items. We didn’t get away from the dock at Fort Myers Boat Club until 6:00 PM, so we decided to just go to Fort Myers Beach (about 1.5 hours away), have a good meal, get to bed early, and get going early on Sunday.

It was a great plan, but of course, the wind Gods discovered I was on the Gulf and our barely favorable wind quickly shifted to On The Nose and piped up to about 20-25 knots. We bounced along for awhile and decided to duck in at Naples and continue up the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to Marco Island.

The short trip up the ICW turned out to be a real bonus for Mike as he’s an avid bird watcher and the mangroves that border the channel are a haven for all kinds of birds.

At Marco, we dropped the hook to wait out the wind a bit. Mike and Tom napped and I got a few chores accomplished. It was a great afternoon for all! After a quick dinner, we headed back out in to the Gulf. We made it out in time to see a great sunset and then a spectacular moon rise.

It looks like our plan is working as the wind is moderating a bit and we’re not pounding. Much more comfortable! If all goes well, we’ll keep going all night and make it to Marathon by mid-morning.

Side note: Tug Boat misses his little sister Sailor. He’s been pacing around and at my feet all day. He’ll be glad to see Sailor and I’ll be glad to see Michelle!