Madeira Beach and Home

December 22-18
A lot has happened since my last blog.
It was my intent to take a bit of a breather when we finally got down to Madeira Beach. The boat is tied up at the Marina and has been since we left for home on Dec 10.  I sat down to update the blog last week to find that I had somehow lost it... hence the new blog site and title

Great Loop & Beyond cont.
tewles2.blogspot.com

As previously blogged, we got to Madeira Beach on Nov 12-18.  The logistics up to this point  were as follows:
2445 miles in 82 days an average of 30 miles per day ( 36 if you take out the breakdowns.)
Breakdowns resulted in 14 lost travel days
34 days at marinas - 57% anchored out and 43% slips or docks.

Nov 21-Dec 23-18
We were anchored out in front of the Legion for most of the time that we were here. We had a slip reserved at the Marina on Dec 4, prior our flight home for Christmas.  Our daily routine involved some boating tasks/repairs, going ashore for shopping, coffee,  showers....  usually twice a day. It gets dark here at around 5:30ish so we were pretty well in the boat all evening.
 Cold fronts continued to come through but generally the days weren't too cold. Winds were generally around 10-15knots, keeping the wind generator working and the fresh batteries charged.  Occasionally we would have to start diesel after dark to get us through the night. We started looking at getting a portable generator. Although the initial cost may be high... it certainly is cheaper and less noisy than running the boat engine for 30-45 minutes.  (We did in fact buy a Briggs 7 Stratton 2200w jenny when we got home. Sale $499 CD ( usually around $900.) Canadian Tire.) Will bring it down in January when we return to boat.

Madeira Beach Christmas

Gulfport

Christmas Boat Parade

St. Petersburg harbour

Boat Parade

As we get closer to Christmas and our departure home,  weekdays are relatively quiet with few people around ( other than snow birds) but weekends still see kids and grandkids coming down to visit parents./ grandparents. Hard to understand seeing its only a few weeks before Christmas.
We had Thanksgiving with our friends on Country Dancer at the Snack Bar on the Beach. $15/person full hot turkey dinner with all the fixings. It really was quite good.

We took the boat up to Gulfport for a few days and a change of pace.  We were there for 3 nights, but limited things to do here. Winds were relatively high all 3 days, making you cautious of leaving the boat too long as where we were anchored (Boca Ciega Bay)  was quite open.  If for some reason, our 5-6 week booking at the marina did not happen, Gulfport Marina was our backup plan.

It was nice returning to Madeira Beach anchorage and further being welcomed back by the Madeira bridge operators. Funny how you soon get a sense of being home. . Later that next weekend just before we were to go to the Marina slip we decided to go back to Clearwater for the weekend.  We set out along the ICW about 13 miles ( 2-3 hours.) We arrived in Clearwater harbour and the winds/waves started to whip up  with gusts up to 35 knots. The weather forecast had changed and appeared that a storm may be coming in overnight. Jo and I looked at each other and the 2 boats already sunk on the shore ( previously there) and we decided to go back home (Madeira Beach). We knew the anchor conditions there and felt if we were going to have high winds and waves, better to be somewhere we knew.  2 hours later we were anchored and comfortable, able to throw the hook in an area just outside the wind and waves.

We took our slip at Madeira Beach Dec 4 and settled in with some comforts, washrooms, showers, shore power and some security being tied up at a dock. Once we adjusted the dock  lines to accommodate the 30" tide swings twice a day, we were able to spend the week taking transit ($2.50/day each)  to St Petersburg and back to Clearwater for day trips. Another highlight of the week was the Christmas Light Boat Parade. It was quite a show.

We booked an Uber to take us to the airport on Dec 4. It arrived at 10:30 for our flight home at 1:30pm. Cost was $30. Flight home was uneventful and we arrived in Toronto at 4:30.

Katie, our daughter picked us up and we were home by 7pm. Nice to be home, even if there was snow on the ground and the temperatures a balmy -5 Celsius. Next day I put the snow tires on the Grand Prix and we started attacking the things that needed to be done. Hot water tank gas pilot wouldn't start, so we ended up getting gas contractor in next morning to turn it on. (Did manage to get the gas fireplace working however) .

For the next 2 weeks , we had medical appointments ( shoulder and Jo's Botox), hearing tests, dentist appt, managed to get 3 Salvation Army "Kettle" shifts, babysitting Eileen, oil change car, Church readings. Turns out , Dr wouldn't give my shoulder a cortisone shot. He's setting up an MRI for neck & shoulder to see what's going on. (probably next April when we return) We visited Jo's parents and my Aunt. The highlight of this period has to be our Christmas present to the family. We booked tickets to a Pantomime" Beauty and the Beast". We were so glad that everyone enjoyed the show ( 14 of us). We all went back to our house for pizza and snacks. This was a wonderful day as adults and kids enjoyed themselves. Will possibly do this again.
Busy, busy, busy.

WHITE CHRISTMAS IN BARRIE DEC 25

Dec 27/18.
Busy Christmas as we went to Chris's for the day. Great having us all together and not having to do the dinner, clean up etc. We could enjoy the day and the kids and then leave... no fuss, no mess.
Regrettably Jo's father (91) was hospitalized for  double pneumonia, 2 days before Christmas. As I write he is still hospitalized and hopefully on the mends. We managed to have our 2 granddaughters over for the night and make a surprise visit to their great grandmother ( Jo's mother), before we had them back to their mother.
Most of our tasks/commitments are finished and we are now planning our trip back to the boat. Weather hasn't been all that great in Florida, cold, high winds, tornados, high waves and water. Have received no calls from Marina so we assume all is well with the boat.
We are trying to arrange for a family get together on New Years day, then we will probably start south on Jan 2 or 3rd.( 2 day car trip, weather permitting). The plan is to drive to the boat and get it ready to take off. (provision, fuel, a few boat supplies) We will then take the car to Indiantown 3.5 hours south, leave it there and rent a car to take us back to the boat. The boat will eventually end up in Indiantown in late March/April, when we will haul it out for a few months (June) or possibly  October. The term will be based on my decision whether to bring the boat back in June/July or keep it down south for another year.