GL: Cosmic C back on the Loop

[Patrick Fowles]

The Cosmic C has been back on Leg III of our great loop cruise for just over
two weeks now, and us northerners have been thoroughly enjoying the great
Florida weather. We had left the boat for a couple of months at the dock of
Captain Len Sussman in Cape Coral. He had responded to our request on this
list for advice on marinas in the Tampa area with an offer to let us use his
empty dock in Cape Coral, which we gratefully accepted. What a great guy he
is. He kept an eye on the boat while we were away, picked us up at the
airport when we returned, took us to the supermarket to stock up, and did
several other favors for us too. If you9re reading this, Len, many, many
thanks again for all you did.

When we left Cape Coral we spent a couple of days at the dock of a family
friend on Sanibel, where we cycled the island and got to go to a Southwest
Florida Symphony Orchestra concert. Then it was east on the Okeechobee
waterway, where we had a little excitement in the form of a wildfire on the
western islands of the lake which lit the night sky while we were moored at
Moore Haven and covered us with ash as we crossed the lake the next day.
After a couple of nights on the hook near Stuart (great little town) and on
Lake Worth, we arrived in Lighthouse Point where we have two sets of friends
from the St Lawrence river - we knew they came to Florida in  the winter but
did not realize that they lived about a mile apart down here. We enjoyed
catching up with our friends, spending some time in Boca Raton (interesting
Marilyn Monroe exhibit at the Art Museum), and watching the lunar eclipse
from a 16th-floor beachfront condo belonging to our friend9s niece.

Heading back north again, we stopped at West Palm Beach to visit the Norton
Art Museum and the Flagler Museum, Ft. Myers, Vero Beach, and the dock of
yet more friends from the St Lawrence. We stayed there two nights so we
could rent a car to visit the Kennedy Space Center. We9ve seen many dolphins
and a few manatees from the boat, but nary an alligator, so we were glad to
see many of them at the Spaced Center. Then it was on to the Halifax River
Yacht Club at Daytona Beach where we stayed two nights so Mary could get in
a day of work (she9s not yet retired) and I could visit the NASCAR exhibit
at Daytona USA and drive on the historic (to motor racing fans) Daytona
Beach sands. It was bike week in Daytona, and the town was overflowing with
motorcycles and riders. We have never seen so many motorcycles in one place
before, and were later told that there were nearly a million of them in
Daytona and the surrounding area. This might have been an exaggeration, but
not by much.  They came in all shapes, colors, sizes, and designs (the
riders too), and the noise was loud and continuous, all day and all night.
Talk about rolling thunder!

We9re now at the Municipal Marina in St Augustine, sipping wine after a
wonderful day on the town. We9ll probably end this leg in Savannah or
Charleston, but we9re not looking forward to returning to Pennsylvania
weather. Unfortunately other commitments call....

Patrick ands Mary Fowles
25 ft C Dory Cosmic C
Currently moored at the St Augustine Municipal Marina
www.the-fowles.com