Summer 2014
Tampa, Florida
View our slideshow of the voyage to Tampa and some of our favorite Davis Islands sceneryHighlights of Tampa
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Plan B
As they say "life happens while you're busy making other plans..." Hence, our unexpected detour to Tampa Florida. We shelved Plan A, a retirement trip up the east coast to Nantucket, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, and headed for the west coast of Florida. Fortunately, Simply Grand had received a facelift, and was also fairly well packed up for our planned trip up north! Gail and Ernie pitched right in to prepare the boat and help us pilot her to Tampa via the Okeechobee waterway. We cruised through the St. Lucie river, Lake Okeechobee and down the Caloosahatchee to Fort Myers and to our final destination in Hillsborough Bay/ Davis Island. Normally a 4 day trip, we accomplished the route in just 3 loooonnnnng days. The entrance to Hillsborough Bay greeted us with a blast of 40 knot gusts and a torrential downpour. Remarkably, as we tied up to the dock at Davis Island marina, the skies opened up with warm rays of sunshine and a broad rainbow covering the horizon. A nice welcome to Davis Island and a sign of good things to come..... Davis Island, a quaint, neighborly, picturesque and truly dog loving little burg....the perfect place to rest and re-couperate. Wishes and prayers...hope and happinessWe really didn't know what to expect when we arrived in Tampa. The great staff at the marina treated us like family. We're very grateful for their many kindnesses to us. We met lots of friendly "locals" too, who made us feel right at home. Kevin and Michelle, Mike "Ring Toss King"and his lovely wife Kathy, Restauranteur Clay, "Indy" and his "parents" Marc and Jen, Scott and family....We're looking forward to seeing everyone when we return to Davis Islands again.
Most of all, we send out our love to all of our family and friends who supported us and comforted us. through this journey. All of the cards and well wishes, extraordinary strength and love from everyone lifted us up and carried us through. We love you all. Return to Plan A
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Oooooooohhhhhhhhmmmmmmm my!!!!!!!, it's so great to get back to the cruisin' life.............
Simply Grand, with her new facelift, "linen" canvas, freshly painted topsides, and her newly varnished brightwork...shimmering in the St Augustine sun! E
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Fernandina Beach |
Cumberland Island , Plum Orchard and Jekyll Island |
Lush, southern gardens and historic homes in beautiful Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort, South CarolinaAn amazing Beaufort native, Robert Smalls, freed himself, his crew and their families in 1862 by commandeering a Confederate ship and sailing it past 5 Confederate forts and delivering the vessel safely to the United States Navy. He later became a State Representative and authored legislation to provide for free and compulsory education for all children. He is interred at the Tabernacle Baptist Church which you can see in the background of the photo on the right.
Charleston, South Carolina
Georgetown, South Carolina
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The Rice Museum features award winning dioramas of how rice production made South Carolina the second most wealthy state ( #1 was Massachusetts) before the Civil War. South Carolina's gold hued rice was referred to as
" Carolina Gold" then. After visiting the museum, we realized that the unusual structures we passed along the ICW were abandoned dykes used to flood the rice fields. The Rice Museum is also home to the Brown's Ferry, an 18th century cargo vessel deemed to be the most important nautical discovery in the United States. We understand that although no lives were lost, quite a few wine bottles went down with the vessel! Check out the photos taken by Lenny to see this archeological find! |
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North Carolina's Passages
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Outer Banks...Ocracoke |
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Tangier Island
We heard a lot about Tangier Island and it's rich history rooted in commercial fishing and crabbing. We decided it would be an excellent place for our next stop. After all,Tangier was once considered the soft shell crab capitol of the US! We had been told that due to the declining ecology of the Chesapeake Bay and resulting conservation regulations , these industries are really struggling to stay afloat. There's still plenty of crabbing, fishing and boating going on in Tangier, where people are hard working and deeply faithful. Many of the watermen have abandoned their traditional way of life and are now employed as tug pilots and ferry boat workers. Tangier still retains it uniqueness and charm, however. We're sure you'll agree when you see these beautiful pictures of the island.
The Chesapeake
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Summer 2013 Islamorada Florida Keys
After a rough and rocky trip down the Atlantic coast and Hawk's channel...the Captain and crew were ready to enjoy time in the keys. Islamorada proved to be a great spot for diving, snorkeling, fishing and lobstering, enjoying the restaurants, the sand bar and the Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina life!
Sunset at at Bass Pro Islamorada
After a rough and rocky trip down the Atlantic coast and Hawk's channel...the Captain and crew were ready to enjoy time in the keys. Islamorada proved to be a great spot for diving, snorkeling, fishing and lobstering, enjoying the restaurants, the sand bar and the Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina life!
Sunset at at Bass Pro Islamorada
The "Simply Grand "Crew
Lignum Vitae Key
The virgin tropical hardwood hammock that thrives on this island was once common on most of Florida's Upper Keys; most of these forests have been lost to development on other islands. In 1919, William J. Matheson, a wealthy Miami chemist, bought this tiny island and built a caretaker's home with a windmill for electricity and a cistern for rainwater.
We were fortunate to have gorgeous weather for our visit to Lignum Vitae. We toured the island caretaker's home and were well entertained by the ranger's stories and history of the island. Later on, we snorkeled around the ledges surrounding the island...finding large numbers of big scrumptious looking spiny lobster. We could look...but not touch, as it would be a few more days before opening of lobster mini-season!
It was a huge thrill to see all of the marine life surrounding the coral rocks and sandy flats....
Interestingly, lignum vitae wood was highly prized for its density and toughness. Sailors were pleased to find lignum vitae as it could be used for shaft bearings and other applications in ship building.
We were fortunate to have gorgeous weather for our visit to Lignum Vitae. We toured the island caretaker's home and were well entertained by the ranger's stories and history of the island. Later on, we snorkeled around the ledges surrounding the island...finding large numbers of big scrumptious looking spiny lobster. We could look...but not touch, as it would be a few more days before opening of lobster mini-season!
It was a huge thrill to see all of the marine life surrounding the coral rocks and sandy flats....
Interestingly, lignum vitae wood was highly prized for its density and toughness. Sailors were pleased to find lignum vitae as it could be used for shaft bearings and other applications in ship building.
Alligator Reef Light
Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina....
Definitely one of the best marina's around. The staff is great, knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The marina has plenty of slips available, nice showers and laundry area, pool, tennis courts, and a lovely sand beach. Quiet, too....uh, well....except for our dogs!!! We made new friends at the dock and Bubba and Bindi found a few at the dog park :-)
The best thing about staying at this marina?....the sunsets
The Islamorada 4th of July fireworks were incredible...perfectly timed...ending with a grand finale just seconds before a torrential downpour.
View the slideshow below to see more....
Definitely one of the best marina's around. The staff is great, knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The marina has plenty of slips available, nice showers and laundry area, pool, tennis courts, and a lovely sand beach. Quiet, too....uh, well....except for our dogs!!! We made new friends at the dock and Bubba and Bindi found a few at the dog park :-)
The best thing about staying at this marina?....the sunsets
The Islamorada 4th of July fireworks were incredible...perfectly timed...ending with a grand finale just seconds before a torrential downpour.
View the slideshow below to see more....
Fourth of July Celebration on Islamorada...Three cheers for the Red, White and Blue!
"Simply Grand" in 2012
Christmas 2012 "Simply Grand" Holiday Boat Parade
Simply Grand takes second place in Holiday Boat Parade
Simply Grand moved up a notch this year with our Pirate Santa theme. "He's a Pirate", a musical score from the motion picture "Pirates of the Caribbean" was our theme song. Tobi dragged out her vintage violin, syncing the tune, dressed as Jack Sparrow. Besides the usual unruly crew of ragbag pirates, our very own St. Nick, replete with a fur trimmed tricorn regaled the crowd. The pop of firecrackers supplied by Ernie delighted all the kids...and Ernie managed to keep all of his fingers!
View our video of "He's a Pirate" by Robbie Sheets
View our video of "He's a Pirate" by Robbie Sheets
Tobi and Lenny celebrate their 6th Anniversary!It's been a great time together .... From this moment on....the song we selected for our first dance on our wedding day.
My surprise from Lenny for our anniversary.... a synchronized light show of "our" song!!! All our thanks to Mitch McClaren for creating this for us. It really made this anniversary an especially memorable one :-) |
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