Honey Fitz

A Presidential Yacht on the Okeechobee Waterway

This was JFK's yacht back in the day -- and the Presidential Seal is on the smokestack.  It actually served as a yacht for five U.S. Presidents.  For more information, and to see great interior shots of the yacht,
follow this link:
https://gcaptain.com/photo-tour-of-jfks-presidential-yacht-honey-fitz/.

One Voice, Two Lives

We met David Wisnea at Dan's 101st Airborne Convention in Tampa, FL.

He asked to sit with us at a dinner and explained how he was liberated from the Auschwitz Death Camp by members of the 101st Airborne during WWII. He is 95. He sang the national anthem the next day to officially open the convention. You might be interested in reading his book,
One Voice, Two Lives.
https://www.onevoicetwolives.com/david/ 

If you buy the book, donate it to your library so others can read about the Holocaust.  Some people deny it ever happened. 

101st Airborne Convention

A side trip to Tampa Bay, Florida for Dan's 101st Airborne convention.

 

It is 50 years since 1969. Dan arrived in Vietnam in December 1968 and spent all of 1969 in Vietnam. He returned CONUS (continental United States) on February 13th, 1970. We met Sal, a medic and great guy. His stories are much different than Dan's as he treated and cared for wounded
and dying soldiers. A great guy. 

Here's a picture of young Dan carrying all his supplies on his back.
An early version of a Tiny House.

 If you're interested in seeing more pictures of young Dan in Vietnam,
with other members of Delta '69-'70, click here.

Manatees!

Look at these manatees swimming -- there is a mother and baby.  And one of them has scrapes on its back from a run-in with a propeller.

Southernmost Point

Only 90 miles from Cuba.

This marker indicates that this point is
the southernmost point of the continental United States.

Mar-a-Lago?

No, it’s not what you’re thinking. 

However we have been warned not to get close to the dyslexic version of this sign as there is an $8000 fine for a selfie and possible jail time. The Secret Service frowns upon any boats getting near. With our Washington State
flag flying and our past support for Governor Jay Inslee,
the fines and jail time might be doubled.

DANGER!

WOW.  

We are off the boat on a trip to research possible stops in Marinas on our way south. We know we are in the Everglades -- being surrounded by alligators.
They appear to be well fed. 

And, not only do we have to worry about the Gators,
but we also have to worry about the Florida panthers.

Gators in Action

This gator is undisturbed by the highway traffic just above him.

Here you can see his friend hanging out in the grass
between him and the highway.

Gulf Crossing with Still Waters II

Our boat buddies Dave and Claudia Fuller have been looping for
almost four years in their Still Waters II.

They have a website and blog, and posted about our flotilla's crossing
of the Gulf in December.  Check out that post here.

Art Follows Life, but...

In this case, life follows art.

On our walk in a residential neighborhood near our Anna MARIA Island Bradenton Beach Marina, we came upon this Egret checking out
an Egret lawn ornament.

Boats, Motors and More

The Still Waters II, a 43 ft. Viking.  

This boat was our buddy boat and the crew David and Claudia Fuller helped guide us on everything -- from anchoring to staying in between the Channel Markers. Being a Blind Helmsman is no excuse for being outside the channel. For those of you that did not know or were afraid to ask,
Mary is the Captain. Dan is the titular Captain. 

And some motors...

3x300HP motors -- a total of 900 horses!
This is how you evade and outrun the police the Coast Guard or Navy.
Those agencies do not have this kind of equipment. 

And a boat, the name of which needs no explanation...

Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree

Climbing the Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree
at Ringling Circus Museum grounds in Sarasota, FL.

Ringling Circus Museums

While we're here in Sarasota, Florida, we visited the
Ringling Circus Museums.

A film called "The Greatest Show on Earth," starring Charlton Heston,
was filmed at the Ringling Circus in Sarasota.

Dan is too fat to fit into the barrel of the human canon.

Boat on Rocks as We Exit Tarpon Springs

Wrecked sailboat at Gulf Port.

We are on the opposite side of the Gulf where Hurricane Michael hit. However, we have come upon destroyed houses and boats on the opposite side of the Gulf of Mexico, showing the power of the hurricane and the storm surge. It’s water, water and nowhere to go outside the channel maintained by the U.S. Corps of Engineers -- as we traveled across some areas where it was a maximum of 4 feet deep. Our boat draft is 3.5 feet, so we would have 6 inches to spare.  That’s too close for us.  

Moon Rising: Gulf Port, FL

December 23rd moon rising out our port door.