Sunday, 15 February 0.0 SM
More than 1,000 miles with a 22-footer in tow.
The company of friends from home has not been shared for quite some time. Phone calls, yes. E-mail, of course. But to sit face-to-face with good friends is a long-awaited, much-welcomed experience, one that starts this evening with the arrival of Martha and George, all the way from beautiful (snowy) Mathews, Virginia!
Wanting a winter escape, they settled on spending a couple of weeks in Fort Myers, the reason Steadfast returned a few days ago. They’ll stay at Legacy Harbor Hotel & Marina, a few blocks west of where Steadfast lies at the City Yacht Basin. Along with their luggage,
George readies the V for launch.
they also came the 1,055 miles from Mathews towing their Venture 22 sailboat. Her lightweight hull and retractable keel make her a good choice for the skinny waters of the Gulf Coast.
There’s a bit more hauling to be done, though, before the “V” splashes in Florida water: the 21 miles up the road to Burnt Store Marina off Charlotte Harbor. Those are waters with which Martha and George became familiar when they chartered a boat here last winter.
The ladies huddled against the brisk northerly.
While the wind keeps blowing down from the north, Steadfast stays hunkered down in Fort Myers, the “V” at Burnt Store. Once it moderates some, the plan is for her to make the trip up to Charlotte Harbor, too, so the two boats can sail in tandem. Meantime, Quatro Amigos set about to enjoy make the most of the lay-over in the so-called “City of Palms.”
visitors study the Point Ybel Light.
There’s a trip across the causeway to Sanibel, for instance. Despite the traffic heading over, the drive to the state park at Point Ybel, the island’s south end, turns out to be great fun. The wind’s honkin’ down Pine Island Sound on the east side but barely felt on the west shore. That’s where Sanibel Light, the first lighthouse on Florida’s Gulf coast north of Key West, first warned sailors in 1884.
Mr. Edison lights the world.
Their first week here ends with the Thomas Edison (this was his winter retreat, you know) Festival of Light 5K run and “the largest illuminated parade in the southeast United States.” The former includes some 1,500 participants (one from the crew of Steadfast) along with another undetermined thousands lining the racecourse. The parade takes the same path with fire apparatus, motorcycles, marching bands and giant light bulbs wending their way downtown to Jackson and Main.
It’s great of Fort Myers to arrange all this while Martha and George are here. For the crew of Steadfast, the best part is to sharing it all with friends!
Steadfast out.
At Sea with Steadfast 
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