Unfortunately, Erv & Karen Roberts ran into major roof problems at their home and had to drop out of the cruise prior to our departure. We sorely missed their smiling faces and their expertise at boating, bocce ball and dominoes.

10/13-Our first port of call was the Northside Marina in Stuart where we enjoyed "Happy Hour" aboard Patty’s Philly. We thanked Phil & Patty Rogers for their kind hospitality by appointing them social directors for our cruise. We then headed for Wahoo’s Dockside Restaurant for dinner and just happened to have J-Lo as our server. Wonderful girl!  Woody graciously treated everyone to dinner at Wahoo’s.

10/14 Our next stop was the Roland Martin Marina in Clewiston where "Little Man", the Dockmaster, welcomed us and, as always, did a great job handling our dock lines. Most of us had an excellent trip through the locks and across Lake Okeechobee. We lost the Skylark due to engine failure just west of the Port Mayaca Lock and they had to be towed back through the lock for the night and then back to Stuart for repairs. We were very sorry this situation occurred and we missed Leo & Joann throughout the cruise. Cocktails on Patty’s Philly.  Our usual social gathering was cut short by a B-29 attack (the marina has a population of very large mosquitoes).

10/15- The third day found 8 of our boats at the Ft. Myers City Yacht Basin. Manatee decided to stop at the Franklin Lock Marina in order to make the cruise from Clewiston to Ft. Myers a little shorter. This is a very long leg of our journey for slow boats. Two more boats would meet us the following day at Ft. Myers Beach. A weather note: our merry little band of cruisers have been blessed with the most beautiful skies we could ever hope for -- THANKS momma nature!  Twin Dolphin, Bill Zilg, Stanley, Sullivan’s and Stiansen’s had a Great Italian dinner at Moretti’s.  Manatee ogled the alligators at Franklin Lock.

10/16 & 17- Some went  to Farmers Market for provisions prior to departure for Moss Marine.  We next cruised over to Ft. Myers Beach where we spent two days at Moss Marine.  We noted several groundings on way due to tricky channel changes and numerous shoals.  Unfortunately there was no dock assistance and some poorly designed docks without corner piling   Moss has a great Captain’s Lounge, shower facilities and laundry all in a very clean and secure building just steps from our boats. Some of us walked and rode bikes over to the beach where we had lunch at the Pierside Beach Grill. There was an incident at the beach that woke up many of the retired locals who had been napping on the park benches -- apparently they saw 4 elephants on bikes. (This writer didn’t know what to make of that). In addition, the Big "M" Casino boat has its home at the end of our dock so we took advantage of this convenience and rode the boat into a beautiful sunset. The folks at Moss Marine provided free transportation on this boat due to their being shorthanded with regard to dockhands. Our resident Social Director, Patty Rogers, continued her winning streak at the machines which benefited all of us since she was kind enough to buy a couple rounds of drinks for us non-gambler bar flys who watched baseball all night. The next day Dennis Joslin was bent on getting his TV to work with the cable hookup at the dock. His "friend" Phil Rogers, always willing to lend a hand, offered his assistance with this major project.

It seemed that no matter how much cable Dennis would go out to buy he could not get a picture on his TV. I don’t think Ron Stiansen laughed so much as he did that morning. You see, his cockpit was right across from the cable box Dennis was hooking into. Every time Dennis and Phil would get a new cable connected, Phil would tell Dennis to go in and try the TV. While Dennis would climb on the boat Phil would disconnect the cable then put it back on when Dennis started back off the boat. Dennis was about to throw the TV in the drink. Phil’s TV worked great off the same hookup (of course). Poor Dennis was beside himself. He kept riding his bike to the TV store to trade in the cable he just bought. He told the guy "this cable is defective --it don’t work -- give me another one". You had to be there to really enjoy these antics. Ron can tell you. That afternoon, Bill & Bobbi Walker introduced us to a card game named "31" which, after he taught us how to play (watch it whenever Bill teaches you a card game), we had a tournament which was won by, who else, Bill Walker with Chuck Ranson coming in second. It’s a great game - get Bill to teach you - just don’t play him for money.   We also played our famous Dominos game.  Prizes were awarded at Happy Hour.

10/18-  Our journey continued up to Gasparilla Marina in Placida.  Twin Dolphin, Patty's Philly and Sunset Lady stopped for lunch at Cabbage Key.  Everyone had delicious stone crabs. Capt. Walker began research into history of island which allegedly, per Hepburn Walker, was purchased by his stepfather, Wm. McCarthy, for his sister after WWII. Research continues to establish details. At  Gasparilla Marina we again had to dock our own boats but it all worked out and the weather was still perfect. Manatee was back with us, but could not dock under the covered slips due to clearance and etal roof when tide was high the next morning, roof caught Twin Dolphins outriggers.  Next time we will check roof clearances,  That afternoon the troops walked over to a nautical flea market for something to do. (Your writer didn’t need any nautical fleas so he stayed behind). The shower facilities were quite unique in that the laundry machines were in the bathroom with no separation between the shower and the head so if you were taking a shower or using the bathroom and the door was locked no one could use the laundry facilities.

Phil and Patty, our Social Directors, invited everyone to their boat for drinks and snacks (writer can’t spell hors d’oeuvres). Patty’s Philly can seat approximately 8 in the salon and a few more on the bridge. They had 18 on board that night and was it loud. Everybody talking at the same time and our resident movie director and still photographer, Bill Walker, snapping away at everything that moved. Of course there were other people in the marina that wanted peace and quiet -- sorry, not with this rowdy bunch. Apparently somebody called the cops. This storyteller’s "good friends" were out on the dock when the "officer" arrived -- he asked who was in charge of this melee and immediately, without remorse, Dennis and Phil pointed toward Patty’s Philly and said "he’s in there". The cop told them to get the poor humble Cruise Director out to face charges of disturbing the peace. This "gentle -- man", who would never break the law or hurt even a nautical flea was thrown against the wall, frisked, cuffed and placed in the paddy wagon (golf cart) and was preparing himself for a night in the hoosecow without so much as a single phone call to his lovely wife who was in PA without heat, water or sewer. (And she thought I was having a good time). I finally talked my way out of this terrible misunderstanding and was freed on my recognizance and under the watchful eye of John (a member of the NYPD) & Christine (a nurse) Bocskay. I couldn’t wait to get out of that marina --

10/19, 20 &21- Next up on our cruise was the Holiday Inn Marina in Sarasota/Bradenton which was "thin comin’ in" to say the least. The arrival at the Holiday was a comedy.There was no answer to our radio calls so we just went in.  The Dockmaster, surprised by the appearance of our boats,  took a look out in his marina and said "Holy Smoke, what am I gonna do with all these boats". We had confirmed reservations for 13 (2 dropped out) and this guy is clueless. No hand held radio so we yelled over to him to find out where to go. It all worked out again by using our old fashioned common sense -- like "Little Man" does -- com’on back Cap, trust me. 12" between bow and stern on the seawall. No problem! The Dockmaster left town for Vegas the next day -- stressed out! We were happy to see Leo & Joann Bassett and Charley & Susan Holland who drove over for a visit. Patty decided that a change of pace was required for Happy Hour that night - she thought since I had a room overlooking the marina, the gathering would take place, yes, you guessed it, in Woody’s room. There were 4 chairs and 24 people, all with bottles and appetizers. Did you ever see 10 people on each bed in one of those standard motel rooms. Yes, lots more noise but no cops! We had a scavenger hunt the next day which got somewhat out of hand when some of our people misunderstood the rules (or maybe the rules were made up after the fact) .They were asked to get one palm leaf so as not to deface the property -- they brought whole palm fronds. Can’t blame Stanley too much -- he’s from Connecticut. Oh, the wire-ty mixup.They were supposed to bring wire-tys that group wires together (more commonly known as cable tyes) not twist ties for trash bags.The non-participants at the bar got a big charge out of it. How ‘bout a green INK pen -- someone brought a green crayon. Stanley and Bobbi won the event. They were joined by Phil who was supposed to be a referee. Bill Zilg and Carole Joslin came in second.  There was much dissension over the Judges arbitrary and capricious selections.  Some went so far as to suggest that the judge was inebriated.

Prizes were awarded at the Happy Hour. Anyway we did a lot of relaxing and sightseeing -- Ringling Museum and Mansion, shopping and lunch at St. Armonds Circle, and the Mote Aquarium which the Walkers and your writer toured. We had lunch at the Old Salty Dog which was across the water from Sarasota - very nice day!  Capt. Bill finds Rocky quietly sitting in the rear of a thrift store and rescues him/her to become a white elephant later in the cruise.

10/22-  Our "gang" got under way toward Uncle Henry’s Marina on Gasparilla Island which turned out very nicely. The Dockmaster, Paul, and his assistant were very helpful and had good personalities. The docks were well maintained. We enjoyed this quiet facility and would certainly return.  We rented golf carts and vans then proceeded to tour the island. Still fabulous weather. Your storyteller’s golf cart captain has a very bad time with driving the thing on the cart paths. It seems he is always trying to make his own paths out of the woods, people’s yards, ocean sea walls, abutments, rocks and deeeeeep potholes. We finally arrived in the little town of Boca Grande (parched beyond belief) after the ride from "hell". Temptations looked like a good spot to attack our dehydration -- the beer was cold and the barmaid belonged in Hollywood. I must confess at this point I was ready to leave the boat at the marina and fly her out there. I told her I was a movie producer on vacation. A perfect 12 on a scale of 1 to 10. Karen, honey, I love you -- it would only have been for the money!

After dinner, we managed to get over to the beach to watch the sunset (another cloudless sky) and then another adventure back to the marina. Phil Rogers should never be allowed near a golf cart -- he does much better on water -- more room!

The Walkers visited at Gasparilla Inn where Pres. Bush stays on his fishing vacations. Quaint village and very laid-back lifestyle. Capt. Bill caught 6 Mangrove Snapper and a Lookdown fish. All of which looked down thier throats that night.  They also visited the recently restored lighthouse, it is very worthwhile to visit.

10/23&24- We’re off to the South Seas Resort on Captiva Island for 2 nights. This is probably the nicest marina facility we found due to the many amenities for their hotel guest which are readily available to the traveling yachtsman. This is always a highlight of our trip because of the property and cleanliness. The facilities are very nice and all areas all convenient to the marina. Dena Bennett, who handled our reservations did a great job getting us all in. Bill and Stanley were a little out of the way but Bill was close to the beach for his walks with Apache. The Stiansens and Sullivans played golf while another group made their way to Balloons for lunch. Good food, good friends and cold beer -- what more could you ask for?

Capt Bill fished Redfish Pass, but without fresh shrimp (bait shop was always out), lures would not attract Red Fish or Snook, all plentiful for the area.   Capt. Bill allowed his First Mate a break from her chores and she took a yoga and pilates class.

Before and after lunch we conducted our annual Bocce Ball contest on the south lawn of the White House or was it the east lawn of South Seas Resort -- sorry, got a little confused -- too many happy hours. Our Bocce Ball teams consisted of :

1. Two Bills (Walker and Zilg)

2. John Bocskay and Patty Rogers

3. Chuck Ranson and Carole "Lombard" Joslin

4. Phil Rogers and Christine Bocskay

Judge/Referee - Dennis "TV Cable Techy" Joslin

Scorekeeper and general pain - Sgt. Woody Boarman

The double elimination tournament began with the Two Bills defeating Ranson/Joslin and, in the next game, J. Bocskay/P. Rogers won out over Phil Rogers/C.Bocskay at which time we broke for lunch.The girls did some shopping and Phil rode around in a golf cart with some other girls???? No, they did not let him drive -- somehow they just knew better! Back to Bocce Ball.In the next round, J. Bocskay/P.Rogers knocked off the Two Bills and Ranson/Joslin eliminated Phil Rogers/C.Bocskay from the competition. Next up, Ranson/Joslin also eliminated the Two Bills and then faced J. Bocskay/P.Rogers for the possible championship. John and Patty won what turned out to be the final match since the Ranson/Joslin team already had one loss.

John and Patty went through the entire field without a loss -- Wow! are you as impressed as I am? The White Elephant Exchange came up next at our nightly social with everyone having a great time and getting a lot of crazy stuff. Although totally disguised in a trash bag, Rocky was the 1^st item chosen by Dennis Joslin. Rocky was then rescued from the possible jaws of death of Fifi by his/her present owner, Woody Boarman who proudly showed "it" off to everyone during a dock walk of Halloween decorated boats. Woody seemed to have become very attached to Rocky during the rest of his solo cruise.  According to Woody, he adopted Rocky as his First Mate, .  Again according to Woody, Rocky is a female Rockhopper Penguin.  Woody's claim is substantiated by to Peter and Terry Sullivan who apparently spotted one on a golf course somewhere on the West Coast of FL.   Woody appreciates having a First Mate like everyone else on this trip -- even though she just sits there doing nothing. Since Woody put her on the boat she won’t even talk to him -- she did the night he found her in all those trash bags. Another Happy Hour of lost minds. Speaking of Dennis Joslin, he received a very prestigious award from his "friend" Phil Rogers. The award was given for his technical prowess at installing TV cable at Moss Marine. We were sorry the Stiansens had to leave early due to Ron having back problems -- we all hope he will be feeling good as new very soon.

10/25, 26, Following our fun at South Seas we headed back across the state with the fast boats stoping at Ft. Myers, were some visited the Edison and Ford winter homes.  The slow boats went on to Franklin Lock that night to shorten the next day's trip to, Clewiston.

After Clewiston (little man again) it was on to  Northside.  The slow boats had a long trip to Northside.  They were caught at the Indiantown RR bridge for almost an hour and then missed the St Lucy East bound lockage by minutes.  They tied up at the St Lucy Lock Campground for the hour it took to cycle the lock back to East bound, and finally arrived at Northside after about 10 hours out of Clewiston.

On the Leg from Clewiston to Northside Woody and Rocky found an unusual boat.  A Grand Cherokee.  Woody and Rocky checked for bodies (none found) and reported it to 911,  (11 checked the plates #s provide and determined that it was a stolen car.  By the time the slow boats passes the car was being towed ashore.

10/27 It was back home to Vero.

It was a wonderful cruise and I want to thank all the good friends who participated this year and hope we can improve on our itinerary for next year. I know we could never improve on our weather -- every day was great! A very special compliment goes out to all the Mates who handled the lines at the docks and in the locks and fed their captains:

Joann Bassett

Christine Bocskay

Sandy Caldwell

Carole Joslin

Bette Juliano

Ruth Ann Ranson

Stanley Rockwell

Patty Rogers

Luella Stiansen

Terry Sullivan

Bobbi Walker

Rocky (didn’t even make popcorn)

From me personally, I thank you from the bottom of Rocky’s heart? for all that you good folks did for me on this cruise. I love the South Seas and Butt-weiser shirts. They are really nice!

This report humbly submitted by,

Lt. Robert "Woody" Boarman, P (with some help from others)

2003 West Coast Cruise Director

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