To contact us Click HERE After a summer of reading 50 Shades of Grey, I am ready to make room in my beach bag for favorite local author Randy Wayne White as he introduces a new series in his book GONE. Classified as a psychological thriller, "Gone" takes place on Captiva, Sanibel, Port Royal in Naples, and in the Ten Thousand Islands. Locals of Southwest Florida love reading Randy's novels as they take place in locations we can relate to while reading. Pick up a copy of any of the 18 novels Mr. White has written for great fictional beach reading. I'm looking forward to meeting the heroine of the story, Hannah Smith. Randy Wayne White will be doing a book signing on Friday September 7, 2012 beginning at 11am in Costco which is located 3 miles from the Hilton Naples Hotel
To contact us Click HERE Not only does C'mon encourage children to befree to play, learn and dream, it also lets adults have a night of fun on theirown!
Tonight is their adult-only playtime where you can relax, explore, learn and justhave a lot of fun! Food, drink, music, themes and other 'big-kid' fun. The night will beanything but typical, as the Museum opens its doors to grown-ups looking formusic and a chance to recapture the feeling of childhood curiosity and wonder.
September 13, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Theme: Tailgate Party Cost: $15 members/$25 non-member (21+) Call: (239) 514-0084
**The Children's Museum of Naples will be closed from September 17, 2012 to October 1, 2012 for scheduled maintenance.
To contact us Click HERE Shula’s will be hostingtheir 2nd Annual Champagne & Chocolate Tasting benefiting the United Way of Collier County. Taste exceptional champagnesfrom Shula’s paired with delicious gourmet chocolates from Norman LoveConfections™. NormanLove will be presenting the perfectly paired chocolates. This event issponsored by Florida Weekly and Norman Love Confections™. The champagne tastingswill include Rosa Regale by Banfi, Poema-Cava, Domaine Carneros by Taittingerand Charles Heidsieck Rose Reserve. Tickets are available atShulasEvents.EventBrite.com or by contacting Jeff Jeromeat 239-659-3176.
Shula's is located inside the Hilton Naples Hotel on 5111 Tamiami Trail North; Naples, FL 34103
To contact us Click HERE
Special guest bachelor Jason Resmini , from the Bachelorette TV Show , and 11 spectacular local bachelors are creating exciting dates for the highest bidders! Join the Hilton Naples Hotel as we create the ambiance for eligible doctors, businessmen, an executive chef, a fireman among others in equally interesting careers who are looking forward to meeting you! We’ve checked them out, and they are all gorgeous and fun! So put on your most dynamite dress, invite your most enjoyable girlfriends to join you, and come for a night of fun.
Bachelor Auction to Benefit Cancer Alliance of Naples
At 7 pm doors will swing open to reveal the Hilton Naples transformed Enchanted Ballroom, with Scrumptious Dinner & Chocolates, Raffles, Music with the fabulous DJ Chris Ceron, and above all, the guys…. It will truly be an elegant, fun, Some Enchanted Evening! Note to those married ladies who want to join in the fun - it is OK to Look! Come support your single friends to win a memorable date, and have a great time. The evening is scheduled to end at 10:30 pm. Then again, there will be a dance floor…. All proceeds will be used to financially assist LOCAL low-income cancer survivors in Collier County with basic needs of food and gas, rent and utility payments during the time they are in chemo or radiation. Let’s help them get on with their lives while they fight for their lives. Please email, facebook, twitter and call all your friends to come out to support this cause. The first 50 to register will receive a free copy that night of “Think & Date Like A Man”, written by April Masini, nicknamed “The New Millennium’s Dear Abby” by the media. Register now to attend the Bachelor Auction benefiting the Cancer Alliance of Naples (CAN)
Photo courtesy of Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB
This weekend is a great time to get out and enjoy the wonderful nature and wildlife that Naples and the surround areas are known for.
Collier County is home to many parks, including the Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. Saturday, September 29th marks the 19th annual National Public Lands Day which encouragees everyone to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors.
Hilton Naples Director of Marketing, Niccole Neebling posing during a Swamp Walk with Rick Cruz Expeditions
Big Cypress National Preserve protects over 729,000 acres of the freshwaters of the Big Cypress Swamp. Visitors to this vast swamp located in Ochopee, FL should plan on spending at least a few hours in the Preserve, exploring the scenic drive and several of the viewpoints and boardwalks. The Big Cypress National Preserve is home to a diversity of wildlife, including the Florida panther.
Nearby Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the USA boasting 1.5 million acres. Photographing birds, hiking, observing alligators are just a few of the many adventures you can choose when you visit the Everglades National Park
A great way to experience and Everglades adventure in both parks is via Airboat.
Everglades Area Tours also offers a guided kayak experience that is one of the best I've taken. Each trip is different and you never know what your going to see. Rick Cruz Expeditions heads up an fun and informative Swamp Walk which is definitely for those of you looking for a fun way to experience The Everglades. Stop by the Concierge at the Hilton Naples Hotel to learn all the ways to get the most out of your Everglades Adventure! And don't forget your camera - you'll definitely want to document your journey into The Everglades however way you choose to go.
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Leaving Biddeford Pool at 7 am we slowly maneuvered around the lobster floats to fairly open water. The sun was shining, the winds were calm and even though the temperature was in the 60's, Beth stayed on the bow of the boat directing me through the mine field that was getting less dense as we exited the harbour. We passed uncomfortably close to a number of the pots but wouldn't realize how close until later in the day.
Tenants Harbour Traps
Setting a course 3 to 4 miles off shore we sat back and enjoyed the slow rhythmic undulations of the sea swell which seemed to be timed with the soft drone of the engines. Slowly we watched as the bright morning sky started to cloud in and a few rain drops appeared on the windshield. Nothing bad appeared on the radar but when we saw a distant island fog in and a lobster boat disappear into a light fog, we became somewhat alarmed. Is this going to get thicker? Should we take one of the alternate routes I plotted in case of inclement weather or should we keep going? We still had phone service so we called ahead to Tennants Harbour and reached a soft spoken man named Stuart. Stuart said in his lilting down home accent, "We have heavy fog over he ah, but it was lifting". He couldn't see the harbor from his office window but "Hold on. I'll just walk out and look out into the bay... Yes, it's lifting you should be OK. Looks like you are bringing the good weather with you," he said calmly. As the fog became thicker I decided maybe the best course would be to just hurry up and get there. Powering up.....no go....only 12 knots....What!.."What now I cursed!" as I cut back the throttles and went down into the engine room to see if there was a problem. If you remember back to the first part of the blog, when we started out, this problem was due to a lot of water in the bilge. Not this time. I pumped out what little water was present from the dripping packing glands then checked the fuel filters. The port engine fuel filter pressure gauge had gone from 5 to 10 mm...not enough to hold back fuel delivery but I switched it to a fresh filter just in case. Back up at the helm I powered up with the same result. Clearly we would not be running fast, but why? The seas were calm and we had radar so we just kept our normal 1200 rpms, but our speed was at least a knot or two slower than expected. For fear of whatever was slowing us down getting worse, Beth refused to allow me to stop and back up to see if I could clear anything from the props or stabilizers...until she saw a Minke whale off our starboard side. I pulled the throttles back and pulled the transmissions in neutral. As she was trying to get a picture, I pulled the transmissions in reverse. An alarmed Beth came tearing back from the bow of the boat yelling, "Oh my God, you just ran over a lobster buoy and cut the rope. I saw the cut end of the rope!" There were no buoys in the area so I realized that it was a lobster buoy dragging off of our stabilizer that was slowing us down. We continued on and managed to navigate through another mine field of pots to finally enter Tennants Harbour. I had called ahead and Stuart had a diver ready to go under and check Doc's Holiday's bottom. Sure enough there was still a couple of fathoms of rope hanging off the starboard stabilizer. Some lobsterman back in Biddeford Pool is probably still looking for his trap! Now let me tell you about Tennants Harbor. This is down east Maine. Warm friendly people who will bend over backwards to help you out and not rip you off in the process.
Stuart is a thin man with a warm calm inviting demeanour and a soft voice that reminds one of Harrison Keller, the host of the radio show on public radio from "Lake Wobegone". His assistant, Chrissy is a bright enthusiastic girl with a glint of mischievousness in her eye who has "all you need to know about Tennants Harbour."
Chrissy informed us that the boat "Dreadnought" tied to the dock was owned by the famous painter Andrew Wyeth. His son, Peter owned one of the islands here and Andrew owned a couple of islands south of here. There was a museum nearby but we would have to get a taxi to get there.
"Dreadnought"
The famous Maine boat builder, Lyman Morse leased this facility as a launching site. Her father has worked for Lyman Morse for 30 years. We immediately took her up on her offer to show us a "mock up boat" that was put together because the would be owner really wanted to see what it was going to look like, not just the blue prints. The mock up was impressive and shows just what extent this boat builder will go to help his customers realize their dream. Unfortunately, the fortune of the person ordering the boat changed and construction stopped, but the mock is there with the blue prints for anyone who wants to continue the construction. Stuart came out to check on us at our mooring and after helping me shorten the scope of the mooring, was not satisfied that if the wind came up we wouldn't hit another boat close to us. He very kindly had us move in to the dock for the night...at no extra charge! He even helped us get secured to the dock. Because we might be leaving before he got to work in the morning, he thanked us for coming in...and invited us to return on our way back. Considerate, caring, honest down home people! Four in the morning and I heard the lobstermen starting their engines. The chilly fresh salt air was drifting in our aft cabin window as I slipped on some clothes and made my way to the galley to make coffee. I watched as the harbour started to come to life. As I watched the boys putting on their slickers to go fishing, something caught my eye. Thin somewhat aesthenic people with long hair getting on their boat? Not the usual outline of a rugged lobsterman. No....with the aid of my binoculars it was clear...two girls putting on their slickers to take their lobster boat "Endurance" out to their traps.. It turns out that Paula and Chelsea have been lobstering for several years! Yes!! Down Home Maine! Here sex , race, color or creed doesn't matter...honesty, hard work, respecting and caring for others, is what is truly valued in Maine.
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This time we stayed 4 miles off shore to avoid the lobster traps. There are fewer of them in 150 to 200 feet of water, but they are still there! Knowing the wind was going to increase early we pushed the boat along at 10 knots and had a pleasant ride all the way to Southwest Harbor.
Rugged Maine Coastline
We can see Mountains!!!!
Since the XM satellite weather was reporting several fronts coming through we decided to stay for a couple of days until things settled down.
Note the "salt" on the rails!
Dysarts Marina is owned by the same Dysarts that own the truck stop out side of Bangor and they run an efficient operation in both places. This is a popular marina because of their down home friendliness, reasonable prices and great location.
Dysarts Marina Southwest Harbour
Several of the boaters I spoke to routinely booked in here for one to two months during the summer. Its typical New England Scenery with rolling hills, clear blue water, fresh clean air and down home hospitality. Two of the boaters were from Texas and both remarked how refreshing it was to take a deep breath and feel cool clean air enter your lungs vs the heavy thick humid air of the Texas summer. Pulling Lobster Traps The trawler Spirit of Zopilote, well known to readers of Passagemaker Magazine was here and apparently makes this a regular stop. Bruce Kessler is an ardent boater and has travelled around the world in his trawler. He shares his experiences with attendants at "Trawler Fest".
"Zopilote"
Talking with the other captains it was apparent that they all were frustrated with the lobster pots being in the navigation channels and everyone (except me!) had just gone ahead and put line cutters on their shafts. If they went over one, the line simply got cut and didn't foul their props. This was of particular help getting into port after dark. Two successive fronts are moving through the area tonight. If things have settled in the morning we may try a straight shot to Eastport..Most of it is in open water and it is an 80 nm mile run but we have plotted a couple of "outs" in case it gets too rough. It's been a long haul and we are ready for it to be over so we can relax and enjoy easy summer cruising in Maine....we'll see!
After a summer of reading 50 Shades of Grey, I am ready to make room in my beach bag for favorite local author Randy Wayne White as he introduces a new series in his book GONE. Classified as a psychological thriller, "Gone" takes place on Captiva, Sanibel, Port Royal in Naples, and in the Ten Thousand Islands. Locals of Southwest Florida love reading Randy's novels as they take place in locations we can relate to while reading. Pick up a copy of any of the 18 novels Mr. White has written for great fictional beach reading.
Shula's is located inside the Hilton Naples Hotel on 5111 Tamiami Trail North; Naples, FL 34103
