Where most boats go to die...

Len and I got a welcomed break from the summer heat and
boat projects to help our neighbor, Jimmy.  He owns a beautiful
Hatteras that he and his wife live aboard in Stuart, FL, during
the winter months.  In the off-season, they return to their ol'
Kentucky home, and Sea Quell is docked next door to us.
He came down for a few weeks mid-summer to check on the
boat and get a few projects done.  He invited us to take a 
break and ride along with him to Glades.  He had an early
appointment for a haul out to get the bottom painted.

Any day on the water is a good day in my book.  The sun
was already rising high in the sky on the Caloosahatchee,
and it was sure to be another 'feels like 100+ degrees'- whew!

Most of this neighborhood are retirees, and the
majority of them are boaters...it gets in your blood.

It may not be the gorgeous blues of the Bahamas, but
living on the water, with my sailboat tied to my dock,
here in SWFL, suits me just fine!

Sea Quell is a beauty!

Do you see what I see?! This is 'gator country!

The haul out went perfectly. Nice boat, eh?
While Jimmy tended to business, I had to have a look
around.  Marquesa was previously stored here in the off
season.  Glades is a great hurricane hole, and because it
is 'off the beaten path' the fees for haul out and storage
are far cheaper than either coast or the Keys. 
Sadly, many boats go here to die...

...though a few will get resurrected, often for just $1.00.
I feel the same about old boats, as I do about old doors...
each one has a story of who owned her, where she traveled,
the storms she weathered...I love to let my imagination run wild.

It looks like someone is trying to restore this old wooden gal.

Her stern is so cool :)

Beautiful old brass chain plates and port hole...

That's one helluva long bowsprit, with a
cargo net underneath- Ahoy, matey!

Parts of her are really coming along in the restoration...

...yet some parts look beyond repair.  I wonder if the owner
gave up on the restoration when s/he realized the wooden
hull is entirely ate up with WORMS.  Yuck!

I guess if you can't afford a bigger boat, your salvage the stern
off another, cut it off, and glass it to extend your own boat- crazy!

As you look down row after row of boats in the
yard, they are all in various stages of
repair and disrepair.  It's a bit disheartening.

Old busted up jack stands littered the place.
I couldn't help but see a glimmer of hope in
the form of a cross in the foreground.

I turned down another row, and in the pile of
debris and empty paint cans, I see some
filthy, faded, abandoned silk flowers.
Was it remnants of another broken dream?

An abandoned fridge, with food rotting in the hot sun :(

I recognize this boat from a former acquaintance in the Keys!
I wonder what he is up to now?  Why is it here?

With his business tended to, and the boat
safely on jack stands, it was time to head home.

Len picked us up in the neighbor's pontoon for the three mile jaunt home.

This boat appears to be a derelict, anchored up on the river.
I have no idea what it was; it seems to be a hand-made job
The forward mast looked like it was about to land in the water.
What a wreck of a boat!

I love the country setting where I now live.
Kind of like being back home in Indiana,
only different.  The reflection is beautiful 💙

If it weren't for the palm trees, you'd think I
was back in east central Indiana! 🐄

Sadly, this boat came to die in our neighborhood. It is
an abandoned (derelict) Chris Craft, which was once a
beautiful vessel in it's hey-day.  My dad used to own an old
wooden Chris Craft, that I learned to water ski behind on
Lake Wawasee. Thankfully, some neighbors have gotten
 the ball rolling to have it removed- it really is a hazard.

Once we returned home, it was time
to get busy once again.  We are up to
our elbows and a$$ deep in boat
projects of our own.  I can't wait to
show you the big reveal!!!

G'nite, y'all!