HARBOR DAY

Home in Port Charlotte

76* at 4:30 AM

I woke up at 3AM, stayed in bed trying to fall back asleep until 4 and finally gave up. I get this way sometimes when I know I'm taking the boat out. I don't know if it's excitement or nerves or a combination of the two. Nonetheless I turned the coffee pot on so my day is officially started.

Yesterday evening I took the boat off the lift for the first time since July. I wanted to take a little test run to make sure all is well after the big annual maintenance project. Everything seems a-ok.

I'm launching at 7AM and will return about 1PM. My Cardinals buddy and neighbor Chuck is coming out with me and we are supposed to meet up with his wife, Ruthie, and some of their friends on another boat. I will bring a couple of rods with me but this will mostly be a cruise around Charlotte Harbor and not so much of a fishing venture.

Above are some photographs I shot during my last business trip to Fort Pierce. The water shots were taking from my dinner table at a restuarant called Chuck's Seafood (no connection to my buddy Chuck). The unassuming name is deceiving; this is a really nice place. It has been at the same location, where the Indian River meets the Fort Pierce Inlet along the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway, since 1961. They just recently completed their first renovation since opening and now sport a new dining room and outdoor patio.

For dinner I had parmesean crusted snapper served over linguine alfredo (24.95), plus a bowl of conch chowder (4). It was a great meal and Chuck's is a great place.

The turtles were hanging out in one of the Fort Pierce neighborhoods where I worked on Thursday. They reminded me of a turtle we had as a child named Magoo.

I will take some pictures of my boat trip today and post them tomorrow.