Stardate 12072.1

Captain's Log: Stardate 12072.1 

The Enterprise returned back home to Starbase (Venice Yacht Club) yesterday after a voyage to the South Seas Resort at Captiva Island as part of an organized club cruise. We left early Thursday morning (after a necessary quick servicing of the impulse engine) to head down the ICW towards Captiva. 

Unfortunately the heavy winds and sea state left over from Hurricane Sally moving north kept an outside passage out of the question. Instead, it was a pleasant motoring complete with opening drawbridges, waving boaters, swaying palm trees, and beautiful homes. We've only been living here for just over a year now and, as we crossed into Charlotte Harbor, the reality of it all hit us: 

We were boldly going where we had never gone before. 

After a few hours of travelling further past Costa Cayo and Cabbage Key, along with some soaking, yet refreshing, downpours of rain, the Entreprise had arrived at the resort's marina.

The next day, as we waited for the rest of the fleet to arrive, we were getting ready to head to the pool, when my wife exclaimed that there was a huge spider in the cockpit. Intruder Alert! As I went to go kill it with a water bottle, it was discovered that it was not really a spider, but a very small blue crab.

And that, my friends, is the closest we'll ever get to a Florida version of The Deadliest Catch. 

Poolside at the resort was heavenly, and we kept having to remind ourselves that, in the past, we'd have to get on a plane and fly for hours to experience this. But now, we were only 40 miles from the house.

To get around the island, one could use their trolley system, but I decided to rent a vehicle for the weekend. Of course, being in my mid-50's now, I wanted to make sure I got something sporty, where I could feel the breeze running through my hair, and it had to be shiny red.

That evening, we went to Doc Ford's Restaurant to have dinner and meet the other boat cruisers (and a few that came by car.) The dinner, and the company, was nothing short of fantastic. I understand through the organizers, Vince and Maria Pelliccia, that this was an impressive turnout, especially with three sailboats in attendance -- The Enterprise, Joan Marie III (Boat abd Joan Foster), and Endeavor (Dave and Cheryl Cook). A fourth was scheduled to attend, but backed out due to weather concerns. 

The next day, after a brief shopping trip in town (minor photon torpedo hit to the credit card) we joined the group at the pool for some fun in the sun. After some time there, we transported ourselves to another pool to take advantage of the two water slides. One was very twisty and the other very high speed where I could swear I saw Vince Pelliccia "catch air" as he skimmed into the pool. 

At 4:30, we invited a few people over to the Enterprise for some drinks -- Klingon Blood Wine (tastes a lot like Cabernet Souvignon), Andorian Rum (tastes a lot like Bicardi), Federation Margaritas, and Romulan Ale (not sure what it tastes like, but it is blue). The group was adventurous and finished off the Romulan Ale in no time. Afterwards, we piled onto our sporty carts (Marc's had a Firebird logo on the front) and went into town for an open-air dinner and live music. What a fabulous time we had as the sun set in paradise.

After dinner, we went aboard Vince and Maria's powerboat (Fin & Tonic) for some more drinks and great conversation. Their boat is beautiful for sure and I can certainly see the attraction to the lifestyle, but I'm not ready to give up Dacron just yet. 

The next day, some of the group were contuining on to Pink Shell Resort and Marina, but we decided to head back for other commitments. In the end, between the gorgeous locations, the fabulous weather, having air conditioning inside the Enterprise, and these great people, we are going to more and more of these events. Great times.