Morning Bell May 17

Good morning Everyone,

Another boring (sic) day in Paradise. Sunny, breezy and 89*. We have a cold front hanging to the North so we'll probably have a few clouds but rain is unlikely along the coast. Winds will remain out of the SW or WSW at 10-20 Kts today thru Monday so the onshore breeze will bring a heavy chop to the Gulf. It looks like this wind is going to persist until Tuesday when things settle a bit.

Here's one for you. The Arthritus Index is High today! Didn't even know there was such a thing. No wonder I ache all over. And I blamed it on the construction. Who knew?

Things continue at breakneck speed on the construction side. The stucco work continues as well as the final "bump-out" features on the main building. We will see the building finally closed completely by late next week. Yesterday the bridge was poured and also the deck on the pool. The modifications to the End Walls in the storage building are nearly complete and the rails for the doors were set in concrete on Thursday. The tench drain along the seawall on the promenade is being set and that promenade will be poured very shortly. That will make way for the pavers and planter boxes.

Inside the electrics are nearly complete as is the Air Con. The cabinets will be installed on June 1 in the Member's Club Room and the Employee Lounge. The appliances are all on order and waiting to be shipped. The Lockers for the shower rooms arrive next week and will be installed as well as the sinks and showers so lots going on! Here's a few pics.

Above is the bridge being poured and the finished job. Below is the dumpster enclosure in progress.

My partner, Billy, was in from Ireland this week and had a turn on the new Forklift. Here's a couple of pics giving you a perspective on the size.

While all of this is going on we're at the Naples Bayfront Boat Show this weekend and there's lots of activities there.

Well, that's about all for today. off to Naples for the boat show.

Safe Boating!

Joe

Morning Blog

Good morning Eeveryone,

Firstly I have to again apologize for not updating the blog as I would like. Your comments are noted and I will try to do better. Please understand that we are under intense pressure here with construction and the looming deadline of mid-June. I find myself either on the property with contractors or in meetings dawn to dusk.

Let's talk about the weather first. There is so much not to cover! Sunny, warm and breezy!!! perfect Florida late Spring. We desperately need rain as the brush fires are popping up everywhere but the water is the cleanest I have seen it since the 60's! Just wonderful boating weather although today's Southerly breeze may make it a little choppy.

Yesterday was a wonderfully exciting day for Larry and all of the Staff, not to mention me. The new Marina Bull arrived at 9AM. Yesterday we had 18 70’ high lifts on the property along with one 100 ton crane and four trailer loads of the new Wiggins Marina Bull. The Bull came on four trailers and the main chassis arrived on a 110’ long, 5 section, articulated trailer rig which was 15’ wide and required special escorts and clearances all the way from California. The chassis weighs 122,000 lbs. Add in 2 forks at 7000 lbs each and the counter weight at 12,000 lbs and the mast at 22,000 lbs! We backed up traffic all the way back to both bridges for three hours yesterday morning! 6.5 miles! Sorry folks.

div>Here's a few pics..

Today the Bull will be fully assembled and in action!

Of course, there is a lot more going on right now. Yesterday I counted 28 different sub-contractors on the property all falling all over each other tryng to complete their individual tasks. Here's a view of the storage building yesterday:


A maze of manlifts in action making the modifications to the end walls, running electrics, water and sprinkler pipes. Also painters. It looks the same on the outside of the building!



Electric feeds to the docks are now finally through the seawall and we will be closing this up today. That is such a big step because we can now grade the area along the water and lay the pavers.

The stairs that lead to the employee lounge and the electrical room.

Here you can see that the building is partially painted and the bunks for the boats are being prepared.

So, there is so much going on. The walk in cooler is due to arrive this week and all of the doors and windows are not installed and waiting for glass. The stucco work is ongoing around the building and the shheting on the remainder of the storage building is being hung. Yesterday we punched the hole under the wall to join the sewer mains and the drainage pipes are nearly all in.

I will do my best to post another blog over the weekend and, in the meantime, happy boating!

Joe