Morning Bell June 24

Good morning everyone,

A long break in between Blogs. Sorry, there's no excuse for me but we have been working so hard to get the place finished. First of all, the weather.

Whew! I think we invented hot. The last week has been a scorcher with temps hitting nearly 100 and very high humidity. Also we have had torrential rains every day and we are squarely in the rainy season now. Today light East winds and lower (seasonal) temps of 86 degrees. Likely afternoon storms, mostly inland.

Well, lots of progress on the construction and, as they say, a picture is worth.... so I am uploading a number of pics to the Construction Progress album link. I have been trying to upload photos for an hour on the Blog with no luck so follow this link to our website to see the photos. http://www.snookbightmarina.com/marina_construction_timeline.asp and click on Timeline.

We will be permitted for the main storage building next week and a number of Member boats are already here and tucked away. Members are welcome to bring their boats in now.

Dry wall is being finished as we speak in the Ship Store and they will be moving upstairs tomorrow. It is a great step forward to see this finish work finally under way.

The parking for Members is closed just for 2 days now to make the curb and lay sod in the swales and then it will be open again.

Electrics are in the final stages of installation by the utility company.

I have been on this all day with interrupions every minute so I will close this and again suggest you go to our website "Timeline" to see the pics from today.

Thanks and safe boating!

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

News April 19th

Good morning Everyone,

What a beautiful day it is here at Snook Bight Yacht Club & Marina. Lots of sun, light breeze ( sorry sailors) and temps going to the low 80s today. Perfect! We ahd a low tide this morning at 6 so it's on the Flood now to a high at 12:36 this afternoon. Gulf water temp is 73* now and rising.

Full Moon tomorrow.

The rental boat business is still really brisk and everyone that comes in is raving about the number of dolphins they are seeing and how active they are. It's breeding time for them now and they are having a great time in the beautiful, clear water we are enjoying. Say what you will about the drought but it sure has allowed the water to clear up in the Bay and Gulf. Time to Enjoy! Note: Dolphin photo taken by one of our Beachcomber Tours customers.

Lots of activity on the construction side now. Here are a few photos.

Electric Lines running to the docks.

New water lines. A shakey time in the temporary ship store.

A bad day for parking!
Lots of stuff going on in the storage building. Electrics, Sprinklers and relocation of the support beams for the member boats makes for a noisy and crowded building.

Believe it or not, we're still on schedule for opening the main building to Members in June. The pool is almost done and all of the air conditioning and electrics inside are nearing completion. Drywall will be going up next week and the paving on the North side (Member's parking) will be completed by Friday.

The bridge joining the restaurant and the main building will be poured next week as well so there is slots of progress everywhere!

Member's and Lease customers enjoy superb Platinum Concierge Service from start to finish. Lots of Member boats are coming in now as folks head North. This week one new Member arrived and his boat got a full cleaning and flush and is now at rest for the summer. Once a month we'll launch his boat, run it up the Bay and back, check all the systems and tuck it away again. It's all part of the service.

Interested in taking advantage of the Platinum Concierge Service here? Whether for wet slip or dry rack storage, buying or leasing, this is the place. Give us a call. We have a limited number of dry storage racks available for lease on 6 or 12 month basis.

Well, that's about all for today. Time to get out on the water!

Joe

Catching Up

Good afternoon Everyone,

Nearly a month since my last Blog. So sorry but we have been so busy here with Easter, Spring Break and the construction. So here goes.

Weather has been great lately and today it's simply beautiful. Light winds, hardly a cloud, calm seas. What more could you ask. We've had a few days of southerly winds and they are bringing some late afternoon clouds and a chance of rain but it is no issue for boating. It's always interesting during the transition of seasons and this year we seem to be rushing through Spring.

Lots of progress on the construction. Here are a few pics.

The above pics show the two 8000 gallon fuel tanks being placed underground.

Here's a pic of the ground in front of the restaurant and ship store being prepped which will be the promenade area. Can't wait to see the finished product!

Tiki has been restless lately and we have to watch him every day. He loves to go "walk-about" and usually ends up at the door to the ship store knocking to get in.

Construction continues on schedule to open the storage facility June 15th with the restaurant probably opening in September.

Our rental boat business continues to grow at a tremendous rate and we're now the clear leader on Ft Myers Beach. We've continually added boats to the fleet and it seems there is no top end to the available busines. It makes a great day with family and friends and is economical and possible for everyone, regardless of their experience.

We now have Members who wish to rent their storage racks and we are the contact to arrange for rented space for your boat. Any length up to 45 feet and rates starting at $16.75 per foot per month. Some club memberships are also available. Annual and semi-annual rates. Call for more information.

Well, my blog manager won't let me add any more images today so I'll sign off now. More tomorrow.

Happy and safe boating.

Joe

Morning Bell March 7

Good morning Everyone,

First the weather. It's been an up and down week with a few cold fronts (not really cold) blowing thru including one today that looks like it will be a little more serious. Windy and cold tonite dropping to 40s. Yesterday and today we have very high temps and humidy. Feels like summer! Boaters, there are SCWs for the Gulf today and tomorrow. It's building today out of the South and will shift around overnite and be coming from the North tomorrow after the front passes by. Looks like rain tomorrow but Sunday will be great!

The Shrimp Festival begins tomorrow with the parade in the morning and we'll be there with our annual float carrying the Chamber comittee.

It's an exciting day today as the last section of the seawall will be finished today, the steel girders for the communications towere are going up and the drywall for the ship store arrived so here are a few pics so far.

Two weeks ago Jodi and bobbie had a tour out on the Bay and, as usual, the dolphins were following along. Check out these incredible shots taken by one very happy customer.

Last night larry and I watched a couple of Manatees swimming around the launch well.

The day's getting away from me. More pics tomorrow.

Joe

Morning Bell Feb 27th

Good morning Everyone,

Well, I can't say "another day in Paradise" today as the news is all about the weather today. Overnite we had winds of 30 Kts up to about 7AM. Now they are settling a little bit as the front passes through but still around 20 Kts. Lots of clouds around as well but no rain. Looks like this will pass through today and bring sunshine back tomorrow. As with all fronts like this in Jan/Feb we can look forward to cold temps overnite and into the morning. Currently it's only 66* and not likely to get much warmer today. Down in the 40s tonite.

Locals like us think this is frigid weather and everyone here is bundled up. You'd think it was snowing outside.

Unfortunately this is not a day for boating.

Beachcomber Tours runs an eco tour boat out of the marina and the other day Capt. Bobby Romero had a group on board that got some rare and incredible pictures of dolphins at play. I'm promised we'll get copies to show you shortly. Many people are fortunate to see dolphins on the back bay when out in a rental boat or with Beachcomber Tours. It's one of the most enjoyable events you can have. Do you know why the dolphin love to swim in the wake of a boat?

The most common belief is that they love to play and this is playtime. That is probably true and, if not, it's suits us to see it that way because we love these guys. Another commonly held theory is that they get a kind of high from the oxygenated water on the wake. Whatever it is, it sure is fun to see.

Yesterday was MaryAnne's birthday.

Happy Birthday MaryAnne!

No pics of the construction today but there is lots of activity. The steel building work is nearly finished and Stemic is working hard on the last section of seawall. The air conditioning is being installed this week and there are all kinds of odd looking things hanging from the ceilings everwhere. The plumbers are also on site as well as the supplier of the water filtration and cleaning system so lots going on.

Today's a day for maintenance catch up on the rental boats as the weather has dampened any interest in boating by the tourists in the area. We'll be ready for them tomorrow again.

Time to get back to work. Have a great day and drop in to see us.

Joe