Underway part 2

We ended up staying at Marina Jacks in Sarasota longer than intended while the props got fixed and reinstalled and we waited for mail to arrive. It was a really nice time, meeting Debbie and Tim aboard Low Profile, really great people to share a dock with. I finally found a Perfect shell - but after getting to it discovered that someone still lived there, so back in the water he went.

We enjoyed getting to the Ringling Museum. We thought the miniature circus (which is huge!) was the best part,

and enjoyed seeing the rail car that John and Mabel Ringling travelled in - quite elegant. Also worth doing in town is the Marie Selby botanical garden.

Didn’t get to the Mote Aquarium, but have heard its good too.

Once the mail was in hand we headed out again, in perfect conditions. Given that it was already noon we thought we would anchor in Blackburn Bay before heading out the Venice Inlet and down the Boca Grande Pass. Once again Active Captain and shallow waters let us down: keeping any water under the keel had us anchoring right in the ICW. So - up anchor, a quick call to Fishermans Wharf Marina in Venice and another tie up for the night. But what a beautiful spot to do it: Very quiet and low key, a treat after the noise and activity of Marina Jack’s.



An early morning departure, going out Venice Inlet into the Gulf was fine. Rough ride south though as swells coming from the northwest were countered by easterly winds. Took a lot of water over the bow, spraying up onto the flybridge. Happy to have the pilothouse!

Rough but clearly marked entry in Boca Grande Pass and around the tip of Costa Cayo Island. Took 2 attempts to find deep enough water to enter Pelican Bay, but succeeded and anchored in 5 feet. We continue to be amazed by the shallowness of Florida’s water - so much of it can just be walked through. Quite a few other boats here.+++

What a wonderful place Pelican Bay turned out to be. Most of the boats left over the weekend and the quiet isolation was perfect after all the city time. Explored in the kayaks, finding two perfect ‘hurricane holes’ - little bays surrounded by mangroves. Entries were too shallow to bring a boat in, but deep enough for us and dolphins! What fun we had paddling with them surfacing around us.

Landing at the Cayo Costa State Park we had a 15 minute walk to the gulf side of the island with several miles of unspoiled beach. Found many perfect seashells, favorites were lightening whelks and pear whelks.

From Cayo Costa we followed the ICW inside the barrier islands. Reputed to be difficult and shallow, but we had no problems at all and spent the night anchored in a bay along the Ding Darling Preserve on the north side of Sanibel Island.

Jack found good fishing here and we had flounder for dinner

Big thunderstorms rolled in - our anchor dug in and we were secure through the wind and waves.

We left the ICW, traveling through the last 5 mile stretch collectively referred to as ‘the miserable mile’ due to narrow and shallow channels with tremendous cross currents. Again, its reputation seemed exaggerated and we had no problems at all.


While the Florida coast is packed with McMansions and Starter-Castles crammed side by side, we found one house in the ICW that defied the norm:



The end of the west coast ICW is the beginning of the OWW - Okeechobee WaterWay - which crosses Florida from San Carlos Bay on the west coast via the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee, coming out at Stuart on the east coast. This is the route we are taking.



Stopped at Fort Myers Yacht Basin to leave the boat for a week while we make a needed trip home. Lucked into the annual South Florida Art Fest at the waterfront, a bit of fun along with the usual boat maintenance issues: After living aboard our sailboat with just one head we knew that having 2 heads was essential given the frequency with which they break. Who knew that both heads would choose to have problems at the same time, lol. The alternator and tachometer for the port engine both need looking at. And of course it just wouldn’t be a proper stop without at least one trip to West Marine, this time to replace a part that fell overboard…


The Art Fest was Huge, and filled with lovely work. A real treat, along with the food trucks: bbq pork tacos to die for.





A week at home in Chattanooga - gotta go there sometime! Paperwork, haircuts, wonderful time with friends. Had the real pleasure of seeing Cindy Procious as the maid Nelly in “Dracula:the Musical” - such a fun evening.

Back to Fort Myers and a day on Sanibel Island - what we thought would be a quiet walk on the beaches was more like rush hour traffic. Huge crowds of people! So we didn’t stay long.
Tragedy struck on Wednesday when I stupidly carted some CostCo stuff on board, rupturing a disc. Now on complete bedrest, trying to keep my mouth shut as Jack picks up the slack doing the ‘housework’. Now thats a challenge… Using a cane when I Have to get up, but it looks like we will be staying in Ft Myers much longer than planned as there is no way I can handle lines, anchor etc. Can’t even cash in on some restaurant meals. Bummer.