Florida’s West Coast
Finally our travels up the west coast of Florida. Our most northern point was Tarpon Springs (although we never actually went into port there). We are still tied up at the Holiday Inn in Indian Rock Beach since our return from PA. Not sure where we’ll spend the heart of hurricane season. We’ll keep you informed…at our pace, slow like the south.
On Sunday, April 4th we once again headed north only this time on the west coast of Florida. We sailed close-hauled for a couple of hours in light winds from the northwest, but were soon motoring as the winds increased and our course turned us more into the wind. We landed in Flamingo, FL late afternoon. Flamingo is located in the southwest corner of the Everglades National Park and consists only of a small marina, lodge, small store, and restaurant operated by a U. S. Park Service concessionaire. While we were there it was busy with small fishing boats coming and going, and with tourists taking boat tours; a few weeks later most services will be closed for the season due to heat, rain, and the dreaded mosquito. While tied up we took walks and saw many species of Florida birds, alligators swimming in the calm water, and a very large crocodile sunning himself by the path. It wasn’t moving and Tom thought it was fake until he got close enough to it and it suddenly slapped its’ jaw shut. Tom moved away and the croc continued his sunning. Luckily we didn’t have any mosquito problems, as the wind was just strong enough to keep them at bay.
After a few days, we moved on around Cape Sable and on up the coast. We made a pit stop to take a dinghy tour of Lake Ingraham. Jim and Judy informed us of bountiful bird life on the lake, but it must be too late in the season as we saw nary a one. We sailed downwind to our anchorage in Ponce de Leon Bay behind Shark River Island. Our anchorage is very beautiful; all of the Gulf of Mexico spans out in front of us and hundreds of islands of the Everglades lie behind us. It is so remote here we have absolutely no phone service and the only noise we hear are from the land and water. In the morning we got in our dinghies to explore while Jim and Judy took soundings to find the deeper water into the Little Shark River. We spied a couple of boats anchored near the mouth of the river as suggested in some cruising guides but we opted to move our boats further upstream. On a rising tide, we motored Tomcat and Albatross into the Shark and Little Shark Rivers carefully avoiding the shoal areas found by the soundings. We motored approximately 12 miles into the heart of the Everglades until the river opened up slightly at Tarpon Bay where we dropped our hooks. We were miles and miles from any civilization, and our charts indicated this was as far as we could safely navigate. An occasional fishing skiff went by obviously surprised to see such “large” boats at anchor here; otherwise we were alone with nature.
In the morning Jim and Judy came by with fresh homemade cinnamon buns, a treat we gratefully accept at any time. We checked some charts to forge a plan to head into the Everglades in search of the saw grasses. Armed with our charts, handheld GPS and VHF, camera, water, and a light snack we began what turned out to be a 20-mile dinghy ride. As we motored through the narrow passage of Avocado Creek we sited several alligators carefully watching and slipping underwater as we neared. We soon came to the Cane Patch Chickee, and stopped for a quick look. A chickee is a designated camping area found along the Wilderness Waterway, beaches, and Keys in the Everglades National Park. Nature enthusiasts use these chickees while traveling via kayak or canoe over the Wilderness Waterway between Flamingo and Everglade City. We found a campsite set up at Cane Patch but not a soul in sight; it was all very primitive and we couldn’t imagine spending the night there, alone, in the dark, so close to the alligators. We motored further into the interior, the waterway widening then narrowing with shoots branching off in all directions; it was a good thing we had our trusty handheld GPS along. It would take weeks to explore even a small part of the Everglades, so after a few hours we gave up our search of the elusive saw grasses. At another time we would love to go back up the Shark Rivers and spend more time there.
On Easter Sunday we motored out of the Shark River into the Gulf headed for Everglade City. Since we had to motor due to lack of wind we ran the watermaker; it was finally working great. We were soon under full sail so Tom decided on trolling. We were surprised when he soon had a Spanish mackerel on the line; it was like a comedy act with Tom trying to hold on to the fish while I had all our guides out that had pictures of fish in them so we could identify it. Once we decided it was a keeper and edible we made plans on having Easter dinner. During the balance of our sail he caught two more Spanish mackerels, two blues, and two jacks. We kept one more mackerel and the last blue tore off his lure so that ended his run. After anchoring in Russell Pass, we had Albatross over for dinner and Judy came up with a surprise for Tom; she had attempted to make little chocolate bunnies to top her pie. We soon had threats of thunderstorms and some rain so we called it a night.
We woke to very heavy winds and rain. We listened as NOAA broadcast severe weather of thunderstorms, waterspouts, hail and small tornados expected in our area. We saw wind gusts of 43 knots (possible 48—no reading glasses on at the time) and Albatross was blown over on her side with one gust. The weather looked bad for the next several days, so, since we made this stop to be able to dinghy to the small island of Chokoloskee, we decided to move in closer and dock at the Everglade City Rod & Gun Club when the rain cleared. Anchored in Russell Pass we didn’t really get a good feel for being in the Ten Thousand Islands, but motoring up the channel to Everglade City we were literally surrounded by islands. After docking and checking in, we dinghyed to Chokoloskee to visit the Smallwood Store (a museum) a definite step back in time. Visitors touring the store’s memorabilia are reminded how simple things and life were in the past. Upon leaving, Tom, Jim and Judy each bought their sought after tee shirt.
It rained hard with thunderstorms all night and during a break in the morning Judy and I took a long walk and picked up some items at the local grocery store. The town itself is very small and quaint just beginning to be discovered and developed. Hopefully it won’t get too developed and become like all the rest of the tourist towns. After waiting out another threat of a strong thunderstorm, we motored back to Russell Pass to wait for better weather to head out. Another cold front had passed through and we would have northwest winds of 25 knots for a couple of days, not weather we wanted to round Cape Romano in. So we sat tight in Russell Pass. While I was busy making bread and soup, Tom went dinghy exploring; a little while later I spotted Jim and Judy also heading out to explore. Soon after I noticed Jim and Judy returning with Tom in tow; the engine had quit on the dinghy. Since Tom went out without a VHF he was very lucky he didn’t have to row all the way back to the boat. Tom and Jim worked on the engine the rest of the afternoon while Judy and I perused through Central America cruising guides and charts for a tentative trip to the area this winter. We all had soup and hot fresh Italian bread for dinner and played some Setback (the girls have been taking a trouncing as of late).
April 16th we sadly departed the solitude and quiet of the Everglades and set sail towards the congestion, high rises, and noise of Marco Island. Our route took us many miles offshore to clear the shallows off Cape Romano while Albatross took the ICW route. We couldn’t clear the bridges on the ICW but found it much nicer to sail anyway. It’s the beginning of the weekend and rental boats and locals are in abundance as we set anchor in Factory Bay. We spent just one day here, going into town for a walk and lunch. We then made the short trip along the ICW traveling between numerous islands and some very shallow water to Little Marco Island. The anchorage is jam-packed with weekend boats run up on the beach and some cruisers anchored out. We waited until most went on their way and had a picnic on the beach. We played some bocce while waiting for the sunset; the ladies beat the guys so badly they felt the need to practice. The sunset came and went; we are still waiting to see the elusive “green flash”.
On an early morning walk on the beach we met a couple that are leaving for the Dry Tortugas and then onto Mexico. Jim and Judy went to check out their charts for Cuba and Mexico but found them using pages out of a guidebook! Some people really are lackadaisical when it comes to preparing and making an extended cruise. Are we right by having all the charts and guides possible, or are they flying by the seat of their pants?
Tuesday we motored on to Naples and took a mooring at the Naples City Dock so we could catch up on some laundry. While there we noticed a gorgeous “go fast” boat with Homeland Security painted on the side, probably scouting out the area in preparation to Georgies visit this coming Friday. Naples is supposed to be one of the, if not the most, wealthy cities in the country and it is quite evident in the mammoth mansions we pass along the waterway and along Gordon Pass. When leaving we passed the $31 million mansion where GW was to hold a campaign fund raiser on Friday; luckily we passed through a few days early because the river, Gordon Pass and approximately one mile out into the Gulf was off-limits during his visit.
From Naples our next stop was Fort Myers Beach. We motor sailed this trip due to absolute lack of wind and anchored behind Estero Island, sometime called the Marathon of the west coast. Although no mooring balls, the anchorage was crowded with many liveaboards and some derelict boats. Tom counted no less than seven sunken boats close by to the area we dropped our hook. A small grocery store was nearby so we were able to get some fresh goods. We walked the beach but found it overcrowded with tourists, lots of families, and quite a change from having most of the beaches to ourselves.
One day was enough for us so we moved on up the ICW past Captiva and Sanibel Islands (we hope to visit them at a later date) to anchor between Useppa Island and Cabbage Key. Landing on Useppa is strictly forbidden; it is an exclusive members only island and the membership fee is supposedly extremely high. Cabbage Key on the other hand, is extremely laid back; its claim to fame is one very tiny marina and restaurant and a few small rental cottages. People come from miles around by boat of course, to have breakfast; lunch or dinner here and there is usually a waiting line to get in. Dollar bills (sometimes higher) are tacked on the walls and ceiling by visiting patrons. It’s quite a sight to see; the owners donate this money to charity $20,000 at a time. As luck would have it the restaurant was closed for dinner due to a snook fishing tournament but we did catch breakfast there. Our waitress told us of how they all live on the island sharing small houses provided by the restaurant; they leave for the “mainland” on their days off. We took a walking tour on a nature path around the small island and could see the small homes and rental cabins hidden in the trees. Afterwards we dinghyed through the “Tunnel of Love”, a narrow waterway path closed in by mangroves to get to the beach which is only accessible by canoes, kayaks, and very small boats. We walked a while and watched as approximately 50 “go-fast” boats raced by us on the Gulf about a half mile out; we thought that perhaps they were coming from a boat show but found out later it was a poker run. Soon after we headed back to our boats as the beach was actually getting crowded. Back at our boats we again got to watch the go fast boats zip by us on the ICW—the noise was intense.
After another pleasant night, we hoisted our main sail and got underway. The winds were light as we pulled up anchor and we were resigned to motor sail for another day, but were pleasantly surprised to actually sail the first half of the trip. We were on a run for most of the time crossing Charlotte Harbor and Bay; once through the bridge though we had to drop the sails and motor the rest of the way to Englewood Beach. The anchorage is once again crowded with local boats and liveaboards; we noticed only two other cruisers on the hook. Having been here before, Judy informs us this is not how it used to be; she knows how I detest crowded anchorages, but we each find room and drop our hooks.
The reason we first decided to come to Englewood Beach was to have a close place for Judy to meet up with her son Larry and family. We ended up liking this stop very much and remained for several days. Another front was on its way so we first made the 2-1/2 to 3 mile dinghy ride across the open waters of Lemon Bay to the small town of Englewood to pick up some necessary prescriptions. The locals we found to ask directions thought it an absurdly long walk to have to make (and asked if we were in shape to walk it!), but it turned out only to be approximate 1ž2 mile from waters edge. When we returned we dinghyed with Jim and Judy to the beach at Stump Pass to look for fossilized sharks teeth. We are told that the fossilized sharks teeth we found, most prevalent on the beaches between Englewood and Venice, are approximately 2-35 million years old. We found a small handful but they are all pretty small. After a game of bocce we dinghyed back and had the company of two large dolphin swimming with us and under our dinghy. They were so close we could reach out and pet them if we tried.
The following day we lent our dinghy to Jim and Judy so they could easily meet up with her son Larry and family. The sky was overcast and threatening for much of the day so we caught up on some minor chores. Wednesday, Jim and July told us they needed to start heading back to Indiantown; they had an oil leak somewhere and didn’t want to get further north. They had intended on going with us to Tarpon Springs, but boats will be boats. Judy treated us to dinner in celebration of her publishing an article in an upcoming issue of Southern Boating; we are very happy and excited for her. We waddled back to our boats and played a few last hands of Setback; the ladies finally trounced the men in three games.
On Thursday, April 29th we sadly watched Albatross hoist anchor and depart for Indiantown. We wished them luck and hope to meet them again in November. As winds were strong, we decided to stay one more day and dinghyed to the beach. While there we watched fascinated as a huge heron stood guard over a fish that was obviously too big for him; he seemed to do a small dance around the fish as it tried to get back into the water. A powerboat coming slowly into the Pass increased his speed to planning as he hit point of land (showing off and acting brainless as per usual power boater) creating a rather large wake and washed the poor herons prize back into the sea. We did get to spy a couple of dolphin jumping and playing in the wake behind the boat; it was quite a sight. Back at Tomcat a trawler pulled in to anchor behind us, and a woman called over to ask if “we really were from Whitehall, PA”. Seems she was from Bethlehem. We had just finished talking recently how we never met any boaters from PA, let alone Allentown, while Judy met tons from Maine where she lived for many years. This was our first local we’ve met in over two years.
Before we departed in the morning Dolly and Joe on Gypsy came by to introduce themselves and have a chat. They now live in Key Largo and gave us their location so we could use their dock to land our dinghy if we came back that way. They were off to the beach and we left for Venice. We took our time as we motored the ICW and tied up at an empty town dock. Five other boats soon joined us including Gypsy. One repeat visitor mentioned he had rats come on board his boat overnight here and we should take precautions—-not a very pleasant thought. We chatted with locals coming by to visit with us, walked the beach, and spent a good part of the night on Gypsy drinking and talking. Luckily we had no rats during the night, but we were picking evergreen needles off the boat for weeks. The locals we talked to told us Venice was a quaint town to visit and we fully intended to, but because we could not find a suitable area in which to anchor (the dock only allowed an overnight tie up) we moved on. That night we ended up anchoring just off the ICW, which was quite rolly due to weekend traffic.
Sunday, May 2nd winds were suppose to be S 10-15 and gusty, the gusty was actually 25+ knots! Another day of motoring the ICW; luckily much of our time was in a no-wake zone, otherwise we were taking a pounding from the local fishing monsters. We anchored in a small area between Otter Key and Lido Key near Sarasota and spent a few days there. Tom scouted the area and found an area to land our dinghy where we could walk to the beach, do all kinds of shopping and catch a bus to the surrounding areas. The houses that surround us at anchor are huge and “perfectly” manicured but the homes we pass to land the dinghy are more “normal”. We took the bus to Longboat Key to shop at Publix and found this island seemed to be for the very wealthy. Everything was impeccable and homes were like nothing we’ve seen before. The next day we bussed into downtown Sarasota with all the locals (unlike the Longboat bus which was empty), through town and into the lower rent districts.
We went on to tour Ca’d Zan the elaborate, gaudy home of John & Mabel Ringling. It rivaled what we saw at the Vanderbilt mansion in Hyde Park, NY. There were lots of gold and silver, tapestries, gold leaf walls and woodwork, painted and carved ceilings, and period furniture; everything seemed to be overdone at a cost of 1.5 mil (very expensive for 1924-6). We also toured the circus museum and art museum. The circus museum was interesting with old costumes, circus wagons, etc. The art museum consisted of all the art collected by Ringling (over 600 painting, statues, misc. pieces, tapestries, etc.) between 1924 and 1931. Everything was deeded to Florida on Ringling’s death in 1936. Back to the boat, we had a quiet night.
Although we had enough wind to sail the following day, we opted to motor to charge our depleted batteries and make some water. We dropped our hook off Longboat Key near a few other boats but soon moved since we were apparently in a channel used by locals. We re-anchored in a small area that soon became quite crowded with sails and one powerboat, which promptly went aground and we heard blamed all us sailboats for his predicament to the towing company. We had dinner on shore and walked to the beach to try again for a green flash. The island has numerous peacocks roaming the streets; we saw several young birds in groups running about. The males had the blue heads but not the long plumage; a few moments later we saw an adult male with the very long plumage—we wished we could have seen him preening.
The following morning we moved on to the Manatee River. Again we motored to charge and make water. We were attacked by June bugs (or Love bugs); it was similar to driving through a black snow flurry and we had hundreds on the deck and dinghy. They were extremely annoying not to mention messy. We anchored catching some wind because of the bugs but had a very bouncy night. We are surrounded by state park and after moving to more protection in the morning we spent the day exploring and walking the nature trails. We visited the park station of Desoto’s Landing and watched a very interesting video on how Desoto explored the area in his day. Dinghying back to the boat we were surprised by a spotted ray as it flew out of the water not once but three times. That night we noticed that our anchor light was not working; oh joy, something new to fix.
Hoisted Tom up the mast in the morning to see if one of our spare bulbs would fix our anchor light; no such luck, so we motored a few miles up the river to Bradenton near a few marinas. No bulbs available but we decided to stay anchored to walk in to town to find a hardware store and catch the museum. A local boater pointed us in the direction of a small marine store (he practically walked us there) where we found a replacement bulb. Since the museum was closed on Mondays, we hoisted Tom up the mast again and now have a working anchor light. We stayed one more night so Tom could get visiting the South Florida Museum out of his system. It was very interesting although some exhibits were closed due to a fire (including the planetarium) and some not open due to a current expansion. They have the oldest born and raised in captivity manatee housed there called “Snooty”. It was educational and interesting to watch the manatee as he interacted with one of his caregivers.
Wednesday, May 12th, we motored out of the Manatee into Tampa Bay where we hoisted sail for a beautiful day of sailing with the exception of hearing our starboard engine run for battery charging. We headed for St. Petersburg to anchor in Vinoy Basin where our friends Roy and Sherry on Texas Pride had recently stayed and told us it was a well-protected anchorage. We were in the heart of St. Petersburg surrounded by high rises and the city marina. There was only one direction in which the anchorage could possibly be uncomfortable, the east. Our winds all day were SE which made the anchorage rolly but we were meeting friends on Saturday so we decided to stay put. What a mistake; we had a rough night with very little sleep. Come morning we quickly got to land for some stability and to check out the marina to possibly leave the boat during our upcoming trip to PA. The rate for a month is $17/foot, ouch! And at Clearwater City Marina it is $20/foot! We really had to get hunting for something a little more reasonable. Back to the boat, we spent the rest of the day doing chores while the winds outside picked up steadily all afternoon. The East winds were supposed to be light but were 15-20 and gusty making this anchorage our worst pick ever. It felt as though the entire Tampa Bay poured into the little inlet of Vinoy Basin.
After not getting any sleep until around 4 in the morning, we got smart and moved into the city marina at first chance. The winds never let up so we got caught up on laundry and caught the tail end of a sailboat race after dinner. Saturday we got together with some boating friends Terry and Barbara on Gypsy. They have a condo in St. Pete along with a car so we got a tour around the town as they took us to a couple of West Marines, pointed out some possible anchorages, and found a tentative marina to store the boat. After dinner and drinks, thunderstorm squalls were rolling in and we just got back on the boat in time to close her up tight. Terry had a good price on an accumulator tank so we finally ordered one to replace ours after our many attempts to repair it. We knew we would be in the St. Pete area for days to come so Terry would pick it up and deliver it to us…what service!
It was breezy and gusty as we left the Municipal Marina so we hoisted sail and sailed down Tampa Bay and back into the ICW. Apparently the summer rains have started as we hit another squall along the way. We pulled into Big McPherson Bayou at St. Pete Beach and dropped our hook in a very protected anchorage with houses lining the canal. At low tide we noticed we were hitting bottom so we needed to move. A couple, Don and Joann, called over to us and informed us to just drop back about 20 feet and we would be set all right. They also offered us a ride to anywhere we might need; sometimes we really find good people along the way. Waking in the morning we found we had a manatee playing under our boat and dinghy. He stayed with us for about a half hour. With hopes he might return again I collected all the greens we had that we weren’t going to use and saved them for him, but he never did return. We found a place to land our dinghy so we relaxed for a few days and walked to get some needed supplies and go hang out on the beach. We intended on leaving Wednesday but Terry called to deliver our accumulator so we met them at our dinghy dock. They took us for another ride to find a vet, to Pet Smart for carriers and then for lunch. We can’t thank them enough for taking out the time to taxi us around especially when they were busy getting ready for their daughter’s wedding on Saturday. We said goodbye again and wished them well with the wedding and their upcoming trip to Maine on their boat. The balance of the day Tom installed the accumulator tank, finally no leaks, and went to shore to Don and Joann’s to make a few phone calls to find a slip. They visited us later to see our boat and brought us a bottle of wine and three bags of ice. They want to do some cruising soon and just sold their sail for a Defever Trawler. Perhaps we’ll see them on the seas.
Thursday, May 20th we finally departed from St. Pete Beach for a short trip to Shell Key (recommended by Terry and Barbara). A raft up of two powerboats gave us some local knowledge on where to anchor. The anchorage is small and they helped us put out a back anchor so we wouldn’t swing into the channel and/or into the shallow water behind us. It’s a weekend spot for them and it apparently gets very crowded; a small boat haven. The beach is beautiful, fine, white sand with lots of shells. Don and Joann surprised us on their jet ski but didn’t stay. We swung with the on-shore breeze and seemed to get a little too close to our neighbors, but they assured us everything would be all right. The anchorage got a little busier the following day with our two-powerboat raft-up becoming five and a few more large fishing boat raft-ups. At this point we are just trying to bide our time until we leave for PA so we hang in there and expect even more tomorrow. Luckily the weather is beautiful with light winds and an onshore breeze each day. A large catamaran sailed past us, dropped his sails and went out of sight; it soon returned with a bridal party aboard and sailed out to have a sunset wedding.
On Saturday and Sunday Shell Key was a total zoo; our five-boat raft-up swelled to eight or nine boats and they still told us not to worry about how close we were. Our fishing yacht neighbors held a 50th birthday party which started early in the morning and went on into the wee hours of the night. A rather large yacht pulled into the lagoon and, for lack of any clear place to anchor dropped its hook in the channel and proceeded to have a wedding on board. Two 46’ yachts pulled in between Tomcat and the raft-up, one boat actually asking if we could pull our dinghy in behind us so that he would have room. Tom told him “if he needed our dinghy moved then he was entirely too close”. It didn’t stop him though, and we could actually walk from boat to boat if we dared. Although we had a good time during the weekend, we were ever so relieved for Sunday night when we were left totally alone. We had one rowdy bunch come to shore after midnight, but they too soon left and we had a beautiful, peaceful night. We remained Monday for a day of peace, catching up on paperwork, and walking the beach where we collected many sand dollars.
The next day we motored north on the ICW for approximately 20 miles to anchor in Belleaire. It was a good pit stop for us to get a few groceries, lab work done as well as a short motor back to the Holiday Inn (where we intended to store the boat) and a vet. From the dinghy dock Tom located, it was a half-mile walk to the vet. Sissy hated the dinghy ride and let us knows it. The vet, recommended by Roy and Diane on Molly Bloom, was a real treat; he’s reminiscent of an old hippie. His assistant is from Allentown and was very excited to hear that we were too. The cats got their shots, papers, and tranquilizers, but not before Buddy went ballistic and took a hunk out of the vet and also Tom. He made everyone in the waiting room nervous to say the least. They were probably very relieved to get back to the boat.
May 27th we motored up to Caladesi Island State Park. The harbormaster at Holiday Inn recommended it and said it was a great place to visit. We had looked at this previously and put it off due very shallow water shown on the charts, but he assured us we would have plenty of water. As we turned into the Caladesi channel we motored ever so slowly watching our depths; a trawler zipped past us obviously having been here before so we gratefully followed and Tom relaxed at the wheel. The marina is tight and we could only tie to a headwall; we were charged double since we took up two slips—a first for us. The park is nice, clean and has picnic areas, beach access, and a nature trails. We walked the beach to watch the sunset but were plagued with no-see-ums on our way back—we thought it strange that no one else was on the beach. We met an interesting couple, Jerry and Veda on a 40’ Shucker, Free Spirit (only 86 ever made—it’s like a trawler in the sense it has a boxy cabin on the top but is a sailboat). They want to go cruising but Vada has one more year of working.
The no-see-ums were absolutely overwhelming during the night, so I woke Tom early to get out of Caladesi. We motored up the ICW intending to anchor at Anclote Key but Free Spirit called us from Three Rooker Island asking if we wanted to join them. They talked us in, as most of this area is shallow. We had a nice day on the beach and went to visit Free Spirit after sundown; the boat is very roomy and really neat. We had a great time visiting and were not inundated with no-see-ums. Tom got to see his first green flash, but he cheated and used the binoculars. We spent the following day at anchor doing some Internet research, and getting ready for our trip home. The anchorage was busy with local traffic during the day but it died off late afternoon. We had Jerry and Vada over for a drink and appetizer as they are heading home tomorrow. We also hope to meet them again on the water in the future.
Monday morning we went on to Anclote Key for one last northerly stop before heading south to Indian Rocks Beach. As we were anchoring we were spotted by Joe and Dolly aboard Gypsy who buzzed by on the dinghy; he informed us we could get much closer to the island, so we hoisted and reset the anchor closer to shore. We visited with them for a while and they loaned us some charts and a brochure of the Suwannee River, a trip we intend to make on our return to Florida. We took a short dinghy ride around to the Gulf side of the island, but soon had to turn back as we ran into a “red tide”; the smell was something else.
Tuesday we were expecting westerly winds so we hoisted sail and headed out into the Gulf to go south; the winds, of course, did not cooperate and we had a bumpy ride in S-SW winds. We anchored once again in Bellaire in order to meet Jim and Darlene on Seldom Seen for lunch. We had a great time at lunch and then took a quick look at the Holiday Inn both for Jim and Judy for a slip next winter and for our upcoming tie-up. The harbormaster was trying to get our intended slip vacated so we could move over by Thursday. We had wanted to get to the Holiday Inn by Wednesday so we could rent a car and find an air conditioner for the boat, but it will have to wait. The weather here has been extremely hot (95 deg. +) and very humid; to do anything physical is overwhelming. Instead we walked to the store and bought a fan and some Damp Rid to help keep the boat dry while away; hopefully it will work.
Thursday, June 2nd we finally moved into our slip at the Holiday Inn. We readied the boat for an extended unattended stay; we secured all hatches and doors, closed seacocks, disconnected electronics, and made sure all lines and fenders were rigged properly to allow for the extreme tides. We also did most of our packing and getting things in order for our trip. After one last hot, sticky night, Friday finally dawned and we, along with Buddy and Sissy, departed Florida and flew home to PA.
For the most part, our trip up the west coast of Florida has been very typical of everyday life aboard a boat. We spend a good deal of time motoring or staying put due to unsettled weather, and we pick our anchorages to suit the winds and close proximity to shopping if there is the need. It’s not the most exciting life but we love it; we get to meet new friends constantly and explore new locations. Ideally we would sail everywhere we go, find a new beautiful beach in which to anchor by, and have crystal clear water in which to dive into, but we take what we get. After all, if we don’t like where we are living at the moment we can always move!
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