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Boca Grande to Ft. Myers’ Yacht Basin (marina)

Day 177–February 21

After much debate this morning, we decided to take the chance and head on south to Ft. Myers.  While at Uncle Henry’s, we met a couple on a sailboat, Mike and Theresa, who were amazed at our journey.  Theresa, especially, had a hundred questions and was very interested in knowing more about the Loop.  Mike, I tend to believe, was not nearly so excited about the idea.  Nevertheless, we asked if they wanted to take a tour of the boat before we left.  They were on board 2 minutes later and Theresa was even more inspired.  Poor Mike, I think he will be doing the Loop someday.  We so enjoyed meeting them and hope to see them someday in Savannah when they come through.

After a close call with Amanda getting her arm caught against a piling as we were pulling out, we were on our way. The wind was a challenge for me, trying to back out of the slip, and Amanda was trying so hard to keep the boat from bumping. Lesson: boats can be fixed; body parts, not necessarily. Thankfully, it was a minor bruise.

The long trip, 43 NM, took us almost 7 hours.  The winds ranged from 20-30 MPH.  Wave action was pretty minimum, except when we crossed the Pine Island Sound inlet.  Three foot waves made traveling a little more interesting.  But once again, we enjoyed the stabilizers on our boat.  The fins below the waterline hold our boat steady in rough seas and windy weather.  It was later that evening, talking with friends doing the Loop, that we were reminded how beneficial stabilizers are. They talked about how much their boat swayed all day and how rough the long ride was.  We really never felt how rough the weather was.

We got to the marina about 3:30 and settled into our less than desirable boat spot.  They placed us on the wall, adjacent to the bridge.  Lots of car traffic (noise) and an endless stream of walkers, runners, bikers, boom boxes, and lookers, walking by our boat on the sidewalk 10 feet from the side of our boat. We requested a better slip, away from all the very close encounters.  Tuesday morning, we will be moving to a much nicer slip.

We look forward to a couple weeks here.

Lemon Bay to Uncle Henry’s (Boca Grande)

Our short ride today was only 10 NM. Boca Grande is a town made up of lots of “old money”, so we were told.  Our friends, Reggie and Gwen, from Apalachicola had given us places we must go when we arrived, so Amanda made sure we kept her promise to them.  Arriving here late morning, we rented a golf cart and traveled to the south end of the island, gawking at the houses and beautiful beach. 

We killed a couple hours, returned to the boat, cleaned up a bit, and then headed back to downtown for our 7:30 dinner reservation at Temptation Restaurant. With a name like that, I was sure there would be babes dancing on the tables. But instead, it was just a nice pricey restaurant. We enjoyed crab cakes and their signature pan fried snapper dish.

From there, we carted to the Pink Elephant and enjoyed their signature drink, The Hummer.   Ice cream, coffee liqueur, and some other ingredients foreign to me, made this a delicious dessert drink.  It was, by far, the best thing I tasted all night long.  It wasn’t strong (with alcohol) and I would have absolutely had another, if it wasn’t so expensive.  It was probably a good thing that it was expensive.  Where they get the name, I dont know. But as tasty as they are, it’s my bet that after several, you’d be doing a lot more than humming.

We also met sort of a celebrity while at the Pink Elephant.  Macy Kirkland, whose father was co-founder of the Kirkland Stores across the country, and her brother, were sitting next to us at the bar.  She was sitting beside Amanda and turned to her and said, “Is your name Lauren, by chance?”  After clarifying her name was Amanda, Macy said she had to ask because apparently her brother thought Amanda was an old girlfriend. They were a pleasure to meet and we talked (Amanda and Macy) quite a while.  Macy was very evasive in defining what she did for a living.  Amanda later stalked her on the internet and learned that her family has been very philanthropic, especially supporting Habitat for Humanity.  Her home is in Nashville and apparently she manages the estate and philanthropic efforts of the family foundation.  She could not have been a kinder, more genteel person.  It made the end of our evening a pleasant experience. Wish we had gotten a picture with her, for bragging rights, but we didn’t know she was “somebody” till later.

We carted back to the marina about 10 pm and turned in for the night.  Lots of wind is forecasted for tomorrow, so we will determine early tomorrow whether we will risk the travel to Ft. Myers.

Sarasota to Lemon Bay (anchorage) Englewood Beach

Today’s cruise was 29 NM.  Weather was 75-80 degrees and we operated from the pilot house. 

We found a good anchorage spot among a few derelict boats.  After I completed Amanda’s hair coloring (look out Tina, I’m getting good at this), we jumped in the dinghy and boogeyed over to Englewood Beach.  There, we tied up at the White Elephant Pub dock and enjoyed a cool beer and met some upstate New Yorker snowbirds. It’s always a pleasure to meet these folks and they are always so enamored by our southern drawl and our adventure. Afterward, we strolled over to the beach and then back across the street to the Sandbar Tiki & Grille. 

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We didn’t eat dinner, but found it to be a much more family friendly atmosphere.  They had a band ( a bunch of old geezers like us) playing old tunes of the 70’s.  Grandparents, parents, and kids were all dancing while many played corn-hole and other beach activities.  Most were waiting on their food.  A lively place, everyone was enjoying.

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We puttered back across the shallow dark bay to our boat, had dinner, and called it a day. We are enjoying the shorter travel days and the warmer weather.  Glad the rivers and long cold days are no longer a part of our routine. Tomorrow, we head to Boca Grande (Uncle Henry’s Marina). Amanda has more plans for us there.

Sarasota, Florida

We spent the day in Sarasota.  Amanda, Ed, and Kathy went to the Ringling Museum.  These pictures show the museum and the magnitude of the circus, in its heyday.

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While they enjoyed the museum circuit, I took the long ride to the phone repair shop, with hopes my phone (dropped last night) had one more life left in it.  With my new bicycle (first new bike since college), I excitedly took off on the first 4-mile leg of the day. A reasonably bike friendly town, Sarasota offered a good number of dedicated paths for most of my trip.  However, the majority of the paths were along highways with pretty fast traffic, so I stayed on sidewalks everywhere possible.  Forty-five minutes and 2 burning legs later, I arrived at CPR (Computer Phone Repair).  I had to leave the phone as there was one ahead of me.  This provided the window of opportunity I had unsuccessfully tried for several times before.  Just 3 ½ miles further was Sak’s Fifth Avenue, local retailer for David Yurman jewelry. 

Side note:  while we were caring for Amanda’s brother in Pine Mountain, her Yurman earrings mysteriously disappeared.  For 2 weeks before we left his home, we looked in every pocket, shelf, and anywhere they could have possibly been misplaced.  I gave her those earrings more than 20 years ago and we were both sick they were not recovered (at least yet).

With water bottle and backpack, I took off on my shiny new bicycle to Saks’.  I passed by a Walmart and bought a lock for my bicycle.  The kind lady in the customer service line allowed me to “hide” the bike at her counter while I went to the bicycle department.  They weren’t keen on my riding it to that department.  In a jiffy, I resumed the journey and soon arrived at air conditioned retail luxury.  Ms. Maria lead me to the David Yurman section of the jewelry department, and soon I was holding almost identical earrings to those recently lost.  She gift wrapped my little box and I was soon headed back to CPR.  A side trip to Tijuana Flats provided a quick chicken salad and chips.  The bad news, my repair guy had doubts for my old phone. If repaired, he was afraid it would not hold up long.  Feeling like I was living out the season finale of Chicago Med, I told him to pull the plug on my old friend, and show me the new phones (reconditioned).  Almost 2 hours later, life returned to normal.  I can, once again, determine where I am, how to get to where I want to go, call an Uber, talk and text, get the weather forecast for tomorrow’s journey, and gloat over my grandchildren’s pictures.  I did have one retro moment today. I actually wrote down the directions to the repair shop on a piece of paper (some of you will remember paper…some of you probably remember writing).

No more than finished at CPR, and Amanda called me on my new phone, wanting me to Uber to St. Armand’s Circle and meet the 3 of them for an early dinner at The Columbia.  Cuban cuisine, we had a Cuban sandwich and 1905 Salad.  Sangria was the beverage choice of the day that Amanda and Ed enjoyed, while Kathy and I turned our noses up to it.  A good sandwich and an outstanding salad, we called one more Uber to get us back to the dinghy dock before dark.  Neither of us have lights on our little boats, so we were a little panicked about making it back on time. We crept along together and, with the lighting all around the basin, made it safely back to the boat.

Thrilled (I think) with the new earrings, I wished Amanda a Happy Late Valentine’s Day.  They will have to do, until the day, if and when, the old sentimental, treasured earrings show up.

Tomorrow, we leave Sarasota and head further South.

Bradenton to Sarasota

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We had another relatively easy day, only 28 NM.  The weather was beautiful, seas calm, and the temps pushed 80 degrees.  The scenery was beautiful; with more porpoise escorts, waterfowl, and the green waters over white sandy bottoms.

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We arrived mid-afternoon in Sarasota.  For the first time on our adventure, we decided to stay on a mooring ball.  In this beautiful basin, there are approximately 100 mooring balls. 

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We see the skyline of Sarasota and probably 60-70 boats.  The mooring balls give you a piece of mind that anchoring does not give, plus there are no worries about the swing of the rode affecting other boats, which could result in bumping another boat.

We took the dinghy to the marina office, paid our rent for the night, and then walked the streets like we do in every other town we visit. After walking 3-4 miles, we rode the dinghy back to the boat, stopping by Vitamin Sea for a short visit before dinner on the boat.

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St. Petersburg to Twin Dolphin Marina/Bradenton

Today’s trip was to Bradenton. Rather windy and rough, we enjoyed the beauty of being out on the open water in the middle of Tampa Bay. We got an up close and personal view of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and then turned into the Manatee River, heading to Twin Dolphin.

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Twin Dolphin is the home marina for our friends Dave and Penny, whom we met in Canada when they were on the Loop.  With our interruptions, they continued and crossed their wake here a couple months ago.  We had the chance to visit with them several times, including dinner at Pier 21, the marina restaurant, along with Ed and Kathy of Vitamin Sea. We continue traveling along the Florida coast with them.

Another highlight of the stay was the people who keep their boats on F Dock. Our next door neighbors were Dave and Julie. They own a sweet 41′ Tiara cruiser. Dave, a retired site contractor, and I enjoyed talking the life of subcontracting and how fortunate we were to have many good clients that were the difference in having a positive career, versus how many others struggled to survive. Everyone was so friendly, and as always, enamored by our adventure.  Most of these folks are “stay home” boaters, using their boats as “floataminiums”.  They are amazed how we pick up and go every day or two to another location. They’ve never tried it so they don’t realize how easy it is. Another couple, Ed and Cynthia, who own a huge Kadey Krogen.  They have traveled extensively, especially in the Bahamas.  They gave us a tour of their gorgeous 52’ ship and gave us lots of pointers and encouragement on how to do the Bahamas. It was great meeting all these fine folks.  Truly, boaters such fun folks.

On Sunday, Becky, one of our neighbors, saw that we were going to walk to a church we had found on the internet.  She graciously offered us a ride in her car, so we accepted.  Bayside Church is modeled much like Compassion Christian.  Multiple campuses spread over this whole area.  Though I wasn’t crazy about the music, the sermon was spot on and the humility of the folks we met was so, well, humbling. It was good to be gathered with other believers in corporate worship.  I have missed that as we often watch our services online, since we are hampered by the lack of transportation.

We said goodbye to Dave and Julie and Becky and Warren, our F Dock neighbors, Sunday afternoon. The morning we left, I felt like we had been welcomed to the neighborhood.  Tomorrow morning, we continue southward to Sarasota.

Clearwater to St. Petersburg

We enjoyed a couple days here in a well-protected marina.  Charlie and Holly Taylor came over to visit us from Sebring and we enjoyed catching up with them, hearing about their new home that is almost finished.

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We met Denny and Reggie, whose dirt house is in St. Louis.  They brought their boat down to visit with kids and grandkids. They are well-traveled boaters, having made the trip to the Bahamas many times.  Denny coached me on places and routes to take, while Amanda reconnected with Birchie, who we had seen in Clearwater.

From St. Petersburg, we head to Bradenton, where we will catch up with Dave and Penny, and meet a number of great locals.

Clearwater, Florida

After a good night’s sleep, we started to get familiar with and enjoy the town.  Ed and Kathy were in the slip adjacent to us, and next to them, were Todd and Patty, friends of theirs who quickly became ours, as well.  Each evening, we enjoyed each other’s company, while the days were set aside for washing the boat, routine maintenance, and finding good restaurants.  One night, we went bowling at Ed and Kathy’s boat.  They have a Wii game, so we bowled the night away.  Amanda particularly enjoyed it, as she beat everybody.  Lots of laughs, along with a little guitar playing and singing (lots more laughs at me), made for a fun evening for all.  

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Todd and Patty, who were (and still are eventually) sort of stuck in Clearwater.  Todd had to have brain surgery and is still recuperating.  Though he has apparently come a long way, he still has a way to go, and doing the Loop is not optional for a few more weeks.  We wish him a speedy recovery so they can continue on the same adventure we are enjoying.

Because of their lengthy stay, they had rented a car.  They were gracious enough to allow us to use it on more than one occasion, making life so much simpler for us.  On our first full day, the 6 of us went to Tarpon Springs and did the tourist thing. 

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We found the area to be fascinating.  The Greek culture was apparent everywhere we turned.  The Greek families settled in this area around the turn of the 20^th century and developed the sponge industry.  For several generations, families have passed this heritage to their children.  We were told the demand for sponges is still greater than the supply.  I’m not sure what portion of the world supply comes from here, but there were still plenty of sponge boats along the waterfront, indicating the industry is still alive and well here.

We enjoyed lunch with our friends and spent the rest of the time browsing in and out of shops and bakeries before returning to the boat that evening.

Patty is a fitness buff, so she invited Amanda to her local fitness center, which allowed her to get some much needed exercise, still one of the challenges of living on a boat.  The city is relatively flat and has some great places to run, as well, so I was able to run several of the days while here.

We were able to continue our gluttony of sea food, but we also found a great Mexican restaurant just up the street from the marina.  We do miss our Monday Jalapeño nights in Savannah.  Other than grandchildren, it’s probably the thing we miss the most.  My apologies to the 2 or 3 people in Savannah that might read this. 

I was also able to find a computer/phone repair store. The guy in Ft. Walton “fixed” my phone and installed a “new” battery.  When we got to Clearwater, I got my phone fixed again and installed another battery…again.   Also, my long love for Windows 7 has come to an end.   It was my primary tool running Champion Fire all those years.  After the first of the year, I was notified by Microsoft that Version 7 would no longer be supported. Fortunately, my old laptop would support Windows 10, so the same guy did that installation for me.  Was so relieved I didn’t have to purchase another computer.

It’s a funny thing about living on a boat.  Just like when looking forward to getting on the boat at home, we look forward to getting off the boat, just for a little break.

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Our last night together, the 6 of us packed into the little rental car and rode over the bridge to the beach.  The Gulf beaches are SOOOOOOOO much prettier than the Atlantic.  Green water and white sand is so beautiful.

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We ended up at The Bait Shop, a little outdoor restaurant on the water, much like The Wyld, back in Savannah.  We celebrated Todd and Patty’s 3^rd Anniversary, swapping lies and laughing together.

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Clearwater was a great stop for a week.

Crossing Day Dog Island to Clearwater, Florida

Crossing day.  The weather forecast held promising, so we checked our list and made sure we had forgotten nothing.  The normal start crossing time is 4 pm.  That time frame allows you to hit the area at daylight where crab pots typically start showing up. But the winds were supposed to pick up a little later (actually early in the morning), so, at the recommendation of Kim, the forecaster, we decided to get away no later than noon, to ensure an arrival before the winds reached an uncomfortable level.  We also decided to take a less direct route, favoring the coast of Florida (aka The Rim), to improve the possibility of smoother waters.  As previously mentioned, we do have stabilizers on our boat, so we manage a little better than many boats.  But we determined to be a team player and stick with our friends.  Besides, safety in numbers is always the best approach.

We pulled out at 11:39 am, Monday morning, February 3^rd.  Plotted distance: 157 NM.  We did not sleep in, as was the plan.  I guess the adrenaline and a little anxiety woke us bright and early.  The skies were sunny, temperature 62 degrees and winds were only 4 knots out of the ESE. 

All the daylight hours were pleasant as we crept along at our 7.2 knot speed. We saw the sun set in the Gulf of Mexico about 6:00 pm and darkness fell soon. 

The moon was pretty high in the sky early and assisted in our view of the ocean as our eyes grew accustomed to the dark.  The hours started creeping more slowly as we found ourselves starting to drag.  I was beyond taking a nap, but tried for a bit while Amanda tended the auto pilot.  I’m sure I dozed, but did count it as sleep.  By midnight, we were closing in on the 100-mile mark. 

I was soon back at the wheel, debating the cup of coffee to push me through the rest of the night.  Ah, college days reminisced. About 1:30 am, moon still providing some natural light, something caught my eye off the port side of the boat.  I called our buddy boat, Vitamin C, reporting what could have been a crab pot, but I was not sure.  I told them to keep their eyes peeled.  Less than 5 minutes later, now with my spotlight panning, I announced that I saw a crab pot…then another, then another.  A thirty second conversation with Ed and we agreed that stopping was the only decision that made any sense.  Our early exit from Dog Island, to beat the wind, was coming back to haunt us. We dropped anchors in 32 feet of water and hoped to get some shuteye, waiting on first light. By now, the wind was doing exactingly what was forecasted,  creating wave action, being felt much more significantly at anchor than underway.  With stabilizers, the swells and waves were hardly noticeable.  Sitting at anchor, not so much the case.  The Honey Queen rocked and rolled. We both went to bed.  Amanda lasted maybe 15 minutes and had to get up.  I laughed as I tried to sleep on my side, but I was constantly ending up on my face or my back.  Somehow, I fell asleep for maybe 3 hours, while Amanda sat up in the pilot house and counted waves, instead of sheep. The alarm sounded at 6 am and I stumbled to the coffee pot. I sat and sipped and watched the Eastern sky transform from black to pink to orange before the solar king peaked over the horizon.

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Daybreak came just before 7 am.  At that moment, we did a panorama of the boat and counted 10 crab pots.  I wish I could have taken a picture of all of them. God was watching out for us. Our decision had been a good one.  It would have been only a matter of time before one or both boats would have line wrapped around the prop/shaft.

From here until almost Clearwater, we dodged the crab pot floats.  No more auto pilot, no relaxing while underway.  With the motion of the waves, a crab pot can be behind a wave and under your boat in a second.  There are some advantages to having a slow boat. Even at our slow pace, it was not unusual to have to make a quick turn to avoid going over one.

At 3:30 pm, almost 27 hours since our Dog Island departure, we pulled into the Clearwater Municipal Marina.  A relatively new marina in the heart of downtown, we enjoyed a slip beside Vitamin Sea and new friends, Todd and Patty, on the Alcyone.  I was surprisingly alert, considering.  But looking forward to a good night’s sleep. We had an early dinner and crashed.  Clearwater would be our home for a week.

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Apalachicola to Dog Island/Carabelle

Ground Hog Day, we woke up to the great news that we would have an early Spring, as the infamous Phil, the Punxsutawney groundhog, predicted.  It must have been an omen because we got an improved forecast for the potential Monday evening crossing.  Time will tell if Phil knows what he’s doing.

We “went to church” by linking up to our Compassion Christian app and streamed our Sunday morning service from Savannah. Right after lunchtime, Amanda reconnected with Kim (weather forecaster) once again for an updated forecast.  Kim said, “GO!”.  The weather was going to be pretty good for a Monday afternoon start.  Within 15 minutes, we had disconnected the power and lines at the Scipio Creek Marina and were underway, destination Dog Island.

Our 4-hour trip of 23 NM got us to the anchorage on the North side of the island.  Winds were brisk, gusting to 25 knots.  But the forecast called for them to calm down as the evening wore on.  So, I bundled up and dropped 125 feet of anchor rode, to ensure we wouldn’t drag during the stiff winds.  The boat rocked from 6 pm till about 9, but then settled into a quiet evening of calm waters.  I watched the last 2 minutes of the Super Bowl.  I watched a total of 2 minutes of NFL the entire season, as I still have issues with their tolerance of players kneeling during my National Anthem. I believe Kansas City won.  Really glad I missed the halftime show. We crashed about 9:30 or so and had an incredibly quiet night, hearing only the Gulf crash on the shores just over the dunes of the skinny Dog Island. Tomorrow is the big “crossing” from here all the way to Clearwater.