We pulled out of Little Shark River mouth and was headed south in a matter of minutes. Winds were pretty stiff out of the East, but the waves were kind to us, and we had an uneventful trip to Marathon. The water was relatively shallow for most of the trip and we probably saw 500 crab pots. Though our bearing was due South, auto-pilot was not much assistance because we were manually dodging pots nearly all day.
The further south we went, the more clusters of grass we saw.
This guy passed us doing probably 80 mph as we were arriving. The water is 7-8′ deep here all the time.
Arriving about 2:30, after 42 NM, we were welcomed to Marlin Bay Marina by a first class staff. The dock hands and office, as well, exceeded our expectations. The recommendations from friends was spot-on. The docks look brand new.
Our approach to the 7-mile bridge . Beyond…the Atlantic. This side is known as Florida Bay.
This is our view from the stern.
A model of the Marlin Bay Resort & Marina. The Honey Queen is in the nearer (called outer basin) in the 2nd slip from land, left hand side.
Apparently, the place was built by a developer about 6 years ago as condos, with each slip to be privately owned, but the concept didn’t work and the place went belly up shortly thereafter. After sitting vacant for nearly 6 years, the current property management/ownership company changed the concept to weekly rentals in the condos, and started renting slips to the public by the day, week, or month. The whole boating community doesn’t know about it yet, so we were fortunate to get the last available slip when we made the reservations a few days ago. The clubhouse, boater’s lounge, swimming pool, and fitness center are spotless and well equipped. Marinas, as a rule, get more expensive the further south you go, especially in what is consideration their high season. Marlin Bay was no exception, but comparably, it couldn’t be a nicer place.
What the next few days and weeks will bring, Corona virus considered, no one knows, but we do look forward to enjoying the weather and this beautiful location.
We pulled out at 7:30 and weaved our way out of the Smokehouse and Collier Bays. The tide was dead low, compared to the high tide coming in yesterday. On our way out, a local homeowner (and boater) hailed us on Channel 16, as we passed his home. Local knowledge is the best resource for navigating and he warned us that most charts in the area weren’t accurate. He advised me to favor the greens going out of the bays and favor the reds when I got to the river, heading out Capri Pass. I got a little confused when I got in the river and favored the greens. The charts showed 8’ of water at low tide (my reason for confusion), but I can verify the water is just over 4’ deep, and the local knew exactly what he was talking about; the Honey Queen drafts almost 5’. A sailboat, who was well behind me called and asked if I was aground. I told him, “No, I’m just cleaning the boat bottom.” I had already managed to get free of the shoal. He was kind enough to advise me I should be favoring the REDS. We were able to move over in the channel, find the deeper water, and follow the sailboat without further incident. We forked into the Capri Pass and then the Gulf of Mexico once again, before turning due South.
Most cruisers go a little further offshore than we chose for the beginning leg. Fewer crab pots to the west. We held a little closer for as long as we could because the winds were from the East. Protection from the land provided less windage and wave height.
The water and the sky competed for who made the prettiest blue.
About 30 miles into the trip we were out of sight of land; the geography of Florida’s west coast recesses to the east. I enjoy the freedom and independence of being out, away from everything and everybody, but I also wonder what would I do if something happened HERE. I run the check list of equipment in my mind, hoping I changed the filter, checked that level, cleaned the do-hicky, verified the widget, and adjusted the thing-a-ma-jig. Staying on top of all maintenance, and then trusting your equipment is the only option.
We knew we had picked a pretty good weather window, but I didn’t know it would be this calm. This wind came from the east-southeast, while we were cruising about 7 knots.
A smoother than forecasted day, we arrived at Little Shark River about 4:00. We had spoken with 2 boats, Sauvy B and All Talk II along the way, and figured out their destination was the same as ours. Their boats are both much bigger than ours, so I promised I would get as far into the river as possible to ensre they had space.
Shortly before arriving, we realized we had no cell coverage. As many people as we talk to, bad cell coverage always comes up in conversation, but it had not in this case. We usually advise family when we know we will be off the grid so to speak. Abigail ended up being the only one to panic when she couldn’t reach us. After about 24 hours, her worst fears were over. She would not be receiving her inheritance yet.
Millions of acres of the Everglades in the background
Sunset, looking toward the Gulf. Our soon-to-be friends on their boats, to the right.
The basin to our north was very shallow, so we stayed closer to the river’s edge.
Little Shark River was beautiful. The edge of the Everglades is swampy looking and shorelines provide no place to get off the boat and walk. Even if they did, the landscape screams as alligator ground, so we were never tempted to go exploring.
With plenty of room, All Talk, Sauvy B, 4 sailboats, and one other trawler joined us at the mouth of the river. Without internet, TV, or cell service, we had dinner, read a little, and shut down for the day by 8:30.
We left Ft. Myers Yacht Basin early this morning, restarting our Southward journey. Leaving behind many friends, we hope to see them again in Savannah when they come our way. Many boaters turn eastward from Ft. Myers, crossing the Okeechobee Canal and Lake instead of rounding the tip of Florida. Our hope is to go to the Keys, so we continued south down the west coast of Florida, instead. We will travel to Marathon, Florida, and then spend approximately a month there, Lord willing, exploring the rest of the keys, all the way to Key West. Doing the math, we found it would be much more economical to stay at one marina, paying the monthly rate, than staying 1 or 2 nights at various marinas at the transient rate. The Keys have a bus system that runs the whole Keys, so we can travel for $2.00 each, from one end to the other. The marina, Marlin Bay, is also a resort, so we will enjoy the privileges of a nice pool and fitness center, as well, while we stay. The marina will also serve as our prep location for crossing over to the Bahamas, which is our desired destination in April.
We arrived at Smokehouse Bay around 3:30 or so. It was such a beautiful setting with very nice homes and condos on all sides. The mildest of breezes provided the air conditioning we needed for the whole night. I changed a fuel filter after the engine shut off on us in the Gulf today. When this happened to us in June (Chesapeake Bay), it was a MUCH bigger deal than today. Today, I knew what was wrong. In the Chesapeake, I was clueless. Today, winds were 5-10 knots and 1-2’ seas. Then, winds were 30-40 and seas were 8 feet. With the filter system I have on board, I can manually switch filters underway, which allowed us to be up and running within 2 minutes. If I had only known that last summer…. I wouldn’t have the adventure and experience I do now.
These osprey, like many, take advantage of channel markers as homes for raising their families.
A local party boat/pirate ship was blasting music as it cruised around us in the basin. They were having a good time.
This area is great and would make our list as a potential home in the future.
The color schemes reminded us of homes along the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
The night was as peaceful as any we have ever enjoyed. With just a handful of other boats on the hook, we enjoyed plenty of space, even when the wind and tide changed during the night. It was so nice that we wanted to stay another day and explore Marco Island, but the good weather window for traveling dictates that we move on.
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We spent these remaining days in Ft. Myers Yacht Basin (marina) relaxing, tinkering, and meeting fellow boaters. Not too different from what we’ve been doing, but this is the longest we’ve stayed in one spot. We have been off the boat for longer, but never have we just chilled in a marina. Kind of like camping on vacation as a kid, we would see people come and go every day or two, while the majority of the folks, who are retired and find the warm weather and friendships enjoyable for extended periods.
Amanda ran into this hunk on the beach one day and tried to trade me for him.
We enjoyed getting to know Tom and Susan Law. They own a nice 43’ American Tug. From Massachusetts, they’ve retired and bought a home in New Bern, North Carolina. They enjoy traveling the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolina’s. Their soft, gentle spirit and warm hospitality made our time in the adjacent slip most enjoyable. Across the dock, were Steve and Pam. Steve retired from GM, working in the prototype department. He was involved with working on and building cars of the future. A hands-on guy, his old 1994 Grand Banks could easily pass as a new boat. Like mine, she has lots of high-gloss varnished wood on the rails, and transom. Steve is an extremely patient, detail oriented guy, and would have made a great teacher. I had mentioned to him I needed some wood repair work done, but the guy that was supposed to come had fallen through. He encouraged me, telling me I could do it. I was doubtful, but he came over and got me started. Loaning me tools, taking me to West Marine for the right products, and explaining step by step the process, I learned much about bright-work repair and maintenance. Steve’s temperament perfectly describes a shop teacher. He explains, demonstrates, allows me to try, critiques and corrects, and then gets out of the way. Several times per day, he would hop on board and check on my progress. The more progress I made, the more he would explain about the next step. Though my skill set is far from perfect, I’ve learned much about the process and will enjoy practicing the trade of bright-work as time goes on.
Pam, Steve’s wife, equally gracious, was kind enough to take Amanda to the grocery, as well. They both treated us like…well, like most boaters treat each other: eager to assist, cordial, and friendly. It was my honor to get to know both couples, though briefly.
We didn’t get a picture with Mark & Beth, but did enjoy meeting them, as well. And I admit I want a boat like theirs when I grow up AND when the stock market hits 40,000.
The most exciting thing that happened (shows you how exciting boat life can be sometimes) was the evening the cyclone blew through the marina. We had invited our friends from Vitamin Sea and Salty Dog over for a visit. The winds started picking up, and with the possibility of some rain coming our way, they decided to get on back home (boat) before the storm hit. Two minutes later, the winds were blowing 40-45 mph. Our boat was trying to turn sideways in the slip. Concerned that it might actually hit my neighbor’s boat, I jumped on the finger pier to tighten a couple lines.
I had just finished when BAM!!, I was hit in the head, back, and arm…by a flying kayak! I was stunned, literally, for a couple seconds, not seeing it coming, not knowing what had hit me.
The junk boat with the unsecured kayak on the bow.
The kayak…after it almost took me out. They decided to tie it down here.
The kayak had been lying on the bow of the boat adjacent to us. The people had not bothered securing it to the deck. Based on the appearance of the boat (someone referred to it as a man-made floating reef), nothing else was secure either. The boat is poorly maintained (if I can use that term) by folks who live aboard. Actually, one of their children lives on the boat, and the parents live on the next boat, one slip beyond. Bleeding from the hand, and throbbing in the head, I managed to get back on our boat without further incident. In 5 minutes, the storm was gone, and all was back to normal. My hand throbbed most of the night. I kept it iced, expecting an X-ray and cast the next day. Fortunately, my hand was fine. It could have been so much worse. I was thankful I escaped with a couple scratches and a sore hand.
A little theatre is located across the street from the marina. It’s play season. So, one Friday night, Amanda and I saw a play called, A Gentlemen’s Solution to Love and Murder, or something close to that. A musical comedy, I laughed a little, dozed a lot, and rolled my eyes at some of the disgusting “humor”. Neither of us enjoyed it very much, but it was something different to do.
The stage. I decided to skip a picture of the characters.
We enjoyed dinners out with Greg and Pam, and also with Ed and Kathy. We ate pizza at Capone’s, where they use machined guns (Al Capone vintage) as door handles. We ate burgers at Ford’s garage, where the door handles there are gas pump handles and the cloth napkins are rolled up in a hose clamp. Great meals at both places, with great atmosphere, equal service, and as always, good friends.
This watering pot (and many others) was in a window downtown. Cute…as Amanda often says.
Downtown Ft. Myers has a nice charm and feel
Burgers are their signature dish and I was happy to oblige.
The full moon was a nice backdrop to the festive downtown atmosphere.
Our third and final Sunday in Ft. Myers, we attended First Christian Church one last time. The congregation was encouraged to elbow bump or “chicken wing”, instead of shaking hands or hugging, in an effort to limit the potential of spreading the virus. Most of us were really just starting to understand the seriousness of what was going on, including no longer gathering as a community of believers, for a season of time yet to be determined.
After the service, we went to Taco Fest, across from the marina in downtown, Ft. Myers. The weather was beginning to warm up and it was fun to be outside.
The 4th Annual Taco Fest in Ft. Myers
The Marimba Band added much to the atmosphere, under the overpass.
The music really brings out the best in my bride. She couldn’t keep her hands off me the rest of the day.
Greg & Pam, our Indiana potato farmer friends, from the Salty Dog.
This guy wasn’t so in to the Reggae music.
Really good Reggae band, and I don’t usually listen to that music much.
Honey packing away the Mexican Street Corn.
The last night the 6 of us was together, we squeezed into this picture, on our boat. I lost my nice blue cap a few minutes later when the flying kayak took it off my head.
We wrapped up our stay in Ft. Myers on a Monday night. With Marathon, Florida, as our next destination, we would leave at daybreak Tuesday morning, planning 2 anchorage nights getting to Marlin Bay Resort & Marina.
We are scheduled to stay here for a couple weeks. Plans for a friend to come visit us here fell through, and Amanda bought a plane ticket to Nashville for a visit with Abigail, from here. I will stay close and let the girls have their time, and take care of some things on the boat. We also have a crew scheduled to come detail the boat and repair some of the bright-work.
February 23 (Sunday)
We looked up a church online and walked to it Sunday morning. First Christian Church feels more like our church than any, since we left home. Just a mile from the boat, we were welcomed to a rather large congregation.
Good music, good preachin’, good day.
We sang music similar to Compassion Christian, enjoyed Communion, and was encouraged by one of the associate pastor’s sermon. I will go back again next weekend while Amanda is in Nashville.
Looking at the men, I’d say they’ve had a rough life.
Sunday evening, we had a covered dish on the picnic tables
with boaters Vitamin Sea, Salty Dog (our friends Greg and Pam who we had
traveled with down much of the river), and Bagus (Bill and Anette), whom we had
met in Stuart last year right after buying the boat. They had just bought their boat, which is
identical to ours, a 39 foot Kadey Krogen.
Banyan Trees on the grounds of the Edison Ford homes
One of two trees survived the last hurricane. They were planted during the construction of Edison’s & Ford’s homes.
No fire sprinklers in original home, but they did have a standpipe connection.
Sculptures like this are scattered through downtown. I was reminded of our family reunions when, as a kid, the old men would sit under the cypress trees playing dominoes.
Sunset from the marina
Feb 24 (Monday)
We joined Ed and Kathy today and toured the Edison Ford
Winter estate. Fort Myers was Thomas
Edison’s winter home for a number of years, until his death. We learned much about his all his inventions
and patents. He absolutely was a
genius. Interestingly, he was a strong
influence in Henry Ford’s life, offering him much encouragement when Ford was
trying to get the car manufacturing business off the ground. We enjoyed seeing the gardens, their homes,
the lab where they did research for an alternative product to the rubber tree,
for tires on the cars.
Our tracking line didn’t follow us all the way to Ft. Myers, for some reason. Our final destination is right in the “V” of the “M” in Myers.
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.
We passed this boat on the way in. It’s like a trawler/sailboat combo. Pretty cool.
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.
This picture paints a much prettier view of the marina than it actually afforded. We were glad to leave this spot for another slip.
The entrance to Uncle Henry’s, well off the ICW, was tricky. The dockmaster could see us from his office and told us every turn to help avoid the shoaling coming in.
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.
This guy kept an eye on our boat while we were golf carting and exploring Boca Grande.
Banyan Trees on Banyan Lane. Apparently, newlyweds get their pictures taken here.
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.
I didn’t do so great on the mural behind us at Temptation.
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.
I could enjoy one of these every day, if I wouldn’t get fat, broke, and end up in a rehab center.
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.
We opted to ride “inside” to enjoy the calm waters and see more scenery.
Today’s cruise was 29 NM. Weather was 75-80 degrees and we operated from the pilot house.
Many bridges we can squeak under, but this one would have removed about 2′ from our 22′ high mast.
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.
I picked this babe up and took her home with me.
Abigail always takes pictures like this. This one doesn’t make any sense to me either.
Englewood Beach sunset
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.
Shells were everywhere on the beach.
Grandma dancing with her grandkids.
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.
