CHEESE BURGERS IN PARADISE

DAY 204, TUES. FEB 6, 2012

DEPART PELICAN BAY10:15; ARR. FT MEYERS BEACH 4:15

AM SUNNY AND COOL, WIND < 5MPH

D. 33.Osm / 3520

After a leisurely breakfast we pulled anchor at 10:15 for the trip to Ft. Meyers Beach, with a planned lunch stop at Cabbage Key. The Old House Restaurant and Inn is one of those places you just can’t pass without stopping. The story goes this place was the inspiration for Jimmy Buffet’s “Cheeseburgers In Paradise.” After a short 2 mile ride we turned off the main channel into a very narrow channel leading to the Cabbage Key Marina. We tied up at 11:30 and the place was empty. By noon it was packed, which is interesting because the only way to get here is by boat.   Inside, the walls are covered with money. One dollar bills, about $80,000 worth!   It seems that the place was a refreshment stop for fisherman passing to and from the local tarpon fishing hot spots. They posted signed dollar bills on the bar and walls to guarantee a cold beer when they returned. Now, every square inch of the interior is completely covered with signed one dollar bills.   After our “cheese burger in paradise” we left for Ft. Meyer’s Beach to pick up a mooring for the next 4 days. We cruised through Pine Island Sound, past Captiva and Sanibel Islands and across San Carlos Bay, a run of about 25 miles. The mooring field is owned by the city of Ft. Meyers Beach and is run by the Matanzas Inn & Resort. The cost is only $13 per night with free pump outs.

MONEY FROM HEAVEN

SURROUNDED BY DOLLARS

OUR CONTRIBUTION

PINE ISLAND SOUND

PINE ISLAND SOUND

OSPREYS LOVE DAYMARKS

FT MEYERS BEACH BRIDGE FROM OUR MOORING

 

  

BACK TO PELICAN BAY

DAY 203, MON. FEB. 5, 2012

DEP PUNTA GORDA 09:50  ARR. PELICAN BAY 1:20

AM SUNNY, WARM, WIND CALM.  NOON RAIN SHOWERS

D. 23.0sm / 3487

Win or lose, life goes on.  We put the Super Bowl loss behind us and left the Giant fans at the dock.  The plan was to head to Cabbage Key and anchor out there.  We cruised down Charlotte harbor retracing our course south.  The weather forecast called for a chance of showers, but we didn’t see a cloud until we were just north of Cayo Costa.  All of a sudden black clouds rolled in from the east, and the heavens opened up.  We were fine inside the enclosure on the bridge, but the visibility was poor, and rather than go into a narrow channel to Cabbage key, we decided to head back into Pelican Bay and drop anchor there.  Shortly after we anchored, the rain stopped and the sun came out.  We went ashore and, fishing pole in hand, walked the ¾ mile path to the beach.  People had been catching sea trout there, and we had hopes for a fresh fish dinner that night.  As usual, “we should have been there this morning.”  “The fish were hitting on every cast.”   After several hundred casts with no luck, we hiked back to the boat.  Along the way we met a fisherman carrying a 36” redfish he caught back where the boat was anchored.  “We should have been there this afternoon!”  In spite of the lack of fresh fish, we had a very good dinner on board and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. 

THE 3/4M PATH FROM PELICAN BAY TO THE GULF

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BEACH

CHECK OUT THE GREAT HERON IN THE BACKGROUND

PUNTA GORDA WEEKEND

DAY 201 SAT. FEB. 4 2012
OVERCAST  E WIND 10–18K 2’ CHOP ON BOW

DEP. PELICAN BAY 09:35 ARR. PUNTA GORDA 12:30

D. 23.0sm / 3464.0

Saturday was cloudy, warm and windy.  Waves were 2’-3’ and choppy. We have experienced far worse so these waves were just a nuisance.  At 12: 30 we pulled into Fisherman’s Village Yacht Basin. Bob Millard from Falmouth visited us in the afternoon.  It was nice seeing him and catching up with all the home news. We then headed out to Fisherman’s Village to explore.  We were disappointed to find that it was nothing but a bunch of gift shops.  Happily we were invited to cocktails on the dock with all of the boaters on B dock.  Like boaters everywhere these Dockers were warm, welcoming, and helpful.  They have all kept their boats there several years, and they love it there.  The marina was clean, had a pool, laundry, showers, and even loaner bikes. On Sunday, I went to a wonderful mass.  The priest was very charismatic, the congregation was welcoming, and the choir was outstanding.  It’s really interesting seeing the different parishes in the different towns on the loop.  I came back to the boat with a spring in my step.  Joe and I decided to go for a bike ride on the bike path.  It was a nice trail but only a mile long. We biked into town which was deserted.  We then did some much needed grocery shopping with a lift from a former Looper Jim Healy aboard Santuary.  Back at the boat we settled down to watch the super bowl.  How depressing, the Pat’s lost.    

THIS CAR IS OLDER THAN I AM

WE JUST LOVE THESE BANYAN TREES

GLORY DAYS AT FISHERMAN'S WHARF

CAYO COSTA / PELICAN BAY

DAY 199, THURS. FEB. 2,  DAY 200 FRI. FEB 3, 2012

AM; HAZY, WARM.  WIND 5-10K, SEAS CALM

DEP. VENICE (mm 57) 09:45  ARR. PELICAN BAY (mm25) 2:35

D. 27sm / 3431

We cruised from Venice and caught up with Nauti Nell as they were entering the ICW from the anchorage in Estero where they stayed the previous night.  It was typical ICW cruising, narrow channels thru wide shallow bays with beautiful homes and condos on the waterfront.  We had no problems, but you had to play close attention to the channel markers, and frequently look behind you to be sure you had not drifted out of the channel.  We arrived at the Boca Grande Bridge at 12:40, about 10 minutes after Nauti Nell, and had to wait for the 1PM opening.  Once thru the bridge we had about 7 miles to go west down Charlotte Harbor and then south to the entrance of Pelican Bay.  Having been warned, we stayed close to the island side of the channel and made an uneventful entrance into the bay.  The holding was excellent and we were able to relax and unwind with the confidence that we would not drag anchor.  We stayed aboard and awoke to a beautiful morning with the sun shining and the wind calm.  After breakfast we went ashore to explore the island and picked up a lot of shells on the beach. At Happy Hour, Twyla and Mike Chapman for Nauti Nell came over for cocktails

NAUTI NELL AT THE SWING BRIDGE

THE PALM ISLAND FERRY

JAWS!  NO, DOLPHIN.

RENTAL CABIN CAYO COSTA STATE PARK

TYLER'S BIRTHDAY CARD

ONE OF THE MANY SHELLS WE TOOK FROM THE BEACH.

R&R IN VENICE

DAY 188-198  AT VENICE

We have been to Venice several times, but it is different being there in a boat.  Marker 4 Marina is an excellent facility, unfortunately, they lost their permits due to some political issues and had to curtail their amenities.  They had no permanent water system, no pump out, and no fuel.  We did have use of the restaurant rest rooms and showers, and had a very pleasant stay.  The location, just across the ICW from the town is excellent, and we took advantage of it by walking or biking over the bridge on several occasions.  Lydia & John Russo acted as harbor hosts and took us shopping when we needed to provision.  We also spent a day with them at SPANISH POINT, an historical peninsula in Little Sarasota Bay where they documented the history of the native Americans who inhabited there some 7,000 years ago.

We planned to stay a Marker 4 Marina for a week, but when it came time to leave the weather forecast called for wind gusting to 28K.  Since we planned to anchor in Pelican Bay, off Cayo Costa State Park, we decided to wait for a calmer day.  So, on Jan. 28 we extended our reservation for another week (based on the marina’s rate it was cheaper to pay for a whole week than for 3 days). 

JOHN, LYDIA, PAT, & JOE

BUTTERFLY CHAIR

INSIDE MARY'S CHAPEL

BIRD ON A ROPE

ON TO VENICE (FL)

DAY 187, JAN. 21, 2012

AM 70*. CLEAR SUNNY, WIND S 10K

DEP. MOORE’S 09:00, ARR. VENICE  1:50

D. 28 SM / 3404

 We left the Stone Crab dock with John and Lydia for the cruise south to Venice.  It was a perfect blue skies day.  We decided to take the intracostal which was very enjoyable.  We saw dolphins swimming along side of us. Beautiful homes were everywhere.  The Sarasota sky line was impressive.  We also enjoyed all of the natural beauty of the area, the bird rookeries and mangrove islands.  Lydia enjoyed the swing bridge and the draw bridge as seen from a boat.  All to quickly we were in Venice Harbor and looking for our marina.  After a short stop at Marine Max we headed to Marker 4 Fisherman’s Wharf Marina as it was more convenient to town and the beach.  We quickly settled in and were picked up that evening by John for dinner at John and Lydia’s home.  John and Gail Densler were also invited.  The six of us caught up on all our news and had a grand time.  The perfect ending to a perfect day.

NOT TOO SHABBY

SARASOTA

 

BLACKBURN POINT SWING BRIDGE

NOKOMIS/CASEY KEY BRIDGE

MOORE'S STONE CRAB REST.

DAY 186, FRIDAY JAN 20,2012

BEAUTIFUL CLEAR SUNNY, 68* AM

DEP BRADENTON BEACH 10:10, ARR MOORES REST. 10:30

D. 2.0 SM / 3326

10:00 AM- We picked up our anchor for the short trip to Longboat Key and Moore’s Stone Crab Restaurant.  At 10:50 we pulled into the restaurants free dock.  In the afternoon John and Lydia Russo came abroad to spend the night WITH US and cruise Venice.  That afternoon Looper friends Glen and Jill Moore on Last Dance docked behind us.  We had a joyful time catching up.  It was wonderful seeing them again.  We all went out to dinner, and had a great time.

ANCHORED OFF BRADENTON PIER

DAY 186, THURSDAY JAN19, 2012

DEPART BRADENTON BEACH MARINA FOR ANCHORAGE OFF BRADENTON BEACH PIER

Noon.  A perfect day, a perfect bay. We enjoyed easy access to Island where we roamed the beach and historical district. At 6:00 PM we met Sherrie at Bradenton Beach Marina for drinks at Dockside.  The perfect ending to a perfect day.  Oops, 7 AM and we are aground.  No problem, at 9 AM the tide came in and we left at 10 AM for Longboat Key and the famous free dock a Moore’s Stone Crab Restaurant.

THE BRADENTON PIER

WHERE THE ACTION IS

GULFPORT TO BRADENTON BEACH

DAY 184, TUES. JAN 17, 2012

DEP. GULFPORT 09:45; ARR. BRADENTON BEACH MARINA (mm 87.2) 12:45

CLEAR, 70* WIND 5 -10 K

D. 20.42 SM / 3373.62

Since we are only going 20 miles there’s no need to get a really early start.  Not only that, but we have reservations for a slip, so, no rush.  It is a beautiful morning, clear, warm, and almost no wind.  It feels really good to be under way again.  We head southwest down Boca Ciega Bay and turn southeast just after Cat’s point where we enter a narrow canal with homes and docks to starboard.  This is a shortcut and brings us to the narrow channel that runs south, parallel to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, past Tarpon Key, and into Tampa Bay.  We run alongside the bridge until we get to the ship channel and then turn southwest for the trip across the bay to the channel in Anna Maria Sound which we follow to the Cortez Bridge.  Bradenton Beach Marina is just south of the bridge.  The location is excellent.  It is just a couple of short blocks from the town of Bradenton Beach which is just across the road from the Gulf.  There are several restaurants, bars, and gift shops.  There is also a free “trolley” that runs the entire length of Anna Maria Is. The trolley makes convenient stops at all the places of interest, including a big modern Publix market.  This makes living easy for Loopers like us without cars.  Unfortunately we missed our Looper friends Ed and Cindy ten Haaf on the Ka-Dee-Anna (they have a home here) as they were waiting in Carrabelle to cross the Gulf. We both loved Anna Maria and would like to return there.

CANAL FRONT HOMES

THE SKYWAY BRIDGE

 

JOE, PAT AND NEW FRIEND "MANNY"  (THE MANATEE)

BACK TO BOATING

DAYS 177 – 183
TUES. JAN 10 – TUES.17, 2012

AT GULFPORT

We arrived at Tampa Airport around 5 PM, picked up a rental car for the week and were back on the GLORY DAYS by 6:30.  After a quick stop to replenish some essentials we had dinner at Isabelle’s, a charming "old south" restaurant.  On Wed. Lydia and John Russo picked us up for a fun day of sightseeing and lunch in Tarpon Springs, an historic Greek sponge fishing village, about an hour north.  We all, except for Pat, had the grilled octopus and it was delicious.  On Thurs. and Fri we cleaned the boat and even started to wax.  On Sat. old friends and former neighbors Goody & Paul Gibbs came to see us.  After cocktails they gave us a tour of St. Pete’s Beach and St Petersburg.  What a nice small city.  I can see why they like it there. They have their own RE agency and also manage rental properties.  That evening we went to a Tapas Restaurant, first time for us, and had a fantastic dinner.  After dinner they took us to their waterfront condo where we caught the second half of the Pats/Broncos game, and then back to the boat.  Sun. we drove over to St. Petersburg Pier, and Mon. we spent doing errands and getting the boat ready to cruise.

THE PIER AT ST. PETERSBURG

THE INVERTED PYRAMID AT THE END OF THE PIER