Cooper

On Saturday morning around 11 a.m. we left the basin at Key West Bight and headed back home. We were all very sad to be leaving, because we had an amazing time. The journey home would take us 30 hours, and fortunately, we had calm winds and a calm seas, so the journey was pleasant. It's been an amazing vacation. Stay tuned for next year's journey!... read more

Today was truly a highlight of the trip. After breakfast at the famous Pepe's, we decided to take the sailboat out to go snorkeling at the reef. The first stop was Western Dry Rocks, just a few miles west of Sand Key Lighthouse. The water was perfectly clear and it was a beautiful day for snorkeling. We spent about 90 minutes snorkeling around the reef and enjoying the afternoon. We saw some huge tarpon in schools, as well as some of the most beautiful parrot fish. After exploring, we decided to scoot over a few miles toward the lighthouse, and we picked up a mooring over at Sand Key Lighthouse. We spent another hour or so snorkeling there, where we saw a huge stingray as well as a pretty decent size nurse shark. Again, the tarpon ... read more

After the long sail yesterday, we dropped anchor just off the Barracuda Keys around midnight. We woke to the beautiful sunrise and a gorgeous beach. We hopped in the dingy and we rode over to the beach for a dip. There is a gorgeous limestone rock up the pass and we decided to dingy over and snorkel around it. There were a few grouper hanging around the rocks. Caroline found a Starfish and the boys found some Conch. We headed back to the boat around lunchtime, and after taking a break for some tacos, we decided to float around the sailboat for a while. We broke out the noodles and the kids jumped off the side of the boat for a while, before we hit the road again (well, not literally) and headed to Key West. ... read more

On Sunday morning, we left Venice and the Crow's Nest and headed south to Boca Grande pass. There, we find one of our favorite spots, home of the original, authentic Cheeseburger in Paradise - Cabbage Key. On the way in Boca Grande pass, we stopped to anchor off the beach at Caya Costa and took a dip. The drfitwood made great tools for sandcastles, and the shells provided a lot of entertainment for the boys skipping along the water. Caroline found a conch living in a shell, the boys played in the current. We headed to the anchorage and everyone had fun jumping off the boat into the water. After showers, we headed in to Cabbage Key where the kids climbed the water tower and the adults climbed the barstools. :-) We had a wonderful stay. ... read more

After a morning filled with shopping, loading, and lunch at the Irish Pub, the adult Coopers and McCombs were ready to set sail. We left the St. Petersburg Marina around 3 p.m. and started the journey south. We had a week filled with rain, rain and more rain, so we were a little leary about the weather, but thought we saw a break in the clouds, so we took it. We dropped anchor off Mar Vista, one of our favorite restaurants around 6:30 p.m. The Cooper and McCombs kids are safely hanging out in St. Pete with their respective grandmas (thanks moms). They will be joining us on Sunday morning in Venice, after finishing their baseball season. We're looking forward to the Cooper & McCombs Excellent Adventure. Stay Tuned!... read more