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Published: December 24th 2010
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Wednesday morning Sara and Trevor left early for the Gulf of Mexico, where they intended to sail until reaching Venice, where they would come inside to the ICW. We would be on the ICW all day. Before we got into the channel we ran aground, not hard stuck, the current moved us off, but the depth finder read zero. Not a great start.
Once we got going, though, it went pretty well. There were a lot of slow areas with no wake, or manatee areas. We had to have 2 bridges open for us and, while waiting for one to open, a runabout with a family aboard kept circling us and taking pictures. ???? What? Then they pointed to the back of our boat. Oh no, we’ve caught a crab pot. No, that wasn’t it. We looked out both side doors, but couldn’t see anything. Kerry hollered at them asking what it was, and someone yelled back what sounded like swordfish. ???? Finally, I went to the back of the boat and looked behind us and saw something dark under and behind the boat. What is that? Then it surfaced. It was a dolphin surfing in our wake. What a
Moon setting
over Longboat Key at same time thrill. It leapt out of the water beside the boat, then was gone.
Sara and Trevor did come inside at Venice and we heard them call the bridge tender 2 miles ahead of us. We traveled the rest of the afternoon together to Englewood, where we stopped at Cape Haze Marina. Nice place, nice people, but a long way to the showers and they closed the bathrooms and showers at 5 pm. The manager offered his car for us to go to the grocery with the caveat we have it back by 5 so he could go home. It was nearly 4, so Kerry and Trevor went to the store and Sara and I showered and did some laundry.
This morning Kerry and Trevor got their showers. We all agreed these were the best showers of the whole trip so far. They even gave us free ice, two buckets full. So after all this showering and getting ice, and rinsing some of the salt off the windshield, we finally got underway a little after 9.
We only had one more bridge that had to be opened, a swing bridge where we had to wait 10 minutes. Then
Swing bridge on the ICW
opening for us. the current was really strong through here into the open waters of the Gasparilla Sound to Boca Grande Marina for fuel. Gasparilla Island has two lighthouses, one active, one not. Then across Charlotte Harbor, which is a big body of water, past Boca Grande Pass, which is a wide opening to the Gulf of Mexico. The water was fairly rough until we got into Pine Island Sound, which was also a big body of water. There were lots of boats out making lots of big wakes as we passed Captiva Island and Sanibel Island, before reaching, at last, the end of the Gulf ICW in San Carlos Bay near Ft. Myers.
We scooted south under the Sanibel Causeway to Ft. Myers Beach, where we tied up at mooring balls in the city mooring field. A secure spot for $13/night. Too bad we’re pressed for time. It looks like a great place to spend a day or two. On the way in we passed the Coast Guard searching a sailboat and a pirate ship heading out.
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Barbara
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Sanibel Island and Ft Myers sound like such nice warm places............................ Merry Christmas Eve! LOVE!