Sarasota to Cabbage Key FL

Central America Caribbean
January 17th 2011

Published: January 17th 2011

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Stella Maris

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Brandy & Charlie on Bama Belle

Sarasota….. Nice anchorage in downtown Sarasota….. Once we have secured the boat we head out on the dingy to a beach front bar O’Leary’s where a live band are playing music that make me think I’m in the Caribbean, (without the warm air!!) we share a pitcher of beer with Charlie & Brandy then call it a night, we had a 30 mph blow that night but managed to hold anchor unlike one or two other boats.... it can be a little worrying knowing that someone else's boat may drift your way while asleep, but Sean's pretty good at noticing what is going on with other boats as well as his own. Next day Sean & I dingy in and do some exploring, The weather is the hottest we have come across in two months, they have a farmers market and a Harley Davison Rally happening over the weekend, the bikes are steadily rolling in and congregating the local bars…. It’s a far cry from life on the open water, docks & boater folk but it's amusing and fun to be inland again for a little while. We messed around in the dink (dingy) racing Charlie & Brandy over the bay

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and pulling up onto another white sandy beach for a beach-combing walk..... Sean taught me how to operate the dink so now I can add that to my newly acquired skills😊..... 3 nights in Sarasota we head out again to one destination only to find the low tides don't allow us to get to where we had originally planned so decide on Cabbage Key which turns out to be a lucky change of plan.

Cabbage Key is 100 acres of tropical vegetation, no cars or paved areas, accessible only by boat or boat plane.... the only bar & restaurant (Cabbage Key) is on the dock and the owner & staff are wonderfully entertaining and accommodating.... the bar & restaurant is covered in dollar bills, all signed and personalized by the donor, apparently there is an estimated $50,000+ at any one time and as the bills fall off the wall they are put in a pot and are donated to charity, over $82,000 so far. The tradition began when a fisherman's only guarantee of a cold beer at the end of the day was to sign his dollar bill & stick it on the wall.

We sat in the

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bar both evenings and listened to stories & jokes from the bar staff & other local patrons including the great company of the owner, Rob. We walked around the nature trail and climbed the old water tower to view this beautiful unspoilt island. Later we're racing across the water to explore a couple of the recommended surrounding islands accessible only by dingy we pull up on the beach and walk through mangroves looking out for alligators as warned:{.. but only find more birds, huge varieties and fascinating to see, I'm in danger of becoming a bit of a twitcher! We bought a bird book so we can know what we are seeing, yesterday we saw a lonesome Anhinga, it's a little like a cormorant of which there are plenty, so it felt good to come across something new.

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