The Boys with Their New Sunglasses

 

Our New Neighborhood

Yesterday we had a lovely sail with the Code Zero the final 12 miles to Fort Myers Beach. We arrived in the mooring field to be greeted by old friends - Pam & Frank on "Blackfoot", Dave on "Destiny", and Ed & Betsy on "Haven". We were immediately impressed by our surroundings. The mooring field is very roomy, and there are shrimp boats, restaurants, pretty houses, and palm trees. Pam graciously offered to drive us to the airport to pick up Jamie at 11:00pm. We stayed up far beyond "cruisers midnight" (9:00pm)! Today we began to explore Fort Myers - this is a great place! The facilities at the mooring field are the best - very nice showers & laundry, convenient pump out at the boat, and a close dinghy dock. The beach was spectacular - the softest sand I think I have ever walked on; Jamie even went for a swim. Today is also Jim's Birthday. We celebrated by going to the Beach Grill for dinner with Jamie, Dave, Pam & Frank. Today was definitely a "10"!

Sunset at the Little Shark River

 

Our New Favorite Anchorage - The Gulf of Mexico

Jim was ready to lose his mind, or at least what is left of it, if we stayed in Marathon another day! On Saturday, at 0700 we departed the anchorage at Boot Key Harbor. We followed the Moser Channel through the bridge and past the Shoals until we could sail across Florida Bay to The Little Shark River (about 54 miles). We had hoped to sail with three other boats, but all decided that the wind wasn't exactly perfect for them. We sailed the course with a reefed main & jib & staysail - doing 7+ knots. The Little Shark was spectacular - egrets. manatees, herons, osprey, hawks, & dolphins (it is good we have a vet on board to identify all the wildlife)! When we departed Sunday morning at 0700, we prompted got "stuck in the mud" for a couple of hours at the mouth of Little Shark due to the extreme low tides caused by the full moon & northeast winds (three feet below the charted depths). By 0900 we were on the move again - great sail to Indian Key (where we anchored outside to avoid yesterday's problem). Today we left Indian Key at 0620 - (again, the depths were below charted levels) and we sailed 51 miles to north of Naples, FL. We are anchored just North of Wiggins Pass about .5 miles from the beach in the Gulf of Mexico! (if we drag, our new address will be Texas!) Tomorrow we will pick up a mooring ball off of Fort Myers Beach; just in time to meet Jamie!

Having Fun on Grey Hound

 

The Monitor Of All Things - At Work

 

Anchored in Boot Key Harbor

After the big blow; we headed into the Harbor to find anchorage (all the moorings were taken). We are safely anchored in west anchorage by the bridge since last Saturday. On Monday a strong front came through around 8:00 pm - we were having hors'doevres with Barry & Susan "Swan" on "Kismet". The rain came through with 49.9 knots of wind - WOW! The wind continues to blow from a Northerly direction at around 20 knots. The temp this morning was in the low 40s! We are waiting til the wind settles abit (hopefully) & blows more from the east before we leave to head up to Fort Myers. There are several boats that are planning the same - Grey Hound, Passages, and Swan. We are spending time reprovisioning, laundry, & "monitoring all things" (Jim's constant new job & enjoying the company of Dick and Anne, and many other new and old friends. It is amazing to meet so many people that have connections to upstate New York. Yesterday in the laundromat, we met a woman on "Gypsy B" who went to Whitney Point High School! Still having a great time!