We arrived back at Goodland yesterday afternoon and anchored in the basin next to the marina and hauled the boat out early this morning and tried to clean the bottom up a little. We're hoping to get to Marathon early enough to relaunch and get settled at the marina.
Our mission today was to leave our anchorage in Russell Pass somewhat early in the morning and head over to Everglades City (located along the Barron River on the boundary of Everglades National Park), about a seven-mile run. We've been hearing about the Rod and Gun Club since our first Great Loop boat trip in 2005. We never quite made it there during our other two trips through the Everglades due to an unalterable schedule. One of the nice things about having a trailerable trawler is you can get to places quickly with a lot of flexibility. The club has…
We've been through the Everglades twice in the past six years but we've never made it to Everglade City. Today that will change as we are headed there to have lunch at the infamous Rod and Gun Club. A beautiful day to cruise in the Everglades, calm water and clouds that look like jumbo, puffy, cotton balls.
Recently we made a post about meeting Ted, on Manatee (below - left), a very friendly boater whom we spent only about an hour's worth of total time with. We first met Ted while we were both traveling south on the GICW (we slowed down for a short conversation about where we were headed), we finally met up with each other in Goodland, Florida where we anchored near the Calusa Island Marina where Manatee was docked. In an hour's length of total time, I don't think you could say we were good friends but good enough for us to know Ted…
Not many women get an opportunity to enjoy a romantic Valentine's Day dinner with their sweetie in a remote setting like our anchorage tonight in Russell Pass – Everglades National Park. It might not appeal to some but I have to tell you I'm lovin' it. We're anchored tonight with two sailboats, one in front of us and one behind us. Showers outside this afternoon and an early dinner on the back deck of Kismet (early because we want to eat outside before the bugs come to eat us). We didn't see any alligators or turtles during our stay, it's…
We've completed almost two Great Loop boat trips (a circumnavigation of the Eastern United States from the Heartland Rivers to the North Atlantic Seaboard, Canada and the Great Lakes) and both times we bypassed a few stops we wished we had had time to include in our schedule while in southwest Florida. The first is the little town of Goodland, Florida, just south of Marco Island and the second is Everglades City, at the mouth of the Barron River, on Chokoloskee Bay, just inside of Everglades National Park. Today, we pulled the boat out at Fort Myers Beach and drove to…
Time to play around a little and enjoy the beach, located just a short walk from the marina and through the little beach town. The sand on Fort Myers Beach is so fine, clean, and white and it provided a fun way for the crew on Kismet to get some much-needed exercise.
In true boater tradition, Ranger Tug owners still at the rendezvous, Carol, Jess, Cheryll, and I got up early to hit the Farmer's Market about two blocks away from the marina under the San Carlos Blvd. Bridge. It was a small affair but we all found something we needed.
CHEERS... Here's to Here & Here's to There. Whenever we meet up with boaters from our homeport of Charlevoix, Michigan, we have a special toast, and it's always the same. The HERE is always where we currently are and the THERE is always where we love to be and it's always the same... Charlevoix. We've been meeting up with Hal and Marianne (above) in Florida for the last few years. (Hal is our harbormaster in Charlevoix, Michigan and they are both dear friends.) This year they decided to try the Cape Coral area so it worked perfectly with our schedule. Before we left home, we…
We enjoyed seeing the progression of the chalk drawings during the contest on Saturday. Some very talented young artists (and a few teachers) spent most of the afternoon on these amazing works of art.
Kismet was dwarfed by two larger boats in the Fort Myers Yacht Basin Marina. This is a fun spot to spend a few days or more. The downtown is vibrant with more shops than ever. It's a quick walk to the grocery store from the marina and they have a Joe's Crab Shack just a few blocks away. To top it off there is a great farmer's market under the bridge every Thursday. As it turned out we ran into another Looper, docked right next to Kismet, we'd recently met John & Kay on Admiral's Choice at the 2011 Fall AGLCA…
Just a little jaunt over to Cape Coral this morning, approx. 30 miles to Tarpon Point Marina where we threw the hook out within sight of the marina. Spent the afternoon catching up on the blog and bills until it was time to dinghy over to the marina so friends, Andy and Mary could pick us up for dinner at their rental located just a few miles from the marina. We met Andy and Mary in Charlevoix just before we began our second Great Loop boat trip in 2008. Always a fun time when we see Mary and Andy (above-left).…
We had two ideas for an anchorage tonight, Pelican Bay, off Cayo Costa State Park, and a cove off Captiva, Sanibel Island. When we arrived at the entrance to Pelican Bay, it looked so inviting with twenty-some boats, sail, and power, already anchored it seemed a no-brainer to find a spot for ourselves and join in the fun. We felt like we were at anchor in the islands with boaters dinghying, Bahama style, (steering the dinghy while standing), from one boat to the next, meeting up with old friends and making new ones. It was that kind of night.
The Historic Village of Boca Grande, on the island of Gasparilla, is located at the southern tip of the Cape Haze Peninsula on Florida’s Southwest Coast midway between Sarasota and Ft. Myers. Nature has blessed this lush barrier island with seven miles of powdery white beaches stretching the entire Gulf side. Downtown is just a short walk from the marina and the beach, on the Gulf side, not much farther. We spent the afternoon of the day we arrived, and the morning of the day we departed, exploring the town and stopping in a few shops on our way to…
We bypassed the newer marina in favor of tying up at the famous and historic, Whidden's Marina. Boca Grande's oldest marina was founded in 1926 by Sam Whidden and has been run by the Whidden family ever since. Back in the 20s, the marina was also a well-known night spot, dance hall, and restaurant. All that has changed, but not the flavor and old-fashioned hospitality of this "Old Florida" establishment. We enjoyed the old museum and gift shop (which really was another museum of sorts) and the laid-back atmosphere. It reminded us of Hoppies, in Kimswick on the Mississippi River. I…
The Kadey Krogen Manatee kind anyways. This trawler's name was also Manatee. She sure looked good on the water today with the bright colors and her manatee sail catching the wind as she made her way by us on the GICW. We stopped to exchange greetings and to see if we might meet up down the water somewhere but it appears we are headed in different directions.
Just south of Englewood, on Lemon Bay, is a great spot to anchor in Port Charlotte Beach State Park. We had a fun dinghy ride around the island and to the beach. We stayed two nights here to catch up on some business and boat chores.
On our way to a Nokomis and a little restaurant, we passed a few times when traveling through this area. Today we decided to make Pop's a lunch stop and to meet up with fellow MTOA members, Fred and Lorraine Ford-Smith. Fred and Lorraine met us on the dock and we gave them a quick tour of Kismet. They were interested to get on board a Ranger Tug 27 because they're thinking of downsizing someday. It worked out well because we were early enough that the dock was not yet crowded with weekend boaters stopping for lunch at Pops.
Lido and Otter Key provided a peaceful anchorage for Kismet tonight. Before dinner, we got in the dinghy and cruised a nearby canal, this is where we found this very unusual (to us) tree (below). No leaves on the tree just these beautiful bright red, orchid-like, flowers sitting next to some closed-up, brown pods. Do you know what kind of tree this is? Please let us know if you do. We haven't seen another like it, so we think it's somewhat unusual, but hey, we're from northern Michigan and a little unfamiliar with tropical plants. This is the sun (below) just…
Established in 1948, the Ringling Circus Museum celebrates the American circus. located just north of Sarasota the museum is a must-see for visitors to the Sarasota area. The museum was the first in the country to document the rich history of the circus. More recently the world's largest miniature circus has been on display since 2009. The small replica was created over a period of more than 50 years by the master model builder and philanthropist Howard Tibbals. As you enter the museum you will see all stages of circus life from loading up the train that will transport not…
When we've been anchoring out a lot we look forward to getting into a big city marina and we can't think of a better place along this beautiful Gulf Coast than Sarasota. It has everything here to satisfy a cruising boater. Nice marina facilities (Marina Jack), restaurants right on the dock, music to serenade you to sleep, a newer downtown area with shops and more restaurants, and if you happen to be there on a weekend – an amazing farmer's market and art fair. We love Sarasota! The Sarasota Farmer's Market is a visual treat. The quality of produce available…
De Soto Point Anchorage on the Manatee River A quiet night and calm waters greeted us at DeSoto Point on the Manatee River (above and below). A few other boats were already anchored for the night when we arrived late afternoon. It was late so we stayed on the boat, made dinner, and enjoyed the sunset. Longboat Key, a Favorite Anchorage We are loving the nice January weather, it makes anchoring out a real treat. We had company tonight when Captain Kathe and a group of women came by to say hi.
On our way to Gulfport today. Great cruising weather, calm as could be, and not too many boat wakes to contend with and we were happy about that. We've heard lots of good reports from other boaters about this little community near St. Petersburg. We made arrangements to stay one night at the Gulfport Marina, just about a mile from the downtown area. Here's an artsy idea for your car when it needs a new paint job. Tribal art! This is just a little representation of this little community. Many restaurants along the beach area but lots of art galleries and…
Anchoring in Florida is a real treat. Lots of options available, and we decide to try a few new spots (new to us anyways). Instead of anchoring in St. Pete Beach, which we've done a couple of times before, we stopped a little earlier and tried this spot off Redington Beach. It turned out to be a picture-perfect spot in a well-protected cove, a good choice for our first night at anchor during this winter trip to Florida.
Before leaving Tarpon Springs we needed to top off the fuel tank, we found the F & Y fuel dock close to the Sponge Docks and we were surprised at all the help we got. Captain Gregg and his little dog Monster greeted us along with the fuel guy and helped us secure the boat and fuel the boat. Captain Greg is pretty proud of his companion, Monster. The captain is a real Tarpon Springs fisherman, he and his crew, including Monster, go out in the Gulf several days at a time until his boat's fish, holding tank is full…
