ssloop: Ft Myers Beach-Longboat Key

Thursday morning we left Salty Sam's and traveled back north 30 miles to the small island of Cayo Costa where we anchored out for 2 nights. We had a wonderful day that was warm, sunny and low winds. Finally! In the afternoon we dinghyed over to a sandy beach and spent some time enjoying the warmth. It was a great night to grill out and take in the awesome starry night.

Friday morning the winds were still down and the seas were calm so we set out for a morning dinghy cruise. We traveled around the point onto the Gulf where we observed hammerhead sharks, rays and dolphins swimming near and under the dinghy in the clear shallow waters. Amazing! After a brief pit stop on the boat we continued our dinghy quest the other direction 3 miles to Cabbage Key which is a 100 acre island "reminiscent of days gone by". On the island we had burgers for lunch at the famous Cabbage Key Inn & Restaurant. The walls and ceiling are covered with dollar bills with patrons names written on them. As legend has it, sailors of by gone days would stick dollar bills with their name on it to the wall. This way when they returned, possibly empty handed, they were guaranteed a drink. There is currently said to be 70,000 one dollar bills adorning the walls. After our burger lunch the first mate insisted on a walk, so we stopped at the dock and ranger station at Cayo Costa State Park. The walk was beautiful thru the palm forest and out to the beach.

Saturday we traveled 20 miles to an anchorage near Englewood Beach. We walked the beach and had dinner at the White Elephant.

Sunday on to Venice! Just a short 16 miles up the ICW we tied off at the Crows Nest Marina. The water at the inlet where the marina is located is clear aqua. Wow! We used Marina bicycles to visit downtown Venice. What a beautiful area of high end residential areas and palm lined streets. At night we watched the Super Bowl at the marina restaurant.

Venice is only 23 miles from Longboat Key where we will be docking the the boat for an extended time. Captain and crew unanimously decided we needed one more night on anchor. Five miles short of Longboat we dropped the hook behind Otter Key. The night did not disappoint. The winds were calm. The temps were warm. The stars were spectacular.

Tuesday we arrived at Longboat Key Club Moorings near Sarasota. With Grand Haven 2200 miles in our rear view mirror, it's time to give the PV2 a well deserved rest.