Fort Myers Beach-Port Charlotte - Mar 11-18

Just one more week left of this year's adventure.  On Wednesday, March 11, we left Fort Myers Beach and traveled a short 8 miles to an anchorage just off of Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge located on Sanibel Island.  We were beginning to hear rumblings about the Coronavirus and were happy to be on anchor away from "the world".  Our timing was good in regards to the weather as the winds finally dropped so it was perfect for anchoring out.  We took advantage of this fabulous weather and stayed "on the hook" for the next 4 nights.  We spent 2 nights just off of Cabbage Key, 1 night near Cayo Costa and 1 night near Boca Grande.

We just learned the term "social distancing" and felt we were in the perfect place to follow these guidelines.  Days were spent relaxing, swimming and exploring via dinghy.  It was hard to imagine while we were enjoying our solitude, the rest of the world was starting to go nuts.

On Monday, we pulled into Fisherman's Village Marina in Punta Gorda. We started prepping the boat for storage. (always a sad day)  That evening we went out to dinner at a local restaurant in Fisherman's Village.  Little did we know, this would be our last dining out experience for months!

Tuesday morning we cruised 10 miles across Charlotte Harbor and thru the lock which put us in fresh water for our last 8 miles to the storage yard. That afternoon the PV2 was pulled out. We spent the afternoon stripping the upholstery from the flybridge, and storing it inside the boat where we run a dehumidifier for the summer. We spent the night onboard and flew home the next day.  We came back to Michigan on March 18 as scheduled which was 6 weeks earlier than last year. With the Covoid-19 virus coming on fast and hard, we were very thankful to be home.

Exploring near Captiva Island

Anchored out.

Breakfast view at Cabbage Key

Hello from Cabbage Key water tower.

Hello down there!

Lovely Boca Grande Pass

Last night on anchor.
Time to head back to reality.

Out of the water until next winter.

Sharing our storage area with a "land yacht"

Bimini-Fort Myers Beach - Feb 24-Mar 10

With mixed emotions we left Bimini on Monday, February 24.  Our month in the Bahamas was magical yet challenging.   The sun shone, the temps were hot and the waters were amazing but the winds were a constant factor. Our decision to cross back to Miami was driven by a lull in the winds.  Monday waves were predicted to be 2-3 feet with the rest of the week building to 10-14 feet.  So off we went.  Our crossing was rolly but comfortable.  We crossed directly to Miami where we spent the night on anchor.

Tuesday we took a slip at Prime Marina in Coconut Grove where we were able to stock up on provisions which were pretty much depleted during our stay in the Bahamas.  That night we enjoyed Taco Tuesday at our new favorite haunt - Sandbar Sports Grill. Best tacos ever! Wednesday morning we traveled 40 miles and anchored near Key Largo under Hwy 1, a 65ft interstate bridge. Captain "Think a Lot" new we would swing when the tide changed at 1am...so we set our alarm clock for 1:30am. Good thing, because the PV2 had swung to within 4ft of a massive concrete bridge footing. We tightened our stern line, went back to bed and tried to sleep.

Thursday we headed to Islamorada where we anchored out in Snake Creek for 3 nights. Once again the winds limited our exploring options but we made the best of it and still were able to dinghy to Hog Heaven for fabulous smoked pork & brisket.  The sun continued to shine, so as long as we dodged the winds, we were fine.

On Tuesday, we pulled the hook early and began our long cruise up to Florida's west coast. We traveled 120 miles on the Gulf of Mexico to Marco Island where we anchored out for 2 nights.  Our exciting discovery was a Winn Dixie grocery store with a dinghy dock! Awesome!!!! Saturday we took the dinghy to Goodland, a quaint fishing village located in the southeast corner of Marco Island. So cute. Yummy lunch.

Next stop, Fort Myers Beach.  We spent 2 nights at Moss Marina and 3 nights at Salty Sam's Marina. Our friends Paul & Cindy joined us on Saturday and spent 3 nights with us.  We had fun anchoring out 2 of the nights - one night near Captiva Island and one night near St James City. On Tuesday we dropped our friends off back at Fort Myers Beach in order for them to catch their flight back to Michigan.

Back in the USA!
Anchorage near Miami

This anchorage required us to tie a stern line to the mangroves

to control swinging with the tides.

Toilet Seat Pass!
A pass thru the shallows near Tavernier Key marked with toilet seats.

Captain Adorable 

Dinghy expedition with Paul & Cindy

Silly girls!

Hand rubbed, deep fried BACON!
Doesn’t get much better than that!

Pink Palm Tree - love it!