Fryedaze Cruising Adventures: February 2016

Before I write about our trip from Fort Meyers Beach to Marco Island and south- I wanted to share some additional information about meeting up with Jackie and Don Cola- FRYEDAZE former owners. When we were at Longboat Key and our good friends Sandy and Billy came for a long weekend- we decided to take the boat out and ride up to the Manatee River and Bradenton. On the way back, we were behind a sailboat who required the Cortez Bridge to be opened. Unbeknownst to us- Don and Jackie were on top of the Cortez Bridge and Don instantly recognized his boat. The next day (after the tornado :-) ) the four of us were headed to Siesta Key for lunch and a walk on the beach. We were getting off the boat and this man and woman were standing on the dock saying you need to get off this boat. We all thought there was another tornado warning and he was spreading the word (even though the skies were a brilliant blue). When Dave got off- Don proceeded to tell him to get off "his" boat. Dave instantly put it all together. It turns out that their daughter's fiancé's boat was directly across from our slip at LBK and he was there checking the lines after the bad storms. We invited them to lunch on Wednesday and caught up on their RV adventures and filling them in on FRYEDAZE journeys. It turns out that when they were on the Loop 10 years ago they also stayed at LBK just like us. It was so wonderful catching up with them- we even got to go to their RV for lunch right before we left LBK! All in all- another wonderful part of Great Loop Cruising!

On Tuesday morning we started our cruising south again. It was so wonderful having Jo Ann and Robbie with us for the week and spending Sunday with my Aunt and Bill but it was time to get back to our "normal." Our first stop after leaving Ft. Myers Beach we went to Rose's Marina on Marco Island. What a gorgeous place! We liked it so much that the bad weather on Wednesday and Thursday was a real bonus. I felt right at home because I was able to walk to Publix once again- I just loved doing that in Longboat Key. Dave found a great haircut place and we just enjoyed getting to know the area.

We left Friday morning for an anchorage in the Everglades National Park- Panther Key. It was absolutely gorgeous and so very peaceful. We even got lucky and had a nice breeze so no mosquitos and "no see-ums"! Saturday we came into Everglade City and we felt like we had stepped back several decades. This is truly "old Florida." The marina we are at is connected with a very posh RV park. We are the only boat in the marina and we were puzzled why until all the airboats continued zooming around us until 5:00. It is so loud sitting on the bridge but we haven't minded as we enjoyed people and boat watching!

Today we went on our own airboat adventure. I had gone on one when I was a teenager and was looking forward to repeating the experience. It didn't disappoint- we even saw two alligators. It was an exhilarating ride through the mangroves and salt marshes. Our tour guide was wonderful and very entertaining. Tomorrow we are headed to the Shark River- our last anchorage before we hit Marathon on Tuesday. We are scheduled to be there for March and April and we are looking forward to the company that are coming to spend time with us!

Last look at the Pink Shell Resort as we were leaving Ft. Myers Beach

Sunset on Marco Island

Key West Express that goes to Key West every morning at 8:30 and returns at 8:30 that evening.

Sunset from our anchorage at Panther Key

Sunset from Everglade City

We had lots of dolphins following us into Everglade City. These four stayed with us for almost 5 miles!

I was being the dolphin whisperer with the dolphins who were guiding us!

Just a sampling of all the airboats that buzzed around our boat!

This was us on our airboat tour this morning. Lyle our guide was incredible!

Saw this guy laying out of the water trying to warm up!

We enjoyed this couple from Switzerland on our tour!

After our tour we walked to the Rod and Gun Club that was built in 1864 by a Mr. Collier- thus Collier County, FL. It has been visited by five presidents, Ernest Hemmingway and many other famous people. It was a beautiful spot for lunch. http://everglades-rodandgunclub.com/history/

While we grew to love Longboat Key Club Moorings, when those engines started up last Monday morning it was nothing but pure joy! The bonus was we had our great friends and former cruising buddies Jo Ann and Robbie on board with us. We picked them up in Fort Myers Beach last Saturday where they were allowed to leave their car for the week. Many marinas I had called did not permit a vehicle being in their lots that long, so we were happy that Pink Shell Resort and Marina could accommodate us!
After picking them up, we began our "memory" journey starting with lunch at Harpoon Harry's in Punta Gorda. Dave and I chartered in this area two summers and were anxious to revisit many of the same places from 7 and 8 years ago. We were unable to secure dockage at Fisherman's Wharf so we did the next best thing... we went by car for lunch. It was as we remembered it- but SO MUCH MORE CROWDED. That will be the proverbial theme of this blog today. When we chartered it was in the middle or end of June and July- and THERE WAS NO ONE HERE! Boat traffic now even on week days reminds of us our beloved Chesapeake Bay on the weekends! Lots and lots of boats enjoying the waters of Southwest Florida. Another sad difference is they are currently draining Lake Okeechobee and the water is making the beautiful green and turquoise waters that we were used to an ugly reddish brown. YUCK! But we can't complain- it is sunny and beautiful!

Our first day we went to Venice, FL where we caught up with our wonderful looping friends from Sno Daz- Principal Bob and Sharon. And the bonus of the day was our family from Longboat Key- Bonnie and Jon came down for dinner and drinks as well. Kind of like a last time hurrah. Dinner was wonderful and the conversation loud and full of "remember...." It was nice for all of us because all of us at the table had cruised with Bob and Sharon at one time or another- including Jo Ann and Rob in Canada. That night we had a horrendous thunderstorm storm and the transformer at the marina- right next to our dock exploded and caught fire. Needless to say- I didn't get a lot of sleep that night.

We left Venice and headed to an anchorage off of Cayo Costa Island which is known for it's wonderful beach shelling. We dinghied into shore and went exploring to the Gulf beach. While we didn't find any shells that we absolutely had to keep- we enjoyed our walk and just being together. We went back to the boat and grilled out and just enjoyed a beautiful evening on anchor. We were unable to do any anchoring when Jo Ann and Rob joined us in Canada as we were in the Trent-Severn Waterway.

After Cayo Costa we went back up north a little to Boca Grande Island. We had two years of wonderful memories and we wanted to recreate as many of them as possible. I had rented a golf cart and as soon as we had an "old people's lunch" aboard we took off on the gulf cart exploring. We first went to Gasparilla Beach to the lighthouse and museum. We were unable to get off of the walkway as erosion had undercut much of the dune and path to the beach. So we hopped back into the cart and headed back to the town. We explored each of the roads and the beach accesses scoping out where we were going to go back for sunset. We shopped at all the places we had gone before- Hudson's Grocery, Fugate's and of course the liquor store. As I mentioned above- it was so very different being here during "the season." Lots of shoppers and tourists. We continued on our journey laughing so hard at times that we thought we would fall off the cart. Our sunset adventure was beautiful albeit a little "dangerous" with Dave's driving and Robbie's navigation!

We left Boca Grande for a short ride to Captiva and South Seas Plantation. We were hoping to get into Tween Waters but they had a boat club in so we went to South Seas. We had been here before and while the resort is beautiful it is rather pricey. But we took full advantage of the amenities poolside and beachside. We took the shuttle as far as it would take us to the south end of the resort and walked a half-mile into the hopping town of Captiva. Our goal was sunset and appetizers at Mucky Duck but they were packed- so we enjoyed some cocktails and then walked down the street to another wonderful restaurant. We never did see the sun completely set in Captiva but sure had a great time hunting it down!

Friday we left South Seas and went into Sanibel Marina. It is a small marina but holds very special memories for Dave and I. When we chartered from Southwest Charters we were required to have a captain check Dave's skill levels and he delivered us to Sanibel Marina. We immediately made a reservation for Grandma Dot's where I remembered having the best grouper sandwich ever! The kind hostess told me they didn't take reservations but when I told her the dock master had sent us- she winked and explained again that they don't take reservations. When we showed up at 6:00 we had a table shortly thereafter. Friday was a catch up and rest day- so we just hung around the marina. I did laundry which was steps off our boat dock, the boys talked and walked and yes napped and Jo Ann went exploring. Dinner was as good as I remembered just not so darn hot. The restaurant is not air conditioned and when we were there last we just dripped! Not a problem this time!

Sadly, Saturday took us back to Fort Meyers Beach where the McCready's had left there car. But not before going out into the Gulf wasting time trying to get a favorable tide to come into the dock. The currents behind this marina are incredible and always strong. The Pink Shell Resort and Marina have beautiful facilities and we immediately took advantage. We went to the beach where Dave promptly fell asleep. We ended back at the pool for the live music and of course Happy Hour. We tried to do as much as we could as we knew our week together was quickly ending.

After breakfast and cleaning up on Sunday morning, we said goodbye to Jo Ann and Robbie who were headed to Miami to visit her brother. Dave did a full wash down and cleaning of the outside and I did a clean up inside as we were expecting a visit from my Aunt Virginia and Uncle Bill. I was so very excited to see them as it had been awhile. Aunt Virginia is my Dad's baby sister and always his favorite. We visited on the boat and then they took us sightseeing around Fort Myers. Such a different view by land- had only seen it by water. We enjoyed the rest of the day at their beautiful home and after a great dinner they took as shopping to WalMart to pick up some essentials. So very happy that we got to see them and catch up and spend time together!

Tomorrow we leave this beautiful resort and are headed for Marcos Island. We are planning on staying for two days as we are expecting some high winds and storms. After that we are heading south towards Marathon. Thanks for reading- hope you enjoy the pictures!
Betsy

Photo captioning by Dave

Manatees in Longboat Key Club Marina. We saw a mother nursing two calves very close to the boat.

Sandy and Betsy at Dockside restaurant.

Sandy and Billy

Another beautiful Longboat sunset.

The notorious boat bum gang! Infamous for non stop fun and frivolity. L-R Dave, Bets, Bon, Jon

OK so we got to the beach for sunset a few refreshments and some beach Bocce ball. This guy decides he wants to horn in on our game. It took a bit of effort before he gave permission to play through.

FRYEDAZE resting in Longboat.

Its amazing what happens on the loop. We met up with the folks that sold us the boat. Don and Jackie, what great people!

Elvis is in the venue- surprising the newlyweds with Love Me Tender. Beautiful beach wedding on Siesta Key Beach.

Standing by at Boca Grande beach for yet another sunset.

Ok, the president wants some advice on this ISIS problem. I think if we just add 10 more Kilotons of fissile material and change the geometry a little we can drop the sucker and end this. Sound good, press send.