February 14, 2016
February 12, 2016
Coordinates 26 27’ 40.9" N 82 05 ’21.9" W
Sanibel Island, Florida
Mile Marker 6 of the GICW (Gulf Intracoastal Waterway)
February 13, 2016
Coordinates 26 41' 15.0" N 82 14' 36.6"W
Cayo Costa State Park, Florida
Mile Marker 25 GICW
I want to tell you how excited I was on February 12th when we realized we could meet up with Sue and Paul, our cohorts in starting this trip. There have been so many times on this journey that we have been in the right place at the right time.
We thought that Sanibel was going to be a great stop but it wasn’t. There weren’t any anchorages with protection from all directions. We stayed one night and moved on to Cayo Costa State Park to meet up with Sue and Paul, a lovely stop. Because it was the weekend there were a lot of boats. We went on three dinghy rides twice to the state park and one to a tiny body of water. The walks in the state park took us to the beach on the Gulf Coast that was good for shelling.
I think that it is well worth it to repeat exactly how the Waterway Guide describes getting to the anchorage.
“With caution, a little help from the tide and a reliable depth sounder, boats drawing up to 5 feet can normally get through Pelican Pass into Pelican Bay. From red daybeacon “74,” travel southwest toward the tip of the sand beach on Cayo Costa. Stay to within about 75 feet of the sand beach and just past the little sign in the water, turn slightly to port (east) and follow the beach up into Pelican Bay. You will find 5-6 feet of water in the pass. When inside Pelican Bay, pay attention to your depth sounder as there are several very shallow areas. You can anchor in 7-8 feet with plenty of swinging room and really good holding. This is a very popular anchorage so it can get crowded on weekends. One of the prettiest areas is in the southwest corner. Take your dinghy and look for a very small but deep creak and venture in. The depth is more than adequate for dinghies. It opens in a small lake of about 200 yards in diameter. There is a small dock that was once used for loading supplies on the island. You can land your dinghy there and explore inland. Very pretty! This is one of the best anchorages on the west coast of Florida.”
Being in there was delightful. We found the pelicans landed on the dock before we did so we appreciated the area from our dinghy and did not go ashore. We saw the path onto the island had not been used in a very long time. There was a small opening from the “lake” and in there was a home.
We saw pelicans, after all it is Pelican Bay, hawks, cormorants, fish jumping and peace and quiet well worth the ride if you are anchored in Pelican Bay.
Before I started this journey I had no idea what the Waterway Guide was talking about most of the time, now I understand what the guide is saying. I didn’t have one point of reference to call on to help me understand the book. I didn’t study any books last winter since I only became frustrated. A scary feeling like jumping in a black hole hoping that you can adjust to the darkness, especially in Penobscot Bay where mountains live under the water.
We celebrated Valentine’s Day with rib eye for dinner and an old movie, Kelly’s Heroes we loved it! The cast of characters included Clint Eastwood, Telly Savals, Don Rickles, Carroll O’Connor and Donald Sutherland, a movie from 1970. I hope you can watch it some day make sure you are prepared for the 143 minutes it takes to watch it.
Today we are off to Fort Myers where fun is bound to be.
Here are the pictures that we all enjoy.
The world is my kingdom
Check out all the birds in the background
Day of the birds
The designers takes colors from nature
Story is that Active Captain reports a missing marker. Sue and I wondered if this was the one that left its position and if so what kind of storm was it that unhinged this bugger?
Parting Shot
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