Sarasota Fun and Heading South again

Our time in Sarasota was filled with lots of fun.  We enjoyed catching up with Mary and MaryJo,  Sharon's friends from her time in Provincetown, who own a place in Bradenton.  We shared time with Barbie and Paul from MA who were vacationing at Anna Maria Island.  We did more cycling.  Our friends on Neverland, Jim and Cynthia, arrived at the marina and we shared the last few days in town with them.  We went to see "The Greatest Showman" which was terrific!  We perused a couple artisan fairs.

A return to Marie Selby Gardens had us enjoying the beautiful plants in the conservatory (click to make them larger).

A Dart Frog in a large terrarium

Jim and Cynthia joined us at Selby Gardens - it was a "chilly" day

We enjoyed a visit to the Mote Marine Aquarium and saw lots of cool species we haven't seen underwater and on land.

The River Otters (which Sharon had seen in the wild in Stuart)
are very busy and social!

Caimans - small reptiles similar to alligators

The Seahorses were huge!  Like 6-8 inches long

The Friday before we were heading out, we were fortunate enough to be able to attend an Island Packet Owners Rendezvous at the Factory in Largo, Florida.  The company had gone through a downturn due to the bad economy a few years ago and many of us have been concerned about the future of the yachts.  The good news is that the company has new owners who are full of energy and enthusiasm (and have a strong financial backer).  They hosted a factory tour which allowed us to get up close and personal with their yacht building process and the people who create these strong and beautiful yachts.  We learned about the procedures and materials that make for a boat that gives us confidence to cross oceans, weather storms, and survive damage that many other production companies cannot claim.  We met the craftsmen and women who are so very devoted to their work.  Tom, the machinist who makes every piece of stainless steel on these boats, must have said half a dozen times, "It is very rewarding work".  (Uncle Danny, you would have loved this guy and could probably have spent hours with him!)  The woman who was staining all the smaller sections of wood that go into the interior of our boats had to show Sharon the "back room" where there were many pieces laid out to dry.  She almost reverently pointed out how the stain allowed the beautiful grain of the wood to show through.  We marveled at the giant "CnC" machine that routs all the wood pieces used in the interior.  We were able to peek inside the new IP 349 being built, and then watched as they lowered the deck and cabin top on top of the hull.  It was all SO COOL!

The Mold for the hull - click to enlarge

The room where they spray the gelcoat (the outer layer of the hull).
They basically build a boat from the outside in. 

Tom, the machinist. Every piece is made within 4/1000 of an inch.

Raw Stainless and finished pieces

A finished chart table

The doors are hand built slat by slat 

Looking down into the interior before the deck is attached

The deck and cabin top is hanging above

The staining process

   

 Lowering the deck to attach to the hull 

Jim and Cynthia joined us on Dream Catcher for dinner one night

Fancy dinner salad on DC! (Greg's creation)

There were always a couple of these guys hanging out
on the dock lines of boats - easier to reach
the millions of minnows in the water.  

This large statue adjacent to the marina was inspired
by the iconic photo at the end of WWII.
See Greg standing next to it to understand the scale!

Hayden and Radeen from Island Spirit with us at the IP Factory

Dream Catcher resting at the dock

A green heron fishing

Sunday, we left at dawn and headed south on our 50 nm jaunt.  It was a motor day with no wind and very flat seas.  We pulled into our favorite Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Island by mid-afternoon and joined the dozens of other boats enjoying a sunny summery afternoon away from the mainland.  We've enjoyed a couple of walks on the beach, rode out a blow, and took in the gorgeous views of what could be a Caribbean Island.

This is the reflection of the sunset

Not a bad place to weather a storm

Later this week we'll head further south to Naples to enjoy a few days in their new city marina that just re-opened this week, then continue south around the tip of Florida, through the Keys, and back up north to Miami, Boca and Vero Beach.

'Til next time -

Nice to be on the Water again

After what ended up being a little too much time at a dock, we left the Monday after the Super Bowl (congrats to those Eagles) to make our way south.  Unfortunately, the weather was not good enough to head outside, so we trudged our way down the ICW from Stuart.  After eight opening bridges, we found a good anchorage in Lake Worth just north of Palm Beach.  Next day, it was twelve more opening bridges and we dropped the hook in Lake Boca for the night.  Then, sixteen more and we were done!  The water got bluer and we motored over to Key Biscayne - one of our favorite spots when the wind is blowing from the East or South.  It was a good night.

Some homes along the ICW, Boca Raton to Miami

A piece of the Fort Lauderdale skyline

Early the next morning, we finally raised the sails with warm feeling in our hearts, headed out of the channel South of Key Biscayne, and turned South for some real sailing.  Hawk Channel runs down the entire Eastern side of the Keys from Key Biscayne past Key West.  The channel is protected by the Great Florida Reef.  This is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental US, and the third largest coral barrier reef system in the world.  It lies a few miles seaward, or east, of the Keys, and is about 4 miles wide.  It runs concentric to the Keys from Key Biscayne all the way to just south of the Marquesas Keys, as the Keys follow a rounded route south and then west.  The reef is a favorite fishing ground and offers good diving and snorkeling.  But, most important to sailors, it keeps the waves small, even while the East winds blow.  East winds are common here.  So, like Eggemoggin Reach in Maine, a typical day is a reach, the quickest and most comfortable point of sail.  And you move, man!  As friends say, this is why we own sailboats!

We enjoyed the best sailing time since we left New England in September.  The first day we had winds out of the East at 10-15 knots - it was a full sail day!  After an overnight at Rodriguez Key, we continued on with winds pushing 20 knots.  It was a more spirited sailing day!  We ducked under the Channel Five bridge, just south of Metacumbe Key, and found a quiet anchorage for the afternoon and evening.  Next morning, we turned almost directly West and enjoyed a downwind run with our 130% "Chesapeake Reacher" all the way to the Little Shark River in the middle of Everglades National Park.  We were surprised to see six boats already tucked in, with others following us inside.  This forced us up river a bit before we dropped the hook.  This little everglades river is all about nature. Clear aqua water. Mangroves. Birds. Fish jumping. Clear blue skies today!

Before dusk, when the bugs chased us inside, we watched dolphins fishing, large fish jumping for flies, all kinds of water birds and a beautiful sky.  This is a quiet, dark, peaceful anchorage where, even with a few more like-minded boats around, you feel like you are the only humans around.  A beautiful spot.

Sailing Hawk Channel

The downwind run to Little Shark River

Entering Little Shark River

On the way to Marco Island

The fourth day, the wind quit on us and we ended up motoring to Marco all day Sunday.  Still, the sun was shining, the pelicans were fishing, and it was a beauty day on the water.  By late afternoon, we were making our way up the channel and dropped the hook in Factory Bay.  Next morning, we were off again early and headed north to the Fort Myers area through the intracoastal bays.  The goal was Cayo Costa, but with Greg's office phone calls, we had to do a bit of engine-off drifting as the day got longer.  We motored our way up into the intracoastal waterway that runs from Matanzas Pass (just north of Ft Myers) to Boca Grande Pass (just south of Boca Grande) and chugged along amongst the large and small motorboats zoom-zooming around.  Greg spotted a nice quiet area about a mile off to the west of the main channel, so we snugged our way into a peaceful anchorage just East of Sanibel Island.  The following day, we bounced our way into Pelican Bay at Cayo Costa, traversing the always-shallow entrance (often only a few inches below our keel) and enjoyed a couple relaxing days on the hook and the beach.  Great shell shopping along the beaches for Sharon!

First swim of the year

Smiley Face Parasailer

Sunset at Cayo Costa - truly a special place.

Beach at Cayo Costa

Beach Warning Flags - it's rare to see a green flag on the
East Coast of Florida in the winter - probably less so on the West 

Greg wanted to stay in Cayo Costa for the rest of the year, but we headed out along our path to make our next destination.  Due to tides that were not helpful (high) for our departure, we decided to leave Pelican Bay at high tide and anchor over near the pass for an easy departure the next morning.  So, at 4:30pm we headed out and motored across the pass, and dropped the hook as close to land as possible.  It was a great plan with a north wind, except the wind shifted to the east by midnight (which we expected, but thought would be OK).  When the wind shifted, the waves followed.  Sharon was up every hour checking our position as we hopped around on the anchor.  Not a great night.  At about 2:30am, Greg said, why don't we just go - what?!  No, said Sharon.  So, we continued our restless night until dawn, eagerly hauled anchor and headed out of the pass.  Once we turned north, it was an easy sail to Venice inlet, and then a motor up the waterway to Sarasota Bay and Marina Jack where we have been docked ever since.

100 Proof!

There we are nestled in amongst the large motor
yachts - which all seem to be for sale!

Free Cable at Marina Jack!  Olympics and popcorn!  Livin' Large!

Sarasota is such a nice town.  The marina is at the end of Main Street, allowing an easy walk to restaurants (you know how important this is to us!), shops, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, and a fabulous Farmer's Market every Saturday morning.  In addition, there are lots of great cycling options to St Armand's Circle, Longboat Key, Siesta Key and more.  We drove our car over from the East coast before we sailed over, which allows us access to so much more.

One of the entrances to the marina area

Saturday Farmer's Market

A Gopher Tortoise along the Legacy Trail Bikeway,
a 15 mile paved bike trail in Sarasota County

The old rails next to the new Legacy Bike Trail

Last week, Sharon flew out of Tampa to share time with her sisters at their Delaware home.  It was so great having time to just hang around together without any major projects or obligations.  We also had an opportunity to share time with Aunt Gale and Uncle Danny, cousin David and got to share our Dad's 89th (!!) birthday celebration.  It was a great trip.

Sisters!

Greg stayed home, had office work to contend with, and rode his bicycle an average of 25 miles a day!  This day he made it to Bradenton, 14 miles from the marina, before turning back.

Selby Botanical Gardens is a half mile walk from our boat. We both love visiting tropical botanical gardens, and this one did not disappoint.  We spent only two hours here on our first trip, and intend to return soon for more time. Here are a few of the spectacular plants we saw:

We'll be here until mid-March, then head back south again, hoping for a stop in Naples, then around the tip of Florida, the Shark River, the Keys, then back to Vero Beach for the month of April.  Early May, we plan to start our trek north.

Some one's gotta do it!  'Til next time -

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