Although hoping to restart the engines of Crazy 8 in late January, we encountered a few hiccups with maintenance, weather and other personal issues which postponed the actual start date to February 17th. It has been a horrible winter at home in Cincinnati, and we found the weather also not so cooperative in "sunny" Florida. We arrive to rain, wind, and cold, which clears to sunny skies but a turbulent marine forecast.
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| Leaving Snowy Stormy Cincinnati |
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| Arrive to a Stormy Gulf of Mexico, but the sun is finally out! |
The morning of Feburary 17th, we leave Longboat Key Moorings, our boat's home for the last three months. They have been super to us and to our boat. We could not have found a nicer marina or a better area to stay. We will be back.
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Drawbridge rises and we navigate through Longboat Pass into the Gulf of Mexico.
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We enter the Gulf of Mexico the way we left it...through Longboat Pass. The bridge entrance is narrow and the current is swift, so navigation needs to be quick and fast through this pass.
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| What are the chances of leaving the Pass with a boat named Ohio River? Ugh.... |
The Gulf's Forecast is 2 to 3 feet, but we find it very calm and the navigation is smooth. We travel approximately 60 miles and seek anchorage at Pelican Pass, which lies between Cayo Costa and Punta Bianca Island. This area is just north of Captiva and Sanibel Island.
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Anchorage Pelican Pass
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We are not alone at this anchorage. There are roughly 20 plus other boats, an even mix of power and sail. There is a great state park at this anchorage mooring, called Cayo Casto State Park. The park boasts of 2,420 acres on one of Florida's largest unspoiled barrier islands. In the early 1800's Spanish fisherman established "fishing ranchos" on the islands. Fish were caught and transported to Cuba. A quarantine station was established on the northern end of Cayo Costa for immigrants entering the country through the Boca Grande Pass in the late 1800's. This is the pass we exited the Gulf to get to our anchorage. We decide to venture into the park and bike the trails and see the sights. We end up staying two nights in this very secure and private anchorage.
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| Dolphins play in the harbor as we approach the state park docks in our dinghy. |
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| We rent bikes to explore the island. All trails are sand, and some areas are so soft, you need to ride very carefully to avoid a spill. |
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| Old Cemetery with the remains of the original settlers. |
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| Quarantine station. |
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| Unspoiled beaches on the island, |
We also use our dinghy to explore other areas. We get gas at Boca Grande Marina. Very nice and upscale.
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| Millers Restaurant at Boca Grande Marina |
And pass by Useppa Island, which is a private luxury resort.
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| No stopping allowed here. |
A great two days which end with spectacular sunsets.
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| Pelican Pass at sunset |
The stars also display a phenomenal light show, with no city lights to dim their presence...until an "almost" full moon appears scaring them away and spoiling our view. Goodnight moon and goodnight to all. Tomorrow we pull anchor and move a mere 6 miles or so to Captiva Island.
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