Sanibel Island to Key West, with stops in Naples and Marco Island

We leave Sanibel Island with the destination of Key West...eventually.   First port of call is Naples.

Away we go! Naples bound.

Again we are blown away by the homes as we navigate into Old Naples Seaport.

Crazy 8's fellow dock mates are not too shabby either. We also have front row seats for the private jets that seem to constantly fly over us to the nearby Naples Airport.  It is the beginning of  "season" and the arrival of the snow birds has begun.

We are the runt of the dock.

Jet after jet

We were blessed this stay to have two wonderful visits by friends!  First our friends from Cincinnati and then our Crazy 8 boat friends, Dan and Nancy, from the Dulcinea.

A visit from home town friends!  Nothing better!

Dulcinea and Crazy 8 docked together again at the same marina.

After the mandatory shopping at Fifth Ave South and 3rd Street South and some great Naples dining, we leave and head further south to Marco Island.

Last meal at the City Dock in Naples.  Onto Marco.

We leave Naples and head back to the Esplanade Marina on Marco Island.  The weather was not too kind to us.  For the most part, January has been cool, windy with some rain.  But, more importantly, the Gulf of Mexico was rough so we needed to wait out the weather in Marco before moving south. We love the Esplanade Marina, so it was no hardship, although we had a few nights with waves slapping and the boat rocking which did not offer us much sleep. 

Sunset from our boat slip. Marco Island, Esplanade Marina.

 The wonderful thing about Esplanade Marina is that we  can walk to just about anything.  There is a West Marine, Ace Hardware, Publix and a Winn Dixie along with countless restaurants and boutique shops.  There also is a great farmers' market on Wednesdays.  So, we took advantage of this downtime and Tom changed the oil and transmission fluid along with all the filters on the engines. We also had the dogs groomed, did tons of laundry (which was free!) and stocked up on groceries and other necessities.

Farmers Market on Marco Island

The people we met on Marco Island were just wonderful.  A big thanks to Brent and Susan for taking us to the movies (which is not within walking distance), to the wonderful marina employees who gave us great service and  helped with the oil disposal, and to the many fellow boaters we met along the way.  A special shout out to Rick and Tracy and their reduced crew of only 5.  Thanks for the hospitality! Safe travels to you all and hope our paths meet again.

Yesterday, with seas 2 ft and under, we leave Marco and head to Key West.  Key West is approximately 93 miles from Marco Island.  It is a straight shot, but you are cruising far into the Gulf and as the waters get rougher, land, cell phone coverage and fellow boaters disappear, but surprising those pesky crab pots do not.  It is imperative to be attentive and avoid damage as a breakdown this far out into sea would not be welcomed.

Our cruising path

The seas are calm for most of the trip,  About an hour or so outside of the marker into the Key West channel, the water churns up and the seas are about 3 to 4 feet, which makes our smaller boat roll and rock,  

Started out smooth and nice.

Okay...I have had enough.  I think I see land!

While the tail end of our journey was not the most comfortable cruising conditions, we arrive into the Key West Channel with no harm done. We pass by the cruise ship terminals.

Carnival Cruise at port in Key West

We also pass by Mallory Square, the Resort at the Galleon Marina, and finally into the marina itself.

Mallory Square, famous for its nightly sunset celebrations

Galleon Resort

Galleon Marina

The wind is blowing and the slips are tight, so docking the Crazy 8 was a little more challenging than other locations.  The marina assisted with the lines, so all was good.  Crazy 8 is all tied up at her newest home.  Key West is vastly different than Marco Island.  While 8 pm things wind down in Marco, the party is winding up here.  It should be an interesting few days!

Tight fit, but we are all set!

Hello 2015!

After spending a wonderful holiday season with family and friends, we arrive back to Crazy 8 with Buster and Bailey in tow.  Legacy Marina is hosting the Great Loopers' Reunion so Crazy 8 needs to vacate the slip she called home for the last two months.  The weather is not the best, but we unload the car and get our supplies on board. After a long two days of travel and cleaning, we gear up and head to the City Tavern in Ft. Myers to cheer our Buckeyes onto VICTORY! Our son attends OSU. His freshman year, they were bowl ineligible, This, his senior year, they are in the national championship game! It was a great night for some duck hunting!

O-H

The following morning we head to Sanibel Island.  We need to pass through the miserable mile once again. At this point, we have navigated this stretch many times; it does not ever get any better.  It is still miserable.  We  pass under the bridge to Sanibel.  We are near!

Bridge to Sanibel.  $6 toll from Ft Myers.

Where is the grass?

Sanibel Harbor Marina

The weather at Sanibel is not the best.  It is cloudy, cool and rainy. Definitely not beach weather but it is perfect for bike riding.  As the marina is quite a distance from all stores, restaurants and beaches, we rent bikes to explore the island. There are over 22 miles of bike paths on the island and they actually are as busy as the roads.

Bike path

Sanibel is only 3 miles wide, at the widest point, and only 13 miles long. It is home to approximately 6500 residents, but at peak season, there are over 22,000.  I think we are nearing peak season. The roads and bike paths are quite congested! 

Sanibel is known for its land conservation; over half of the island is set aside to preserve the abundant and diverse wildlife population.  To keep with this theme, buildings along Sanibel's  coastline must be no taller than the tree line.

A popular historic icon is the Sanibel lighthouse. Sanibel Lighthouse is the first lighthouse on Florida's Gulf Coast, north of KeyWest.

Sanibel Lighthouse - 98 feet

Sanibel is also know for it's shelling.  Although the weather has not been the best for our own personal shelling, the shelling on Sanibel is ranked by USA Today as the 7th best of all of Florida's Attractions.  That is saying a lot!

We enjoyed our time at Sanibel Harbor.  Although the coconut palm trees at the marina were a little treacherous as one coconut fell and missed Tom by inches.

Tall trees with a  falling coconut could really hurt!  OUCH!

The marina is also home to one of the island's best restaurants...Gramma Dots. 

Yum...Gramma Dots.

Crazy 8 looks good docked too!

Crazy 8

Well, until our neighbors showed up!

CRAZY!

Tomorrow, seas look calm. We are heading south!

Goodbye Sunshine State

Today is our final  day aboard Crazy 8. We head home tomorrow for family events and the holidays. We have had a wonderful month exploring more areas of Florida and have met some wonderful people. Boaters are the friendliest people without a doubt!


Our Halloween weekend stay at Boca Grande Marina on Gasparella Island was very nice, despite the gale force winds and 15 foot seas that were not a very nice treat!

Crazy 8 at Boca Grande Marina

The wind and the waves kept us from venturing out on the water around the island, but we had fun exploring the land via our rental golf cart.

Pass on the dinghy ride today!

Bailey and Buster come with us too.

The locals have fun and stylish golf carts!

Gasparilla Island has 7 miles of beaches and is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico, Charlotte Harbor, Little Gasoparilla Pass and Boca Grande Pass. Gasparilla Island, according to folklore, got its name from the legendary pirate, Captain Jose Gasparilla, who buried his fabulous treasure here which has yet to be found... so the story goes. Gasparilla Island boasts many pretty canal homes and Banyan Trees line the streets.  No wonder the Wall Street Journal named the island as one of the best places to own your second home!

Canal homes

Planted in 1914

Boca Grande is the village on the island and is home to the Gasparilla Inn and Club, one of the largest surviving resort hotels in Florida, opening over 100 years ago in 1913 attracting the wealthiest as a winter retreat. The Inn has been described as the preppiest place on Earth, and I would have to say that is not an exaggeration.  With its all white dress code for the 3 croquet lawns and the required slacks and jacket for dining, it definitely has the aura of old  money.  Being boaters, Tom has no jacket nor even  slacks on board, so we miss the opportunity to enjoy their cuisine.

Gasparella Inn and Club

Boca Grande has interesting boutiques, numerous locally owned restaurants and a small grocery store. There are no chain restaurants or stores, no hi rises and not even a  traffic light.

No Walmart in sight. Perfect!

They also do not have a gas station, so fill up before you venture over the bridge if arriving by car.  If desperate, the marina which owns the only pump on the island,  will fill a gas can with a gallon or two.

The lone gas pump

After spending the weekend at Boca Grande, we throw in the lines and head back to Captiva Island and South Seas Marina.

Need to follow markers carefully in and out of Boca Grande Marina. The water is very shallow in areas.

The trip to Captiva is always a fun trip as the dolphins are very active for some reason in this area of the Gulf. We never tire of seeing them play!

Dolphins playing in our wake.

We run into Kathy and Keith again from the boat Pandora. They are a fun couple and we are fortunate that both our stopovers at South Seas coincided. 

Pandora and Crazy 8 

We see another  Pandora.  This Pandora did not  fare too well in the rough seas of the last few days.

Washed ashore at Redfish Pass

South Seas Resort provides a shuttle service to take visitors to "downtown" Captiva.  There are several small shops, restaurants and bars.  We enjoy the steel drums and the beautiful beach location of the Mucky Duck,.

Mucky Duck

Mucky Duck workers hanging Christmas lights with the sound of steel drums in the background, Florida style.

Captiva Island also has some very remarkable homes.

Nice!

And of course there are always the manatees near the docks at South Seas Marina.

Manatee

During this stop,  we take our dinghy and cross Redfish Pass to North Captiva Island.  This island was damaged in August 2004 by Hurricane Charlie when the eye wall passed over.  It actually cut the island in two with the storm surge.  You can see the remnants of many stripped and dead trees that line the beaches.

North Captiva Island

The island is home to about 300 homes and still has about 300 lots yet to be developed.  There are no cars on the island; only electric golf carts.  To arrive to North Captiva, you need your own boat or board the public ferry from Pine Island.

We leave South Seas and return  to Legacy Marina in Fort Myers.  The boat will rest here for a few months until we can return this winter.

Legacy Marina

Legacy is a wonderful marina and we have met lots of very nice people here.  The negative perhaps is that we are now in slip D13, which is a mere .3 miles to the gate.  The dogs make that walk in record time each morning to find that little patch of grass! The positive for us is that we are working off the calories from some of our Florida dinners!

I suppose this lessens the annoyance of all those crab pots in the Gulf!

So today is busy,  We have lots to clean, organize and pack  in the car. Tomorrow we leave this paradise and head north. Hopefully not to snow!

Crazy 8 signing out.

Goodbye Sunshine State!