We anchored in Gulfport the next evening and had Molly and Bill over for dinner. We chatted and laughed well into the night and discussed how the travel days to come left us with great anticipation–both of the warmer weather and the new territory were we about to discover.
Arriving in Sarasota the following afternoon, we secured a mooring at Marina Jack’s. A definite perk to having a mooring as opposed to anchoring was that I had privileges to wash all the laundry that had accumulated and was practically taking over the boat as well as take a luxurious shower in a high class marina. It had been a long time since I was worried about spiders invading my shower space.
Walking the grounds, we stopped by O’Leary’s Tiki Bar and listened to the band playing at Happy Hour on the beach. Crossing into town, I directed us to Owen’s Fish Camp which I had read rave reviews about. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a delicious lobster dinner while conversing with the bartender about the area and listening to the band playing out on the porch.
In the morning we took the dinghy to shore to meander through the Farmer’s Market. To our delight, this was a true market with fresh produce and fruit galore as well as homemade breads and pasta. We didn’t know where to shop first but had to exercise some restraint not having space to store an exorbitant amount on the boat. Pleasantly satisfied, we headed back to our floating condo and were soon on our way into Roberts Bay.
Passing the white beaches of Venice, the Captain chowed down on some newly purchased funnel cake trying not to get powdered sugar all over the controls. But, the go-fast boats buzzing us along the way were making that effort extremely difficult. The Florida boaters we’ve encountered so far loved their fast toys and loved waking us even more so I was still preparing the cabin for “rough” seas every morning.
Anchoring that night off Englewood Beach in a snug spot before the thunderstorms hit, we were enjoying some wine in the cabin staying dry when bright lights lit up the sky. Running to the window, we had front row seats to the town’s Christmas boat parade.
The rain was still coming down in the morning when we hoisted the anchor, motored around the shoals and powered on further South. Crossing the Charlotte Harbor was worse than the trip across the Gulf. Things were so rough and rocky that Duane increased our speed to ease the incessant banging of the bow being buried in wave after wave. Salty Paws was already tied to the Cayo Costa State Park dock and texting us words of encouragement in our battle across the harbor. Helping us tie up, I was happy to get on solid ground and see Molly and Bill. Taking a walk a half mile through the island, we arrived at the Gulf beach. After collecting some shells, we sat on the sand and watched the waves crash from a different and, much more comfortable, perspective than we had earlier in the day. We had a fun night on Salty Paws that evening playing cards and enjoying some wine and rum punches. Poking our heads out to step on the dock and walk the few feet back to the boat, we were immediately hit in the face with pelting rain and raging wind. Quickly jumping aboard Bella Donna and closing all the windows, we watched the waves violently crash over the docks and were so glad we were not at anchor bouncing around.
The four of us made plans to meet at Cabbage Key the next afternoon to have a “cheeseburger in paradise” at the Inn. Arriving earlier in the morning, we tied up at the dock and took Baby Belle to tour the Tunnel of Love before lunch. Not sure who named this winding maze of brush and marsh, but there was nothing lovely or romantic about it. We had to crouch down in the dinghy and ward off spiders and low branches with our paddles as we made our way to the clearing. The area beyond the narrow overgrown creek was pretty and serene, but I was not looking forward to the return trip.
Molly and Bill had already arrived by the time we made it back and we had a pleasant lunch on the porch and then contributed our dollar to the memory wall before departing. Biding farewell for now to Molly and Bill as they drove away, we took a quick walk to see the resident turtles and tried to beat the storm rolling in, but we did not quite make it. We were soaking wet by the time we anchored in Glover Bight off the banks of the Westin Hotel. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and we will be at Fort Myers Yacht Club for a week celebrating the holidays.
