Mon 2 Apr 2012
Anchored in Glover Bight off Tarpon Pointe Marina, Cape Coral, FL

It was indeed a very early bedtime for the mate, followed by the Captain after he read about half of a good historical accounting from WW II. The breeze died from one that moans in the rigging to one that just refreshes, especially considering that the hot daytime temps had moderated to mid-60s. There was nothing for a prudent skipper to fret about, so the night's sleep was as blissful as could be.

Going to bed so early left Duane wide awake at 0415, however, and with Clyde loving the pre-dawn hours, I arose and went on deck with the cat. Diane had me agree to a routine whereby I close the stateroom door (that makes it sound bigger than it is) and dress quietly in the main saloon. She had left the percolator and coffee makings out for me and so by 0440 I was enjoying a nice cup on the foredeck watching the stars.

If we needed or wanted to put some miles under the keel, I would have been ready to leave in the pre-dawn twilight, but there was no need to and Diane slept in until 0700. I was very patient, but it was clear by 0815 that the sun was going to turn the still atmosphere into a sauna (at least for me), so we had a quandary - motor south with no wind and at least enjoy the cooling effect of moving through the air in open water, or wait perhaps 3-4 hours for the forecast wind to fill in. We elected for the former, and while that seems strange for a sailor, the reality was that we would not have been able to effectively use the wind in the narrow and serpentine channels we needed to follow. Plus, once at the anchorage 4 hours later, we had that nice breeze to keep us cool in the otherwise very hot sun.

There was only one other boat in the anchorage, a large trawler, so we anchored at a fair distance and set about with various chores. Mine was to make two telephone calls - one to discuss a hospital bill, and one to find out why I could not get my new smartphone to enable the "hotspot" that would let my laptop connect to the Internet for email, etc. It was working fine just before we left, but after having untold difficulties trying to make calls, I suspect it might just be a signal that is too weak. I am not going to be one of those cruisers that "wants to get away from it all" and then tries his best to take it all with him. Having said that, it is pretty amazing that we went ashore in a large resort just outside the large city of Ft. Myers and the reception is horrible. Oh, well.

The evening was very nice with no bugs and a beautiful ambience. I stayed up later than the previous night with Clyde as my cockpit companion and Diane fast asleep.