(Sunrise at Pelican Bay)
We left Cape Haze Tuesday morning for the three-hour run to Pelican Bay. It was an uneventful passage, which is a good thing, and we anchored in the back basin, where four rather large cruising yachts were also anchored. We were surprised to see fewer than 15 boats anchored in the front basin, which can handle over 70 at anchor.
Our plan was to stay a couple of nights and then head back to Burnt Store for a few days. However, we decided to stay just one night and go back to our home port the following morning.
We often refer to Cape Haze as our favorite anchorage. The primary reason is the beach at Don Pedro State Park. It is only accessible by boat. The vast majority who come by boat will walk through the pavilion and set up their chairs and umbrellas within 30 years of the pavilion. It gives the appearance of Ft. Lauderdale on a holiday weekend. Beyond this encampment are miles of natural beach with an occasional walker. Patty and I have been there when we were the only ones on the beach. In addition to the beach, Cape Haze offers terrific protection from the wind in any direction, is surrounded by mostly beautiful homes, and is seldom visited by more than one or two other cruisers at a time.
Pelican, on the other hand, is very popular and is easily within one day’s sail/passage of Punta Gorda, Cape Coral and the Ft. Myers area. The front/main basin always has boats anchored. The back basin seldom has four or five boats anchored. This is due to the fact that access to this basin is difficult due to the shallow water and it is much farther for a dinghy ride to the Cayo Costa State Park docks and there is no area for boaters to take their dogs. Pelican also offers limited protection from southerly and northerly directions. There is a beach but it requires a mile hike or a trolley ride to get there. What it does offer is being able to anchor in a bay surrounded by mangroves. There are no residences. It is difficult to describe the solitude you can experience there.
We have been out for 24 days, so far. Once back at Burnt Store, we will clean the boat u and hope to return to Pelican with some friends. The weather has been unbelievable. We’ve had no rain, slept with a blanket at night and have eaten every dinner in the cockpit, except for one night at a restaurant. This is why April is a perfect time to go cruising in Florida.