Under power at 06:30 on the 11th to head north. Actually it is NW and so was the wind. Good ole Wind on Nose. But once we got past the shallows, we tacked SW for about 3 miles so we could use the sails. By doing this we were able to motor sail at 5.5 knots for four hours and then the wind actually moved down to the west and we sailed the last two hours into Little Shark River. The visibility was down to about 4 miles due to smoke in the air from the fires in North Florida and Georgia. At anchor I hoist the dinghy up a few feet so I can get air in the cabin, it makes for a good wind scoop

Off at 06:45 from Shark River to Marco Island. My first plan was to head out into the Gulf to go around the end of Marco Island at Cape Romano. However, my favorite Indian got me and I realized that by tacking out into the Gulf and then heading North, I'd end up covering about 65 miles. Instead, I took the inland route around Marco Island as I did on the way down. That way we were not directly into the wind. With a few miles of tacking and then motor sailing, we made good time and got to Marco about 3 pm. By the time we went through the inland passage of the Marco River and got back to the Gulf, it was almost 7 pm. Then we had to find a place to anchor out of the wind and that took another hour. We anchored next to the channel that leads inland to Naples that has some traffic but not much after dark.

Called Terry Griffiths in Naples but no answer so we may try to get to Ft Myers Beach tomorrow instead and have Mother's Day with Karen, Jean and Cecil. Just need to get up and moving early enough which shouldn't be a problem. I still haven't learned how to sleep on Puff a whole night thru. Between the short berth, movement and noises, I'm up every ½ hour after the first 2-3 hours. Hope the king size bed at home is the cure. Last night the shrimp clicking, the current gurgling, the wind gusting, and the porpoise breathing, I'm sure I slept an hour from 2 until 6. Then sleep comes easy until the alarm goes off at 6:30. Something ain't right here. This is supposed to be a vacation.

Up at dawn for Ft Myers Beach. Winds were light but only about 30 degrees off the nose so the sails weren't doing anything. After 10 am the winds picked up a bit and we actually used the sails. At 1 pm we shutdown the motor and actually sailed at 4.8 knots. This is the way it was supposed to be. Everything is gray with smoke from the Georgia/North Florida fires but the sailing is great. Got to Ft Myers Beach at 3 pm and picked up a mooring ball. After cleaning up and getting dressed much more formally than my normal boat garb, had a great Mother's Day dinner at Snug Harbor.

Monday the 14th headed out at 7:45 for Boca Grande at the entrance to Charlotte Harbor. Light East winds got stronger and we actually had 3 hours good sailing before the winds died and then the afternoon thunderstorms started. What a welcome home. When the winds died, Puff was swarmed by "lovebugs." They look like lightning bugs without the light and the male and female hook together end to end and fly about. Amazing that they will be miles off shore and then swarm toward anything that they can land on. A sailboat is a great perch. Ugh. Then the storms hit.

Preparing for the thunderstorm, I put the spare gas cans in the dinghy instead of being strapped to the mast stays. Then I turned off as much of the electrical equipment as possible and put the two newest GPSs and portable VHF radio in a stew pot to protect them from lightning. We worked our way into Pelican Bay at Cayo Costa at the entrance to Charlotte Harbor. This is where I normally go on weekends so I know it well and feel as safe as possible considering what is forecast and what the skies look like.

The storm hit but wasn't bad. Winds to 30 or so and about an inch of rain. Three or four lightning bolts hit in the anchorage area but it didn't look like anyone got hit. Ft Myers had 4.5 inches of rain and Naples had a plane flipped by the winds. Preparation is good. Woke up at 3 am to howling winds from the East. At sunrise it was still blowing about 25 steady from the East, right down Charlotte Harbor.

My last 15 miles home on the 15th were into 2-3 foot waves that covered the boat with spray due to the winds. The normal 3-hour trip took 5 because we had to tack three times across the harbor to make headway. Without tacking it would have taken about 7 hours to just power into the wind and waves. When I got to Alligator Creek that leads to our home canal, I made a VHF broadcast, "Securite, Securite, Securite, sailing vessel Puff entering Alligator Creek for dock on Madrid Canal, any concerned vessel can contact Puff on Channel 16." At 12:35pm Karen helped me dock Puff and I signed off on Channel 16, the end of the traveling part of the adventure.

The adventure will continue as I get in contact with the great folks I met on the trip and relive the adventure while retelling stories.

Puff returned home in excellent condition. Replace a failed knotmeter, minor sail repairs (on a 10 year old sail sun cover), and some bottom paint and Puff would be ready to go. I want a few real showers and time with Karen before I do something like this again. And I plan to.

I'll have a few more entries to cover lessons learned and what worked and didn't work on the trip. Right now, have to update the blog.