Evening Breeze in Paradise

The adventures of the Evening Breeze, a 1996 Catalina 28 and Capt. Warren Renninger as they wander around the Gulf Coast

01 April 2010 | Boot Key Harbor
28 March 2010 | Fort Myers Beach
25 February 2010 | Home in Punta Gorda
21 May 2007 | Home - Punta Gorda
15 May 2007 | Punta Gorda
01 May 2007 | Ft. Pierce, FL
26 April 2007 | Marsh Harbor
14 April 2007 | Green Turtle Cay
02 April 2007 | Ft Lauderdale
22 March 2007 | Miami Beach Marina
14 March 2007 | Key Largo
01 March 2007 | Key West
01 March 2007 | Marathon Key
11 February 2007 | Marco Island Marina
07 February 2007 | Home - Punta Gorda Florida
06 January 2007 | Punta Gorda FL
31 December 1969 | Lucaya, Grand Bahama

Home at Punta Gorda

02 May 2021 | Home Again
Warren Renninger | Clear
Beautiful morning at Useppa. We slept in and got ready to weigh anchor. We ran up the Intercoastal to Cayo Costa and turned to show Art where I normally weekend.

Out of there and headed home. The wind was from the south and we managed to sail up Charlotte Harbor at 5.3 knots. We sailed up to Alligator Creek and motored home.

Karen came out to the dock as we got there. A total of 531 miles from start to finish. Of nineteen days on the water, only four days were spent under sail for the majority of the day. If you have to get from A to B and can't or don't want to wait for the right winds, it is motoring to do it.

Having Art along for half the trip was a ball. When two guys like and respect each other, have similar talents, and have absolute trust in each other, just sailing together is wonderful. When two old guys sit down and tell stories about their lives, their loves, and their families, it makes for a fantastic time.

Thank you Karen and Peggy for letting two kids from East Norwich get together again.

Day Eighteen - Marco Island to Useppa Island, Charlotte Harbor

02 May 2021 | Charlotte Harbor, Useppa Island
Warren Renninger | Clear
Weighed anchor in Smokehouse Bay and motored past the million dollar homes out to the Gulf. In the Gulf, the waves were low, the winds light, and wind direction was from the northwest Our course was north so it was 2,000 rpm on the "iron wind" and north we drove at 5.2 knots for most of the day.

Not much activity in the Gulf just a few folks headed along the coast under power. We past the rows of condos lining the beaches of Naples, North Naples, Bonita Beach and came to land at San Carlos Bay between Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island. Motored under the Sanibel Causeway bridge and into the Intercoastal Waterway heading up Pine Island Sound.

Traffic on the waterway was heavy with boats mostly heading south to Fort Myers and Cape Coral. This year the boats are bigger and have more engines. Could not count both the fishing and go-fast boats with three and four large outboards. Zoom, zoom and they went flying by at 40 to 50 miles per hour down the middle of a crowded channel.

Winds finally turned westerly and we ran out the jib and motorsailed at over six knots. That got us to Useppa Island about 5:30 where we dropped anchor just east of the channel. 51 miles for the day. After cleaning up a bit we took the dinghy in to Cabbage Key made famous by Jimmy Buffet's "Cheesburger in Paradise." The place is decorated by dollar bills taped to the rafters and walls. We added to their till at the bar before going back to Breeze where I cooked up steak and potatoes for our last dinner of the trip.

Day Seventeen - Little Shark River to Marco Island

30 April 2021 | Smokehouse Bay, Marco Island
Warren Renninger | Clear
Up early, checked the engine and upped anchor. I dressed out in long pajamas, socks, hat, shoes, and bug spray. Out under the tent to the bow to pull up the anchor. The no-see-ums were terrible but my outfit helped a lot. We motored out into the gulf and let the tent dry out from the evening dew. When I took the tent down an hour later, we were swarmed by the little buggers and swatted them all day until about 2 pm.

The weather was clear but the winds were light and variable so it was motor the whole way. About 3:30 the winds finally picked up just as we arrived at Marco. You can see the photo of my first mate as I lowered the sailed and turned up the Marco channel. 48 miles.

We motored into Collier Bay and them along the condos and homes to Smokehouse Bay. Nice spot, well protected, but you are anchoring in someone’s backyard. Go under a little bridge and there is a Winn-Dixie store with a dinghy dock to tie up to for an hour. We restocked my wine cellar and went off to dinner at Cocomos. Great food and drinks.
Vessel Name: Evening Breeze
Vessel Make/Model: 1996 Catalina 28 MK II
Hailing Port: Punta Gorda, Florida
Crew: Warren & Karen Renninger
About: Warren - 26 years Air Force, 13 insurance, 11 West Marine Karen - 30 years Mary Kay, artist, quilter
Extra:
Boating since 1956 with small outboard boats until1994 when switched to sailing. First a 22 foot swing-keel Paceship with an outboard. Then a 1980 Hunter 27 I took to the Keys and Abacos, Bahamas. Next a 1986 Catalina 30 I sailed the Keys, Abacos, and to New Orleans. Then a trawler, a Mainship [...]
Home Page: http://www.sailblogs.com/member/EveningBreeze
Evening Breeze's Photos - Puff in Paradise (Main)
4 Photos
Created 2 May 2021
4 Photos
Created 2 May 2021
10 Photos
Created 30 April 2021
7 Photos
Created 30 April 2021
6 Photos
Created 27 April 2021
5 Photos
Created 23 April 2021
7 Photos
Created 19 April 2021
4 Photos
Created 18 April 2021
4 Photos
Created 18 April 2021
4 Photos
Created 15 April 2021
Leaving home and motor sailing/motoring to Cayo Costa
3 Photos
Created 14 April 2021
A visual review of cruising additions to the stock Catalina 28
9 Photos
Created 2 April 2021
10 Photos
Created 25 April 2015
Or how we took our Mainship 30 to Key West.
17 Photos
Created 20 April 2015
22 Photos
Created 4 June 2014
15 Photos
Created 25 May 2014
Great Guana and south
42 Photos
Created 18 May 2014
The crossing and start of the Bahama adventure
37 Photos
Created 6 May 2014
Miami and Ft Lauderdale
18 Photos
Created 2 May 2014
Heading up the Keys to Miami
9 Photos
Created 28 April 2014
Photos of the Keys
15 Photos
Created 24 April 2014
The trip down the southwest coast to the kKeys
15 Photos
Created 19 April 2014
19 Photos
Created 29 May 2011
22 Photos
Created 24 May 2011
11 Photos
Created 22 May 2011
11 Photos
Created 19 May 2011
33 Photos | 1 Sub-Album
Created 15 May 2011
19 Photos
Created 11 May 2011
8 Photos
Created 8 May 2011
8 Photos
Created 8 May 2011
26 Photos | 1 Sub-Album
Created 21 April 2011
15 Photos
Created 15 April 2011
51 Photos
Created 22 May 2010
9 Photos
Created 20 May 2010
20 Photos | 1 Sub-Album
Created 15 May 2010
13 Photos
Created 13 May 2010
16 Photos
Created 8 May 2010
29 Photos
Created 5 May 2010
4 Photos
Created 30 April 2010
14 Photos
Created 22 April 2010
20 Photos
Created 15 April 2010
8 Photos
Created 14 April 2010
12 Photos
Created 8 April 2010
8 Photos
Created 1 April 2010
6 Photos
Created 28 March 2010
Purchasing a new boat and getting it ready for cruising.
8 Photos
Created 25 February 2010
7 Photos
Created 21 May 2007
17 Photos
Created 20 May 2007
No Photos
Created 20 May 2007
24 Photos
Created 15 May 2007
15 Photos
Created 15 May 2007
Our current location should be on the first photo. The rest should give an idea of how we got here.
11 Photos
Created 15 May 2007
Really hated to leave the beautiful blue waters and wonderful islands.
12 Photos
Created 2 May 2007
12 Photos
Created 26 April 2007
20 Photos
Created 26 April 2007
23 Photos
Created 17 April 2007
12 Photos
Created 14 April 2007
13 Photos
Created 14 April 2007
9 Photos
Created 2 April 2007
Key Largo to Miami via the Intercoastal Waterway
26 Photos
Created 24 March 2007
". . . We were sailing against the wind"
24 Photos
Created 14 March 2007
13 Photos
Created 1 March 2007
18 Photos
Created 16 February 2007
Preparations complete, weather improves, departure 2/8/07
3 Photos
Created 7 February 2007
An adventure dedicated to those who no longer have the option of taking a trip in a small boat or are now looking down at this sailor from above. Please guide me safely and join me when you can.