Welcoming Committee
17 April 2013 | Cayo Costa, Boca Grande Pass, FL
EVS: Hot, Sunny
Welcoming Committee April 17, 2013
As planned, we departed Marathon just before 7:00 on April 15. We dropped the mooring pennant and slipped quietly into the morning to start the long journey north toward Charlotte Harbor. Our first stop was the anchorage on the north side of Indian Key in the Everglades. We prefer the anchorage to that in Little Shark River because (a) it is further north and gets us farther along on our journey, (b) it is not so desolate – there is open space, an island with sandy beaches, and often other boats, and (c) it is not so buggy – but if the winds are off-shore and light, watch out! The sail to Indian Key was hot – light air and downwind – so when we arrived and anchored, we got in the water to cool off. There was quite a current so we stuck close together and by Gratitude. Fortunately, there was a good breeze so no mosquitoes!
Tuesday morning, we dawdled and left Indian Key “late” – at about 8:00 AM. The trip to Naples (our next stop) is less than half the distance as from Marathon to Indian Key, so we decided we could relax a bit. Although it was shorter, the trip was no less hot. Light winds from over the aft deck and hot sunshine left us languishing in the cockpit. Lauren got a pail of fresh water and towels so we could cool ourselves off while underway. There would be no swimming in Naples. The water is not very inviting (the canals do not really get well flushed), although there is a fair amount of wildlife so it probably is not too bad. We anchor in the midst of multi-million dollar homes, so we try to be respectful of other peoples’ back yards and vantage points. Our anchorage this time was a bit further into the canal system, closer to the downtown, so we could visit a friend and that enabled us to see some different homes (one probably close to 20,000 square feet) and locales.
Because of doctor appointments, our friend John was not able to meet with us on Wednesday morning, so we got an early start (7:00 at the breakwater) to make the long leg to Boca Grande Pass into Charlotte Harbor. We set all sails upon departing Naples and enjoyed a wonderful broad reach at over 7 knots all the way past Sanibel Island and the turn north. We had to start the engine to head into Boca because the wind was in our teeth. We pulled into Pelican Bay in Cayo Costa state Park, one of our favorite places, and, after launching the dinghy, hopped in the water to cool off from another hot day.
As we passed the north end of Sanibel Island, we saw a lot of birds and heard a chirping sound, which we thought was from the birds. It turned out to be a huge pod – the biggest we have seen – of dolphins. While they undoubtedly were there feeding, we like to think that they were welcoming us back to our home waters. Several swam alongside and did body rolls so they could look up at us. It was quite a sight and very heartwarming. They are wonderful creatures and especially delightful in their natural environment. We both were reminded of the pair of dolphins that escorted us out of the Myakka River on our very first cruise. Hopefully, they will join us on our future trips!