Sunday, February 9: On the Water Again. Goodbye Sarasota.

Date:                           February 9, 2014

Day on the Cruise:      233

From:                         Marina Jack, Sarasota, FL

To:                             Palm Island Marina, Cape Haze, FL

Statute Miles:             37.3 SM

Time:                          4.75 Hrs

Cumulative Miles:      5,820.6 SM

On Board:                   Susan, Chuck, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

Tonight we are at Palm Island Marina near Cape Haze and Englewood, FL.

Palm Island is between Sarasota and Captiva

It was good to leave Sarasota. We were turned off by the bad weather and the difficulty in getting around. Perhaps also contributing to our feelings about this place was the knowledge that we were about to finish our adventure, and Sarasota was just a hinderance to completing the Loop. We will give it another try sometime by car.

Before we left, Susan took Maggie for a walk around the Park. It is really very dog - friendly and a great place to walk. Three slips down from our boat, Susan encountered a dolphin playing in the slip. Maggie was very impressed and sat and watched as the dolphin rolled out of the water and then played up against the boat in the slip. She can't figure out where all these animals in the water come from. Dolphins and Pelican, and gulls....its just overwhelming for a dog! We also said goodbye to Bob and Janet on "Harmony" before we left. We hope to see them again at Fort Meyers or in Jacksonville.

Maggie is on "Dolphin Watch" this morning

The Sarasota weather cooperated and was overcast and yucky as we left about 10:00 and headed South. There were slow speed zones and idle speed zones all the way to below Venice. We had to call for two bridge openings where the closed heights were about 9'. We passed many beautiful homes on the stretch of waterway from Sarasota to Venice, then below Venice the waterway turned into more of a straight canal like the Western Erie Canal, and thee wasn't much to see.

Beautiful homes along the ICW

Front of the house

Back of the house

Grady-White 360 on a lift in front of a nice home in Venice

Blackburn Point Swing Bridge

Bridge Tender Opens the Bridge from the Middle of the Structure!

Following the "Norma Jean" through the bridge

Basquale Bridge Below Venice

Palm Island Marina was a place that we found that was about half way between Sarasota and Captiva Island. It looked like a good place to stop, so we got reservations for one night. We were not disappointed. Our arrival was about 3:00. The heavy overcast dissipated about 1:00 and it turned into a beautiful, warm, South Florida Spring Day. At last! This is what we came for!

As we docked at Palm Island in a very nice tropical setting, it became evident that there was some sort of Ranger Tug Rendezvous taking place. There were 20 tugs of sizes from 21' up to 31'. These Ranger Tugs are trailerable Tug boat cruisers that have become very popular. It was neat to see so many of the tugs together. The tug folks were very friendly, and many of them came to "Blue Moon" to admire our boat and ask questions.

Palm Island Marina Looking Over a Ranger Tug

Palm Island Marina

Restaurant at Palm Island Looking Over Ranger Tugs

Palm Island marina

One of the Tugs here is "Kismet" owned by Jim and Lisa from Michigan. They are authors and members of our Great Loop Association, and we have met them at AGCLA Rendezvous's in the past. Jim's advice last July on cruising lake Michigan in September was instrumental in helping us decide to continue our Great Loop Trip when the Erie Canal was closed for so long. I visited with Jim here and thanked him for his input, and he was very nice. Good to see him again. He also invited us to a talk he was giving tonight on Lake Powell, but we opted to go to dinner instead.

Palm Island Marina. "Kismet" is the Red Hulled Tug in the Background.

Dinner tonight was at the marina restaurant, which is right next to the docks. Very convenient to the boats! It was very good and was very crowded.

Tomorrow we will do our last day on the Loop and we will cross our wake at Captiva Island. Can't believe that our adventure will end tomorrow!

Thanks for Reading!

Monday, February 10: We Cross our Wake and Complete the Great Loop Trip, a 5,848 Mile Circumnavigation of the Eastern United States!

Date:                           February 10, 2014

Day on the Cruise:      234

From:                         Palm Island Marina, Cape Haze, FL

To:                             South Seas Resort, Captiva Island, FL

Statute Miles:             27.8 SM

Time:                         3.67 Hrs

Cumulative Miles:      5,848.4 SM

On Board:                   Susan, Chuck, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

Tonight we are at the starting point of our Loop trip and the finish point of the trip, South Seas Resort on Captiva Island, FL.

Completion of the Loop at Captiva Island, FL

Captiva is North of Fort Meyers

South Seas Resort on Captiva

We crossed our wake and raised the Gold Burgee, signifying completion of the Great Loop, at 1:30 PM today at Red Marker 38 on the ICW just off Captiva Island, FL. We left Captiva on April 23, 2012, making our journey just under a year and 10 months. The bulk of the trip was done starting on April 3 of last year (2013). 

Raising the Gold Burgee at Red Marker 38

Completion of the Great Loop!

Completion of the Loop!

Today was an exquisite day for cruising. Bright sun and warm temps. Typical South Florida weather in the Springtime. Couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.

We only had a short run today, so we left at 10:00 and stopped for a pump out before we left Palm Island. The Ranger Tug fleet departed about the same time as did we, so we were part of the Tug "Parade" South on the ICW.

Leaving Palm Island Marina

Part of the "Ranger Tug Parade"

There is a swing bridge about 3-1/2 miles South of Palm Island that only opens on the Hour and Half Hour. We knew we would not make the 10:30 opening, so we just idled down to the bridge for the 11:00 opening. The 13 Ranger Tugs in the Parade made an impressive sight, and several other boats got in line with us for the bridge opening.

Waiting for the swing bridge to open at Boca Grande

Navigating through the Boca Grande swing bridge

Parade of Ranger Tugs coming through the swing bridge

Right at 11:00 the bridge swung open, and once through the bridge, we were looking at the expanse of Boca Grande Bay. Boca Grande or Gasparilla Island lay on our starboard side and the Bay stretching up to Port Charlotte Harbor lay on the port side. Boca Grande Bay is known for its great Tarpon fishing. We have crossed this bay several times in our Boston Whaler, and we have seen Tarpon jumping out of the water. No such luck today, however. The waters were very smooth and our crossing of the Bay was nice.

View out the front door today

Boca Grande Pass

Next, we wound into the channel between Usseppa Island and Cabbage Key. The Ranger Tugs left us just after crossing the mouth of Boca Grande Pass and went into Pelican Bay which is a great anchorage area for overnighting and visiting Cayo Costa State Park by dinghy.

Usseppa is a private island with a number of upscale homes, a nice private marina, and an exclusive club. Cabbage Key has a small marina and a very old hotel that is unique for its bar and restaurant. Legend has it that Jimmy Buffet got the idea for his song "Cheeseburger in Paradise" from Cabbage Key. The Cheeseburgers really are very good, and the ambiance of the 1920's era hotel and the tiny island is special.

Passing Cabbage Key, we entered the wide expanse of Pine Island Sound. We encountered lots of boats in the ICW today, both Southbound and Northbound. It was a beautiful day for boating! Cruising South on Pine Island Sound, we passed North Captiva Island that is accessible only by boat or light plane. There is a sizable residential community on the island despite its remoteness. 

Captiva Island was next. This is an island that is connected to the famous Sanibel Island by road. Sanibel is known for its shelling on beautiful beaches. Captiva is maybe lesser known, and it is a much smaller island, but is very much old Florida. We having been coming to South Seas Resort here on Captiva for over 20 years. The resort is carved out of an old Key Lime Plantation, and it is a beautiful setting. Very tropical and lush. The yacht harbor at the resort is a first class marina and can handle huge boats. Our "Blue Moon" looks like a toy beside some of the yachts that frequent South Seas. To each his own!

At 1:30 today, we reached Red Marker 38 on the ICW that is located just off the channel into Captiva. We passed this mark on April 23, 2012 as we left South Seas enroute to Jacksonville, FL in "Blue Moon". 

Approaching South Seas on Captiva

Approaching South Seas on Captiva

Approaching South Seas on Captiva

Approaching South Seas on Captiva

Entrance channel to the Marina

Entering the Marina

Gold Burgee Flying on "Blue Moon". We are "Gold Loopers"!

Blue Moon at South Seas

Blue Moon at South Seas

So, our Great Loop trip is complete. We have circumnavigated the Eastern United States in a boat. We have proven once again, as so many others that have also done this trip, that the Eastern US is merely an island that you can sail all around in a boat.

Now we have to get "Blue Moon" back to her home port of Jacksonville, Fl. We will do some "Post Trip" entries in this Blog, so watch for those, then the Blog will sunset as the trip has come to conclusion.

Sunset at South Seas and Sunset on Our Great Loop Trip

We appreciate everyone reading our story of the Great Loop Trip. We hope that we were able to articulate what it has been like to travel this country and experience what was presented to us. It has been a lot of fun.......and.........Thanks Again for Reading!

Saturday, February 8: Touring Downtown Sarasota in the Rain and Fog

Date:                           February 8, 2014

Day on the Cruise:      232

From:                         Marina Jack, Sarasota, FL

To:                             Marina Jack, Sarasota, FL

Statute Miles:              28.6 SM

Time:                           3.5 Hrs

Cumulative Miles:        5,738.3 SM

On Board:                   Susan, Chuck, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

Tonight we remain at Marina Jack in the Bayfront section of downtown Sarasota, FL.

Well, today was supposed to be a sunny day. Nope!. Overcast and foggy all day and rain in the afternoon. Another Yucky day in what is usually a beautiful area.

We got off the boat about 10:30 and walked up Main Street. Soon we were right in the middle of a beautiful part of downtown Sarasota - a very affluent area. We happened upon a Farmer's Market that is held every Saturday. Three or four blocks of streets were blocked off and there were rows of tents with vendors and food. We saw half a dozen musical acts on the streets as well. It was fun doing the Market.

Blue Moon at Marina Jack

Maggie Enjoyed the Park Around Marina Jack

Marina Jack on a Gray Day

Slips at Marina Jack

Gates at the Bayfront Area

Gates at the Bayfront Area

Marina Jack

Condos as seen from Marina Jack

The Park at Marina Jack

The Five Points Area of Sarasota

Main Street

Main Street

A park in Sarasota

Street Scene in Sarasota

Street Scene in Sarasota

Farmer's Market Downtown

Several folks had told us about a Trolley that you can take out to Longboat Key and St. Armand's Key from Sarasota. We started out looking for this Trolley after doing the Farmer's Market. After seeing signs for a Visitor's Center, we walked North out of the downtown area and tried to find the place to inquire about the Trolley. The signage led us on a roundabout path that doubled back on itself and eventually took us to a building that was touted as a Visitor's Center.

Entering the place, we confronted two ladies who worked there, and we asked about the Trolley. They had no clue. Both said that they had not heard of a Trolley but that there might be bus service over there. Might be bus service? One of the ladies left to answer the phone. The other handed us a thick packet that had every route that the bus company runs in Manatee County.

I was pretty livid at this point. I asked for the Cliff Notes version of the Bus Schedule and the staffer knew nothing about the bus service in the area. I told her we were on a boat and we were walking and did not have a car. I suggested that she put herself in our place and think how tourists in our shoes would need info on transportation. I also suggested that on her next day off that she explore the bus service so that she could help future tourists such as ourselves. Needless to say, this did not go over well with the staffer, and we left this so called Tourist Information Center very disappointed, but with a thick pad of bus routes in Manatee County!

We decided to walk back to the Marina and eat lunch. We stopped at the restaurant at Marina Jack and had a sandwich, which was very good. This gave us an opportunity to sift through the Bus packet.

Now, for future use if you are ever in Sarasota and need to get to the Island, there is "the Longboat Key Trolley" that leaves from the downtown Bus Station every hour and goes all the way North to Coquina Beach. There is also Bus Route 4 that leaves every hour from the downtown station and goes to the Island and South to South Lido Beach.

After lunch, we just felt that we didn't have time to walk back into town, wait on the bus or Trolley, then ride it over to the Island. Glad we passed because about an hour later, rain started to fall and lasted most of the rest of the day. The bad experience at the Visitor's Center sort of turned us off on Sarasota. Bottom line? You probably need a car to see what this place has to offer.

Visitor to the boat in the rain this afternoon.

Another visitor to the boat this afternoon.

We ate dinner on board again tonight. Tomorrow they say it might be sunny, but we have heard that before. We are planning to run about 35 miles South through Venice, FL to a marina we found at Cape Haze.

Thanks for reading!