May 1 & 2, 2017 Pelican Bay to Safe Cove, Inc. Boat Storage Yard in Port Charlotte, FL

It took another 4 hours to cross from Pelican Bay to the top of Charlotte Harbor. Entering the fresh water canal leading to the Safe Cove, Inc. Boat Storage Yard involved passing through a user-operated lock.  Even though we had cleared 106 locks while on the Great Loop, we were still a bit anxious about negotiating the narrow approach and landing on a short dock to pull the access chain. A couple in a boat offered to use their remote control to open the entrance door and we readily accepted their offer. Come to find out, they were from Falmouth, Maine. Once inside the lock, the next activating chain to pull extended down from our pilot house level. We were able pull that easily, closing the entrance door and then opening the exit door of the lock ourselves. For 1 1/2 hours we putt-putted along through the various canal neighhoods, arriving at the Safe Cove dock. Lots of boats were already tied up awaiting their turn with the Travel Lift. Owner Jack helped us with our lines and then delivered me to our car waiting for us near the office. The rest of the afternoon was spent toting our many packed bags and boxes off the boat, down the dock and into the car. After completing two loads of laundry, we made our last supper from the remaining refrigerated food and tumbled into bed. That night drought-stricken Charlotte Harbor was blessed with a four-hour deluge of rain complete with nature’s sound and light show. Our Summertime was scheduled for her haul-out at 9am. Right on schedule the process began. The pressure-washed surface of her lower hull showed us that the bottom paint we rolled on 3 years ago was still in good shape... remarkable! Summertime was ceremoniously placed next to Liberty, a Pilgrim 40... our second-most favorite type of trawler. From May 2 to early November they will share a covered space.  After eating some of the best Thai food ever, we crashed and slept for 11 hours in air-conditioned splender at a nearby hotel. At our age, we are learning that it takes longer to recover from big exertions than it used to!

Self operated lock  to separate the salty Charlotte harbor from the fresh water canal system

Canal System

Safe Cove Boat Storage Yard

Thus ends the saga!

Created By Darcy O Campbell

April 28, 29 & 30, 2017 Fort Myers Beach to Pelican Bay at Cayo Costa State Park, FL

Another 4 hour cruise found us anchored against the mangroves in Pelican Bay.  Our hope was to get a break from the SSE wind/waves. Tom and Deb on Kozy Kadey, another Krogen Manatee, must have had the same hope, because by late afternoon they were anchored next to us. We alternated packing up with taking dinghy rides amidst the other boats anchored around the bay. Tom and Deb invited us to join them on their boat for refreshments and chit-chat before dinner... so nice! By Sunday we paid our $2/person Florida State Park fee and rode the truck-drawn trolley over to the Gulf side, beachcombing and swimming some more. Quite delightful. 

Created by Darcy O Campbell

April 26 & 27, 2017 Naples to Fort Myers Beach, FL

After cruising for 4 hours along the Naples, Bonita Beach, Estero Island, Fort Myers Beach shoreline, we entered the Matanzas River. Passing under the sweeping bridge, we caught a mooring ball about noon. Lunch was followed by a nap, then we changed into our bathing suits and dinghyed in for an afternoon of swim-sit-stroll... fabulous!  By Day #2 we were sorting out the on-board items that needed to leave the boat. All of thoses hefty re-usable grocery bags became our best friends.  After filling a dozen or so to the brim, we rewarded ourselves by taking another swim-sit-stroll afternoon.

Created by Darcy O Campbell

April 22- 26, 2017 Earth Day celebrated at nearby Bahia Honda State Park... and then the “21 days of blow” let up. We made a mad dash for Florida’s West Coast.

With our Harbour Cay Club friends handing off Summertime’s lines at 7:45 am on Sunday, April 23, we headed NW into the Gulf of Mexico.  The cruising conditions were so perfect at noon that we by-passed the Little Shark River, our original destination, and continued on to Russell Pass... making it an almost 12-hour passage day... an unusually long travel day for us!  We were asleep by the 7:50pm sunset.

  By 10 am on Monday we lowered the dinghy and began making the 4- mile run up the Indian Key Pass into Everglades City.  Since we had dined at the posh Rod and Gun Club 2 years ago, we opted to stroll across town to the City Seafood Market and Cafe. While savoring our Red Grouper Baskets, we were entertained by the numerous small airboats plying the shallow water of the canals with their tourists.

The Historic Rod and Gun Club 

We returned to our dinghy by a different route to discover that a flotilla of 9 motor yachts had arrived from the Cape Coral and  Fort Myers Yacht Clubs. They were in the midst of an extended cruise... with the Rod and Gun Club being their destination for that day. Remote Everglade City can be reached by land of sea. We saw a luxury RV Resort, an Eco-adventure outfitter complete with expansive B&B, the North Carolina Outward Bound Headquarters, a compound of pricey new rustic cabins and down the way a clutch of double-wide trailers serving nicely for fisherman. All options were good reasons to take a get-away in the Everglades... especially if money was no object. As night fall came upon Russell Pass, Summertime was joined by a sailing catamaran, a regular sailboat and then an interesting houseboat complete with black dog on the bow.

In 6 hours we made Tuesday’s cruise into Naples via the inside route through Goodland. We took a mooring ball at the Naples City Dock at 2 pm. After an on-board lunch and a nap, we walked past the historical art, fine dining and exclusive shop venues to the beach. To our great surprise, there was not a commercial venture in sight... only sand and sun and waves lapping on the shore and around the fish pier. With new floating docks on the future horizon, the Naples City Dock was closing down business this week. We were the last boat to be attached to Mooring Ball C and perhaps the last to take on fuel for our dinghy.  Who knew! The Active Captain web site had made no mention of this big deal.

Created by Darcy O Campbell