Fort Myers Yacht Basin Marina, 1-5 and 6, 2015

Monday the 5^th; we left about 09:00 at low tide and we still had 3.3' below our props. The winds were calm during the night but by 08:00 they picked up again but out of the south this time. It was early when we went through the "Miserable Mile" and this is the first time ever all the boats obeyed the No Wake zone. There were only 10 boats encountered but still that was good. It was in the mid 70's all day with the sun coming out sporadically most of the day otherwise, it was overcast. We got to the City of Fort Myers Yacht Basin Marina about 11:30, got fuel and a pump out and were in our slip by 12:15. As of yesterday, we had anchored 22 out of 26 days. It will be nice to be at a marina for a while. After settling in we spent the afternoon washing the boat and washing clothes. This evening we went to Joe’s Crab Shack for dinner.

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CO’s Comments: Boy, were the Mussels ever good!

01-05-2015: On our way to Joe’s Crab Shack for a delicious meal.


Tuesday the 6th: We got things done around the boat this morning and rented a car this afternoon to do the usual errands.

January 3 and 4, Cayo Costa to San Carlos Bay

Saturday the 3^rd:
Very quiet day. We did some research on crab traps and have decided we need a better trap with the proper weights and bait. Found some on line and will order when we get to a marina. We put the dinghy up and got ready to move again in the morning. It was another beautiful day and evening.

Sunday the 4^th:
We got going about 10:30 on a rising tide. We did our usual thing with Keith taking the bridal off and pulling anchor and I did the driving. Normally I am OK with this arrangement but today was challenging. We had a 10 knot wind and there were several boats close by in the bay. This stresses me out some. I am working on it though and I did OK. It was windy on the ICW too with winds picking up to 11 to 12 knots. We only had 21miles to our stop for the night at San Carlos Bay, Ding Darling anchorage. We have been here before and like this anchorage. Our original plan was to anchor just off of St. James City (across the bay from Ding Darling) because we have never anchored there before. But the winds were coming out of the south, so Ding Darling was a better choice. We put 60' of anchor rode out and had 5.5' of water under the props. Winds calmed down by 18:00 for a pleasant evening sitting out on the front of the boat. My good friend, Nancy, called as we watched the sun set. It was good to hear from her.
  
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01-04-2015: Sun set, moon rise, and full moon on San Carlos Bay, Fort Myers Beach, FL

CO’s Comments:  Nothing like sitting out on the boat with lights off in the distance and the moon shinning brightly.  It is very peaceful and we love the solitude of it all.

January 1 and 2, still at Cayo Costa anchorage

Thursday the 1st:
It was another day like yesterday; cool and overcast this morning and the sun came out early this afternoon and was partly cloudy. We went for a dinghy ride this afternoon after getting caught up on the blog, checking my crab trap, etc.

01-01-2015: Saber Yacht, the CO wants this to be our next yacht.

　

Friday the 2^nd:
Another foggy morning and 67 degrees. We took the tree down and put all our Christmas decorations away this morning. This afternoon brought the sun out and temps back up in the mid 80's. We took the dinghy to the park dock and went for a long walk on some of the many marked trails. This evening we sat out on the boat and watched the beautiful sun set. I blew my conch horn as the sun went down and was answered by many other boaters with a like response. Those without conch horns responded with their boat horns. It was awesome to hear all the horns blowing.

01-02-2015: This is the best sun rise we could get for a foggy morning at Cayo Costa.

01-02-2015: Walking the trails at the park. 

01-02-2015: The XO and CO on our walk in the park.

01-02-2015: Red sky at night, sailors delight


CO’s Comments: What is there to say other than another great couple of days in paradise.