My how time truly FLIES!!!!

 

2/15/2022 Gulf of Mexico enroute to Cayo Costa

Once again, I’ve allowed 2 weeks to pass since my last post…maybe this is a “new schedule”…

While we had a great time in Bradenton on Monday 2/14 it was time to get ready for the next voyage.  I returned the rental car and the next day we slipped off the lines on a rising tide (almost noon)!!  It was a spectacular weather day so we skipped the slow & scenic ICW and jumped out in the Gulf of Mexico for our short cruise to Venice FL!!  Because we had a late start AND protected anchorage areas are practically non-existent in this stretch AND in all our travels we’ve never stopped in Venice – it seemed like the perfect destination!! 

Crow’s Nest Marina was a nice place where we met the crew of My Tootsie and saw a few faces we recognized too!! The marina location was perfect for easy in & out via water – not so perfect for walking into town.  That wasn’t a big deal since our plan was simply to spend the night, top off with water and leave on a rising tide to our favorite anchorage in the USA…Cayo Costa State Park!!

2/16/2022 The Lower Place anchored at Cayo Costa State Park

Wednesday, 2/16/2022 we pulled into Cayo Costa State Park after another great cruising day on the “outside” (no ICW just the Gulf of Mexico)!!  I didn’t miss the congestion or delays of the ICW and I really enjoyed the consistent pace of the open water.

2/16/2022 Sunset

We stayed anchored until Sunday, 2/20/2022!! The bays filled up with boats of all sizes including loopers past, present and future!!  Around 11:00ish on Sunday morning we pulled anchor and headed to Ft. Myers Beach to Olsen Marine Services…time to get The Lower Place hauled out and “have her bottom cleaned and painted”.   Now who wouldn’t enjoy THAT???  Of course that kind of work takes several days and we cannot stay on the boat if it’s not in the water.

2/17/2022 Full Moon at Cayo Costa

2/18/2022 followed by Sea Fog most of the day

Enter Looper family…in the surrounding area we know a host of people.  One such couple feels like we’ve known them our whole lives and boating with them was a pleasure!!  They have introduced us to the surrounding area in bits and pieces during our travels.  But this time while we are here, they are out of town and offered us the opportunity to stay in their home…because “that’s what friends do”!!!   So with the ease of a rented vehicle, we packed up “stuff” (valuables, some clothes & the laptop), loaded the car & had the boat hauled out all before lunch on Monday 2/21/2022!!  Blessings just keep rolling and the kindness and love from people just confirms that we really are here to help each other …from the heart.

2/20/2022 Weather update-not a typo!!

So we are enjoying a few days on land “house sitting” and counting our blessings.  The Lower Place should be back in the water by the end of the week pending no surprises.  Once we are “splashed” we will make the very short commute to Ft. Myers proper and spend a few weeks there.  Taking a little time to make long or short term cruising decisions….stay tuned…

Stay healthy and God bless