Day 104: Monday, December 17, 2012
Port to Port: Roberts Bay to Pelican Bay
Underway: 7:47 am Motor Off: 3:47 pm Miles Traveled: 35 Stayed At: Anchor
First Things First: First time paying more than $5.00 per gallon for marina gas (something to avoid in the future although the bucket of free ice made it a little less painful); First bikini girls.
Mile to Mile: We had planned a nice easy 22-mile day but we were making good time and travel conditions were ideal so we hammered out 13 more miles to get across two large bays – Gasparilla Sound and Charlotte Harbor. You never know what the weather will bring tomorrow. If fact the weather forecast for later this week has 25+ knot winds in it so we need to get closer to Fort Myers to feel comfortable.
The day wasn’t all work though. We did see our first boat full of bikini girls. On a Monday yet. We must be in Florida. I also saw another manatee but Cindy missed it. They only surface for a few seconds to breath and then go back under the dark water. Maybe tomorrow we’ll see more of both.
We never get tired of the wildlife (not that kind of wildlife). There are always birds, animals or fish to be seen. The pelicans are especially interesting to watch. They are incredibly efficient fisherman and flyers. Watching them glide effortlessly a few inches above the water is a treat. And then they will angle up to get a better view, stop in midair and dive bomb into the water with a big splash. I’d hate to be a fish in Florida – life is short and full of hazards from below and above.
Even with our extra mileage, we arrived at Pelican Bay well before dark and had an early dinner of leftovers and dinghied to the dock at the nearby state park – Cayo Costa – to try to watch the sunset across the Gulf. We started down the trail to the beach but decided we wouldn’t have time to walk over a mile to watch the sunset and get back to the boat before dark so we reluctantly returned to the boat to watch the sunset from Aurora. Maybe next time.
In Passing: Siesta Key, Crescent Beach, Siesta Stretch Point O’Rocks, Heron Lagoon, Coral Cove, Blind Pass, Bird Keys, Alligator Creek, Rambler Hole.