JACKIE B III Going Loopy

Today we went to Shark’s River Anchorage in the Everglades.  We were the only boat there when we arrived. These two alligator beers are the only two gators we saw. We decided to motor around in the dinghy.  The water was really peaceful. There are lots of trails and turns to explore.  Having a chart plotter in the dinghy was truly a life saver on this exploration.  One could easily get lost and not find your way back to the boat. This video clip shows a little bit of our experience. Mike did a terrific job of navigating. And we found our way back to our anchorage. We had dinner on the bow and watched porpoises swim around the boat as the sun set. Our Journey ”I will wait at the fords in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.”“ ‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬  

We had a lovely day to travel from Burnt Store to Fort Meyers Beach. We passed the lighthouse on Sanibel Island that I remember from trips here with my parents years ago. This was our first attempt at grabbing a mooring ball. I’m proud to say I was able to get it on the first try which was no easy feat from the bow of our boat.  I had to lay down on my stomach and grab the leader line from the ball with a boat hook…then get back on my feet! The new knees don’t like that too much. Our stern was really close to this sign which made us a little nervous as the boat swings on the ball with the changing tides. Per our usual routine we went exploring by dinghy.  The Pink Shell Resort is behind us.  We were going to stay there but they had no room when I needed to change the reservation due to weather delays. There are still many signs of Hurricane Ian here.  We ate dinner at the restaurant to the right of this poor cruiser that ended up on shore This place is all fixed up and has live music.

Our trip down the Gulf coast of Florida  continues as we move from Clearwater Beach to Bradenton Beach (where we anchored) then to Longboat Key (where we stayed at a resort) then to Cayo Costa State Park (where we anchored). Our first travel day called for a bridge opening and viewing the worlds longest cable-stayed concrete bridge.  Even though it was a bit hazy,  the Sunshine Skyway Bridge was long and beautiful as we cross a  relatively calm Tampa Bay . The high point of our day was meeting up with my first high school Dutch Dance partner Cindy and her husband John. We enjoyed dinner with them and then they showed us around Bradenton Beach, a cute beach town…even in the rain. The next morning we discovered we had snagged an unmarked abandoned crab pot, which Mike removed with a boat hook. It was a short travel day since we just had to get to the end of the next island.  We decided to splurge for a few days at Longboat Keys Mooring.  We met up with Gold Looper friends from year one o

  Our time in Steinhatchee is best represented by this photo.  We met lots of great Loopers here.  Steinhatchee itself is a quiet place with not much going on.  This may be in part due to the hurricane that went through earlier this year.  The Marina owners bent over backwards to ensure we had a great time here. We left Apalachicola with out new Looper friends, Tim and Brenda on Indigo.  The Gulf was cooperating. Steinhatchee had a great fish cleaning station and the birds absolutely loved it! We stayed here for there days waiting for the weather to once again cooperate.  This gave us ample time to survey the bottom prior to our departure because the low tides were REALLY low. We ended up leaving the dock before the sun was even up. This area is well known for the crab pots, so I perched myself up in the dashboard and kept a look out. The birds for some reason were wanting a free ride.  This pelican nearly made a landing but after four failed attempt he went on his way. I was filming h