March 30-April 1, Key West, FL

Today was a big open water crossing from Everglades City due south about 80 miles to Key West. We made the trip in about 5 hours by traveling at 17-18 knots in 2-3 and then 3-4 foot following seas. We entered Key West harbor from the northwest, and as we entered the harbor we saw two large cruise ships berthed downtown and a beautiful new US Navy trimaran destroyer (very futuristic. Looked like a stealth ship) berthed at the Navy Shipyard.

US Destroyer (a trimaran)

Must be 50 boats at anchor outside the harbor and over 200 boats in the marinas near downtown.

Dingy dock for the boats on mooring balls outside the harbor.
Busy in Key West.

Key West is bustling. We stayed at the A&B Marina in the harbor known as the Key West Bight. A&B Marina is very well located near restaurants and shops, Duval Street and Mallory Square and is our favorite marina in Key West. Nice facilities and a helpful staff. There are no finger piers here so we tie to two front pilings and back in. Then we tie up to the stern and access the boat from the swim platform. Two spring lines keep us away from the dock at the stern. Slips are narrow and it is a little stressful maneuvering. We have fenders out to keep us away from neighboring boats. Thankfully, we get some help from the dock hands on arrival to set everything up correctly. My crew is excellent but the help was welcome today in a new docking situation. Good power. No internet.

A&B Marina pier. Lots of activity here.

Rick rented an electric car so we could all see the town and we had beautiful weather for a change.



Saw the beaches, southern most point in continental USA, Mel Fisher Museum, Truman House, Hemmingway House, Parrot preserve and lots of shops. We drove much of the whole the island to see the sights.

Sculptures in sand.
Taught by experts right here.

Giraffe

We went to Mallory Square each evening to see the sunset and street performers. Cruise ship must leave port about two hours before sunset so they do not block the view for the tourists that remain. Lots of interesting characters and costumes around. Great bars with entertainment and interesting restaurants. Crowded.



Key West is definitely an interesting place to spend a few days.

March 29, Everglades City, FL

We moved from Marco Island south on the Big Marco River past Goodland to the Gulf of Mexico and on to Everglades City.


We head up the Barron River and are staying at the famous Rod and Gun Club, built by Barron Collier. The old clubhouse is well preserved and looks like a large hunting and fishing lodge with trophies of fish and game (including a large alligator ) lining the walls.

Rod and gun Club

We walked the town of Everglades City. Some fishing industry. Some tourist activities. No much else. New RV coach park. Almost deserted.

We took an air boat tour into the mangrove swamps above Everglades City. Nice wilderness trip. Saw a ten foot alligator close up. Not much other wildlife but the scenery is very pretty. Airboat is noisy. We wore earphones.

The dining room at our Rod and Gun Club lodge is open on Monday and we have a nice dinner overlooking the waterway and the Everglades. They served a pretty good Key Lime pie (we sampled many on our trip. It was a kind of 'quest'). Our boat is right out front. Good power and internet. Docks are old and a bit rickity but safe. Wind was blowing 15-20 and caused some local flooding. Wind drove the water up almost over the docks.

March 28, Marco Island, FL

We take the inside passage about 15 miles from Naples south to Marco Island and stay at the Esplanade Marina.

Esplanade Marina complex

Esplanade is located in a new complex near the downtown part of Marco Island. There are several restaurants located in the waterfront complex as well as shops and a Winn Dixie grocery nearby. We think the marina staff here is the nicest and friendliest of our trip so far. Marina facilities include floating docks and a very nice new lounge and individual showers. We do a pump out at the slip. Neat.

Rained off and on again today but we walked to the grocery and explored the complex around the marina. Rick checked at the local Remax office across the street to see if a friend now living in Marco who sells real estate might be there. He was on duty and came over to the marina with us. Rick and Kathy seem to know lots of people on Florida's west coast.

March 26-27, Naples, FL

We went out Big Carlos Pass into the Gulf of Mexico and moved 20 miles south in three foot seas to Naples where we entered the Naples area at Gordon Pass and cruised by Port Royal to Naples Bay near downtown Naples. We are docked at the Naples City Dock and find it is within walking distance of several restaurants and the shops of 5th Ave.

Rick and Kathy have several friends from home who are in the area for March and one of the men, Gary Colett, met us at the marina and took us in his car on an extensive tour of the town. We joined Gary and his wife Tish and Doug and Tracy Blatt for dinner near the marina. Neat for us to meet Rick and Kathy's friends from home.


Next day we walk the town to explore some of the the local shops and find a very good farmers market with lots of offerings (great german pasteries) and find an art show in progress on 5th Avenue in Naples. Must be 100 or more vendors of origional art and some of art is pretty good. Several are offering photographs on canvas that look like paintings. In the afternoon we take everyone on KOKOMO II for a tour of the Naples waterway and see many large homes and boats, all in very pretty settings. Cruising guide says this area rivals Ft Lauderdale as a boating center, but this sailor says 'not close'.

Last night in Naples we go to the Bleu Provence. Best restaurant meal, so far.

March 25, Estero Island, FL

We moved 10 miles south today to Fish Tale Marina at the South end of Estero Island (Ft Myers Beach).

Fish Tale Marina is a large resort type marina with restaurants and shopping nearby. We walked the area to see the sights and had dinner near the marina.

March 24, Ft Myers Beach, FL

We moved about 5 miles south to Ft Myers Beach where we docked at Moss Marine. Moss Marine is located within walking distance to the Ft Myers Beach pier and beach area.

Pirate Ship with costumed actors as crew has a boat full of tourists during spring break.

This is Spring Break for students and Ft Myers Beach was in full swing with lots of college age tourists and families at the beach. Lots of interesting street performers including jugglers, magicians, comedians, face painters and balloons. All in all a very festive place.

We filled up with fuel at Ballard Oil across from Ft Myers Beach where we got the wholesale price of for diesel at $.50 less than at the marina's. Everyone loves a bargain.

March 22-23, Sanibel Island, FL

This morning we took a 15 mile cruise up the Pine Island Sound to see the sights.




We enjoyed seeing some dolphin following the boat in our wake, saw some Osprey and cruised by Sanibel, Captiva, North Captiva, Caya Costa, and Useppa Islands and ended up at Cabbage Cay for lunch. Cabbage Cay is an old fishing lodge that serves good food and is only reachable by boat. Very crowded today (probably 75 in the dining room) and fun to see the place again. They have dollar bills tacked to the walls everywhere (they claim 70,000) and say they give the ones that fall down every year to the local school district (they claim to give over 10,000 per year). Cabbage Cay once featured itself as a spot where Jimmy Buffett was served a 'Cheesberger In Paradise' but no mention of that now. Must be a story there.

Real Dollar bills are the 'wallpaper' at Cabbage Key

After lunch we headed back south again and ended the day at the Sanibel Marina, just south of the Sanibel Bridge on Sanibel Island.

A pelican greets us at Sanibel Marina.

Sanibel Marina is a nice marina within walking distance of the Sanibel Lighthouse at the south end of Sanibel Island. There we looked for shells and were treated to a fishing display by several dolphin fishing in the surf very close to shore and only 10 15 feet from where we are walking. Spectacular.

Rick and Kathy walk the beach at Sanibel

Sea creature to be identified.

Osprey with lunch.

Dinner tonight at the Gramma Dots restaurant at the Sanibel Marina. Nice feature is the have preferred seating for people staying at the marina so we did not have to wait. Small restaurant open from 5 pm to 8 pm only withthe last seating at 7 pm. About 50 seats. Said they served over 250 meals. Very efficient operation. Required to close early because of neighbors.

Gramma Dot's

Judy and Kent Mergler were in Sanibel for a few days tending to their home here. They met us at the marina and took us to see their home (neat island home) and then to dinner. As we went to see their home, we found traffic leaving the island between 4:30 and 5 pm awesome. We passed a three mile line of cars waiting to leave the island. Only one way on and off the island. Thankfully we were going the other way from most of the traffic and when we returned to the boat after dinner along the same route, the traffic had completely cleared. Some how the line of traffic waiting to get off the island will be an enduring memory for me. They say it only happens in the height of the season and locals know the back roads to avoid the worst. Still....

Sanibel Lighthouse as we pass by.

March 21, St James City, Fl

Today we moved about 10 more miles west to St James City and tied up to a private dock, courtesy of Phil and Allyson and had a wonderful dinner at their home.

Phil and Allyson Burnett home at St James City on Pine Island where we spent a wonderful rainy Sunday afternoon.

Rained off and on all day but for us it could not have been any nicer anywhere.

March 19-20, Ft Myers, FL

Today we continued west on the Caloosahatchee River about 75 miles through three more locks to Ft Myers where we are staying at the Ft Myers Municipal Marina at the foot of the re-developed downtown.

KOKOMO II exits the lock on the Caloosahatchee River.
Photo by Ken Horner.

Underway toward Ft Myers.

We hooked up with Ken Horner along the way and he and a friend, Tom Paytosh (who works with Ken on the riverboat in Indiana) met us in Tom's boat as we exited the last lock in the Caloosahatchee River before ending our day. Today was a full day and we arrived at the marina bout 5 pm.

We were joined for dinner in downtown Ft Myers by Phil and Allyson Burnett and Ken Horner and his friend Tom.

March 18, 2010 Clewiston, FL

KOKOMO II is heading around South Florida on a three week cruise with a crew of four, Owen and Linda and Rick and Kathy Neumann.

Our first day we were joined on the boat by Rick and Kathy's Daughter, Jenny and her husband Andy and their one year old son (almost) Lucas. We left Stuart about 9 am and headed west on the St Lucie River to the St Lucie Lock where we went up 15 feet into freshwater and where Jenny, Andy and Lucas left us and took their car back to Stuart.

We continued on toward the west through the St Lucie River, through the Myacca Lock and crossed Lake Okeechobee (wind was blowing 15 mph out of the west and the lake had a two foot chop) and went into the protected Roland Martin's Marina at Clewiston. Total trip today was about 65 miles from Stuart to Clewiston.

Dinner at the Tiki Bar at Roland Martin's where Thursday night is Karaoke night. Interesting performers. Old Florida on display.