Day of Departure

The idea to spend the first night at anchor proved to be a good one for more than one reason.  We got an unexpected dinner invite aboard the Clear to Close, which provided one more chance for advice for me and encouragement for Denise.  Of course it also exposed a couple of new problems which are yet to be resolved.  One with the upper helm radio all if a sudden not working and the other with more issues with the dingy motor.  It's a good thing my auto shop owner friend Tom is joining me tomorrow. 

Wednesday April 6 was the planned departure date, which we met promptly at 8:30 AM.  Cruising 76 miles from Madeira Beach to Englewood, Fl included a bumpy ride across Tampa Bay and continued uneventfully down the Florida west coast on the ICW.  Another very quiet and smooth night at anchorage in a cove off from Lemon Bay and just across from Englewood Beach, close enough to hear live music at a local spot.  It's a popular spot for anchoring boats and included a couple of transients like us and several boats which seem somewhat abandoned as they were the same ones anchored there when Geo and I anchored there on the way to the Bahamas in early November.

Thursday April 7:   Just 40 miles from Englewood, across Charlotte Bay and down to St James City on Pine Island.  Ft Meyers Beach is in view as is the Sanibel Harbour Marriot Resort where Denise is staying the next four days before heading home for a week.  Tom is joining me and we will head across Florida on the Calooshatchee River to Lake Ockeechobee.  We have a guide booked on Sunday for a day of Bass fishing on Okeechobee before continuing on to Stuart and up the ICW on the east coast to Jacksonville.