Fort Myers to Key West, FL

Total Miles Traveled 1501

Wow, this is my first blog of the New Year and it’s already closing in on the end of January.  We kept our boat at Fort Myers City Marina for a month while visiting family and friends during the holidays.  Fort Myers is a great city to visit and the marina is only a short walk to downtown. 

We attended the Seafood and Music festival during our stay, the city blocks off main and  the water front streets during festivals and events, there is something going on here every week.

  

Although most of the boat slips are designed for boats less than 60 feet, there is an occasional mega yacht that ties to the face dock.  

On January 6^th we cruised about 50 miles along the Gulf coast to an anchorage at Naples Florida. 

We have anchored here several times, surrounded by multimillion dollar homes.  We followed a stingray out as we were leaving, I just didn’t get the opportunity to take a picture.

Timing is everything on a boat; we had a two day weather window to go from Fort Myers to Everglades City before another system moved through the south.  We cruised another 50 miles from Naples and arrived at the Rod and Gun Club at Everglades City. 

We passed this island on the way up the Baron River with hundreds of white pelicans covering the shores.  What a beautiful sight…..then as we passed within a quarter of a mile of it and as luck would have it, downwind, the smell was overwhelming.  We hurriedly closed all of the doors and windows but it was too late, the boat was consumed with the smell.  I have passed a few nasty turkey farms in my day, but nothing compared to that.

The Rod and Gun Club is an historic site that has been visited by several rich and famous people, including five presidents, several actors, and musician lead man Mick Jagger of the Stones.  Although this town of about 400 has been a popular place back in the day, it’s not the attraction it once was.

Our main purpose for stopping here is to visit with our good friends from back home, Merrill and Jan who winter at their condo about ten miles away.  We stop here every year on our way to the Keys and always have a great time with them during our stay. 

Entering and departing Everglades City is a bit of a challenge.  The access to the city is through the Baron River, about six miles inland from the Gulf, with a few shallow sections.  We always try to time the tide, which is about three feet, before arriving or leaving.  On January 14^th, we waited on a rising tide until 1 p.m. before departing, and then anchored in the Baron River about a mile from the Gulf of Mexico. This is a great anchorage, and the fishing turned out to be exceptional.  Moni caught several spotted sea trout, yum yum.

There is not an Intracoastal Waterway between Fort Myers Beach and the Keys so we have to have good weather conditions in the Gulf when cruising in this area. On January 15^th we cruised 43 miles to the Little Shark River anchorage.  We arrived about two in the afternoon and had the whole place to ourselves, but later in the day we had five boats taking advantage of this last stop before the Keys.

On January 16^th we cruised 49 miles to Marathon, Florida just a day before another weather system approached producing 25-30 mph winds. We tried to get a mooring ball at Boot Key Harbor but there were 13 people at anchor ahead of us on the waiting list.  We didn’t want to be swinging around anchored with several other boats in a tight anchorage, so we secured a slip at Marlin Bay Marina at Marathon.  We had a great time during our stay and met up with our friends Randy and Sherri on Priorities, Peter and Teresa on Gallus, Jim and Faith on Third Degree, and Clark and Evelyn on Sunset Delight.

Our reservation at Stock Island Marina was not until the 29^th, but after several calls, and a cancellation we were able to make the 45 mile cruise on the Atlantic side of the Keys from Marathon to the marina on January 20^th.  

This will be our home until March 1^st, we have already met old friends and new ones, so we’re excited to finally be here.