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Monday, November 13th, was the day we completed our Great Loop.
We woke early, having set an alarm at 6:15 am so that we could be up, showered and have the engine check done by 7 am in order to join Mom and Dad for breakfast. Mom put out a yummy spread of eggs, bacon and English muffins - good stuff!
We gave both Mom and Dad a big hug goodbye, then pushed off their dock by 8:10 am, timed to make sure we were at the Boca Grande Swing Bridge for their 8:30 am opening (they open on the hour and half hour). We passed through with no problem, but noticed that the bridge swung closed just after us despite the fact that there were boats within a quarter mile on both sides heading for the bridge; apparently, the bridge waits on no one.
Beyond the bridge we entered Charlotte Harbor which was a bit choppy with a the winds blowing 10 knots from the east north east. However, it's only about five miles across, so soon we were back in the lee of the islands that dot the GICW.
Motoring by Point Blanco by Cayo Costa we kept a sharp lookout for the wild pigs that can usually be seen on shore, and we weren't disappointed: one big black pig was wandering the beach as we passed by.
We kept heading south, passing Useppa Island, Cabbage Key, Cayo Costa, North Captiva, Captiva and Sanibel. On the southwest side of Pine Island we picked up three dolphin in our bow wave who stayed with us for about 15 minutes. The had a great time surfing in front of us, rolling back and forth and swimming on their sides so they could look up at me as I leaned over the bow rails.
We knew that the Fort Myers Boat Show had been held over the weekend, and it was evident that the boat show was breaking up: we were passed by 25 or more brand new big cruisers heading north. Most of them were going full tilt throwing huge wakes and didn't bother slowing down for us, though going bow-first through a big wake isn't a big deal. Had we been trying to go north along with all the boat show boats we would have been rolled repeatedly - glad we were heading south!!
We picked up another set of dolphin going through the Miserable Mile (a mile long narrow stretch of water that can be very congested especially on weekends), this time one of the dolphins did about 20 jumps, repeatedly, all on his side. He was quite an athlete and showoff. I whistled and clapped for him while he was performing, I truly think they like the interaction!
At 1 pm, having run 35 miles from Mom and Dad's, we turned off the main channel of the Caloosahatchee River into the channel leading to our canal. What a feeling, though its hard to describe - both excitement and disappointment.
We nosed our way into the Cape Coral canal system, then turned up Colony Canal, the canal on which our home is located. We're pretty much the maximum size boat that can be on our canal, so the maneuvering quarters were tight. We eased up just past the house, the Mike swung Golden around in a tight 180 degree turn and put her on the dock behind our house.
Home!
And then the work began: take the hurricane shutters off the house, unpack the house (we had rented it to friends while we were away), unload the boat, deal with the gardens and grounds, etc. The task list is daunting and will take a few weeks to complete. Can't we just forget it and take Golden over to the Bahamas?
I hope you've enjoyed "riding along" with us as we completed our Great Loop! Thanks for sharing it with us, and drop us a line if you have any questions or comments.
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