Saturday & Sunday, April 2nd & 3rd, Naples then home to Cape Coral
Saturday morning we were up very early and underway just after 7 am. Here’s the view along Golden’s side with the dawn glow in the sky:
We like to leave early to beat the winds – sometimes the strategy works, sometimes it doesn’t. This day it worked. We had an easy ride north up to Coon Key and into the Big Marco River. Light winds from the south, easy motion to the boat and beautiful blue skies.
We passed by Marco around 11 am and decided that we had enough time to stop at the Little Marco Island anchorage (our first stop on this trip) and drop a lunch hook before proceeding on to Naples. This gave us a mid-day break and provided us with lots of entertainment as there were just as many boats pulled up on the beach and milling around as there had been on Sunday when we’d last been there.
We got underway when we could hear the rest of our group on the radio as they chatted back and forth with one another while coming down the Big Marco River and out Capri Pass into the Gulf (they were running offshore from Marco up to Naple’s Gordon Pass). We pulled anchor and headed north up in the inside channel, and by happy coincidence we pulled out just in front of them when we all converged in Naples Bay.
We motored up to the Naples Sailing and Yacht Club, back in the same slip that we’d been in last week when we were here. Below is a picture of the NSYC’s docks, Golden at the outer dock on the left, just below the windsock. The view is straight south down Naples Bay.
It was a hot afternoon, and we spent the rest of it in the NSYC’s pool – and everyone else had the same idea.
For dinner we had originally planned on eating at the yacht club, but the club ended up scheduling a big fancy club/members-only event, so our plans had to be changed. Instead, we walked about five blocks to a local landmark restaurant called St. George and the Dragon, a classic steak and fish restaurant. Along the way we passed replicas Nina and the Pinta, in town while on tour:
Dinner was very good – Mike had braised short ribs while I opted for steak tips. Yummy.
The hit of the night, though, was a visit to the ladies’ bathroom where every surface was intricately carved wood – amazing! Picture below:
Sunday morning we were once again up early and off the docks by 7:15 am. We had a 41 mile run back to Cape Coral, 22+ miles of which would be offshore. The wind was blowing 10-15 from the northeast (our early departure didn’t work out this day), and while it was fairly uncomfortable at first due to some good-sized waves from the north, the seas and the boat settled out as Mike steered a course that followed the shoreline rather than a straight line course further offshore where the waves were bigger. I lay on my bunk for the first two hours of the ride in an effort to save my back, which is now at the end of its useful life after this week of fun. Marie did the same, happily reading in her bunk. We both joined the guys as we neared Fort Myers Beach, and soon we were passing under the Sanibel Bridge and into our home waters.
We arrived home around noon, perhaps later… I didn’t look at the clock. It took another two to three hours to unload the interior of the boat and wash the entire exterior from the top of the masthead light to the waterline. Good boat, and it deserved a thorough bath.
And that’s it! Home safe and sound, happy with the boat, and having really enjoyed ourselves with Glen and Marie on boat – we always do.
Ciao until next time.
