Best dolphin day yet!

There was fog early this morning, but we had only planned a short trip up Charlotte Harbor to Punta Gorda for the last couple of days of Sam's vacation with us, so we weren't in a hurry.  The water in Cayo Costa was flat as a millpond, and continued flat as we made our way into Charlotte Harbor.

The first sighting came within a few minutes...that tell-tale splash off the aft quarter.  Michael and I both yelled "Dolphin", and summoned Sam from below with a "hurry, hurry - bring your camera!"

There were three in that grouping, and I opted to just enjoy the show without trying to take pictures.  Sam got some good shots, and a video as well, and was very happy.  Ten minutes later, the shout went up again.  I took over the wheel, and Michael and Sam rushed to the side decks to take pictures.  As we traveled, the dolphins easily keeping pace in the still flat water, I spied another pod ahead.  Sure enough,  they joined the party as we approached.

We had at least five dolphins riding our wake immediately on our stern, and another two or three riding a few waves back.  It doesn't get much better than that!!

Frigate birds, and manatees, and dolphins, OH MY!!

But I'll get to all of those sightings.  First, an update on our last few days.  We left Fort Myers Beach on  Thursday to return to Cayo Costa with Sam.  The trip here was uneventful, and we managed to tuck ourselves into a lovely little cove on the south end of Punta Blanca Island.  There is room here for a couple of boats, and as the only ones in here we were able to pick our spot.  It is fully sheltered from the winds, and surrounded by ospreys, pelicans, and herons.

I was alone on the aft deck, watching the sun go down and enjoying the peace and quiet, when I heard a sound so quintessentially Canadian I wasn't sure, for just a moment, exactly where I was.  Once, twice, three times - the mournful call of a loon very nearby transported me to Georgian Bay, and I realized how much I have missed being there for the past couple of summers.  But we'll rectify that this year, and spend the entire summer - not just weekends - in all those places we love.

Yesterday, Sam and I left Michael working on some chores while we went to the beach.  It was a bit windy, and I was covered in sand by the time we left.  Even the fresh water showers at the beach didn't manage to wash it all off.

We're having a great time with Sam, and I think she is getting the R&R she was looking for.  Today was even windier than yesterday, and trips outside of our little cove in the dinghy were not much fun.  So we lazed around, each of us doing our own thing.  By about 4pm, we decided it was cocktail time - mojitos today, courtesy of Sam.  As we sat on the bridge, enjoying the late afternoon sun along with the mojitos, we watched the ospreys catching and eating their dinners, and cormorants juggling their catch to get it the right way 'round for swallowing.

Then I spotted a very unusual shape soaring high above - sharp edged wings, and a very long tail...a frigate bird  and the first sighting for us.  Then there was something in the water, not far off our starboard.  I stood up for a better look, and shouted "Manatee!!!" which sent Michael and Sam dashing off for cameras.

Manatees are very shy, and really only have to get the end of their snout out of the water to breathe.  Getting pictures is very difficult, and all we have to show for the experience is this shot of some disturbed water - and our own memories, of course.

As we stood watching for additional sightings of the manatee, two dolphins appeared in our little cove, swimming slowly around the area where the manatee had been.  No big jumps, no show off moves, just a gentle cruise around the area.

After the sun went down, we continued to hear the occasional exhale (dolphin or manatee, we don't know) in the darkness around the boat.

What a great day for all of us!

To the beach

We left Fort Myers behind, and made our way to Fort Myers Beach.  Part of the trip here was through a narrow pass with a strictly enforced no wake zone.  We were part of a very long parade of boats of all sizes.

We're staying in the mooring field, and managed to grab the ball with only a little difficulty and much giggling as the boat hook became stuck.

 

After a quick lunch, we launched the dinghy and ventured ashore to check in and explore the town.

It's a typical beachside town with tacky souvenir stores and cheap beach stuff on every corner, where it's apparently OK to walk around the streets in a bikini.  As I don't possess a bikini, I did not feel compelled to join the trend!

We got back to the mother ship just after sunset, to find that others use the mooring balls, too.

Dolphins and doughnuts

After two days of very unsettled weather, including a thoroughly torrential downpour on Thursday, we moved on to Fort Myers to await Sam's arrival.  Saturday's trip was a short one accompanied by these three playful dolphins.

By late in the day, the wind had risen to a sustained 30 mph, but the marina has the largest floating breakwater to protect the boats.

Sam arrived safely late Sunday night, and we are all set for 9 days of fun in the sun.  First order of business Monday morning was a visit to Bennet's, home of the maple bacon doughnut.  That's right - a bacon doughnut.  It tasted just like a pancake, with bacon and maple syrup, all in a single bite.  Delicious!!

Aahhhh, Bimini!!

Wait a minute, though - this is not the Bahamas.  We're still in Florida, and needing to wait out a few days until we can pick up Michael's daughter Sam from the airport.  This little spot is very protected from winds of just about any direction, close to groceries and a West Marine, and temporary home right now to 15 other boats.

We came here yesterday, after spending a couple more days in and around Cayo Costa.  Thanks to directions from a friendly kayaker, we eventually found another route to the other side of the island, well away from the park docks.  After wading ashore, we ventured into a mangrove forest, which gave way to desert-like scrub with palms and cacti, then across a small dune to a completely deserted stretch of beach.

 It was interesting to see that the surf action here was actually cutting a small wall in the beach, revealing layers of shells and sand.  It's about a foot high, and we could clearly see shells poking out from the face, some of them so polished by sand and water that they shone.  We have no idea how old these deposits might be...a month, a year, decades, or more.

Back in the dinghy, we wound our way around several smaller islands, scaring flocks of gulls and pelicans into frantic flight as we zoomed past.

Bev & Bruce on Paddywagon had arrived in Pelican Bay by the time we returned, and we spent a good part of the afternoon sitting on the beach chatting with them.

After topping up our water tanks, dinghy fuel and groceries on Tuesday in Gasparilla, we returned to Pelican Bay for the night. The next morning after waiting for the fog to lift we then made the 3 hour trip to Bimini Basin.  For all of our Georgian Bay friends, here's a picture of another Picnic Island!! White sand - no granite :)

Tourists packed this paddle wheeler to get a taste of life on the water.

Bimini Basin is in another of those canal communities, where everyone has water access.  There are some huge homes here as well as some small condo or apartment buildings.  It's a good place to spend a few days without the expense of staying at a marina, and Paddywagon arrived not long after we had settled in.

Today is rainy for the first time in several weeks...which means chores on board, I guess.

Him Tarzan

Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day, and Sunday's sunrise was glorious, promising a day meant for exploring the neighbourhood by dinghy.  First stop was a shoreline foray to see where else we might anchor that would offer more protection from the winds, should we want it.

Then it was off to Cabbage Key for lunch - about two miles away.  There is no bridge to Cabbage Key, so all visitors come by boat...big boats, little boats, fast boats and slow boats.

There is an inn which rents quaint little cottages, a restaurant, and shop.  The interior of the restaurant is covered - walls, ceilings, support pillars - all covered in one dollar bills, signed by the 'donors'.  There is an estimated $10,000 stuck to the walls, and as they fall off from time to time, the money is donated to charity, to the tune of about $2,000/year.  We, of course, left our own donation.

We wound our way back towards our anchorage, looking for a mangrove tunnel we had heard led to the other side of the island.  Unfortunately, we only found one dead end.

Next stop - Cayo Costa State Park, right next to our anchorage.  It's about a mile across the island to the gulf coast, and you can walk or ride their trolley.

We started walking, but jumped on the trolley when it came by, about half way across, but not before Michael had a chance to try out his Tarzan impression by swinging on the vine.

We were afraid to ask about this road sign....figured it was for all those folks who set off walking, but couldn't make it.  Maybe that's why they started offering trolley rides!!

The island is fairly large, and the beach stretches the whole outside length.  There has been a recent red tide, (toxic algae bloom) which has killed many fish, and the high westerly winds of a few days ago created waves high enough to leave them scattered above the tide line on the beach.  It was a bit stinky, but not bad enough to keep Michael from taking a swim in the gulf.

Back in the dinghy, we continued around the outside of the island from our anchorage, to this deserted little stretch of beach.  Remnants of hurricane Charley,which hit this area hard in 2004, can still be seen.  Notice how the tops of the palm trees have been stripped, leaving just huge sticks pointing skyward.

The mangroves were also stripped of their leaves.

We finished the day with Bloody Caesars on the aft deck while the sun went down.  Life is grand.