Port Charlotte, Florida

Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda  are across the bay from one another. The bay is large, and from our anchorage in Boca Grande, it took about 5 hours to get to our anchorage in Punta Gorda. The entire bay has only a smidgeon of deep water, so we had to follow our GPS very closely so as not to get stuck in the shallows. Most of the depth is at around 3-5 feet. Not a sailboat friendly bay. You can tell because of all the power boaters.

 

I didn't think I'd bring this up, but I feel compelled to do so. Paul and I thought the power boaters in Texas were disrespectful, but quite honestly, Texas M/V's have nothing on Floridian motor vessels. We were just amazed at how most of the power boaters here would not even think of slowing down as they passed us. We were rocking pretty badly at times, to the point you could hear things below knocking around. This is not only disrespectful, but also against boating rules and regs. Too bad there weren't more Coast Guard people out stopping these rude people and ticketing them. So, if you are coming to Florida in a sailboat, just be aware of this ...especially in the ICW.

There, I feel better now!!

When we arrived in Punta Gorda, we found our anchorage outside of Fisherman's Village Marina. We tried to get a slip there, but the man said they were booked until April. The anchorage was tricky to get to, because of depths going back and forth from 3-6 feet. After much winding around, we finally were able to anchor in 6' of water.

We were trying to figure out a way to get to shore, since we didn't have a dinghy. Ray, Florence's husband, said he had a small dinghy he would bring us the next day and we could motor into Fisherman's Village to pick it up. We checked the depths in the channel to the marina, and it said it had 5 feet of water. Our draft is 4'8". Close! Next day we tried it and got stuck. We had to call Tow boat U.S. to come pull us out. Thus, we weren't able to get to shore. Florence and Ray had to hire a guy at the docks to come out and get us and they brought the dinghy, too. It was the only way to get into shore at this point. I was thankful to be going ashore, because my back was hurting badly.

We looked on Craig's list and Ebay for used dinghies and found a few. Florence asked us to stay since I was hurting, which sounded like a God-send to me. Paul had checked the anchor before we left and it was dug in well. The next day we went to look at dinghies, and didn't find anything that we liked. We also went to "Marine Traders" a consignment shop for all things boats. They had a dinghy for sale, but was priced too high for it's condition, I thought. Finally, we found one online. It was $400 for the dinghy and a trailer. Sounded like a good one and we planned to go get it the following day. In the meantime, Paul had gone over to the boat to make sure it was secured well. That Danforth anchor has been great the entire trip. Never had any problems with it coming out.

At Florence's and Ray's cozy home, we were able to relax and eat fine food. Ray and Florence both are wonderful cooks. Ray made a scrumptious chicken casserole the first night. Next night, Florence made pie from scratch. It turned out so pretty, I had to take pics of it. Every night, the table was set as though we were in a high class restaurant. Loved the way they worked together to make everything so lovely and welcoming. We also had freshly baked breads. Holy mackerel!!

Florence with her beautiful apple pie. Home made
from scratch, folks. Deeeelishus!!!

Ray and Florence at the dinner table. It was always set up
so pretty. I told them they needed to open a B&B, and they
said that they already had the name for it..."Flo-Ray-Duh Inn"

Cousins!!! Paul and Florence
 

The pie was so beautiful, I had to get a showcase pic of it.

Paul and Florence
 

The next day, Paul's other cousin, Barbara from Maryland, arrived. Paul hadn't seen his cousins in probably 40 or more years. Hearing the stories from their past and getting to know these wonderful folks was truly a delight for me. They made it so I would feel like a part of the family, and I do.

Me, Ray, Florence, and Barbara...playing Scrabble and telling
stories.



Barbara coming up with a high point word!

Paul and Barbara
 

Ray, Florence, and Barbara

Somebody's got the giggles



Ray challenging a word!

Our room. This is a murphy bed! When the bed is empty, it goes
back into the wall and it's her sewing room.

Barbara and I took a walk and this is how the winds looked
as we neared the house.

Sarasota, Florida

One of the things Paul and I needed was the talk that took place at Walter and Jeanette's place over dinner. We all discussed how many hours should be cruised in a day and what to do if bad weather starts up. Brooks, Walter and Jeanette, who are much more seasoned than we, mentioned that for us, 35-40 miles a day is probably enough...and there should always be a "Plan B" in case the weather or water becomes difficult. We had been pushing ourselves and many times found ourselves coming into places at night with high winds on our bow. From now on, we'll go shorter distances, and have a secondary plan for if there are weather changes. Wise words to live by, and I'm so glad we all talked about this.

Walter and Jeanette told us of a marina in Sarasota that would be a good place to sit out the upcoming storms we were hearing about....high winds, even a possible tornado! The name of the place is Marina Jack's. We would highly recommend it as a mooring place or a docking place. Very nice. The mooring ball was $25/night. The mooring field was quite large, too. Not too many people there. I think most people were probably docked for the storm, as I wish we had been!

Before we arrived at Marina Jacks, we enjoyed a lovely day on the water. We took some pics along the way.

Beautiful sky, amazing day. When we got to Sarasota, we had arrived about 3 hours earlier than we expected. There were some nice winds and the big bay of Sarasota was beckoning us to pull the sails out. We sailed around the bay and tacked back and forth across for about 3 hours, and then went into find our mooring ball.

Our mooring ball was number 2! So we were pretty close to land. Unfortunately, we were without a dinghy, so we stayed in our boat the whole time. It was fine, we didn't mind. I would like to have explored Sarasota though. Brooks and Sandy said they'd come over and join us for dinner if we could get a water taxi into the marina. We checked, but Marina Jack's doesn't have that service. It was just as well though, because the winds were starting up.

the entry into Marina Jack's...beautiful buildings. Looks like
somewhere in the orient.

 

 

Our neighbor on Mooring ball #1

 

Some other boats in the mooring field.

 

 

After I shot these pics, the winds were just starting to pick up. We had dinner, and were reading when we heard the winds getting faster and faster. All night the winds rocked our boat. At one point, very early in the morning, I got up and looked out the cockpit, and everything got very still...quiet and still...and that's when I wondered if the "tornado" they had mentioned was going by us. I've been in tornados before, and this is what it's like. I went back to bed and the rocking started up again more intensely. We must be getting used to this type of weather, because, believe it or not, we slept.

 

The next morning seemed better for awhile, but the high winds started up again. It felt worse than the night before, and our boat was rocking high from front to back and side to side. I went below to put some things away that were falling and was holding on, (one hand for you, one hand for the boat!!) but I saw a mug starting to slide off the sink, and I grabbed for it, letting go of my hold. Just then the boat rocked side to side. I went flying back against the stairs and hit them hard enough to jolt them out of the slots that held them up. The stairs and I went down very hard. This was a scary and painful event for me. And the mug broke!

 

That afternoon, the winds stopped, thankfully. We found out that there actually was a tornado and it hit Bradenton...just north of where we were moored.  Two people were killed. Apparently, we had wind gusts up to 50 knots, with most being in the 40's. No wonder our boat was rocking that much!

 

The following day, being mild, we set out early for Boca Grande to anchor one more night before cruising in to Port Charlotte. We were looking forward to our arrival in Port Charlotte for our reunion with Paul's cousin, Florence, and her hubby, Ray. The anchorage off Boca Grande was close to the channel to the Gulf, so there were waves coming in all night and it wasn't all that peaceful. I suppose it's like that when sailing. Some places will be restful, while others won't. All a part of the experience. Well, one thing is for sure, we are accumulating a lot of experiences so far, (a few less would be alright with me!) and we are learning many things. Having sailing friends is important and helpful to those of us who are green at the art of sailing, and I'm so thankful for the friends we have. 

 

Apalachacola across the big stretch to Tampa

I seriously have to write a review on Active Captain about the "Government Cut" channel coming off the Gulf going into Apalachicola. On their site, they stated that the "Government Cut" is dredged on a regular basis...which may be true. However, when we were attempting to leave via the same route, we tried every angle we could to get into that channel, but got stuck 4 times in the sand. We called Apalachicola marina to ask if there was another way to get out, but they said it should be clear to get out. He said to call the dredging company, which we did, and they said it was fine that morning, and should be clear. We just gave up and turned around to go the ICW towards Carrabelle.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this trek, the distance from Apalachicola to Tampa is approximately 200 miles. I know, if you drove you'd be there in 3 or 4 hours. In a boat, it's all about the cruise, the adventure, and hopefully, the sailing!

Before arriving at Carrabelle, we turned to go out into the Gulf at Dog Island. We finally had the wind on our sails instead of our nose...so we actually had our sails out and some real, live sailing for the entire day. It was wonderful! That's what it's all about!! It seems worth all the hard times when you're finally able to feel the wind catch in the sails and billow out to take you swooshing quietly and smoothly across the water. Yes!

The overnight passage was uneventful...except for the amazing dark sky lit up with millions of stars. How I love this part of sailing!! Paul and I traded taking the wheel on 2 hour shifts again...still works for us. As the sun began to peek out in the east, we had another day of east winds for good sailing. We assumed we would arrive in Tampa/St. Pete's the following morning (day 3), but because we were being pushed along at about 6-7 knots, we actually arrived the second night. Paul being colored-blind, he is unable to tell the green and red lights apart, so I have to do the night sailing into the channels that lead to anchorages and marinas.  It is probably my least favorite thing to do with a boat; night cruising. The entry into Tampa Bay was like a scary Disney ride. There were so many conflicting lights, we couldn't tell which way to go. After hours of slow going, we finally made it to the anchorage site we had picked for the night. It was a lovely place, very quiet, very still...called Emerson Point. Perfect depth, from 6-10' of water. It had 5 stars on Active Captain, and it was correct this time. We slept very deep and peacefully.

The next day we headed over to the marina in Bradenton where our friends Sandy and Brooks were docked.  Actually, their boat was on the hard having repairs, thus, they were living on the boat across from them, and their slip was empty...so they allowed us use their slip. It was terrific to visit with them and spend time together. They had just returned from Fort Lauderdale where they had purchased solar panels for their boat. That evening they took us to a restaurant across the water. Walter Bliss, our neighbor from Waterford, came to join us. It was a treat to be with our Waterford friends again! We had drinks, food, and a fun visit.  The second night, Sandy was busy, but Brooks, Paul and I were invited to Walter and Jeannette Bliss's boat for dinner and a visit. Jeannette had just returned from a trip to see her mother. She looks lovely, as always.

Paul and Brooks in Walter and Jeanette's salon

Brooks, Walter, and Jeanette

Beautiful sunset from Walter and Jeanette's boat.

Walter and Jeanette...Jeanette and Sandy had birthdays just a
few days apart from one another, so this was a celebration!!
 

Brooks, Walter, Jeanette. Look at that pretty hair of hers!

 

 

 The weather was supposed to be sunny for the next day, so we said our farewells and left Bradenton to head towards Sarasota where we would catch a mooring ball for a couple of days to sit out the upcoming storms. Before we left, we clicked a few pics with Brooks and Sandy.

 

Sandy and me

 

 

 

Brooks

 

 

 

Me, Paul, and Brooks.

 

 

 I feel certain we'll all meet up again. It's the way of the cruising life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saint Vincent's to Apalachicola

Well, looks like we're done with the Saints. Too bad, was kinda' hoping they'd be there for us all along the way. We left Saint Vincent's Island and the creepy "Wreck Island" while the gulf waters were tolerable. It didn't get worse until later. So we did ok for about 4 hours, then the seas started acting up again.



Difficult to tell how high the swells were in these photos.
Paul was trying to get low enough so he could get the effect.
We're up high in a center cockpit, thank goodness!

Swells

Big Splashes coming over the bow. Lots of banging down on
the swells.

The waves were really splashing up on the Dodger window.
Thank goodness our Dodger is still working from it's hit in Destin.
We have it taped with some clear Vinyl we bought at West Marine
in Panama City, FL. Seems to be holding well..

Doesn't look too bad here, but it got much worse later on.
 

We both decided to make it a short day and head for Apalachicola. For those who don't know this place, and aren't familiar with these amazing names, they are really deceiving to pronounce. For example, when we were on the Achafalaya river, Paul and I were saying: "AT chuh fuh LIE uh".  Wrong!!! It's really "uh CHAW fu LIE uh". But the folks there just say "Cha' fuh Lie' uh. I remember passing Choctawhatchee Bay, and wondering if that word was just made up. Then there was Bayou Boeuf outside Morgan City, which we weren't sure how to say, but were told it is pronounced "Bayou Buff". Well, we are actually saying the name of this little town correctly, so we must be learning some of the different languages! "AP uh LATCH uh CO luh.

Apalachicola is a very quaint town. I loved it the minute we stepped off the boat and went for a little walk.  When we arrived at the marina, (Apalachicola Marina) we fueled up the boat, filled the water tank along with several jerry cans of diesel fuel and gasoline for our Honda Generator. We are docked on a wall on the river, just a stone's throw from town. Easy walk, sweet town. The gentlemen who run/own the marina are very nice, and extremely helpful. They have loaned us the use of one of their golf carts to putt around town in, which I thought was perfectly decent of them!



Paul the Putt-Putt racer

When Paul and I managed to put things in order on the boat, we went for a little cruise around town. Found a restaurant and had dinner there. "The Owl Café". It really should be named something like "Le Chez Owl". It was fine dining with a price tag to match. We felt to embarrassed to get up and leave, so we decided to treat ourselves. I had fresh swordfish, which was ok. I would rather have had Mahi-Mahi. But it's good to know the taste of different fish for my own edification.

Today we tooled over to Piggly Wiggly grocery store to buy supplies for the boat. and go get groceries. No Walmart here! Can you believe it? No West Marine here, either! It's ok, we found everything we needed for this trip at the local PW. It was fun toolin' around in the golf cart, too. I was able to take shots of some very cute homes.

The Grocery Store



They new Paul was coming!
 

On the drive to the store...nice homes along the way
 

 

                                   

We turned onto another back street and found this amazing community garden. Love this!!!

Looks like lots of people have raised gardens. They are all thriving, too. In January!

This evening we went for a walk around town and took some pics. We stopped at Oyster City Brewery and had some of their brewed beer. From Paul and I, we give it 2 thumbs up! It only has a selection of about 5  or 6 beer types, but I have to say, I enjoyed one of the dark beers and one of the light beers. Now, neither one of us are connoisseurs of beer, but we like what we like. My cousin, Gary, could probably understand all the processing levels of how they make the beer. It's all Greek to me.





Some of the sizes they serve
 



Inside the bar. It's all open for you to see.
 



Outside of the Oyster Bar



Belly up to the bar, babe!



Some empties left on the table. I mean, check out the size!!

We walked some more around town after our drink, and came to an Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlour where we sat at the counter and each had a cup of ice cream. We had a nice visit with the young girl working at the time, who told us the story of how she had her baby there at the Apalachicola Hospital, which doesn't have a birthing/neonatal unit. Women here have to go all the way to Panama City for their services. She said they didn't have time to go, so the hospital took her in and she gave birth to her son here on July fourth of last year. They had to wrap the baby in warm blankets from ICU since they had nothing for babies. They let the young mother go home that night, and on the way, she and her husband had a flat tire. She had a great sense of humor about it and seemed like she was going to be a wonderful momma.

There is a liquor store across from where were docked, so we went there to buy some wine for me and some Amaretto for Paul. Cute place, and next door there was a bar where people could sit outside or inside and the doors were wide open. On the other side of the Liquor Store (The Honey Hole) were a pottery studio, and art studio.




The liquor store across the street from our boat.



The bar behind the liquor store with doors wide open and a
female mannequin standing outside the door to greet people.
You can see the lights on the palm trees. Decorative touches
everywhere.
 

We both thought this old boat was treated with the respect it deserved for time spent out on the waters catching food for the people of the town. A great community conversation piece!


I love the way they showcased it. Very artistic.
 



 We took lots of other pictures of the town, so I'll try to be discriminating in my choices so it won't bore you to tears! There really were many adorable shops and restaurants in town. Love the creative way they decorated the shops. Lots of imagination in this place!


A bakery with a touch of class.

 



Nice little theatre
 

Then there were shops like this that we wished were open!!




Really wanted to go inside here. My two favorite things, besides my hubby,
coffee and chocolate!!



Oh Yeah!!!



Prices aren't bad, either

And just lovely little touches around town like these:






Add caption



Special little sitting place by the "Boat Statue"

And some interesting little shops like these:


Little coffee bar



Unique clothing shop














We wanted to buy some of this honey. Maybe tomorrow.

 








A decorative little niche



Souvenir shop



Riverwalk Café'



Artsy souvenir store






Front of a restaurant, with the leaded glass window. Love how this
town has refurbished and maintained the old buildings.



Tamara's colorful little tapas bar.

A lovely stained glass piece in a very interesting store. Had everything
from art to clothing.



This reminds me of my grandpa's store on what used to be Brownfield
Highway and used to be way on the outskirts of Lubbock, TX.
He had one of these machines in his store and  he'd let us pull the
sodas through the little maze to yank it out and pop open the top
on the side of the machine. A lovely childhood memory.

Today we drove our little golf cart over to the Marina Office so we could take showers and clean up.
We paid our bill for two extra days, and then headed out to grab lunch at one of the quaint restaurants in town. On the way, we helped a couple of guys dock their boat and tie it off...we had an interesting visit with them. They were headed to Destin, and we told them of our experience with the wave crashing through our boat. They both said that Destin can be extremely hazardous and is known to be one of the most dangerous entries/exits in the U.S. Sailors be warned!!!

We putted across the street and decided to walk into the pottery shop. We met with one of the potters, Beth, who said there were three people that work in there. She made some interesting plates, cups, big platters, and some fun, creative pieces, such as totem sculptures, some cute little chameleons which she had mounted on a bush.

Pottery Studio

Beth, one of the potters.

 

There's also a little sitting area behind the art, pottery studios, where people can sit with their drinks, listen to live music from the bar, and play games.

Serving the beer from the Oyster City Brewing Bar.

Funky but fun!


 

After having lunch at the Chocolate/Coffee Company (Yes, we went back and I'm so glad we did) Had good sandwiches, good coffee and bought a couple of pieces of their chocolate. Nice end to our stay here.

Here are pictures of the area we were docked.

A Fish Company behind us...probably oysters, the specialty here.

Our  dock, and the old brick building that is being refurbished.  Lot's of this going on here. Apparently the Historical Society
is serious about keeping the old places maintained and looking inviting. They are, too!!
 

A restaurant ("On the Creek"), a houseboat, and a small sailboat down on the next dock.

The carcass of our dead dinghy. :'(

It's at low tide. Hard to see our boat.

Thanks for the use of the golf cart!

Down low...we had to change the dock lines occasionally because they were fixed docks.

We had a wonderful time here in this artsy little town. Back out into the Gulf!!!