A sweet ride to Naples

We left Cabbage Key on Sunday morning and hoisted the sails in a strong easterly breeze . We sailed down the ICW toward Sanibel Island. Most of the trip was due south and we had a very pleasant sail with dolphins riding along with us most of the way.

The ICW is very shallow and narrow in this section, with a dredged depth of about 10 feet. We watched the channel markers very carefully because there wasn't enough water for Agaliha outside of the channel. Captiva and Sanibel Islands were protecting us from the Gulf.

At the southern end of the Bay there is a major confluence of boating paths. The Okeechobee Waterway begins here and takes boaters across the state of Florida to Stuart. There are narrow channels to Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and a pass opens back into the Gulf for those headed south...like us. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway official ends here and we arrived at Mile Zero about 1:20 p.m.

The last mile of this is affectionately known as "The Miserable Mile" because of the volume of boats that are squeezing through it. It was particularly bad when we were there because it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and everyone who owned a boat was using that day.





At one point the channel is less than 200 feet wide everything from kayaks to 80-footers were moving in both directions. Most were courteous, but there were a few jerks throwing up 6-foot wakes. I enjoyed the spectacle, but was also glad to turn out of it to pass under the Sanibel Causeway Bridge.

By 2:00 we were tied up in the Sanibel Marina on the southern tip of the island...very near the lighthouse on Point Ybel. The entrance channel to the marina was very shallow, showing less than 7 feet on our depth sounder at high tide. Low tide would occur at 9:14 a.m. the next morning, so we would have to leave early to decrease our chances of running aground.


The marina is home to a locally famous eatery -- "Grandma Dots." We had a good dinner there, although I don't think I've ever had a $25 entree served with plastic water cup before.


We left Sanibel Marina Monday morning at 6:30 a.m. and were happy to find six feet of water in the entrance channel. By 7:00 we were rounding the buoy that guards the shoal off Point Ybel. We raised the sails and pointed the boat toward Naples, our next port of call about 25 miles to the southeast. The waters of the Gulf were smooth and the wind was perfect at about 12 to 15 knots out of the northeast.


Agaliha's instruments on the way to Naples. (note - the little clock quit working a few weeks ago, proving that I am on island time. The SOG (speed over ground) on the GPS is reading 7.0 knots -- our true speed. The speed in the upper left (6.5) is speed through the water, but needs to be recalibrated from time to time as things grow on the sending unit under the boat.)

Soon, Agaliha's keel was humming again and Bob was in the galley making "nest eggs." (He cuts a hole in a piece of toast and fries an egg in the hole with a little butter.) Simply delicious.





By 11:00 a.m. we were turning into Gordon Pass, named for the Gordon River that snakes northeast to downtown Naples. The waterway was lined with mansions and beautiful yachts. It was a sunny, 80-degree day and we were soaking it in. We tied up at the Naples City Marina, which is a aging wood pile and wood deck facility that is teeming with boaters of all descriptions.


We were working on boat cleaning chores when Bob said urgently, "Ron, look up!" I looked up in Agaliha's rigging and saw a flock of green parrots! I ran below to get my camera. I wanted a shot with the parrots and my Tennessee flag in the same frame. I guess we really are in the tropics now.






Naples is our last stop before the offshore voyage to Key West, ninety miles due south. Our job now is to find the right weather window for the crossing. Linda will fly in on Monday morning for Thanksgiving week, so I have plenty of time to pick the best conditions and be there when she arrives.

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