Sunday Cruise To Sanibel Island

Days on cruise:  274

Distance traveled:  19.6 miles

Travel time: 2 hours 28 minutes

Total trip odometer:  5,823 statute miles

Bill and Joy from Proud Lady came to say visit this morning before we all left Fort Myers; they’re heading east across Lake Okeechobee, and we’re moving south, so our paths won’t converge anytime soon. We’ve enjoyed our time with them since meeting in Carabelle and crossing the Gulf together.

For the second Sunday in a row, it was a warm, sunny BUSY day on the Caloosahatchee River, especially in the so-called Miserable Mile, where three channels converge and the posted speed is “Slow Speed; Minimum Wake”. Here fast boats, slow boats, both motor and sail, converge in a narrow channel unable to pass one another, and the Sherriff’s Boats sits nearby making sure we all behave ourselves. It’s a Manatee Zone.

Gotta love the Sandbar Party. We don’t see this in Puget Sound. Ever.

Arriving at Sanibel Marina, the only marina open to the public on this island, friends Craig and Barbara on Blue Heron (blue hull slightly left of center below) arrived just before us. Our slip is right in front of the restaurant with outside seating and a packed lunch crowd, so 17 people stood at our slip watching us pull in, taking photos and offering a round of applause at the end. Good thing we didn’t screw it up!

It’s great to see Barbara (on her bow), Craig and their sweet labradors Joey and Bailey again. We last saw them in Fairhope, Alabama in November.

Pretty place to spend a few days.

Grandma Dot’s is the well-known restaurant where we’re moored, and the four of us ate dinner there, walking a whole 50 feet from boat to table.

View of the channel coming into the marina, taken across the bow of the boat next door, with the Sanibel/Captiva bridge in the background and the white sand beach you better take care to steer around as you come in.