January 14, 2022
From Ft. Myers City Marina (one night) to a beautiful anchorage on Marco Island to Key West!
We left Ft. Myers City Marina on Monday. It was a beautiful day, and it took us about 4 hours to get to Marco Island. Based on recommendations from friends and reviews, we decided to anchor in Smokehouse Bay. There were several boats there when we arrived, and there was plenty of room. The bay is surrounded by condos and houses, and was very quiet. We had a simple dinner and went to bed early.
After checking the weather from several sources multiple times, we decided to go out into the Gulf on Wednesday at first light. If it seemed ok, we would do the 10 hour cruise to get to Key West. So, we got up before sunrise and made our way out to the Gulf. Once we were out there, it seemed to be just fine. We had traveled to Marco Island during a time that the Coast Guard had issued small craft advisories. Having experienced no problem at all, we decided that maybe our trip to Key West would be just as uneventful.
The first four hours were just fine, likely because we were still somewhat sheltered by islands and the mainland to our east. Once we got out into the open Gulf, though, that strong east wind really stirred up some waves that rocked us pretty bad for the rest of the 10 hour cruise. We were never in danger, but it was extremely uncomfortable. We arrived in the marina around 4:30, and were beyond tired! We got the boat secured, walked about 1 block to our favorite eatery, Harpoon Harry’s, for dinner. We really needed to eat – I had lost my breakfast, and we had had no lunch! Arriving back at the boat, we were both in bed and dead to the world by 7:30! We slept until after 6. Fortunately, Harry’s opens at 6:30, so we got a wonderful breakfast and we were ready for our Key West visit!
No comments:
Post a Comment