Dunedin to Ft. Myers, FL – Serenity Blue Voyage

February 19 – March 8, 2020

With the crossing behind us and the beautiful Sun Coast of Florida in our grasp we decided to spend a week in Dunedin, rest and take a trip to Tarpon Springs.

We rented a car and drove the short distance north to Tarpon Springs on Saturday morning with Jim and Marilyn of Spinning Dreams. The other two boats who left Carrabelle an hour ahead of us, Inshallah and Paradise Falls both went to marinas in Tarpon Springs and we planned to visit with them and discuss their experiences of the crossing.

A visit to Tarpon Springs is not complete without a tour of the sponge industry, a good Greek dinner at Mykonos and a stop at Hella’s bakery for the best Greek pastries and fresh baked bread to take back to the boat.

In memory of the Spongers of Tarpon Springs

So many choices! Can we just take one of each home with us? A small fraction of the display of sweet delicacies at Hella’s Bakery

Successful Crossing Partners.
Front Row L-R: Greg & Maggie, Serenity Blue; Terry & Ike, Paradise Falls; Marilyn & Jim, Spinning Dreams; Back Row: Marilou & Mike, Inshallah

Back at Marker 1 Marina we meet Chris & Lisa on BackAtcha. They completed their crossing a few days ahead of us. It’s Sunday and a beautiful warm afternoon so we drop our dinghy in the water and join Spinning Dreams and BackAtcha for a little dinghy tour of the lagoons, see some spectacular waterfront homes and stop at Sand Key Island to walk the beach.

A beautiful day to ease around in our dinghy

A proper West coast Florida sunset to rejoice and be glad for the day

The extended stay at Dunedin was timely as a cold front blew in pushing 20 knot winds. This gave us time to walk to the Publix for groceries, do laundry etc. Once the winds calmed down we departed with BackAtcha and Spinning Dreams for Gulfport adjacent to St. Petersburg. It was the perfect travel day, light winds, calm waters and temps in the mid 70’s. The trip was through a lot of no wake zones so we got to take in the scenery and just enjoy the ride.

ATON’s are often used by various species of birds for nesting

Six bascule bridges today. Do we need to request an opening or can we clear under? Indian Rocks Beach Causeway?

We have a 19’6″ air draft, the bridge side bar gauge shows the clearance is 20′, do we dare go under or request an opening? The charts say you can add 3′ to clearance as the gauge is to the lowest portion of the arch. We clear under no problem. Paradise Island Causeway.

We docked at Gulfport Municipal Marina, very well protected from wind and waves. Once we all settled in, we took a walk to a nearby city park for dogs to let them run free & wild. There was Zues a shitzu on Spinning Dreams and Winston a Yorkie on BackAtcha plus our two furry mates, River and Cooper, both yorkies.

The next morning we all took a walk to the trendy village of Gulfport for breakfast at Stella’s. Later that day Greg’s cousin Sugar, her husband Tom and their daughter Beth met us at the village for lunch at O’Maddy’s. The food was good and company with family was great. It’s not often we get to visit with family and we really appreciated them very much. Sugar and Tom are spending five weeks at Indian Rocks Beach which is just south of Clearwater while Beth and her husband Mark spend the winter in the area racing their horses.

L to R: Beth, Sugar, Tom. Do you think they like Villanova just a little?

The next day, Sunday, we were off again to Sarasota. The route of the ICW goes around the southern tip of St. Petersburg, out into the Tampa Bay, west to under the Sunshine Skyway bridge then south along Anna Maria Island and continue to Sarasota. The bay can get rough but today it was kind to us with just a moderate chop, the skys were clear and winds tolerable.

Originally we had planned to stay on a mooring ball in the harbor outside of the Marina Jack, but after further thought about being disconnected from land, having to use the dinghy to get ashore etc we changed our reservation to a slip on the transient dock. It ended up being a good call as our buddy boats on the mooring balls said it got a bit rolly and the dinghy ride ashore was wet and wild. Little did we know that Marina Jack and Sarasota is frequented by the rich & famous. While a few other boats on the dock were our size, most were twice our size and several well over 100′. It is a beautiful marina, well kept and the staff are all friendly and helpful. It is adjacent to a popular park and several downtown streets filled with just about any type of restaurant you might fancy. So we stayed here for three days and very much enjoyed it.

Sarasota is clearly major league yachting, we are out of our element with all this opulence but enjoyed the experience. Look closely for the blue hull boat directly behind the right mega yacht, that’s Serenity Blue

While walking through the park, a local police officer took our picture. Marina Jack and city of Sarasota in the background.

We could have stayed at Sarasota longer, from this point one could Uber to the Ringling Museum, however it was time to go. Our buddy boats Spinning Dreams and BackAtcha met us as we departed the marina and we all headed south to an anchorage at Pelican Cove, Cayo Costa State Park. The trip was pleasant, the crossing of Charlotte Harbor was a bit rough with 2′-3′ waves on the bow, but it did’t last long. We arrived to find the anchorage well occupied with other cruisers. The anchor was set without any trouble, we sat back and enjoyed the serenity of the cove while we watched the movement of the boat and set the anchor alarm. All was good and we were assured it would hold through the night.

This cove reminds us of the anchorages we have stayed in the British Virgin Islands before it became commercialized with beach bars and mooring balls, truly a peaceful setting.

The dinghy dock at Cayo Costa State Park

The next morning we all pulled up anchor and headed south one last time to Ft. Myers. For a Thursday morning we were surprised at the number of small boats we encountered along this trek. It was a warm sunny day and we can’t blame them for wanting to be out on this beautiful stretch of water. On several occasions we had 3-4 dolphins playing and jumping in our quarter wake. We never tire watching them, what a delight.

When we made our turn at R16 early that afternoon, at which point we reached our southern most position of the Great Loop. From this point it will be all East across the state of Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway until we arrive in Stuart, FL on the East coast.

Secure in our slips at Ft. Myers Yacht Basin by mid afternoon. The boat was covered in salt water spray and in much need of a wash. With the temps in the mid 80’s and sunny, it felt good to be in shorts and tee shirt.

We joined a Looper gathering on the dock at 5pm where we met several other Loopers who were staying at Ft. Myers Yacht Basin. Later we joined the crews of our buddy boats Spinning Dreams and BackAtcha for pizza at the much recommended Capone’s in the village of Ft. Myers; it was excellent pizza.

Capone’s is located in a renovated bank. They claim the hidden vault of Al Capone was discovered under the floor of the bank when they did the renovations. The contents were left much as they found it and can be seen via a glass panel they installed in the floor of the now restaurant. More than Geraldo Rivera discovered in his vault reveal.

Sidewalk cafe’s line the streets of Ft. Myers restored village downtown.

In Memory of Edison, Ford & Firestone who wintered in Ft. Myers. The Edison – Ford Musuem is a worthwhile visit, including tours of their winter homes.

With Serenity Blue safely secured at Ft. Myers Yacht Basin, we are heading home for a week to take care of a few things. When we return, we will get ready to make the crossing of Lake Okeechobee and onward to the East coast.