Florida: Naples to Everglades City

Day 197
NM Today: 40
NM Total: 3691

When we got up to get off the boat this morning, it was very low tide. I took one look at the fixed dock, close to three-feet above the gunwale of the boat, and decided that only a gymnast could get off the boat. While I stood there inspecting the situation, Clark easily lept off the boat beside me.

"Mind the Gap"
The white and grayish colored area at the bottom of the picture is the gunwale of the boat. 

Pulling on the dock lines, Clark moved the boat over closer to the fixed dock, and I managed to boost myself up and off the boat. I had a strong hold on Clark's hand as I climbed off to help. With one last look around before leaving the Naples City dock, we saw some picture-worthy items.

Who wouldn't want to go on a fishing trip with Captain Marvel?

Outdoor Laundry I mentioned in my other post.
Look at the roof with so many pelicans sitting up there.
When I walked past, I heard them making all sorts of clunking noises
like they were wearing boots.

Big Dude sitting on the laundry area roof!

Due to the low tide and the route to our next stop, we did not leave Naples until 12:00 because we had to wait for the water level to come up. Even so at some places along today's route we saw depth readings of 2.6 feet. We need 3'8" under the boat, so it was tight in these spots and we had to watch our way very carefully. (We add one foot to the depth sounder reading due to its position under the boat to get the actual clearance.)

As we made our way down the channel leaving Naples, a red jet boat appeared out of nowhere weaving back-and-forth behind us. First it looked like he would pass us on our starboard, then on our port, and then he would spin a 360 in the middle of the channel and start his antics all over again. Finally after a few 360s he passed us, and we saw that he had paying passengers on board his "tour" / thrill boat.

Two women sat in the open boat wearing the disposable rain slickers to protect them from the spray as the boat spun around. Either the guys with them were toughing it out or they had rain coats - I could not tell from the distance. After the red jet boat passed us, Clark grabbed the camera and tried to get the show on video, but of course the driver decided not to spin circles anymore.

Other than the trick boat and watching for low water, the trip out of Naples was uneventful. As I saw sign posts along the channel advising of No Wake zones for Manatee areas, I realized that scenery that had been unusual to us when we first arrived in Florida was becoming quite normal.

Minimum Wake areas for Manatees

We did see some unusual sights today however.

Hairy Boat or Thatched Roof Covering for a Boat lift?

We have seen lots of Osprey nests
but this one was between 18" and 24" high!
Deepest I have ever seen.

Our ultimate destination of Everglades City does not have much to offer in terms of big-name stores. I reminded Clark that we needed some supplies from West Marine as well as a food store. He called Marco Island Marina and made arrangements for us to stop over there for an hour to visit the West Marine and Publix.  Google maps said the trip takes about 6 minutes down the road by bike. We docked, unwrapped the bikes, and took off down the road in record time. Clark did not waste any time getting there, i.e. we were "boogying" to get there and back asap. By 3:00 we had our supplies and were once more on our way to Everglades Isle marina.

A portion of our trip included traveling on the Gulf. After yesterday's ridiculously heavy winds I wondered what the wave action would be out there. We got a sneak peak as we went past Capri Pass.

Capri Pass on way to Everglades City, FL

Later, when we got out on the Gulf itself, we were pleasantly surprised that the waters were quite calm. The report said to expect two-to-three foot waves, but I was pretty sure the waves were not even reaching that two-foot mark.

Unfortunately, after exiting the Gulf, the Idle Speed and Slow Speed - Minimum Wake zones were plentiful and we realized that it would likely take longer to get to Everglades Isle marina than we had remaining daylight. Whoops! We did not want to arrive in total darkness.

Clark asked me how far we had to go, and using the chart, I calculated it out to be about two nautical miles. At idle speed that is a long distance, so as soon as speed zones permitted, Clark took the boat up on plane, and we traveled a ways at fast speed to get us further on our way. Even so we could see that sunset was rapidly approaching.

Rapidly Losing Light in Everglades City, FL

We passed the Rod & Gun Club marina on our way to Everglades Isle marina. Clark read the reviews on each place and decided that Everglades Isle marina had a lot more to offer.

Everglades City Rod & Gun Club Marina

Everglades City Rod & Gun Club Marina

After we passed the Rod & Gun Club we still had to weave our way down the channel to get to our destination. As we approached the marina Clark tried to call the dock master but only got a recording. We did not know our slip assignment. Since it was well after 6:00, I was not surprised he got no answer at the marina office. We both wondered where we should tie up the boat.

As we pulled up to the marina, a man came out and started talking to us. Initially Clark thought it might be the dock master; however, we quickly realized from what he had to say that he was only a tenant there at the marina. Fortunately he had spoken to Bill, the dock master, earlier in the day and knew where Bill wanted us to tie up. We followed his directions and luckily got our lines on while we still had enough light to see what we were doing.

By the time we had our lines on, Bill himself appeared. The marina is actually a marina / RV park combo, and Bill lives here in his RV. He said he did not come down to greet us as soon as we pulled into the marina because there was only two more minutes left in the Broncos / Patriots game and he wanted to watch the finish.  He said we did well picking our docking location because we were tied up precisely where he would have told us to go.

Bill invited us to see the club house, so we locked the boat and he drove us in a golf cart up to the club house to show us around. The facility has a swimming pool, ping-pong tables, bar, and TV room and offers free ice and laundry facilities to guests. If the weather gets above 50 degrees while we are here, maybe I will try the heated pool or then again probably not. I am not that into swimming to face the cold air after I get out. Brrrrr!

We noticed when we pulled up to the marina that another looper boat sat at one of the docks. After getting the tour of the facility, we stopped by to say hello. They invited us to come visit, and so after dinner, we went over and talked with them for an hour or so. 9:00 is called "looper midnight", and so at just around 9:00 we said our farewells. Corkscrew, as their boat is called, plans to leave here early tomorrow morning to make their way onward towards the Florida Keys. Maybe we will see them again "down the road".

Both Bill and the folks onboard Corkscrew (they drink a lot of wine) recommended that we check out the air boats in town for an air boat tour of the Everglades. It is a little pricey, but Sonny and Phyllis from Corkscrew said it is well worth it. They even got to see an alligator! I said to Clark, "Hey, a trip on an air boat might make a great birthday present. Hint! Hint!" Since tomorrow is my birthday, we will see how that goes.