Tuesday, February 25, 2014

February 18, 2014 Tuesday, leaving Naples

Woke up to a beautiful morning,went to the Dingy dock and the City Marina to get ice and let them know we're leaving. 
09:30-Left the mooring and took the inside route to Marco Island, then picked up the Coon Key Light and turned to 123 degrees and motor sailed to the Indian Key Light.  Tide was coming in and the current strong approaching Everglade City.  Had called ahead to the Rod and Gun Club Marina arranging for a slip, dockage next to waterfront wall unprotected from traffic or current.  The current was too strong to turn and dock so we proceeded upriver.  On the old GPS another marina was indicated.  As we approached we were motoring by a beautiful RV park with dock slips at each RV parking spot.  The RV"s were all high end new models.  As we were going by a gentleman flagged us down and told us this was the marina we were seeking and there was a bridge ahead we could not go under or turn around with this current.  So we pulled into a slip.  The gentleman said he would check to see which slip at the other corner of the complex we could go into.  Shortly he came back and said he would help us get into the floating slip then took us in his golf cart to the office, showed us where to sign up and took us back to the boat after showing us around.  Free Laundry, towels in the fancy bathrooms, movie theater, fancy gym, nice beautiful, bar and sitting area,  Happy hour with beers $2.00.  It was called Everglades Isle an exclusive Motor coach retreat, a 25 million dollar upscale campground where people can buy their spots to use for the winter.  We were the only transient boat there and everyone said Oh, you are the ones on the sailboat.  Rumor got around quite quickly.  One of our nicer spots that we just happened on.(Italics is from Curt's Journal)
 Looking across the old city docks at the mooring site where our boat is at Naples
 Offthe main dock, boats parked along store front,hotel area and apartments I think

 They just watched us as we quietly paddled by in our dingy

 Our surroundings while on the mooring ball

 The Restaurant/hotel with pretty lights last night
 The way out with the only other boat on a mooring ball.
 Looking both ways we went out to the water way or channel, two other boats heading for each other in front of us, I stopped to let them do their thing

 This is the kind of boat that swamps us when he goes by, I think he also burns 100 gallons of gas an hour
 Cute houses going out of Naples

 This turquoise house looked really out of place but was cute
 Calm waters today, below going thru the channel to Marco Island about 8 miles

 Osprey nesting on one of the poles, sometimes they are marker poles and hard to see what number the marker is.


 Going into Marco Island, tall resort condo's everywhere and rental boats going all directions, all speeds, crazy


 Restaurants to pull up to for lunch

 They had passed us going 30 miles an hour, must be a swamp tour, they were looking at something in the water over there for a while, not sure if dolphins or a turtle, we had seen both

 Water not as clear and pretty turquoise color
 White Pelicans an other birds on an island in the middle of the channel


 My new tatting project, a Celtic Heart with split rings on the other end as a book marker below.  Gave this one to the kind gentleman's wife that helped us dock at the Everglade Isle Marina

 It was quite a place that we just happened upon



 View from the lighthouse connected to the clubhouse/office


 Neat spiral staircase

 The movie poster and theater

 The gym
 Sitting area outside the spa
 Nice little screened in gazebo, perfect place to read or quilt in a rocker.

 Restuarant across the waterway from our slip

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