The Gulf of Mexico, finally a smooth sea..
Our original plan was to go to Fort Myers Beach, but with the looming bad weather reports about heavy winds and rain coming during the middle of the week, we were reluctant to get caught in Fort Myers and then not be able to travel on the Gulf for many days.
There is no "inside" route to Naples from Fort Myers Beach - you must travel outside. Today's conditions would be just what we wanted, so we quickly changed our plans and untied our boats at 7:30 a.m. It would be more favorable to make this jump now, and if the weather stayed foul, we could still move on through an inside route to Marco Island, if necessary.
It was a beautiful morning again, and the conditions were calm and smooth. George managed to cancel our slip reservations in Fort Myers Beach, Sallyann and Pat made phone calls to various marinas in Naples, and we were finally able to make arrangements to stay in Naples at the Naples City Docks at the reasonable rate of $1.50 per foot rather than at other locations that wanted $2.50 - $3.50 per foot (plus tax and electric).
There is no "inside" route to Naples from Fort Myers Beach - you must travel outside. Today's conditions would be just what we wanted, so we quickly changed our plans and untied our boats at 7:30 a.m. It would be more favorable to make this jump now, and if the weather stayed foul, we could still move on through an inside route to Marco Island, if necessary.
It was a beautiful morning again, and the conditions were calm and smooth. George managed to cancel our slip reservations in Fort Myers Beach, Sallyann and Pat made phone calls to various marinas in Naples, and we were finally able to make arrangements to stay in Naples at the Naples City Docks at the reasonable rate of $1.50 per foot rather than at other locations that wanted $2.50 - $3.50 per foot (plus tax and electric).
Unfortunately, last evening Pat received a phone call from her brother informing her that her beloved Uncle George had passed away. She called her Aunt Mae, his wife, this morning to express her condolences, and to tell her how much this wonderful man meant to her. Pat had been the flower-girl at their wedding many years ago and was always close to them. We will not be able to attend his funeral on Wednesday morning, but we will will be with his family in spirit on that day. He will be greatly missed!
We did stop in Fort Myers Beach to take on fuel at Ballard Oil Company, where the diesel was priced at $2.53 per gallon (including tax) - a bargain price for our trip! At noon we headed out Matanzas Pass into the Gulf, which was absolutely beautiful, and the complete antithesis of our trip last week. After 24 miles we headed into Gordon Pass and up the Naples River bordered by one beautiful home after another. By 4:00 p.m. we were all tied up and settled in. Andrew and Sallyann came over for "Happy Hour" and we enjoyed a beautiful Florida sunset.
We did stop in Fort Myers Beach to take on fuel at Ballard Oil Company, where the diesel was priced at $2.53 per gallon (including tax) - a bargain price for our trip! At noon we headed out Matanzas Pass into the Gulf, which was absolutely beautiful, and the complete antithesis of our trip last week. After 24 miles we headed into Gordon Pass and up the Naples River bordered by one beautiful home after another. By 4:00 p.m. we were all tied up and settled in. Andrew and Sallyann came over for "Happy Hour" and we enjoyed a beautiful Florida sunset.
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