................--- Part Island to Captiva/Roosevelt Channel---
.......................................... ..........--- March 13-14, 2011 ---
Nights Anchorage: 026o 30.403' N -- 082o 11.167' W -- Roosevelt Channel
Trip Odometer: 46.0 miles
Days Mileage...: 17.9 miles
We awoke Saturday the 13th of March to a really nice day after a great night on anchor. We love sleeping on the boat in a new location most of time. Florida is a crowded state, but get out on the water on anchor and it is another world altogether.
........
While we were fixing breakfast a couple kayakers glided by over next to the shore. After breakfast and cleaning the dishes we hauled the anchor up and headed off in the direction of the ICW a little under 2 miles away.
........
Off the south end of Part Island were a couple fishing houses out on the water. You aren't out on the Gulf here, but it can look like it when you look off and don't see land in the distance.
........
Once we made it over to the ICW we started meeting other boats going...
........
... in the same or opposite directions.
........
Soon the cut out into the Gulf at ...
........
.... Safety Harbor was off in the distance on our starboard side.
........
Lot of cats down in Florida...
........
... but maybe they are everywhere now.
........
This one came up behind us and took a while to finally over take us, but did about the time we...
........
.... made the turn west off of the ICW towards Captiva and Roosevelt Channel. We were able to run down most of the ICW on the foresail with and without the outboard. It was a great day.
........
We stopped at Jensen's Resort where we had spent a couple days the previous fall. We filled the 19 gallon tank in the lazarette up and also filled all of our water containers, close to 40 gallons. We had called ahead to see if it was ok to get water there. All American doesn't have potable water and we didn't want to have to fill it someplace and haul it to the boat before the trip if possible.
We got into and off the fuel dock, arrow above, without incident this time. Being as it was a Saturday it was really busy though with other boats wanting fuel also.
........
Moving on down the channel towards the anchorage we passed more businesses and homes. Over on the Gulf side a couple were ....
........
... taking one of those parachute rides.
........
About a mile down from Jensen's you are in Roosevelt Channel where you will probably find other boats anchored. It quickly narrows and also becomes shallower.
........
We moved down about where we were the previous Fall and put two anchors down on a Bahamian Moor due to the limited space between shore and the channel. It kind of felt like we were coming home since we spent a couple days there in the Fall of 2010.
The next day was Sunday and our next destination was Ft. Myers Beach and that mean going across the 'miserable mile' and we had been advised not to do that on a weekend since there would be a lot of boats out. With that in mind we just took a day off and sat on anchor all day Sunday. This is never a problem for us and we are always amazed at how quickly the day goes by.
