• 45NorthAmericas Great LoopTraveler
    This is how the Boca Grande Pass looks from 5 miles out in the Gulf1We track in towards the entranceThrough the entrance. We'll make a right turn.The broad sweep of Pine Island Sound. The Gulf is across the barrier island to the right.A commercial tour/lunchtime cruise turns ahead of usLook out for the locals! It's Saturday!Did I say look out for the locals? Fort Myers in the distance.Marker defining the start (Mile 0) of the Great LoopPicnic pontoons are very popular down hereBecause you can never have... oh, never mind! Approaching Fort Myers.Condos with a Caloosahatchee River view...Riverside residences along the Caloosahatchee1Drawbridge of the Seminole Gulf Railway"45 North" seen from the barThe Boathouse Tiki Bar & Grill. Can you spot Rosie?

    Day 43: Venice to Fort Myers

    November 15 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We're off the dock at 0700 with the help of Jack and a momentous degree of input from Rosie and I. Afterwards, our captain is sufficiently joyous that he commends us for our performance. This is not to be accepted lightly, as Preston is not instinctively given to doling out praise. We luxuriate in it for as long as we can.

    Today, we'll run down offshore to the Boca Grande entrance to Charlotte Harbor and then down the Pine Island Sound (this is the GIWW) to St. James City and Cape Coral. Here, we'll turn left up the Caloosahatchee River and run through Fort Myers along the Caloosahatchee River to the our marina destination. This will be an 8-hr day.

    The cruise down the coast is under clear skies and only a slightly lumpy sea. The main excitement for us is dodging the crabpot marker floats that are not painted for easy visibility and that sometimes, are almost under the bow before they're noticed. Having a crabpot line or chain sucked in by our props is not desirable!

    The broad, 3-5-mile-wide, expanse of Pine Island Sound is calm and shimmers in the bright sun. It's Saturday... there are as many boats in this part of the world as there are cars, and the people and their boats are out in force.

    We forge upstream on the Caloosahatchee River and finally dock at Hinkley Yacht Sales' Sweetwater Marina. The restaurant and bar is two boat-lengths away, so... 😁    Read more