Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Monday – Tuesday, January 17-18. The storm we were expecting over the weekend turned out to be mostly wind. By this morning, Charlotte Harbor had only a moderate chop, so we headed on to the Useppa Island/Cabbage Key area, which came highly recommended as an anchorage. Our view consists of mangroves and palm trees along with the waterfront homes of the rich and famous. Useppa is a 100-acre island that was established as a private club. Members can get there only by water, but members we are not! Nearby mangrove islands host lots of birds, and the popular Cabbage Key is a short dinghy ride away.

Cabbage Key is an unspoiled island, famous because of the old Cabbage Key Inn, with its funky restaurant and bar. Fisherman on their way to or from various tarpon-fishing spots have stopped here for years to sip a cool one and get a meal. At some point they started a tradition of signing dollar bills and putting them on the walls and ceiling of the bar and restaurant. There are layers of bills covering every square inch, and the currency supposedly amounts to at least $50,000. This place was supposedly the inspiration for Jimmy Buffet’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” Behind the inn is a water tower that Bob and I climbed to get an overview of the island. A nature trail revealed several varieties of palm trees and tropical foliage. This is the first time we’ve seen Mother-in-Law’s Tongue growing wild. In one picture Bob is standing under a tree called a Strangler Fig. Unfortunately our camera battery pack is defunct, and we seem to have left the charger at home, so all pictures for a while will come from my I-phone.

The weather is pretty now, with daytime temps in the low 70’s and nights in the 50’s. We do run the generator in the morning to brew coffee and take the chill off. Paradise would be more complete only if our family and friends were here with us.

P.S. We just dinghied over for dinner at the Cabbage Tree Inn -- really good. We posted our dollar bill under a tarpon tale, along with many layers of other bills. We found out that as the dollar bills fall off the wall or ceiling, they are donated to charity -- raising up to $12,000 a year. The sky was clear and the stars were shining as we made our way back over open water to our little island of light. It was a delightful evening, reminding us of other such dinghy rides in the Caribbean.