Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Thursday – Sunday, January 15 – 17. Now THIS is what we’ve been waiting for! To avoid the slow speeds and a string of bridges required if we went the Intercoastal Route, we chose to make a run along the coastline about three miles out in the Gulf. This route was much faster, but the drawback was having to dodge long strings of crabpots. After several hours, we turned east through Boca Grande Pass into Charlotte Harbor and set anchor in Pelican Bay, behind Cayo Costa island. This cove is well named. There must have been more than 40 pelicans in one spot when we arrived. As the afternoon progressed, the water turned to glass, and the clouds reflected beautifully in the water. A few other cruisers in the anchorage shared one of the most gorgeous sunsets we’ve ever seen.

Just a short dinghy ride across the bay is Cayo Costa State Park. This park has some small cabins, a camping area, and some docks for smaller boats. We happily took the open-air cart that drove us across the island to a lovely white-sand beach. Of course a few shells called to us. We did notice a few dead fish and a lot of sea urchins on shore, reflecting the effects of the recent week-long freeze.

Because of strong winds and impending bad weather, we are spending the weekend in Punta Gorda, which is 20 miles inland at the mouth of the Peace River. The city has a beautiful new marina (Laisley Park) with a nice boardwalk, but we haven’t seen a lot of action around here. However, there are some excellent restaurants nearby, such as The Perfect Caper, where we just enjoyed a fabulous dinner. We will eventually need groceries, but I doubt that we will starve. A nasty-looking storm is headed this way, so we are happy to be tied up in the shelter of a marina. We hope to spend the first of next week at another anchorage.