With our out island cruising this past month, we have popped in and out of the modern world. We had a cell phone signal sailing with Naples to our rudder for about eight miles. For the next 200 miles, nothing. What a wonderful change of pace, leaving all the electrons ashore.

Marco Island coming into view

When we did get a signal we would pop up on line and download a ton of email and phone messages. Generally, I would have somewhere near 100 email messages.  About two were all that really mattered. Not much on the phone as everyone knew we were out of touch.

There was one night I hauled the TV antenna up the mast, hooked up the digital TV and we watched Survivor. After the show we turned it back off, it interfered greatly with the view of the night sky.

Nothing on TV compared to we were watching over the bow, the stern, in the water… everywhere around us. Nature was presenting us with the best live show ever. If you stopped idly gazing about you were sure to miss something. A bird, a dolphin, a stingray leaping five feet out of the water, the huge loggerhead turtle, something.

In the everglades we smelled the wilderness. Vegetation, swamp marshes, critters of all sorts, air… pure salt air, fresh and clean. I hadn’t taken a sinus allergy pill in a month now.

We anchored across from here, the Snook Inn Marina

As we pulled into Marco Island, civilization returned. The smell of deep fat fryers permeated the air. There was construction noise, traffic congestion, vehicle exhaust… the pounding of a pile driver for a bridge nearby, the din was unsettling.

In front of Marco was a small island on the charts. It had a 10 foot deep anchorage behind it which was our destination. We would drop the hook, get some sleep, and set sail at sunup.

One minor problem; the island was GONE. Not there. We did see a big patch of sand barely breaking the surface. Most of the water was ankle deep. Dump trucks, cranes and pile drivers lined the shore. A barge was busy excavating the bay and channel we were going to.

Mother nature has a different master plan for the area. It seems that a few years ago when we had all the hurricanes, the island was erased. It all returned to the sea in the fury of strong winds and waves. But, that is what barrier islands do. They come and go, and it has been this way for centuries.

Sunrise, time to head back to sea

Man however, had another idea. Let’s put it back and build something on it.

This should prove interesting sometime in the near future when Mother Nature changes it back again.

We went up the Marco River about a mile and found a spot on the side of the river in a no wake zone, and dropped the hook. Someone from the Snook Inn Marina was on the radio giving us directions to this spot. (THANK YOU AGAIN!)

It was turning dark and time for an adult beverage or three. One interesting thing was a fleet of small boats passing us in the opposite direction. When I looked behind us I saw why.

Sunset.

Everyone was heading out to watch the sunset. This massive glowing ball was inches from the horizon unobstructed by anything. It was going to be a grand view. The sky was sparkling clear. It was a great evening for a green flash.

Another beautiful sunrise

We joined the throngs looking for the flash and were, along with everyone else, disappointed. We will have to just keep making trips out to sea for this event. I saw it once, years ago, while in the Caribbean. My Admiral has yet to witness the elusive event, so it is on our permanent to-do list.

The anchorage was nice, quite peaceful for civilization. The waterfront bars and eateries were full with their sights, sounds, and smells wafting across the water. The dinghy remained upon the foredeck. We would not be joining them this evening, maybe another time. The steady light breeze was enough to provide a perfect night’s sleep on the hook.

We still couldn’t bring ourselves to turn the TV back on…

Ahoy

Vice Admiral Abby at the helm, heading north

There has been a lot of local controversy concerning the anchorage in front of City Park. The free anchorage there has just been approved to be converted into a paid mooring field by a private company. We wanted to stop in for a look at the area ourselves. Hit the link for a Sarasota bloggers viewpoint.

http://saveoursarasota.blogspot.com/2008/01/sarasota-bayfront.html

Parking at the Tiki Bar

We enjoyed a couple of drinks and some extra large shrimp. It was really delicious. The only gripe was the constant westerly winds blowing at a steady 18 mph.

Time at the tiki bar

We checked the Gulf conditions before departing and decided to stay in the Intercoastal waterway (ICW) on our trek north.

We were faced with crossing Tampa Bay during some really crappy weather, but nothing I’ve not sailed in before. There was a line of thunderstorms developing and moving in. All part of the ‘no rain for two weeks’ forecast. I finally gave up listening to the weather guessers concerning the minimal wave conditions in the Gulf. I knew what they were reporting was not what was actually happening.

Anchored in Sarasota

While we motored north in the ICW we made it to Bradenton Beach where there was another drawbridge. Just north of that was the Anna Maria drawbridge which led directly into Tampa Bay. There was a southbound sailboat crossing under that bridge and was reporting that the bay had 35 knot gusts, waves 6 feet or more, and it was getting worse. He was running south seeking shelter at the location I was leaving.

About that time the Coast Guard radioed all vessels with a special marine advisory warning of waterspouts in the line of bad weather I could see developing across my bow. During the broadcast they advised that all personnel should seek shelter below decks… That left me wondering- who was supposed to be driving the boat?

Anyhow, it was time for a decision… go north into the tempest… or pull into Bradenton Beach Marina, tie to a dock, plug in the shore power cord, turn on the A/C, and take a nap while the Admiral catches dinner… That really did not require much of a decision making process.

Baby grouper

Once the tempest blew past we walked the two blocks to the beach and enjoyed the quaint little beachside community with a couple of adult libations.

All in all, we had a wonderful 10 day adventure on the boat. We are back at the home marina now, just a few small repairs and fix-its before we strike out again for more adventure.

From the decks of the s/v AbbyGale