Anchoring, Dolphins and Naples…oh my!

We are slowly making our way down the west coast of Florida on our 42′ motor yacht, C’est La Vie. If you haven’t been reading about our Loop adventures, definitely check out all our posts in Our Boat Adventure to get caught up. After leaving Sarasota, we cruised along on the GICW (Gulf Intracoastal Waterway) for two days and made our way down to Naples, anchoring each night in amazing locations. The first night near Don Pedro Island and the second night in Pelican Bay next to Cayo Costa State Park.

We had actually planned to stop in Fort Meyers for another anchoring night, but changed our plans, taking advantage of the great weather conditions in the Gulf to cruise all the way to Naples. From beautiful anchoring locations and dolphins playing in our wake to the long cruise to Naples, we’ve had some wonderful scenery and memorable experiences. I hope you enjoy following along on this latest portion of our journey.

Cruising Through bridges and boats on the GICW

On January 6, we cruised down the GICW for 5 hours, passing towns such as Osprey, Venice and Englewood on our way to our first anchorage. We passed by open spaces, towns, narrow ‘ditch-like’ passages and even a commercial dredging vessel. It was definitely a bridge day as well, passing under and through at least five bridges. Our favorite was the old Blackburn Swing Bridge which is still operated by hand by the Bridge tender. The other interesting bridge was the Albee Road drawbridge, which was going to close down for 5 days, but we went through before the closure. That was really cool to see both sides of the bridge up for us to pass through.

But navigating the ICW is not all fun and games. You often have to duck and dodge around rude and speeding center console boats that seem to either be ignorant of or simply ignore the rules to navigation. Sheesh! But being on the water and the peaceful settings of a quiet anchorage make it all worth it.

Anchoring off Don Pedro Island State Park

We had found this anchorage from some fellow Loopers and so glad we did. We anchored in a little bay just off the ICW channel, so it was an easy entry, with just one other small sailboat to share with. We were able to take a short dinghy ride through a low bridge to the dock at Don Pedro Island. Although when we got to the low bridge with our dinghy, there was a sad site…the remains of a large motor yacht had been pushed up on to the bridge. Not sure how long it has been there, but it’s possible this was a boat victim of Hurricane Ian. Once tied up, we took a short walk to the beach and gulf on the other side of the Island to enjoy the sand and surf and give Moose room to walk and run.

Driving our Dinghy past Mangroves and Dolphins

On our way back from the beach, we drove the dinghy through the mangroves, which are so interesting and beautiful… their roots reaching deep into the salty water. Then, the next morning, we took the dinghy to the other side of the channel for another Moose stop and were so surprised and happy to have three dolphins playing and coming right along side the dingy. They were so close we could have touched them…but we didn’t. First they were too fast, and second, we didn’t want to disturb their play. But it was amazing to witness!

Cruising to Cayo Costa and anchoring at Pelican Bay

The next day we traveled only 13 miles down the ICW through Gasparilla Sound to our next anchorage off Cayo Costa at Pelican Bay. It was a highly recommended spot so it was a definite stop for us, although it was a challenge getting into the bay. We had to take it very slow due to the shallow depths at the entry of the bay, at one point dropping to 4.4′, and we draft ust under 4′. That was a little scary… But once in, the depths increased and it was an easy place to drop anchor. As mentioned, this is a popular spot so there were several other boats, some loopers, some not, anchored here as well. But it’s a large bay so we were not real close to any one; so it was still quiet and peaceful.

No entry into the State Park

Unfortunately, due to some damage from Hurricane Ian, the Cayo Costa State Park was closed. But we did bring Moose ashore to …you know what. And we peeked around a bit, but did not venture to the beach which apparently is a mile away across the island. Dinghied back to the boat and Eric made fabulous dinner of sausage and gnocchi and all four of us enjoyed watching the sunset. It was a lovely, peaceful night.

Cruising and crossing the Gulf

The next morning we left in mid-morning when the tide was rising to make our way back out of the bay a bit safer. But again, no issues and we were on our way down the ICW. We had planned to stop in Fort Meyers Beach for another anchoring, but two reasons we decided to head straight to Naples. First, after gaining some intel from other Loopers, it was determined that anchoring in and around Fort Meyers Beach would not be pleasant. But even more importantly, we had a fantastic weather window to make the 7 hour trip outside the ICW, crossing the Gulf of Mexico 3-4 miles offshore. It was a great cruise with calm seas, sunny skies and views of condos along the whole coastline of western Florida.

We made it to Naples.

We cruised about 11-13 mph and made it to Naples by 4:30. We decided to stay in the City Dock marina instead of anchoring for a couple reasons. First, we had quite a bit of black smoke from our port engine along the way and we wanted a safe and easy place to diagnose the situation. Second, we needed to fill up on water and fuel for the next several days as we get ready to enter the Everglades. We also needed to clean the whole stern of the boat as the black smoke also made the boat black. 🙁

Besides being a really nice city marina with helpful staff, the T-dock we were on was great and an easy on and off for Moose… and it turns out, the cat as well. Ro decided he’d had enough water and made his way onto the bow then the dock almost immediately, greeting everyone who came by the boat. It was hysterical!

Hosting fellow Looper friends.

We also had the chance to invite a couple we had met at the AGLCA last January, ’21 for wine and appetizers on the boat. Jim and his wife Marilyn had the exact same boat as we do, the ’97 Carver 405 aft cabin motor yacht. But so sadly, they lost their boat in Hurricane Ian. But they were so gracious and happy to be back on a boat…at least for a little while. It was definitely bittersweet for them, but it was great to connect again.

Next stop…. the Everglades and on to Marathon Key

We left Naples the next morning and headed to Marco Island and eventually the Everglades. But you’ll have to wait for the next post to read and see our adventures there.

I hope you had a blast traveling with us along this 3 day stretch from Sarasota to Naples, anchoring along the way. We sure are enjoying the trip with many more experiences and adventures to come.

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment and share. I hope you have signed up on our website so you’ll be notified of new posts. Plus it helps us know that people are reading and enjoying these updates.

That’s it for now. Keep making your someday…today.

If you find my blog and articles helpful, be sure to subscribe below, so you don’t miss out on any of the good stuff. You’ll receive an update on new content sent right to your inbox. How cool is that! Cheers to you, fellow Gypsies!

If you find my blog and articles helpful, be sure to subscribe below, so you don’t miss out on any of the good stuff. You’ll receive an update on new content sent right to your inbox. How cool is that! Cheers to you, fellow Gypsies!