Port #45: So Close To Home...Our Winter Home

Great Loop II Date: 11/09/2014

Day # 98 (Sunday): 91 miles (2840 total miles)
Locks: 0 (25 total locks)
Port #45: Cape Haze, FL
Marina: Palm Island Marina

You know you have a good mechanic when he comes to repair your boat at 4PM on a Saturday afternoon. John Brock is 73 years young and still loves his diesel engines. He brought a young fellow with him to help him install the needed part on OB’s port engine. In an hour, OB’s engine was running and no more diesel was spewing forth.

While we were waiting for the repair, I noticed there were many, MANY tours available from Clearwater Beach. A tourist could go out on just about any kind of boat and have fun. Surprisingly, there were very few wakes from all the traffic. Most of our wakes came from boats outside of the harbor hurrying to wherever.

Tour boats of every kind...

Happy to have OB in running order once again, Todd and I went out to celebrate at Cooters, a restaurant recommended by one of our Looper friends. The food was delicious, the drinks cold and the clientele lively. By the time we left, the rain that had threatened all day had set in in earnest.

By the time we got back to the boat, it was time for Todd to tune in the OSU/MSU football game. I finished getting things ready for the morning. By the end of the first half, I headed off to bed to read.

This guy was so into protecting his territory, he gave us a stare down until we were within 4 feet of him!

OB's hangout in Clearwater Beach.

The clock went off at 5AM. It was like sleeping in compared to most of the times I’ve had to arise during this last 3 ½ months. The sun was coming up later so there was no need to hop out of bed too early. In less than 2 hours we were on our way south once again.

The morning was overcast and chilly. After we’d been in the ICW for an hour, we were falling behind on our ETA to Englewood because of all the NO WAKE/IDLE SPEED zones. We had looked at the weather models and knew the waves in the Gulf were doable. Todd took OB out through John’s Pass at Treasure Island and we spent the next 5 hours with barely a view of land off to our port side. The waves were on our stern and quarter stern. Even when they got up in the 2 foot range, they were not uncomfortable. Periodically we had to dodge crab pots, even out as far as 36 feet deep.

Homes along the ICW...

The Holiday Inn at Indian Rocks.  We stayed here with OB in 2010 and watched a fantastic Christmas Boat Parade.

Derelict boats in the Bays...a real problem in Florida.

And then there's the occasional sunken boat.

John's Pass at Treasure Island.

Heading back out to the Gulf.

Todd brought OB back into the ICW at the Venice Inlet. Although we still had some SLOW and NO WAKE zones, we were still able to get within 50 miles of our winter home in Cape Coral.

Land ho...again.  Venice Inlet ahead.

Back into the ICW at Venice.

And treated to another fabulous Florida Sunset at Palm Island Marina in Cape Haze.