Making Our Way to Marathon

         We spent three windy days and nights anchored in the Punta Gorda/Cape Coral area.  The first night was out in Charlotte Harbor, which was rather bouncy, and a little sketchy with all the local squatter boats.  These are boats abandoned or partially destroyed by a storm, snatched up by others to use a liveaboard.  While we were at anchor, two of these locals had made a dinghy run for five gallon bottles of water and were distributing them amongst all the squatters.  They fouled one prop on the tow line of the dinghy carrying the water and the proceeded to get fouled in our anchor line. 

Fortunately nothing was damaged, but the incident induced us to find a different anchorage, and we found a really nice one across the harbor and up a canal to a small basin.  (It was a called a lake on the chart, but honestly, it was another cul de sac of water.)  We spent two nights there.

On Monday, Dec 18 we moved on, enduring the lumpy waters of Charlotte Harbor for the more protected Pine Island Sound and found our way up into a small anchorage outside Fort Myers.  The wind was still blowing 20 knots.  You can see its impact on the channel to our anchorage.

We were going to try for a passage to Marco Island or even the Everglades on Tuesday, but the reality of a steady NE wind on the Gulf proved too much.  After an hour of dealing with tide against wind, we turned around and anchored off Fort Myers Beach.  Dan always tells people “there’s no shame in turning back.”  We had a quiet day and did boat chores.

Wednesday we made it to the Everglades.  We’d been looking forward to exploring this area - we’d heard so much about it - and spent about an hour online taking the course and test for the mandatory Everglades Boater Certificate.  Every boat operator in the Everglades must have this Certificate, unless the craft you operate doesn’t have a motor of any kind.  The course told us many things we didn’t know: there is no swimming or snorkeling.  You must stay 300 feet away from all wildlife.  There are over 10,000 islands, but very, very few places you are allowed to go ashore.  Most of the channels between all those islands, and several of the anchorages listed on the chart are too shallow for the Willie Dawes.  We spent Wednesday night at anchor in West Pass, Thursday night in Little Shark River, and moved on from there to Marathon.  We did see some roseate spoonbills, though.  Nobody every came to ask about our Boater Certification.  

Today (Friday Dec 22) we are in Marathon, what one cruiser has described as the “Walmart Parking Lot” of the Keys.  Many cruisers spend a month or two here.  There is a wait list for moorings and the marinas take reservations several weeks (or even months) in advance.  We found a space in the harbor anchorage.  There must be four hundred boats here, all told.  We’re only going to be here long enough to run some errands, then our plan is to head over to Key West for Christmas.