Off to Clearwater

In the spirit of moving along, we left Pelican Bay and entered the Gulf of Mexico via the Boca Grande Pass and then spent a quiet overnight trip sailing up to Clearwater.  We arrived at the correct tide state so no dramas mama!  We visited another  favorite spot for lunch and napped, showered and caught up on the blog.  Tomorrow, January 14th we head across the gulf for our longest leg so far, Clearwater to Panama City.  It's been an event filled year with many wonderful new friendships and adventures.  Almost sad to have it end but our alternate life calls.

Sunset on the gulf.  You can see the seas were flat making for a
comfortable sail.

Clearwater Beach at sunrise.

Blue Moon underway.  David got in the dinghy to check water depth
and buzz around.

At the dock at the Clearwater YC.  We are staying such a short time
that we haven't even bothered to plug into electric at any of the stops.

The two Ds.

And here they are with their turtle friend at Frenchy's Cafe.

Can't some to Clearwater and not visit Frenchy's!  Thanks CeCe and Craig
for introducing us to this local legend of an eatery.

The club is on a quiet arm off the ICW.

Our bilge pump quit working during the open water passage.
We really weren't worried about sinking but still needed to get
it going again.  This little bit of a snipped off electrical ziptie
was the culprit.  It made it past the screen on the hose at the bottom
of the bilge and gummed up the works.  Thankfully it's fixed not replaced!

LaBelle

From Moore Haven we traveled on through hill and  dale, lock and bridge to reach one of my favorite places to visit, LaBelle.  It is a small, old town that has managed to not succumb to the modern need to modernize in order to compete.  "We're quite nice as we are, thank you" is the apparent attitude.  There is tremendous pride among the people and we have never felt anything but welcome.  Oh, did I mention they provide free docks with free water and electricity for visitors? What's not to like?

Darryl captured this picture from the deck as we heeled under the Port Mayaca Bridge.

Darryl on the foredeck in a lock.

Finally able to sail.

The golden glow of sunset is real.  No filter here.

A beautiful hibiscus.

A frog on the side of one of the locks.

Lots of boats out here bigger than ours!

We started doing this in New England.  We would take the stickers
handed out to identify us as paid visitors and put them on our aft wall.
A memory of some great visits.

This fountain was part of

This lovely rivereside estate.

Ancient water oaks line  the old streets of LaBelle.

The town library is large and well appointed.  It is conveniently close
to the free city docks and provides free wifi for travelers.

A must-stop place for us, the coffee shop.  This is a community fixture with great coffee.

The redevelopment authority operates out of a small house.  The carport
area is a gathering for whoever wants to stop by for a quiet place to read,
chat with friends or find out what's happening around town.

Another favorite spot is the Fourney Diner at the junction of two
main roads.  Good food and good service with interesting bits
of decor to keep you wondering.

The city docks are well maintained and the folks you meet can
 be worth the trip.

The sign features one of their oaks.

An early steam rotary engine was developed by a local inventor well
before Wankel.

Shady, oak lined street.

Bits of whimsical paintings were on many of the buildings, houses,sidewalks and benches.

This is the wall of a local electrical contractor.

The honey here is famous.  The owner explained the artist is trying
to paint 50,000 bees on public buildings to bring to the public's attention
the dire state of our honey bees.  If we lose this pollinator to overuse of
pesticides and loss of habitat we lose a lot of crops.

Unique mailbox.

Beyond LaBelle

The need to get home has really set the agenda for our trip home.  We are moving every day so not much time in any one location.  Some favorite spots are passed by with dreams of returning some day.  When we do stop, we make the most of our short visit.  From LaBelle we traveled to the St. Charles Yacht Club.  Always friendly with a great lounge and restaurant.  They also have lovely amenities in their Harbor House Annex for showering and catching up on laundry. From StCYC we moved on to Pelican Bay the next day.  I caught up on paperwork while David and Darryl went to shore to explore Cayo Coasta State Park.  We're moving fast, but we're doing it in style!  Many of these pictures since Moore Haven are thanks to Darryl.

The Dockmaster's office at StCYC.  You can see quite a few
powerboats fill the marina.  We were the only sailboat there.

The palm lined boulevard leading to the club.

The Yacht Club entrance.

The pool and Harbor House.

We didn't have time to stop but this is the first part of Cabbage Key that
you see as you approach from the South.  These cottages are for rent.

The island is a mini-resort with deep roots in the local lore.  It has a small
marina, gift shop, restaurant/bar and miles of walking trails besides the
lodging options.

The main house hosts the eating and drinking as well as providing a
few rooms if you don't want an entire cottage.  Many visitors show up
in their small powerboats for a day visit and the "Cheeseburger in Paradise"

Welcome to a most unique setting for a park.

Photographer being photographed.

The guys managed a ride on the tram around the park.

The main trail from the dock to the gulf side.

The quarantine trail so named as it lead to a quarantine center used
during outbreaks of diseases in nearby communities.

A gorgeous sunset over the island.

West of Okeechobee

We stopped this time in Moore Haven, a first for us as I said previously.  Turns out to be a friendly spot with the city putting out the welcome mat with a great  dock and convenient restrooms and showers. From there it is a 2 day trip to Fort Myers.  We are currently in LaBelle and I'll post more on it in the future.

Very true slogan.

The city hall and city park are across from the dock.  This lovey cypress
was a feature near the tennis courts.

It had the strangest knees I have ever seen with sharp angles rising up. 
I'm more used to seeing rounded ones.

One of several irrigation locks we passed.  Cattle, sugar cane, oranges
and other crops are common all around the lake.  Competing water usage is always
an issue as the lake also feeds the Everglades.

These unique window coverings were all along the second floor of this
restaurant.  I"m sure it make a picturesque place to watch the world go by.