Voyages of the S/V Dolce Vita: Ft Myers Beach

1246 nm N26 27.377 W081 57.007

Early this morning, Bill's cousin Jimmy came by to pick up Bill. We said our farewells, and hope to be able to connect with him again further on the trip.

On the Dock, Ready to Depart Ft Myers

We set out from Ft Myers City Yacht Basin headed for Ft Myers Beach mooring field. Its not far as the crow flies, but you have to go well out into the Gulf before turning into the entrance, so its about 20 NM total. Still, an easy day. We got an early start because you can't reserve a mooring. Its first come, first served, and we wanted to be sure and get one, as there are limited anchoring options there.

As you go downriver, the Caloosahatchee River gets wider and wider, and then begins to shoal out with lots of sandbars and low islands, and the navigable channel gets shallower and narrower. In the middle of this, we encountered a very strange vessel. It looked like a two and a half story houseboat!

A Literal House-Boat

It reminded me of one of the houseboats on the cancelled reality series "Ice Lake Rebels".

At last, we followed the channel markers under the 65 ft "A" span of the Sanibel Island Bridge and were out onto the Gulf of Mexico! We had completed our sail across Florida!

The Sanibel Island Bridge Falls Behind...

as We Enter the Gulf of Mexico!

I picked up the entrance marker for the channel into the mooring field located behind Estero Island. It was the cause of some concern. The channel markers didn't match the charts, and the charts said there was only 1 ft of water where we were headed! And the beach shoal extended out so close to the red marker that you could hold a conversation with the beachcombers!

Still, there were a number of power boats going in and out, although the lack of any sailboats with keels made me wonder. I hugged the green side of the channel and kept my fingers crossed.

I needn't have worried. When I looked behind, I saw a large commercial fishing boat headed in. If he could make it, then we should have no problem And we didn't.

Once past the entrance, we proceeded along the north shore of the Island and radioed in for our mooring ball assignment. Good thing we left early. There were only two balls left! We tied up to #9.

This was our smoothest mooring ball capture yet. We pulled up along side of it, instead of by the bow. This made it easier for Joan, as the side decks are lower, and I could see it while trying to hold the boat there.

And now it was time for the part I had been dreading. The dinghy and the outboard. Up until now, we haven't had to use our brand new dinghy, and it's sat deflated and rolled up on the deck. And the balky 5 hp outboard has sat unused on the stern rail. We had tested everything before we left, and the outboard wouldn't start and run until I had disassembled and cleaned the carburetor. And sure enough, it gave us trouble. It started on the rail, and I thought we would be fine. But on the boat, it simply wouldn't stay running at idle. I nursed it and coaxed it using the choke, and we managed to get ashore without too many stalls, and registered and paid for 3 nights.

Since it was still early, we walked into the beachfront part of town along the south side of the island, and had a late lunch/early dinner. at "The Whale, right on the main drag.

Going back, the outboard was still uncooperative. Right after we left the dinghy dock, it stalled, and by the time I got restarted, the swift current had almost swept us into the boats docked at the slips. Only an abrupt turn and a burst of throttle got us away without contact.

Out in the mooring field, it stalled again. By the time I got it restarted this time, we had been swept several boats past ours, and had to turn around and head back into the current. I needed to do something about this.

The next day, after our usual hearty breakfast, I opened the outboard, removed the carb, and disassembled and cleaned it.

It had been acting like the idle circuit was clogged, but I found no evidence of this. Still, I scrubbed and sprayed, and poked wires through every orifice before putting it back together. Back on the dinghy for a test, and it still wasn't right. Started easy enough, but still wouldn't idle without some choke until I had run it around under load at full throttle for several minutes. I guess the next option is a rebuild kit or a whole new carb.

We returned to shore, and, on the advice of the marina office, took a ride on the local "Trollee". Its a bus made up to look like an old time trolley, and runs up and down the whole length of the 7 1/2 mile Island. Fare for seniors is only 35 cents! We rode all the way south-east to the state park at Lover's Key, and then all the way back to the heart of the tourist district, which they call "Time's Square".

Time's Square

The rest of the day, we played tourist, peoplewatching, shopping in the small stores, and watching the iridescent birds (Grackles?) standing close by, looking for an unguarded french fry!

Shops and Restaurants

Sunny Beaches

A Grackle(? Scrounging for Crumbs

Again, we did a late lunch/early dinner at a Bayside restaurant near the dinghy dock called "Nervous Nellie's". We had Alligator Bites for an appetizer!

Nervous Nellie's

Many of the towns we've passed through have "theme" statues, scattered all over town and uniquely decorated. Cape Charles has mermaids, New Bern has bears, and Ft Myers Beach has giant 5 ft tall Adirondack Chairs.

For our last day in Ft Myers Beach, we decided to go up to the NorthWest end of the island, where there was supposed to be good shelling. We were able to take a free tram from Times Square up to Bowditch Point Park, and then hike out onto the beach.

Free Tram


Beach at Bowditch Point

Lots of Small Shells, Nothing Large

Small, Perfectly Intact Whelk Shell

I have never seen such a clean beach. No trash whatsoever! I generally look for frosted sea glass, and even that was nowhere to be found.

At the far end of the beach is the entrance channel we came in on two days ago. It doesn't look near as terrifying from this point of view! ;)