Days 257 -258

Sanibel Island FL - Naples FL

• Start 7:00 AM
• End 10:55 PM
• Underway 3:45 Hours
• Distance 30 Miles
• Total Miles on Trip 4414
• Av Speed 8 knots
• Weather Cloudy , 67 Degrees, Wind 15 Knots NW

We left Sanibel at daybreak, high tide was at 6:45am, and the winds were supposed to build as the day went on. Because we were traveling in open water we wanted to get to Naples before the wind kicked up and brought the rough water with it. Most loopers go through Fort Myers and the Okeechobee Lake to the east coast of FL. The St Lucie Lock at the eastern end of the lake is closed for maintenance from January 1st to April 1st. Because of the lock closure more boats are staying on the gulf coast making slips very difficult to come by. We have been able to find slips but we have been very flexible, in both our schedule and were we go. We spent two nights in Naples and we had to go to two different marinas. Neither marina had slips for both nights. We wanted to go to Marco Island but we could not find any slips.

Boating in Naples is very humbling. There were two boats dock between Nothing To Plunder and Cheri Baby II (Dan & Cheri), and we could not see each other from our boats. One was 125' and 66', we are definitely the same boats now.

Dan & Cheri have friends (Al & Jane) that winter in Naples, and came to visit them. Since we could not get a slip in Marco Island, they drove us there for lunch. After lunch we ran a few errands before returning to the marina. We also made plans to meet the next day and tour Tin City.

On our second day at Naples we had to move from Naples City Dock to Naples Boat Club. We were much happier at the City Dock but we were just glad to be able to get a slip for the second night. The staff at was the worst we have encountered on this trip. It is the first time I have not tipped the dock hands. I do not know what bothered me more their rude attitude, or their poor line handling skills. When Angel threw the line to the one dock hand, he missed it which happens, it had landed on the dock, and he did not even attempt to get it. Angel had to pull it back on the boat and throw it again. I can deal with bad attitudes, or docks hands that are not very good handling boats, not from the same person.

Once we got settled we walked over to Tin City. Tin City is an open-air specialty shopping mall on the Naples waterfront. As Al describe it, "it is where you can any knickknack that you can imagine". We spent the afternoon walking around the shops. After Tin City, Al & Joan took us on a tour of Old Naples.

Tomorrow we leave Naples for Everglade City. We will be docking at Everglade Isle, which is an RV resort with docks.