March 1 - 7, 2018 - Ft. Myers to Bluewater Bay

It was sad to leave all our friends, but it's time to go "home."  We started this incredible journey January 1, 2017.  We traveled up the east coast, into the Chesapeake Bay, and even up to Philadelphia.  Then we headed back to Ft. Myers for the months of January and February.   We have had a fantastic time, but we are ready to get back to Bluewater Bay Marina to settle down for a year.

We left March 1 to head to Cayo Costa for the first night.  Linda and David (Cooyon) were already anchored there so we had a fun night with them and their friends Jackie and Wendall.  On Friday, we headed to Sarasota to meet up with Wayne and Donadee.  We had a good visit with them and walked into town for a very good Mexican dinner.  The next stop was Gulfport where we anchored next to Larry and Cindy (Bucket List).  After meeting them in town for lunch, we relaxed (finally) on the boat the rest of the day.  Sunday we headed to Dunedin where we met up with Pat and Patrick (Sans Souci).  They, along with Bucket List, will all do the crossing together.

After a nice breakfast Monday morning, we all left the dock around 9:15 for our 17 hour trip across the Gulf.  However, shortly after leaving, our starboard engine stopped.  Since we had had this problem before, we decided not to chance the long overnight run, so we stopped at Tarpon Springs.  Luckily we were able to get a mechanic to the boat and he fixed the problem in less than a minute - just a lose wire.  After that, we were on our way.  The first part of the trip was great; the last part got a little windy and rough.  We anchored at Dog Island around 6:30 for a few hours and then headed to our favorite anchorage at Pearl Bayou, near Panama City.  After ten hours of sleep, we were ready for the final leg of our trip.  We pulled into Bluewater Bay around 3:30.  It was good to be home again.

It was sad to say goodbye to all our friends

We're on our way home

Goodbye Ft. Myers

A beautiful day on the water

Linda, Jackie, Wendall and David aboard Cooyon - anchored at Cayo Costa

Beautiful sunset over Cayo Costa and

a full moon

Saying goodbye to Cooyon as we were leaving

Downtown Sarasota from our mooring ball

Delicious guacamole made at our table

Always a fun time with Wayne and Donadee

I don't have Tricia, but Wayne can always find an ice cream store

Some horses and their riders enjoying the shallow waters along the ICW

Sunrise over Bucket List at Gulfport

Planning session with Larry (Bucket List), Pat and Patrick (Sans Souci) 

and Cindy (Bucket List) at Dunedin

When you're in the middle of the Gulf,

you get a beautiful sunset

and a beautiful moon

This was our sunrise as we came into Dog Island at 6:30 am

Beautiful, calm waters heading to Panama City

Oops - hit a little rain

Our anchorage at Pearl Bayou near Panama City -

the end of a very long night and day

This area is known as the Grand Canyon of Florida

Coming up to the Mid-Bay Bridge - almost home

Entering the channel

Nearly Perfect settled at the dock

This will close out my blog for this journey.  Thanks to everyone who has followed along for this incredible adventure.  I'll be back next March, 2019 when we start the loop again.