The channel to & from Everglades City can be skinny in spots so we waited for the tide to come in which meant not leaving until 11:30am. Pam loved it! We worked our way back out to open water but didn't get into anything over 9'. Our next stop...Panther Key. Google maps shows a strip of sand there that caught my eye and the chart shows water deep enough for Tourist to get into. The chart plotter worked perfectly. Just keep the boat icon in the deep water. We found a place protected from the east wind and far enough from shore that bugs shouldn't be a problem.
Minnie T was launched and into the beach we went.
Quite a few shells but most looked like they had been run through a crusher. Not many keepers. We walked a considerable distance looking at coon tracks in the sand and the rippling effect of the receding tide water. Pam thought it would be fitting to leave our mark on the place.
Good holding. Calm water. Few bugs. And a nice sunset.
Thursday we again waited for high tide before moving. (I'm too good to her!) Today we're headed for Goodland, Fl. A small fishing town on lower Marco Island. The chart shows some 4' depths on the way in to Goodland and we weren't disappointed. Back home I'd be nervous about such thin water but down here it's the norm. We went past Coon Key Light and anchored off Tripod Key just short of Goodland. Again enough water for Tourist with room to swing.
We launched Minnie T and headed into Goodland. The hot spot in town is Stan's. Unfortunately it was only open on week-ends during May with Sundays being the big day. Maybe next year.
There are a couple other places to eat and drink. The Little Bar and Old Marco Lodge pictured above.
Back at Tourist we were entertained by dolphins, pelicans, and raccoons walking on the shoreline while having sundowners before jumping in the shower to cool down and clean up for dinner.
Friday we pulled anchor and headed towards Marco Island and the Marina at Factory Bay. Again a couple of shallow spots on the Big Marco River but no problem getting through. Once we arrived we walked a couple of doors down and rented scooters. Pam thought it was a blast except for the helmet!
One of our stops was at the Publix Supermarket. Hey Moonbeam. When will HyVee add this to their product line?
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