Cruising South
This past week found Jim and I on a short getaway. We fired up the engines on the Happy Destiny and tossed the lines. A new adventure!
As we exited the marina Jim called the Blackburn Point Swingbridge to request an opening. We have not been South since the day we left on our Great Loop Adventure last year. It made me so happy and flooded me with memories. This area is our home now and over the past few months I have peddled my bike to the swing bridge many times and watched boats going back and forth, dreaming of the day we would, again go South. Today was the day!
The weather was amazing. The sun and the light breeze felt like the beginning of a vacation. Again, this area is our home now. We know the area well. We drive and ride our bikes on the roadside of the Intracoastal Waterway, so experiencing the sights from the water is interesting, because we can point out to each other the backsides of the homes we see from land, the points of interest, the restaurants we eat at, and the beaches we go to. At the Venice inlet, Jim turned right and we headed out into the Gulf of Mexico to make our run to our first destination. Our last Gulf crossing, if you remember from a previous posting, was the big crossing from Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs. Insert huge waves, black of night, and a little green around the gills! Our time in the Gulf then was certainly a far cry from the glass like water we saw on this day. We traveled the Gulf for a few hours and entered at The Boca Grande inlet. From there it was a short cruise to our first stop, Useppa Island.
Our friends Cindy and Rod allowed us to be their guests at the Useppa Island Club. Useppa is a small Barrier Island along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). Useppa is a private island where you either have to be a property owner or a member of their yacht club to enjoy their beautiful island resort. Jim and I have actually been to this gem of a place when we were on our honeymoon. The place we chartered our boat from gave us the guest status needed at that time. I was so excited to be returning. Useppa Island is a magical place which holds many wonderful memories for us.
We brought our new bikes along with us. We off loaded them when we got settled and took off on a wonderful bike ride. We rode the entire circumference of the small island and took some of the off road side paths. The homes here are fabulous and very expensive. Useppa Island Club has a beautiful pool and jacuzzi. You can bet your bottom dollar we enjoyed both during our visit here. There is a cool butterfly garden and we even saw a few tortoise. The weather was perfect. Warm and breezy.
On day two, we took our dingy to Cabbage Key, which is another island about a mile from where we were. Cabbage Key is a touristy Resort. There is a very busy marina, a hotel and the Infamous Cabbage Key Restaurant. It was here that Jimmy Buffet evidently wrote the song “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. This place was jumpin! I’m so glad we took our dingy and not the Happy Destiny. Jim was able to beach the dingy, which made our arrival uneventful. The restaurant itself is pretty interesting. It is covered in dollar bills! People sign their name or leave a note on the bills and then place them all over the place. There are dollars on the ceilings, on the doors, and on all of the walls. We did not leave a dollar bill. We didn’t have one! We did, however, get the cheeseburger. It was the shittiest $14.00 burger in Paradise. I guess you are paying for the experience. We are both glad we did it, but more happy we don’t ever have to do it again!
The Cheeseburger in Paradise- not.
We left Useppa around noon on Wednesday and cruised a few hours south to Captiva Island. We arrived to our next destination, Tween Waters Resort and Spa. This is another place we stayed on our honeymoon. It was fun coming back here, also. We wandered over to the beach and enjoyed the pool for a bit. We watched some tv and barbecued fresh catfish for dinner. It was a quiet stay. We had to wait until the following morning to see if we could stay another day, but alas, it wasn’t to be. They had other boats coming in with reservations, so Thursday morning we chose to head for home. We had a great few days island hopping and it was so wonderful to be back on the water. We chose to take the Gulf of Mexico back to Venice. We had another stunning day. The Gulf was definitely much nicer than when we did the big 21 hour crossing back in December. There was hardly a wave. It was perfect!
We stopped in Venice and got some fuel. We have not topped off our tanks since we were in Carrabelle waiting for our impending Gulf crossing on our Loop. Putting fuel in a boat is no joke. It’s very expensive and makes you want to cry! 200 gallons at $2.89- you do the math 😂 ouch! We actually fared well at $2.89. Most places here on the ICW, diesel is 3.89 a gallon. We intentionally went to this place in Venice. Cheapest fuel around! It’s the little things!
As we headed toward home, the water was the color of beauty! Bright aquamarine! I told Jim “this is what the Bahamas must look like”. It seriously was amazing.and made our trip home incredible. We still have to pinch ourselves and we still often say to each other how blessed we are to be able to live this way. Being able to up and move your home whenever you want is pretty damn cool.
Our mini vacation was awesome and now we are back home. It was great to get back on the water. Jim is still driving Uber during the day and I am staying busy too. We are getting to our meetings and are forming some new relationships with people here. I have been blessed with a couple of newcomers who are keeping me on my toes. It is a joy to be able to help these young ladies find some hope that they too, can have what we have if they do what we do. God puts people in my life, right when I need them most. Working with these girls enriches my sobriety and gives me purpose. It also makes me very grateful for all I have learned over the years. I know it is easier to stay sober than to get sober. These girls remind me of this everyday. I’m so grateful for my recovery today!
So, all is well here. Please know I think of all of my people all of the time. I hope you are all well, safe and happy. You are always welcome to come hang out on the boat with us here in Florida! Seriously!
Peace and our love ❤️
