Everglades City Christmas

December 25, 2011

Over the years, we have established many traditions to celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Savior Jesus.  Traditions included arranging the nativity set on the mantle, going on a cold winter's day to buy a tree and wreath, hanging stockings that my (Joyce) mother made us 30 and 40 years ago, putting the tree up while carols played in the background and maybe a fire burned in the fireplace, going to church on Christmas Eve, and spending Christmas Day with family or friends.  Obviously, this year was going to be different.

First, this was the view from the dock near the bow of the boat.  There would be no need for a fire to burn in the fireplace, and of course, there was no fireplace in the boat.   



In a boat the size of Barefoot, there is no room for a tree, and there really isn't a place to 'stand' a tree.  So, before we left the marina in Bradenton, we bought a Walgreens wreath to hold our ornaments.  We had brought a small box of ornaments from home (our criteria when choosing them was that they all had to be unbreakable and relatively small).  Here is our wreath with most of the ornaments that we brought and some that were added this year by some of my dear friends who are also breast cancer survivors and living life to the fullest.  The angels in the next picture are also gifts from this group of friends.

One of our big regrets was that we didn't have a nativity set.  We had planned to buy a small one (the one we use at home is too large and fragile), but in the busyness of getting ready to leave, we never went to a store that carried them.  I had brought this plaque, which I had displayed in my office for several years, and we used this along with the angels to show that we know and cherish the true meaning of Christmas.

And, there were a few extra ornaments that we could hang around the main cabin of the boat.

Since we didn't have a tree, where does Santa put the gifts?  We created an 'under the tree' in the aft berth.  Note that the Christmas stockings are missing this year, replaced by a sock and Christmas bag.

One thing that was a priority was to find a church with a Christmas Eve service.  The day we arrived in Everglades City, Tom walked around town and found that the Community Church, which was only a couple blocks from the Rod and Gun Club (where we are docked) would have a service at 7:00.  The church was packed that night, and we really enjoyed the service and the pastor's message about receiving the gift of a relationship with God. 

And, even though we didn't have our own nativity set, the church shared theirs with us.



Other times when we had been out of town for holidays, it has seemed a bit strange, so we didn't know quite what to expect this year.  But, docked at the Rod and Gun Club in Everglades City was a wonderful Christmas celebration. 

Joyce

S/V Barefoot

Pineland, FL

(Currently docked Everglades City, Collier County, FL) 

http://g.co/maps/vneq4

Rod & Gun Club, Everglades City, FL

December 24, 2011

Yesterday we came up the narrow and shallow Barron River channel yesterday to The Rod & Gun Club (R&G)  http://www.evergladesrodandgun.com/ in Everglades City. We will be spending Christmas here, because it is the 'in place' to be among the jet set :-)  Seriously, as the R&G website says, "The Rod and Gun Club does not cater to the needs of all vacationers but to those whom are seeking to experience a piece of history!"  Meaning if you want luxury, this is not the place to be.

The R&G was built as a hunting and fishing lodge by Barron Collier, after whom this county is named.  It has hosted presidents and celebrities in the past.  It is now a bit run down but still an impressive piece of architecture and history.

Everglades City is an unique little town with a checkered past.  The area was settled primarily by people who wanted to get away - read the law had an interest in them.  In the late 70's, over half the male population of the town was arrested in a massive drug raid.  The remote location and maze of mangrove islands has always made the area popular for smuggling.

The primary industry is crabbing (stone crabs).  There is a fish house here that is the primary supplier to the somewhat famous Joe's Crab Shack.  Everglades tourism is also becoming more important.  There was a bit of a real estate boom here in the early 2000's as primarily sport fisherman bought places;  that boom has clearly ended and for now Everglades City is settling back into its roots.

We have been here several times going back to the 90's and have always enjoyed its 'character'.

Tom
Everglades City
Collier County, FL
http://g.co/maps/vneq4

Indian Key Pass - White Pelicans

Yesterday (12//21) we left Marco Island and traveled out around Cape Romano to an area of south west Florida called the Ten Thousand Islands.  The name comes from the innumerable number of mangrove islands that line the coast for many miles.  This is the area where the everglades meet the Gulf of Mexico. It is a wild region, both naturally and from its past (and somewhat present) 'outlaw' reputation.

As we entered Indian Key Pass we encountered a collection of probably a hundred white pelicans.  These birds summer in northern areas like Montana and Utah and migrate south for the winter.  They are found in large numbers on the lower west coast of Florida in the winter. 

While we could not take any pictures when we were navigating the pass yesterday, we dinghied back this afternoon and got a few pictures.

Tom

Russell Pass, Collier County, FL

http://g.co/maps/72k47

Marco Island

Another great sail down from Sanibel Island to Marco Island yesterday.  We docked at Rose Marina in Factory Bay after 18 straight nights at anchor.  Now for some empty garbage, clean clothes, and fresh food as we prepare for our next leg!

Tom
Factory Bay
Marco Island, Collier County, FL
http://g.co/maps/r7wa2

Horseshoe Bay, Sanibel I, FL

Sunrise over 'Auger Hole', Sanibel Island

We are currently anchored in Horseshoe Bay on Sanibel Island; last night was our 17th night at anchor on this leg. Sunday we will heading south to Marco Island where we will be docking to reprovision fresh foods (we are almost all out) and do laundry.

Horseshoe Bay is a located in Ding Darling Widlife Preserve and there are always a lot of neat birds.  The name of the bay and the cut to the adjacent Tarpon Bay (Auger Hole) comes from a novel by a local author named Randy Wayne White.  He writes adventure novels in which the main character lives in a stilt house not far from here. 

S/V Barefoot at anchor - Horsehoe Bay

And a leftover picture from Cayo Costa:

S/V Florida Buoy at anchor in the fog in Pelican Bay, Cayo Costa I. 

Florida Buoy is a sister-ship to Barefoot;  same model built at around the same time.

 

Tom

Horseshoe Bay, Sanibel Island, Lee County, FL

http://g.co/maps/mejhy

Shore Trip

A few days ago we moved down Pine Island Sound from Pelican Bay and anchored off York Island near St. James City (SJC), a small town at the southern end of Pine Island . The day after we arrived we dinghied into SJC with three objectives: eat lunch, pick up a few fresh food items, and hopefully get a part and some hardware supplies.

SJC has an extensive set of canals and is more organized to access by boat than by land.  Canals are not, however, as well marked as streets, and we made several 'wrong turns' as we tried to reach our various destinations

The trip started out a little disappointing. We were eagerly looking forward to our first restaurant meal in 2 weeks, but lunch was not that good (but we still ate too much).  The grocery store was very sparsely stocked, but we were able to get milk and a few other items.

As we approached the small and very plain Island Hardware & Marine, I (Tom) thought that we were never going to get what we needed.  However, when we walked in, the store was just jammed full of stuff.  The woman at the counter, helped us find all but one of the items we needed, including the exact model of the macerator pump we were looking for.  Island Hardware was great!

Tom
Horseshoe Bay
Sanibel Island, Lee County FL

http://g.co/maps/mejhy

Cayo Costa

We have spent nearly a week in lovely Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Island.  The weather has been great and we have enjoyed our stay.

Beach near Quarantine Point.

Sign describing the history of Quarantine Point.

Lagoon just north of the pass into Pelican Bay.

Great egret posing by the lagoon!

Blue Heron just starting to get upset by my (Tom) 'stalking'.  Notice the begining of the threat display - ruffled feathers on his neck. 

Close up of an egret on the beach.

 Yesterday we moved to the 'back bay' to get better protection from a cold front that came through last night.  It is a little tricky to go from Pelican Bay to this location, but we pre-scouted it in the dinghy (modern electronics help too).  There were two nests here that we assumed were ospreys, but when we were returning from the island we drove by them and saw that one was an eagle's nest.  The picture does not cearly show his black breast (ospreys look very similar, but have a white breast) because he would not give me that angle, so you will have to trust us that it is an eagle.  Actually, eagles are becoming quite common here in SW Florida.

Tom
Cayo Costa Island
Lee County, Florida

Our Mettle is Tested

Today marks the end of our first week cruising, and it’s been a week that tests our mettle and our self-reliance.  We have had more problems with equipment than we have ever had in much longer periods in the past.  For those of you who aren’t boaters, let me tell you that things happen on a boat that you would never put up with in your car or your house.  And, there are not repairmen nor dealers nearby.  The short list of problems is: two problems with the waste disposal system, a dead refrigerator (remember the posts about all the provisioning, much of which is refrigerated), a dinghy motor that wouldn’t go into forward (and not near the boat), the anchor chain ending up in knots after a bumpy ride down the coast, and the watermaker leaking and not taking in sea water.

Fortunately, Tom was able to fix or diagnose all of the problems, and we are, right this minute, in a steady state.  Which is good because a front is coming through, the wind has shifted and the wind is howling.  If we were in Upstate New York, we’d be expecting to lose our power about now. 

But, we’ve been anchored in a wonderful bay near Cayo Costa Island (mostly a state park) only accessible by boat.  We’ve had a great time and had very comfortable temperatures for the past five days.  Today, we walked part of the beach and picked up litter.  Although we filled a garbage bag, it seemed as though the beach was in much better shape than in previous years when we had done this.  This afternoon, Tom mentioned a saying that "cruising is fixing your boat in a series of exotic locations".  I was hoping that this week was the exception and that we were just getting all the kinks out of the system.

Pictures of this exotic location will be posted soon!

Joyce  
Cayo Costa Island
Lee County, Florida

S/V Barefoot Departs

Well we finally left Bradenton for the first leg of our cruise! After a load of wash, some last-last minute shopping, and a trip to our storage unit, we left Twin Dolphin Marina about noon on Wednesday. That day we just went about 4 miles down the Manatee River for an early morning departure down the coast.

We were underway the next day around 3:30 AM transiting the lower section of the river in the dark (tricky).  We put the sails up just outside the river, sailing across Tampa Bay, out the Southwest channel, and then around 57 miles down the west coast of Florida to Boca Grande channel. It was a great sail, but a long cool day!

We anchored in Pelican Bay, Cayo Costa Island, Florida just before dark.  This is a beautiful anchorage that we have been in many times before.  It is interesting that this island was the subject of a magazine article that I (Tom) read almost 30 years ago that first piqued my interest in cruising.  That was before we even knew how to sail, but the concept of going places you could only reach by boat was fascinating to me; very fitting that it is our first stop on our cruise this year.

 We will be blogging about our trip regularly, but will be pushing out Facebook posts or emails only occasionally.  If you get a chance, check out our travels at http://svbarefoot.blogspot.com/.  There is a section in the upper left entitled Maps, with a link entitled Cruise 2011-12 that shows a Google map of our travels.

Tom
Cayo Costa Island
Lee County, Florida