Tug Cruising Florida's West Coast (April 18 - May 3)

       Cruising with the Tug on the West Coast of Florida

Here is a brief update of our Tug cruise up the West Coast of Florida. The trip begins in San Carlos Bay where we are staying on Pine Island, a 16-mile long island located between the mainland of Florida and the more famous barrier islands of Sanibel and Captiva. From this location we have cruised south to Fort Myers Beach visiting many of the dockside restaurants and bars. This included passing by Green Buoy #1 the start of the Intracoastal Waterway as well as Buoy #101, the end of the Okeechobee Waterway.

Tomorrow we will swim the unpopulated beaches of North Captiva Island as well as Cayo Costa-stopping to get a Cheeseburger in Paradise in the famous hamburger stand on Cabbage Key.  On Thursday, we will cruise across Charlotte Harbor, passing by Boca Grande. The Tug has a transient slip waiting at the Palm Island Resort and Marina in Cape Haze.  We will spend our time between the marina/condo on the mainland proper and the shark teeth-infested beaches of Don Pedro Key across the Intracoastal Waterway.  We will leave early the next morning in order to arrive in time for lunch at the Crow’s Nest Marina & Tavern in the waterfront town of Venice.  After lunch we will head north towards Sarasota, spending the night at Marina Jacks.  At sunrise, we will continue northward towards Tampa Bay, where we have transient docking accommodations at the beautiful Twin Dolphins Marina in downtown Bradenton on the Manatee River.  On the cruise the next day, we hope to make Clearwater before nightfall.  We may very well be spending the night on-the-hook.  The next morning we hope to find the Anclote River and the city of Tarpon Springs – famous for its Greek Community to include natural sponges and intoxicating ouzo.

We will spend some time at Miss Vicky’s Beach bar before pulling the Tug out of the water and head via the highway to Apalachicola.  Back into the water at Miller’s Marina, next door to the Apalachicola River Inn, where we will be hosting (please help Melissa) two of Steve’s old Marine Corps buddies, Mike Decker and Ken Pollard.  The Tug will then be rested in a nice dry storage facility nearby until we return to continue our cruise from Panama City, Florida to the east coast of Mobile Bay.