It is warming up. I can believe 80s today. On the run
up Pine Island Sound to Cayo Costa, we detoured to see the fishing houses
ESE of Useppa. As I stuck the camera out of the window to take the first
picture above, an osprey dipped a fish out of the water close enough to
splash the camera. Sorry, no picture. Our first night, we anchored in
Pelican Bay inside the hook at the southern end of Punta Blanca. This is a
real hurricane hole. We were treated to dolphins jumping out of the water –
either chasing fish or exploding airborne for the sheer fun of it.
The next morning, we secured to the docks on the other
side of Pelican Bay and took the flatbed shuttle about a mile to the Gulf
side of the island. The campground had been denuded during the last
hurricane – Wilma. A white sandy beach curved off in the distance toward
the Boca Grande Channel into Charlotte Harbor to the north and as far as you
could see to the south.
The entrance into Pelican Bay that faces Boca Grande is
lined with white sandy beaches deep enough to put your bow to. Quite a few
boats were enjoying the warmth and the sand on the President’s Day weekend.
On our last evening in the bay, we turned a point and found Kant Miss at
anchor - pleasant surprise. We rafted and enjoyed a nice visit.