alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724985533080662242" />The wind had been blowing a steady 20 - 25 knots from the north-east forever, or so it seemed to us. The seas surrounding the Keys were a white-capped five to eight feet. Not a boat had stirred from the harbour for days, and if any boats had arrived they were out of luck, as not one of the 250 or so moorings in the harbour was free. But the sun usually kept on shining, and the temperatures topped out at around 28C each day. We were still in paradise.....if a bit worn around the edges. Then we had a bright idea- we would abandon ship and have a few days respite visiting some good friends who were wintering on the west coast of the sunshine state. No sooner said than done! Arrangements were made to visit Gloria and Frank in Siesta Key and Garth & Linda in Port Charlotte.
Our drive took us about six hours. As we crossed the state on 'Alligator Alley' we listened to an interesting broadcast about the Everglades - its' creatures, and the efforts being made to preserve this unique ecosystem.
Gloria & Frank's lovely condo was right on the beach in the quiet end of Siesta Key, just south of Sarasota. Siesta Key's beach has been voted #1 beach in America, so we were keen to try it out! We were not disappointed. We spent our days swimming, beach walking, exploring the sights of this lovely area, and enjoying every minute of the wonderful warm hospitality of good friends.
The second part of our 'escape' took us a short way south to 'Riverwood' in the Port Charlotte area, and Garth & Linda's winter home. 'Riverwood' is a large, gated community. Each home looks out on to a lake, river or golf course, and the homes are beautiful. A large portion of the residents are snowbirds from the northern states and Canada, and it is a very friendly place with lots going on. While we were there, Garth & Linda took us on a drive to the little village of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island - a charming village with a beautiful and very accessible beach. We had a memorable lunch at the 'Pink Elephant' restaurant beside a creek - just one of many lovely eating establishments in this very special corner of Florida.
We enjoyed our five day break very much, and found it interesting to see the winter homes and observe the habitat of other snowbirds!
And so back to 'Southern Vectis'. We found her still afloat - some friendly neighbours had watched over her during our absence, so all was well. What was even better was that the wind had gone down and changed direction towards the south. This meant that, over the past few days there has been a huge exodus of boats, either to the north, or to the Bahamas. There are actually empty mooring balls around us now, though there was a small hiatus a few days ago when a tall mast knocked down a cable at the entrance to the harbour and we were all trapped on our sheltered pond for a few days. But that has been fixed now, and the 'boat drain' from the harbour continues as 'the season' winds down.
We have decided that our exercise regime each day will be cycling far and wide! We have to do this in the morning as it gets too hot later, but we usually aim for a tiki bar at some point during our trip! A couple of days ago we cycled out over the old railway bridge to Pigeon Key, which was the base for workers building Henry Flager's 'railroad to the sea' exactly 100 years ago. Flagler, with money from oil and saw mills, was responsible for turning this previously steamy, uninviting and mosquito-ridden state into the tourist mecca it is today. Once the 'Florida East Coast Railroad' was completed in 1912, it was possible to travel in comfort from New York to Key West, and from their to Havana, in 48 hours.
We will be moving 'Southern Vectis' off her mooring to a dock at the 'Sombrero Key Boatman Marina' on Sunday in preparation for Louisa, Steve and the boys' visit on Monday. We have made a long list of things to do and see for the five days they are here .....but maybe they will just want to sit on a beach and swim! We'll play it by ear, and enjoy our time in the sun with them all.
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