Tuesday, January 29, 2019
We haven't moved around much in the past week, partially because we love this area and partially because the weather has not been cooperative. There have been some windy, rainy and chilly days, but we are definitely not complaining (we realize we still have it quite good compared to up North!). We stayed at Cayo Costa until last Saturday (totaling almost a week) - here are some more pics:
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| Part of Cayo Costa island |
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| I am titling this picture "Pre-flight" : ) |
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| Serene beaches |
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| Ferns growing on tree trunks on the island interior |
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| Road connecting the boat dock to the camping area and beach |
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| Another glorious sunset |
During one night of particularly strong winds, one of the sailboats near us dragged anchor and was left quite aground on one of the many shallow spots. It turns out that the two couples onboard had rented the sailboat and apparently weren't very familiar with how to anchor securely (and thus they had quite an uncomfortable night!). We went by in our dinghy to offer moral support and to cheer on the TowBoat US team. We took pictures as the process of getting them "unstuck" unfolded and texted the couple onboard the pics so they could see what was happening as well. They finally succeeded in getting back afloat just as the tide was turning - thank goodness! It was really interesting to watch the procedure TowBoat US used - placing inflatable bladders under the boat then inflating them enough so they could pull the boat loose (hopefully without damaging anything).
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| TowBoat US to the rescue! |
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| The water was actually pretty cold, and it took over an hour |
For a slight change of pace, we decided to move a bit northward to an anchorage by Don Pedro State Park, which also has an island/beach accessible only by boat (which makes for awesome shelling).
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| An overgrown sign for the State Park |
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| More dinghy adventures getting to the park |
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| Calm reflections |
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| We had a section of the island to ourselves for a while! |
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| Beach entrance |
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| More interesting driftwood |
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| Mark looking for sharks' teeth - he's really good at spotting them! |
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| Mark coming to pick me up (he has much less stamina/patience for beach combing than I do) |
Mark was determined to get the water maker operational before our journey to the Bahamas; however, it turned out to be a "delightfully challenging" undertaking. After ordering and receiving new membrane filters (old, dirty ones pictured here), Mark figured out (after a bit of trial and error) how to get them installed and running. We can now make our own fresh water!!!
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| Pieces/parts of the feisty water maker system |
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Yet another sketchy dinghy tie-up spot - at least there was the drainage pipe to step on to get up.
There was a grocery store and a UPS store (where the water maker parts were shipped) within easy walking distance |
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Thug is wondering where the warm weather went.......
Pets are not allowed on the State Park beaches, so Thug has been getting some quality nap time |
We are going to move slightly northward again tomorrow, probably near Stump Pass State Park and Englewood, FL so we can hopefully connect with some family there this weekend. Here's hoping for some warmer weather everywhere - thanks for joining us!!!
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| My search for "Happy Shells" is ongoing... |
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