Last evening, the Admiral put me on notice that I would be getting up earlier today so that we could enjoy the day before the afternoon rains start... Thus, thanks to getting up early, we set off at the "crack of 9:00 am". So, here is the dingy beached in bright sun on the southern end of Sanibel Island, which was about a 5 mile dingy ride from our marina. 
For some unknown reason, the Admiral decided that this was an excellent time to take a walk along the beach. I guess that's why she is an Admiral, and I am only the lowly captain??? We had taken our snorkelling gear along, and althoughwe were virtually in the Gulf of Mexico, the brownish color still make visibility very limited. We did learn that the reason this bay is so brown is that the Corps of Engineers is releasing large volumes of water from Lake Okeechobee, which drains out through the city of Ft. Meyers. Guess where we are going next? Well, tomorrow we are headed to Ft. Meyers in preparation to going across central Florida via Lake Okeechobee. The "lake" and surrounding swamps are rich in organics, which are thought to produce the humic acid that gives the water its brownish color. Oh joy! That means that the moustache on the bow of Lucky Us will get even darker...
Just down the beach there was a gathering crowd as a man was trying to land a very large grouper, which might well have been over 4 feet long. Finally, the fish was tiring, and just when it looked like the 30 minute battle might be over... Well, he is lying on his back as he was both exhausted and very disappointed after (you guessed it) the line broke.
Speaking of lying on one's back, I thought that it sounded like a really good idea, and fortunately the Admiral had loaded some water toys on the dingy. 
After lunch, we went to the swimming pool, which is large and very nicely landscaped. After a nap (for me), we unloaded the electric scooters and being mindful of the speed limit in the marina, we set off for the Publix Supermarket only about a mile away - or so I thought. It turns out that there is quite a nice Factory Outlet Mall that just happens to be right across the street from Publix. What a lucky coincidence! I must admit that when we hit the kitchen store even I bought a scraper that ought to help remove barnacles from the dingy.
It would seem that the Admiral is a VERY happy camper! Well, all of us guys know how important that is!
Tomorrow, we are off on a short 16 mile trip to Legacy Harbor Marina right downtown in Ft. Meyers. We are looking forward to seeing boating friends and former neighbors in League City, Bob & Bonnie. They set off on the Great Loop a little over 18 months ago, and after spending some time cruising in this area, they bought a place at Legacy Harbor. They really enjoyed all of the many and different cruising destinations in one area, and after that, I guess that the decision to move was easy... Galveston Bay is very large, but it is so shallow that the number of cruising destinations for a boat like Lucky Us are very limited. A lot of the bays around here are similarly shallow, but they are also full of deep tidal channels that make access VERY MUCH better. Well, we have also enjoyed the cruising around this area, but after 3 nights in Ft. Meyers we will be moving on.
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