GL: Suggested Florida Itinerary

[Randy Pickelmann]

Ken,
I suggest that you get you genset serviced and use it as needed, which won't
be often in the winter.  There are so many great anchorages on the west coast
of Florida that it would be a shame to spend all your time in a marina.  Plus,
you can run the genset a lot for the cost of marina slip fees.

A few "don't miss" places are:
1.    Sarasota - the City Marina (Marina Jack's) is located on the downtown
waterfront.  Shops and good restaurants abound.  The Ringling Museum is a
short cab ride away, as is St. Armand's Circle.
2.    Boca Grande - Take a slip in a marina or anchor in the basin, with your
stern to the mangroves.  Great town for a stroll.  Good restaurants.  See how
the rich folk live on their winter "break".  A friend of mine put it well when
he said "All the damn rich people are running us millionaires out of town"!
Pres Bush (Sr.) used to spend the week between Christmas and New Year at the
old Gasparilla Inn.  Always a side-show when that circus comes to town.
3.    Pelican Bay, at Cayo Costa.  Just south of Boca Grande Pass.  Beautiful
anchorage, beautiful beach, short dinghy ride to Cabbage Key.
4.    South Seas Plantation on Captiva Island.  With all the money you have
saved by anchoring out you should be able to afford a night or two there.
This is a world-class resort.  Don't even think about a holiday weekend -
$5/ft-3 night minimum.  They closed for two years after hurricane Charlie and
spent $140M renovating.
5.    The Keys are full of places to anchor or you can join in with the crowd
at Marathon and pick up a mooring in Boot Key Harbor.  There are slips to be
had and last year the marinas were far from full because of the economy.  We
spent about $900/month for our 36' boat.

The left coast of Florida is a great cruising location.  Let me know when you
are in the area.
Regards,
Randy Pickelmann
MORNING STAR
lying in Clearwater, FL
www.morningstar.talkspot.com