Another day that just wasn’t right for paddling. We took a boat ride from nearby McCarthy’s Marina through Pine Island Sound to the islands of Cabbage Key and Useppa. Both are accessible only by boat. It was a fast catamaran with a guide. The day started out fairly windy as Hurricane Sandy was pummeling the Bahamas. But overall it really was a nice ride and very informative. The guide pointed things out as we rode along the islands and gave us a bit of history of the various islands. Along Captiva Island there are multiple passes that various hurricanes have cut since the early 1900’s. Some of these inhabited barrier islands have no access other than boats and some are mostly “off the grid” with homeowners having to provide all their own utilities.
Maria, Lorrie and Anne got off at Cabbage Key where we took a short hike on a nature trail and had a great lunch at the Inn.
Florida Strangler Fig on Cabbage Key
Eating again. We were three of seven people at the restaurant. The place is covered in tens of thousands of dollar bills that people have taped to the walls, ceilings – every surface. Lorrie’s mission was to take a Bahamian Dollar sent by Capt Jack and put it right at the mouth of the Tarpon. And we did. Picture below to prove it. The place has great ambiance – it was the home of mystery author Mary Reinhardt and her family who bought the island for $2500, put another $125,000 into the home and island amenities back in the 1920’s.
Kathy took the boat to Useppa Island and took the museum tour and wandered the private island. You have to be a member or a guest of a member to even set foot on the island so in all their years of cruising the area, she and Bud had never actually been on Useppa. With the ferry/tour the passengers are considered guests of the boat owner who is a member.
On the way back we passed a few historical fishing shacks where professional fisherman lived for months on end before World War II without electricity or plumbing. These fish cabins — some of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places — are the legacy of a thriving industry that worked Charlotte Harbor waters before World War II. Fishermen netted fish by hand and stored their catch in the fish companies’ ice houses, where boats picked up the harvest and carried it to Punta Gorda. The red one pictured below is one of the only original shacks that has survived.
We have really been enjoying the Tween Waters resort and its amenities. We swam in the pool again and had a light dinner again at their casual restaurant The Crows Nest. Highly recommend the clams and mussel marinara dish preceded by bruschetta. After dinner we sat on the chairs out on the Gulf to look at the almost full moon and the stars. Good thing we did that on Friday night because later in the evening the wind shifted as a cold front moved in. The humidity dropped by morning and the wind speeds were up to 25 knots with gusts higher. That combined with the remnants of Hurricane Sandy makes for some rough water everywhere.
The funny story for the day was the lady working at the Tween Waters Marina store. Kathy was shopping for boat shoes and the lady looks at her and says “Those are boat shoes you know, for people who go on boats”. Kathy just looked at her not responding and wondered what category she fell into.
