SW Florida trip / ride report

richforman · 11-27-2007, 12:32 PM

No winterization for me this year! My 'ski arrived in Marco Island last Tuesday a day before my wife and I arrived for our five-day Thanksgiving visit to my mom and step-dad with all my siblings, step-siblings and their s.o.'s on hand visitng; it was sitting on the lift that my step-dad's friend is generously letting me use for the whole winter, when we arrived by air on Wednesday. The 'ski lift is great, much easier to use than i thought it would be, I had in the past used the kind (at my friend's marina here in L.I.) that has two big straps hanging down that you position on either side of the 'skis rub-rails; this one instead just had two trailer-type bunks that drive onto and a control with an "Up" and "Down" button to bring the whole thing up or drop it back down into the water - a cinch even for a spaz like myself. Anyway! I was relieved to find that the shipping guy I hired thru uShip.com, was able to successfully launch my 'ski at a local ramp as planned, ride through the canals to the gentleman's house, get it up on the lift and flushed out without incident; I went on a short ride to gas it up and make sure the 'ski was running correctly, when we arrived in town on Wednesday.

Thanksgiving day we stayed on land with the family; Friday afternoon I took my wife out on the 'ski for a few hours, she took some pictures of this shipwrecked tipped-over sailboat that sticks out of the Marco River; then went into Rookery Bay, venturing off the marked Marco-to-Naples waterway at marker 46 to explore the bay and look for dolphins, then gassed up and came back. This guy lives at the outer (or inner I guess) reaches of a long system of residential canals that requires about a 40-minute (30 if you cheat a little) no-wake zone to get out to open water (where it's still actually no-wake, in the Marco River until you get out onto the gulf or onto the Naples waterway where you can go 30), it's pretty but gets old quick after doing it a couple times back and forth!

Saturday we woke before the sun to go on our "big" ride for the trip, all the way north on the gulf to Sanibel where we walked on the beach, collected shells, a litle swimming, snacking and toking; the Gulf was just lightly rippled on the way up in the morning (we were on it for I think about a 35 mile stretch, then I came into Big Carlos Pass and took Estero Bay past Fort Meyers Beach, exploring some of the mangrove trails); when we headed back south in the afternoon, the weather was starting to seem a litle grimmer, so after crossing back to the mainland from Sanibel, I tucked in again at Big Carlos Pass and this time headed south through the tiny back-bay channels, following my gps to a marina in Bonita Bay I think, which the gps indicated sold gas. When we got close to there and I zoomed in the gps, I realized that the ony way to this marina was under a low bridge that (at that time anyway) just cleared my 'ski's handlebars, we would have had to duck our heads and bodies way down and pray to make it under, which my wife was not interested in doing. When I realized there was no other way, we were dangerously low on gas now and still had a long way back to Marco Island before dark, I let her off on a rickety dock just nearby and instructed her to walk across the street and meet me on the other side of the bridge (so she would be crossing the width of the bridge, a small road, not its length of course), neither of us knowing what would be on the other side but we'd try to meet there in a few minutes! So I positioned my adjustable gps mount all the way horizontally (at which point it's about flush with the handlebars), ducked my head down below the handlebars and began idling under the bridge basically praying that it would maintain the same clearance through to the other side. Well it worked out okay, my wife had to walk waaay around a fence to figure out how to get to me on the other side of the bridge, and miracoulously, we got to the marina ("Back Bay Marina"), it existed, was open, and sold us gas! It was actually one of those kind of exciting adventures you sometimes have on the water where you have to make a couple quick command decisions that carry some uncertainty, and it is such a huge relief and a sense of accomplishment when it works out! A conversation with the guy at the marina and another look at the gps revealed that if I just continued on this narrowing backwater channel south for another 2 miles it would take me to Wiggins Pass back out to the gulf; when we got there the sky had cleared up, wind had pretty much died, and the gulf was now beautifully flat for a very enjoyable 22-mile cruise back to Marco Island as the sun was starting to set a little.

Now after a beautiful, successful day out on the water (had had my doubts in the morning, weather forecast was far from optimal but it turned out just fine), we had what could have been a big problem back at the jetski lift; turned out it was dead and would not bring my 'ski up; the guy whose house it was wasn't back from his own trip away for a few days (was coming back that evening), so I had to leave the 'ski sitting in the salt water tied up at his dock overnight wondering what would happen since the next day was Sunday, we probably wouldn't be able to get anybody to come lock at the lift, and we were leaving home for NY that afternoon (Sunday), no telling if/when I'd be able to get the 'ski out of the water, or if my step-dad or this guy Norm whose house the 'ski was at, would be available/willing/able to flush it out for me afterwards or when. Well I lucked out, that all worked out okay too; the service guy did come the next day and I was able to get the 'ski out of the water and flushed/washed out myself the next afternoon before we had to leave, so now it is sitting there waiting for our next visit and rides in about a month around XMas. My previous plan for that trip was to head south and make our way to the middle keys for an overnight stay but I've pretty much rethought that, I'll skip that long unsupported ride along the everglades (would be better with buddies or solo rather than with the wife I think), and instead, again head north toward Sanibel, this time go farther and plan an overnight tie-up and stay somewhere around Ft. Myers or Port Charlotte I guess it is, giving us more time and breathing room to explore Sanibel and other spots in the area instead of having to make it there and back on the same day.

Oh well, just had to share. Of course we had other little mini-episodes and mishaps along the way, including both a manatee-zone speeding ticket in Marco Island and a warning/write-up in Ft. Myers Beach the following day, man, your water cops are strict down there (maybe they just can't resist nabbing a pwc with NY reg!), and also AARRGHH! my wife somehow lost her new waterproof camera that I had gotten her just for the occassion (a SeaLife EcoShot 621), I couldn't and can't really say much, I've certainly lost enough stuff out there!, so I just got her a single-use waterproof Polaroid for the Saturday ride and will splurge and get her another one for the next trip. The great thing for me was we saw and rode around tons of dolphins close-up, didn't land in the middle of any huge pods of them, but we encountered plenty out in the back bays and waterways, tried to approach them as close as possible and just watch them jump in and out of the water a couple time before disappearing, anyway that is always a big thrill for me.

So I'll come back with another long pointless boring ride report in about a month!

richforman

KingTut · 11-27-2007, 01:21 PM

Sounds like you had a good ride Rich. As for a waterproof camera, The Olympus sw790 seems to be working well for a couple of my friends and is also shock/drop and freeze proof at 7.1 mp.
http://cameras.pricegrabber.com/digi...ord=sw790/rd=1

richforman · 11-27-2007, 01:31 PM

Hey thanks Tut - turns out I was just looking at some good deals on that exact same model. It'll be either that or one of the Pentax's.

richforman

devastator · 12-10-2007, 05:45 PM

mann, when you tell a story, you really tell it. those water speeding tickets suck but I am glad that you had a great respite. you should leave your fxho in fl permanently and buy a new one for ny usage; after all your name is Rich... right! lol!
btw, my recent cruise was awesome and cheap too. I went with my brother's family. one of his kids got sick and I was fortunate enough to take his place a day before the scheduled trip. I did not ski in cozumel cause they had too many limitations and wanted $79 for half an hour on a cheap pwc. rich, you need to go on one of those cruises with your family, they are all inclusive and very affordable. you'll have a ball!

richforman · 12-10-2007, 06:29 PM

Hey Ray,

I know, I'd love to take the family on a cruise like that but my wife isn't too crazy about the idea, she really doesn't like being on boats (likes riding the jetski with me though as long as the water is calm and the weather is warm!), she'll do an occassional boating activity with me on vacation but wouldn't like the idea of being on one for days at a time. But I'm really glad you got to go - I know, I have pretty much long since given up on the "go back and forth between those two buoys" type jetski rentals in the tropics, they just suck when you're used to riding your own machine around. I'll do it if they have like a half-day or all-day group tour through some interesting scenery or something like that. Anyway Ray I wanna talk to you again about the idea of the possible Feb. trip to Florida. Howie sounds like he can't do it, is planning another quad-riding trip out to California at that time, but maybe you and I could do it - you have the double trailer, right? - maybe we could drive down together, split the driving and expenses, do some riding for a couple days in SW Fla., I could show you some awesome riding grounds, and (my ulterior motive) afterwards my 'ski could hop a ride back with us on the trailer.

richforman

devastator · 12-10-2007, 07:05 PM

sounds like a plan with the double trailer to FL although I would like to try the california quad thing as well. call me when you get some free time and we'll talk about it. happy holidays good buddy!

The Greygoose · 12-18-2007, 11:20 AM

Sounds like a fun trip.Yes,the water cops LOVE ticketing PWCs here.

tmetz · 12-18-2007, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Greygoose

Sounds like a fun trip.Yes,the water cops LOVE ticketing PWCs here.

especially down by key waden. They will pull a jet skier over for no apparent reason. I quit riding down there, because they are such a$$holes down there.

The Greygoose · 12-20-2007, 10:58 AM

Yeah-it seems to be getting worse.

richforman · 12-20-2007, 12:58 PM

Well, wish me luck, I will be on the water three in that area three days in the coming week, hopefully avoiding getting pulled over. I think I know the basic rules, I'll try my best to avoid the loooong idle-speed zones, those are harsh and they really seem to give you no leeway. Here in NY, there are 5mph no-wake zones but that is not the same as idle-speed-only.

Last time I was unpleasantly surprised to see a big "no pwc" sign at the entrance to Tarpon Bay in Sanibel, where I'd been hoping to explore. This time I am hoping to go farther north and also explore Captiva, North Captiva and especially Cayo Costa. Any other no-pwc signs on those or the other nearby islands anyone can give me a heads-up on? I want to maybe tie up to the dock that I think is on the west shore of Pelican Bay, on the northeast tip of Cayo Costa, (have been studying some charts and cruising guides!) take a break and do some exploring on foot from there. Any pwc problems there? Then it looks like there is a tiny cove on protected by I guess a big sandbar, at one point on the gulf side of CC, where I'm thinking maybe I can beach the 'ski without it being pounded by waves, and that way get to do some shelling/walking with the wife there on the gulf side of the island. Wish I had more time to really explore the whole area further, I'll be riding around there basically for an afternoon (weather looks great for that day, Sunday) and then staying overnight at a little resort in nearby Ft. Myers Beach.

richforman