Slow Cruise

We have been this path before. It's mostly cities, some mid-size like Stuart, other major ones like West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. Also, we were there during Christmas Holidays, which was nice.
Travelled mostly inside Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). Oh yea - the "Bridge Hell"!

Honestly, I was expecting more form the Keys - clear waters, beaches, etc. - like in the brochure. Apparently, most of this is available if travelling either by car or by small shallow draft boat. With deep draft sailing boat like outs, many places are too shallow to reach. Also, some townships, having bad experience with liveaboards and derelict boats, became hostile to cruisers and boaters in general, blocking shore access in Key Largo, for example.
Liked "The Flats", with islands and water mazes, had pleasant stays.

Key West was an interesting town to visit - touristy, but has it own mixed character. Quite few places to see.
Good marine and other supplies.

I've hared Everglades are an amazing place for nature lovers - mangrove forests, winding rivers, fishing, lots of natural life, etc. That's all true, however - THE BUGS! Depending where you are and at what time of the year (even in winter), they could be killing all the fun :-(. In one place, we were anchored a mile away from the shore on a calm day, and bugs would not let us to enjoy the place. In another place, just several miles away, there were no bug on the beach even around sunset.
Will be back to explore the area more.

Marco Island and Naples were nice places to stay. We also traveled Venice during vacation some years ago, however the city does not have a suitable anchorage - next time we will get a marina if we decide to stay here.
Visiting further north just few month after devastating hurricane Ian hit SW FL. Lots of destruction around Ft. Myers and Sanibel/Captiva islands, so just passing through the area - will be visiting in some years later.

We liked Sarasota and other places, such as Siesta Keys, Lido Beach, Bredenton and Palmetto. We sailed North, ending trip just before Tampa, were we've left our boat in the storage at the end of the sailing season.
Unfortunately, we were here during the "red tide" - time when algae depletes oxygen in the water, causing massive fish deaths, along with stinking smell and poison in the air. Oh well, it's unfortunate but sometimes it happens here.

Starting a new cruising season.
Our original plan was to continue North, toward the Florida Panhandle and further West along the Gulf's North Coast, all the way to New Orleans. However, after spending unusually cold January in the Tampa Area and realizing by moving further North we will be chasing cold temperatures, we have decided to reverse our course and head South, toward warmer weather and to be closer to the Bahamas for the trip next season.
We had a good time in Pinellas, FL: St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach and Clearwater.
Visited John's Pass Annual Seafood Festival: was expecting more, as food choices are mostly fixed (combo'ed with rice, etc) and overpriced.
Gulfport was a nice little town to visit.

While staying in Boca Ciega Bay, we took a bus trip to downtown St. Petersburg.
Very nice waterfont park area.

This is the area of Manatee River, between Bradenton and Palmetto. Both towns are typical for the SW FL - unassuming, with some activities at times. Also, this is where we kept our boat for one season.

Moving slowly South along the Gulf Coast.
Noticed the engine heat exchanger's potential problems, and decided to replace it. Stayed for a couple of weeks near Englewood while waiting for the part. Further South towards Ft. Myers we can still see some damage from the hurricane a couple of years ago.

Sanibel and Captiva supposedly have some of the best shelling beaches in the world. Honestly, we weren't impressed.
They are fairly touristy islands.

Ft. Myers Beach is nicely recovering from the hurricane - most businesses are open, and people are visiting.
We were on the city's mooring ball during our stay here, as there was no anchorage near the area we wanted. We explored the town and beach, stocked up on groceries, etc.

Charlotte Harbor was our final cruising area for this season before we put our boat on land for the season.
We have visited a few places around the area, including Pine Island and Punta Gorda.