DAYS 166- 168 : Anna Maria Anchorage to Manasota Key Anchorage - Cayo Costa Anchorage

Anna Maria to Manasota Anchorage: 7.6 mph; 48.1 miles; 6:20 hours

Manasota to Boca Grande: (mileage is missing from Nebo - stopped for a pump out)

Boca Grande to Cayo Costa: 6.0 mph; 5.3 miles; 0:52 hours



Manasota Key: Lemon Bay: Englewood Beach Area: North of Pelican Bay {before the Beach Road bridge}:

Tricky anchorage, that’s true for all of the Gulf Coast, but a steady hold. A few sailboats are here too so we knew LegaSea would be safe. Great music from Snook’s Bayside Restaurant & Tiki Bar, sweet southern rock. 


Side Note: The majority of boaters in Florida are single minded; they have no problem passing you within 15 feet at full speed when you are at idle … in the idle designated area.





Cayo Costa:

Beautiful anchorage outside a state park with a ton of boats. The park has a dock and some wall space that’s all first come first serve. It’s all DRY docking too - no water or power. The locals seem to have a routine and it was beautiful to watch. Everyone worked together - love boaters.


Like I said, it’s a state park with a shower house, bathrooms, small ‘store’, campsites and small lodges - a $2 honor fee for admission not sure about the other pricing. There's a ferry delivering folks from the larger islands; if you're lucky, you can catch the tram associated with the ferry to take you across the island. I wasn’t so lucky so my adventure was a 4 mile hike. It’s a straight shot across the island so no big deal.


Once you hit the beach, turn left and shell away! Don’t forget to look in the surf for shells and creatures. There were a ton of washed up sea urchins and I found a living Welk a little over a foot long. I saw some kids, ‘about my size’, and asked if they were brave enough to see it, and they had a ball! Me too, I love being around children.It was a great day! How will I ever give up teaching for retirement?


During our anchorage, we had a Joliet Wall Looper reunion with M2V. Wow, time has skipped a few beats. We swapped “river” stories. Everyone has an experience!


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