It is possible to travel an inland route for about 10 miles north from Marco towards Naples. That was our intention, but there was a decent wind from the southwest so we went out Capri Pass from Marco and sailed north and west outside. The wind soon died and we were condemned to powering for a couple of hours, but by lunchtime the wind came back up and we enjoyed good sailing conditions for the rest of the day. By the time we got within seven or eight miles of Sanibel Island the wind was blowing hard enough that we changed to a smaller jib. It also shifted more to the NW which made it harder to sail. We finished the day under power, in around Point Ybel Lighthouse and docked at the Sanibel Marina. The Marina was closed by then but we had called ahead and gotten a slip assignment. It turned out to be extremely tight quarters- if we were a couple of feet longer we would not have been able to make the turn into the slip. but we did manage to get docked before dark, and went to the adjacent restaurant for dinner. They were about to close, but fixed us takeout seafood baskets to take back on board which were delicious. The day was longer both in miles and time then I had estimated, and we are glad to be here and will not try to put in long miles tomorrow.
I should have mentioned earlier that we have been surprised by the number of cruising catamarans we have seen in the Keys and along the southwest coast of Florida. About a third to half of the boats we have seen have been catamarans. Not my style, but for comfort and shoal draft they have become very popular. Some of them are also pretty fast. I might also mention that hardly anyone cruises in a boat as small as our 25 footer. I guess they want a boat where two people can pass by each other down below, or sleep facing the opposite directions.
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