We were anchored in Smokehouse Bay, Marco Island, for two weeks. While the bay is quite large, there were never more than four boats anchored there and usually just us and one other “permanent resident” aka the guy who doesn’t use pumpout facilities. He left a few days ago to stay at a friend’s dock and we were alone for our last two days until tonight. Then, a 38 ft. Manta sailboat entered the bay and anchored near us.
Go Lassie Go seemed like an odd name, but at dusk we had a better guess at the meaning. The beauty of this anchorage is how peaceful and quiet it is. Sometimes, for a few hours, one of the nearby Esplanade restaurants has live music and that was happening tonight. The music is never annoying, and ends long before bedtime.Tonight we heard another sound, oddly like bagpipes. Going out on the deck, we saw the above view....a sailor standing on his hard bimini, dressed in Scottish kilts and blowing on his bagpipe! (Someone needs to tell him to change the color of his sailbag since he doesn’t show up well in a photo against it.) We listened to a few songs and when he stopped, cheers were heard from the condo buildings on shore. We added our applause. He bowed and the concert ended. Daisy wasn’t interested in the music and continued to rest under the salon table wishing there was air conditioning blowing on her. (Notice her right paw wrapped around the table leg.) Yes, that is a dog bed, but sometimes she prefers to use it as a pillow.
Thus ended a very pleasant, relaxed visit to Marco Island. We did have to leave several days ago to go to a marina to get a pumpout, water, and fuel, but a few hours later we were back in our spot. The first week we were here the weather was rainy most of the time. For the past week, the sun has shone daily with a light breeze keeping the 80 degree weather comfortable. Going ashore was easy and we usually went to the dock near Winn Dixie. Starbucks was close by and lucky me.....half price frappuccinos all week long were a welcome surprise. We went out to dinner several times with our friends Lynn and Shelley. A Mexican restaurant nearby was quite good as was a Chinese takeout. Almost all of the restaurants have outside seating so Daisy always came with us. She, too, likes frappuccinos, although she doesn’t get her own....just licks the cup when I’m done.
One day we took our folding bikes ashore in the dinghy and explored part of the island. We went to “Olde Marco” expecting cute little shops and trendy places to eat like in most tourist towns. We discovered that olde just meant old in Marco Island, with older condo buildings, older businesses, and older restaurants. Snooky’s Restaurant seems to be a local draw, as it was very busy at noon on a Tuesday. It seems that Marco Island residents are not interested in appealing to tourists. There are strip mall shops which would are probably used by residents, not tourists. Yes, there are a few “beachy” stores and the inevitable shop selling crafts made from shells. But overall, this town is for the people who live there, whether for 1 month, 6 months or 12 months. Nearby Naples has all the occasionally needed malls and big box stores.
The population of Marco Island is about 1/3 locals and 2/3 snowbirds. We stopped by an “artist colony” series of shops in the Esplanade area near us. One of the artists gave us a brief history of Marco Island. At one time it was only accessible by boat, but in the 60’s the Corps of Engineers came to the island and dug numerous canals. It is a well planned city and a vast majority of the houses are “on the water.” The woman told us that it was marketed to people in the Midwest and New York. Having lived in Columbus for 25 years, I know that most retirees head to the Florida Gulf Coast, most notably Naples and Marco. A little farther north, the Ft. Myers area has an annual get-together for Minnesotans.
We noticed a number of houses that already, in early May, have their hurricane shutters up and many snowbirds have gone home up north. The house in the photo at the right is fairly typical of the many huge mansions along the canals. Amazingly, houses are selling quickly in the area, many with multi-million dollar price tags. Of course, most are on the water, which elevates the prices even higher.
The people here are very laid back. The traffic is light and polite. This afternoon we walked to a Walgreens and while we waited to cross the street, we heard loud music coming from a truck. I commented to Mark that this is the first time we heard this noise, a very common experience in most of the cities we have visited in Florida.
We had planned on leaving today but last night we checked the weather forecast on several sites and on local TV. Storms were predicted for late night through noon today. We only need two good days to get to Marathon, so we decided to leave on Friday. Of course, when we woke up this morning, the skies were blue with fluffy white clouds. Not a problem as we have no schedule, but there are storms forecast for the East Coast on Florida beginning Sunday or Monday and continuing for several days. We’d like to be tucked in, connected to a solid mooring ball in Marathon when the storms come, if they do.