Thanksgiving @ Useppa Island

We safely traversed the channel out of the Redneck Riviera -- with Touch N Go leading the way.

The 21 miles was rife with wildlife -- manatee, lots of dolphins playing our wake and a flock of white pelicans (quite unique to this area of western Florida).

Useppa Island is a little slice of paradise! We had a lovely evening with Stu & Diana on Wednesday evening and then a delightful Thanksgiving Day, beginning with Willy's infamous cured salmon and then a sumptuous buffet at the Collier Inn, dining on the patio.

Friday morning dawned with clouds and rain -- providing the appropriate weather for our sadness that our week of travel with good friends had come to an end. Ivory Lady departed in the rain for the 60 mile trip to Marco Island Yacht Club and Touch N Go headed north to Bird Key.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is the last leg of our journey (80+ miles of open water across Florida Bay) -- and we are really excited about seeing our friends and settling in for a few weeks at our winter home. We're starting out at first light to take advantage of the most water in the back channel behind Marco Island. We're projected to get the "tail end" of the cold front racing across the US, so we'll have some wind, but should not be much!