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Please Note That Postings Below From Fellow Cruisers Are Listed in Chronological Order, Based on Publication Date
Few Floridian communities are as welcoming to the cruising community as CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, Fort Myers Beach! This is a town that knows how to treat cruisers.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the Fort Myers Beach Mooring Field
Few Floridian communities are as welcoming to the cruising community as CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, Fort Myers Beach! This is a town that knows how to treat cruisers.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the Fort Myers Beach Mooring Field
Few Floridian communities are as welcoming to the cruising community as CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, Fort Myers Beach! This is a town that knows how to treat cruisers.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the Fort Myers Beach Mooring Field
Few Floridian communities are as welcoming to the cruising community as CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, Fort Myers Beach! This is a town that knows how to treat cruisers.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the Fort Myers Beach Mooring Field
Few Floridian communities are as welcoming to the cruising community as CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, Fort Myers Beach! This is a town that knows how to treat cruisers.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the Fort Myers Beach Mooring Field
NEWS From BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
5323 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22151
Read this press release online at: http://bit.ly/46bwFLn
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact:
Alisha Sheth | Senior PR Manager, BoatUS
703-245-2300 | alisha@boatus.com
Capt. Todd & Dominique Dillman with family and TowBoatUS response vessel.
Photo Credit: Dominique Dillman
TowBoatUS Expands Southwest Florida Presence to Goodland
Capt. Todd Dillman’s 4th TowBoatUS location will cut on-water response times
for recreational boaters in the Ten Thousand Islands area
GOODLAND, Fla., Sept. 23, 2025 – TowBoatUS Goodland is now open for boaters who require on-water assistance up the Ten Thousand Islands region. Southwest Florida’s newest TowBoatUS port, which offers professional 24/7 on-water towing and assistance to recreational boaters, will enable faster response times to boaters when dispatched on Marco Island.
“We’re excited to launch our fourth TowBoatUS location, allowing quicker response times for towing assistance. By servicing Goodland, we can respond in 45 minutes or less to the back of Marco Island,” said Capt. Dillman, owner of TowBoatUS Goodland.
Capt. Dillman and his wife, Dominique, also own and operate TowBoatUS Everglades City, Marco Island and Naples. All of the company’s captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed. The towing ports are part of the largest 24/7 on-water towing service in North America with more than 336 locations and 668 red TowBoatUS response vessels. Stationed at the port is a red response vessel fully outfitted for towing and salvage with the ability to service boaters in shallow water.
Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers annual on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for saltwater boaters and anglers for just $175 per year. However, for a limited time only, TowBoatUS Goodland will be offering a $50 discount to new members and TowBoatUS existing members at the Marco Island Boat Show, October 10–12 2025.
“We’re proud to sponsor this year’s boat show, and we encourage new and existing boaters to take advantage of our discounted Towing Membership pricing,” said Dillman.
To request on-water assistance, boaters can call the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869, call the TowBoatUS Goodland port directly at (239) 389-1177 or hail on VHF radio Ch. 16.
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Suggested social media post:
#TowBoatUS Goodland is now open! Boaters in SW Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands area can expect shorter on-water response times and assistance with routine towing, soft ungrounding, battery jumps, and more. http://bit.ly/46bwFLn #BoatUS #redisready #boattow #marinetowing #boattowing #marcoisland #florida #swfl
About TowBoatUS:
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation’s leading advocacy, services and safety group for recreational boaters. We are the Boat Owners Auto Club™ and provide our more than 740,000 members with a wide array of helpful services, including 24-hour on-water towing that gets you safely home when your boat won’t, jump-starts, fuel delivery, and soft ungroundings. The TowBoatUS towing fleet is North America’s largest network of towing ports with more than 330 locations and over 660 red towboats, responding to more than 110,000 requests for assistance each year. The BoatUS App makes it easy to summon water and road assistance 24/7 and can speed response times (BoatUS.com/App). For more information go to BoatUS.com/Towing.
The City of Gulfport and Gulfport Municipal Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, always have a full calendar of events for all ages. The marina and harbor, found on the northern shores of Boca Ciega Bay, are easily accessible from the Western Florida ICW, just north of Tampa Bay.
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Few Floridian communities are as welcoming to the cruising community as CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, Fort Myers Beach! This is a town that knows how to treat cruisers and we are delighted they are reopening following Hurricane Ian.
Click here for Matanzas Pass Mooring Field reopens
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the Fort Myers Beach Mooring Field
When boat owners from across the country make a seasonal visit to Lee County docks, they’ll receive bling bags.
Bling bags welcome visiting boaters to Southwest Florida
The News-Press
Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo
AREA SPONSORING MARINAS
Click Here To View the Cruisers Net Western Florida Marina Directory Listing For Legacy Harbour Marina
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Legacy Harbour Marina
Cick Here To View the Western Florida Marina Directory Listing For Gulf Harbour Marina
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window Zoomed To the Location of Gulf Harbour Marina
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the Fort Myers Beach Mooring Field
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is a group of dedicated cruisers who always provide unique reports from the marinas they visit. Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina, voted Best Small Marina in 2017, overlooks the westerly banks of the Matanzas Pass channel, west of marker #13. Pink Shell Beach Marina is a favorite of the CCCC, see 2020 Cruise to Pink Shell.
August 2020 Pink Shell Cruise
by Commodore Doug Rhees
After several months of quarantine, and adhering to CDC guidelines, the Cape Coral Cruise Club finally put together a cruise with the help of the excellent marina staff at the Pink Shell Resort on Ft, Myers Beach. Dates selected were August 18th-21st. Social distancing and mask wearing protocols assured all attendees remained healthy.
Nine boats ranging in size from 27 to 54 feet attended. A few non boating members joined the group and enjoyed the company of members at two evening dinners. Late afternoon docktail gatherings held on the lawn above the docks where adequate space was available for social distancing. Weather cooperated and made early morning beach walking a treat as, at this time of year, there are no crowds. The resort pools were not crowded as well, and every day provided sun time and an afternoon rain shower to cool things down. Several members enjoyed a memorable dinner at Mantanzas on the Bay the last evening.
The Cape Coral Cruise Club has made adjustments to upcoming Club activities to help assure the safety of members. The Club owns a portion of a spoil Island east of the Franklin lock on the Caloosahatchee River and has decided to hold membership meetings there in conjunction with the Club’s monthly picnics. Cruise locations for the fall have had to be changed due to marinas modifying transient boater rules. However, lots of fun events are in the works for the following cruises: September 17 to 21 at Tween Waters, October 27 to 30 at South Seas Island Resort, and November 17 to 20 at Fisherman’s Village, Punta Gorda.
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is open to new members who own a boat with overnight accommodations and reside in the Cape Coral / Ft. Myers area. For membership information please contact Terry Carlson at 239-770-6955. Read additional Club information on our website, https://ourgrouponline.org/CapeCoralCruiseClub
Attached pictures:
0500 – CCCC member boats at Pink Shell Marina.
0523 – beautiful sunset at Pink Shell, Ft. Myers Beach
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is a group of dedicated cruisers who always provide unique reports from the marinas they visit. Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR and voted Best Small Marina in 2017, overlooks the westerly banks of the Matanzas Pass channel, west of marker #13. Pink Shell Beach Marina is a favorite of the CCCC, see 2019 Cruise to Pink Shell.
CAPE CORAL CRUISE CLUB
CRUISES TO PINK SHELL MARINA
By Captain John Queen, Past Commodore, Cape Coral Cruise Club
Each month, the Cape Coral Cruise Club takes a scheduled cruise to a different marina in SW Florida and stays there for several days enjoying the amenities and hospitality of that area. We do that nine times a year along with an extended cruise each Spring and take a break during the summer months of July and August. For February 2020, our destination of choice was Pink Shell Marina at Fort Myers Beach.
Pink Shell has been a popular destination for the club since the Marina expanded its floating docks a few years ago, and this year was no exception. We had 13 boats arrive on Tuesday, February 18th and it was nice to see the long line of yellow club burgees flying on the bow of each boat. Our club burgee sports our club mascot – a dolphin holding a drink of some sort (an adult beverage, I would surmise). After safely docking Tuesday, club members convened in the late afternoon for cocktails, snacks and conversation. The weather could not have been better.
We fired up the marina’s grill around 5:00 and cooked up hamburgers and hot dogs, and along with a slew of side dishes prepared by club members, had a wonderful feast on the marina lawn.
After dinner, club members returned to the marina lawn to play a little game I called “The Whoa Nellie Jelly Belly Deli”. Each year, when my wife Pati and I host the Club’s cruise to Pink Shell, I’ve created some kind of crazy game for members to play. In this game, there were 40 numbered plastic cups, each with jelly beans underneath. The object was to match 2 cups that had the same quantity and color of jelly beans. Couples took turns picking cups until all pairs were matched. The winners were the couples who had collected the most jelly beans. Additionally, all of the couples walked away with the cool U.S. Coast Guard holographic cups that were used for this game!
Wednesday morning, we provided breakfast for all club members consisting of scrambled eggs, sausage links, fresh fruits and pastries. We had to let the boat air out for a few hours after cooking up all that sausage!
After breakfast, club members met at the marina lawn at 10:00 for second game – a scavenger hunt! The scavenger hunt consisted of 10 questions where all the answers can be found on the property of Pink Shell resort and Marina. For example, one of the questions was “Unscramble ‘BISNALE WIVE’ and ‘PICAVAT SLIVAL’ – which one is ‘190’? These letters unscramble to Sanibel View and Captiva Villas, two of the named buildings on Pink Shell property. The street address for Captiva Villas is 190, hence the answer. Easy, eh?
The rest of Wednesday found many club members relaxing in the pool, walking the beach, or shopping downtown Fort Myers Beach at Times Square. Wednesday evening, the winners of the scavenger hunt were announced and more prizes were awarded. We all took the Lee-Tran open-air tram to Nervous Nellie’s for dinner. We had about 30 members in attendance and the restaurant provided us with great food, drinks, and a private area to dine.
Thursday morning was another round of prepared breakfast with eggs, sausage, fruits and fresh pastries. Club members spent the rest of the day enjoying Pink Shell resort amenities, visiting with friends, and just plain relaxing. Thursday night, everyone headed off to dinner on their own. My wife and I joined another couple and had dinner at the Fresh Catch restaurant in Fort Myers Beach and enjoyed great food, great company, and a gorgeous sunset!
Fortunately, Mother Nature was quite cooperative during our stay at the marina and we were truly blessed with lots of sunshine.
On Friday morning, we slipped lines and headed home. Much appreciation goes to Dave and Craig, the dock masters at Pink Shell Resort and Marina, for their hospitality and special accommodation to the Cape Coral Cruise Club for making our trip a wonderful event to remember.
The Cape Coral Cruise Club was founded in 1963, and has offered members unique cruising opportunities to a variety of destinations in SW Florida. We hold monthly gourmet picnics at our private island on Caloosahatchee River near Alva, FL. We’re a great club to join if you live in the Cape Coral or Fort Myers area and have a power boat with overnight sleeping accommodations. For more information, contact our Membership Chairman Terry Carlson at (239) 770-6955, or visit our website at: www.ourgrouponline.org/CapeCoralCruiseClub.
Pink Shell Marina
Cruise leader Queen giving scavenger hunt instructions
Dinner at Nervous Nellies restaurant
Member boats at the marina
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina
Here is a chance to hear about, and maybe voice your opinion on, issues related to the Gulf Coast waterways. The Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center is at 2310 First St, Fort Myers. See River District Connections April Calendar.
SAVE THE DATE
Fort Myers River District Alliance Townhall Meeting
Wednesday, May 8, 2019 * 4:30 – 6 p.m.
Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center
Speakers:
Fort Myers Councilman Kevin Anderson, Ward 4
Fort Myers City Manager Saeed Kazemi
RDA President & CEO Lisa Sbuttoni
More information to follow……
Lisa Sbuttoni lsbuttoni@rdafortmyers.com
Lisa Sbuttoni
President & CEO
River District Alliance
Fort Myers, Florida
www.fortmyersriverdistrictalliance.com
Respectfully,
Tracy L. Hayden
T: 239.337.1071 – F: 239.337.1076
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is a group of dedicated cruisers who always provide unique reports from the marinas they visit. Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR and voted Best Small Marina in 2017, overlooks the westerly banks of the Matanzas Pass channel, west of marker #13. Pink Shell Beach Marina is a favorite of the CCCC, see https://cruisersnet.net/174459
CAPE CORAL CRUISE CLUB
CRUISES TO PINK SHELL MARINA
By Captain John Queen, Past Commodore, Cape Coral Cruise Club
Each month, the Cape Coral Cruise Club takes a scheduled cruise to a different marina in SW Florida and stays there for several days enjoying the amenities and hospitality of that area. We do that nine times a year along with an extended cruise each Spring and take a break during the summer months of July and August. For February 2019, our destination of choice was Pink Shell Marina at Fort Myers Beach.
Pink Shell has always been a popular destination for the club and this cruise was no exception. We had 17 boats arrive on Tuesday, February 19th and it was nice to see the long path of yellow club burgees flying on the bow of each boat. Our club burgee sports our club mascot – a dolphin holding a drink of some sort (an adult beverage, I would surmise). After safely docking Tuesday, club members convened in the late afternoon for cocktails, snacks and conversation.
We fired up the marina’s grill around 5:00 and cooked up hamburgers and hot dogs, and along with a slew of side dishes prepared by club members, had a wonderful feast on the marina lawn.
After dinner, club members met in the Mariner’s room at the resort for a competitive little game I called the “Bagel Finagle”. Each year, when my wife Pati and I host the club’s cruise to Pink Shell, I’ve created some kind of crazy game for members to play we and provide prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. The object of this game was to transfer 3 bagels from one end of the room to their waiting spouse at the other end of the room, and then walk back and deposit into a bucket. Easy enough, eh…? Not by my rules!
The first bagel had to be placed on the forehead, and without touching it, walked across the room and back. The second bagel was a little trickier where a straw was used to transport the bagel. The third round was the most difficult. In that trip, a spouse had to carry the bagel on their forehead across the room to their waiting spouse and then sandwich the bagel between their foreheads and shuttle back to the waiting bucket. It was a hoot watching everyone do the ‘bangle dance’ with a bagel stuck between their heads!
Wednesday morning, we provided breakfast for all club members consisting of scrambled eggs, sausage links, fresh fruits and pastries.
After breakfast, club members met at the marina lawn at 10:00 for second game – a scavenger hunt! The scavenger hunt consisted of 10 questions where all the answers can be found on the property of the Pink Shell Resort and Marina. Many of the questions consisted of simple math. For example, one question was “Dusseldorf plus Chicago minus the number of planks on the marina gangway”. The marina sports a pole sign with distances in miles to various destinations. So this question was fairly easy, until club members were forced to manually count all 120 planks on the marina ramp! The Marina sports a sign post with distances from it, in miles, to various destinations. This question was quite easy, until Club members realized they had to manually count the 120 planks on the pier access gangway.
The rest of Wednesday found many club members relaxing in the pool, walking the beach, or shopping downtown Fort Myers Beach at Times Square. Wednesday evening, we all took the open-air tram to Nervous Nellie’s for dinner. We had about 35 members in attendance and the restaurant provided us with a private area to dine. The winners of the scavenger hunt were announced and everyone had a good time.
Thursday morning was another round of prepared breakfast with eggs, sausage, fruits and fresh bagels (not recycled!) Club members spent the rest of the day enjoying Pink Shell amenities, visiting with friends, and just plain ol’ relaxing. Thursday night, everyone headed off to dinner on their own. My wife and I joined another couple for dinner at the new Coste restaurant at the Diamondhead Resort on Fort Myers Beach. My salmon served on a cedar plank was absolutely scrumptious!
Fortunately, Mother Nature was quite cooperative during the time we stayed at Pink Shell, and we were truly blessed with lots of sunshine.
On Friday morning, we slipped lines and headed home. Much appreciation goes to Dave and Craig, the dock masters at Pink Shell Resort and Marina, for their hospitality and special accommodation to the Cape Coral Cruise Club for making our trip a wonderful event to remember.
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is open to new members who own a boat with overnight accommodations and reside in the Cape Coral / Ft. Myers area. For membership information please contact Phil Kryger at 239-541-0236. Read additional Club information on its website, www.ourgrouponline.com/CapeCoralCruiseClub
Member boats at Pink Shell floating docks
Docktails on the closed in lawn area
Full moon over the Pink Shell Marquee
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina
York Island Anchorage is located off the southern shores of York Island, well northwest of the ICW’s flashing daybeacon #13. Our thanks to longtime contributor and experienced cruiser, Sonny Reeves, for this report.
At the South end of Pine Island , St James City
Long Cut @ Aprox 26.29.522, 82.5.581
The Long Cut is a pass for fishing boats. The cut is 7-9 ft deep all the way to the curve past short cut. Entrance is well marked. Holding is soft mud. Bugs and fishermen going wide open can be a problem. Otherwise a good protected anchorage with shore facilities and great Keys style on the water restaurants in dink range. Fuel, diesel and some supplies are on Monroe canal. Winn Dixie and other services are at island center.
York Island anchorage @ Approx 26.29.535, 82.5.514 is just off the ICW North at marker R14 or turn North at R10. Exposed to the South and wakes from ICW. The holding is good and the shoreside amenities are not far off. Pine Island is off the path. Not as well known as nearby Sanibel or Captivia.
Click here for photos from Long Cut and York Island anchorage.
Enjoy!
Sonny Reeves
Be Salt and Light, wash feet!
St James City Fl 33956
see blog https://saltlightwashfeet.wordpress.com
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of York Island Anchorage
Few Floridian communities are as welcoming to the cruising community as CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, Fort Myers Beach! This is a town that knows how to treat cruisers and invite them back time and time again! Our thanks to Torie Cannon for this excellent report.
Excellent stop off on your way south or north. Easy in and easy out. Run by the Mantanzas Inn on the Bay. Office staff much better informed and less hassle at registration this time around! Austin on the Pump out boat comes on Monday-Wednesday-Friday between 10:00 and 14:00. Must be aboard for pump out. Ice availability a little tough but you can dinghy into Diversified for ice and fuel. They also have an excellent parts department on the second floor. Moss docks have a closed sign on them across the channel. Showers clean, four washing machines and dryers. Beach trolley is .75 one way and you can take it to the Publix south on the beach side. Had to get a #4 wire to rewrite the new alternator to the house battery and went into Olson Marine next to Diversified marine, Doc Ford restaurant and Olson put the wire together for us in a jiffy for a reasonable price. Excellent experience over all!
Torie Cannon
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the Fort Myers Beach Mooring Field
St. Petersburg Municipal Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is a great liveaboard marina located on the western shore of Tampa Bay in downtown St. Pete. Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina, also A CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR and voted Best Small Marina in 2017, overlooks the westerly banks of the Mantanzas Pass channel, west of marker #13. These good words for St. Pete Municipal Marina and Pink Shell Resort Marina are from Dan Sherburn as posted on AGLCA’s Forum.
I second the St Pete Municipal. Great marina and close to downtown. Great stop. I also enjoyed Pink Shell (Ft Myers) and Tarpon Point (resort like marina in Cape Coral).
Dan Sherburn
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of St. Petersburg Municipal Marina
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is a group of dedicated cruisers who always provide unique reports from the marinas they visit. Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina, A CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR and voted Best Small Marina in 2017, overlooks the westerly banks of the Matanzas Pass channel, west of marker #13. Pink Shell Beach Marina is a favorite of the CCCC, see https://cruisersnet.net/170308.
By Joanne Ziemer
An even dozen! That’s the number of boats that took advantage of the $1/ft. marina fee for our summer cruise to Pink Shell! Jeff & I settled in ahead of the arriving boats on Tuesday morning. Dave and Craig from Pink Shell were there to greet us in their usual cordial manner. Boaters arrived over the next several hours so, by Docktail time, we had a nice crowd gathered on the lawn for adult beverages and heavy hors de oeuvres. We were fortunate not to have the normal summer afternoon thundershowers.
Thanks to Michelle & Doug Rhees, and Becky & John Todd, Wednesday morning we served up a breakfast of sausage, eggs, fruit, sweet breads, and juice on the deck. It was HOT even at 8:30 a.m. but a few people found shade to enjoy their coffee and breakfast. After clean up, it seemed to be pool time for some folks. The wind was still out of the East, so no one was bothered by the effects Red Tide.
One group rented a pontoon boat for a leisurely cruise to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Others retreated to their boats for some “down time” or took the opportunity to just visit, and some headed to downtown to browse the many shops of Ft. Myers Beach. At 6 p.m., we reconvened for dinner on the lawn. It was again a concerted effort from my helpers who served up burgers and dogs along with the many varied and delicious sides our boaters brought! We had the 12th boat arrive today plus six folks by car so a total of 30 people for our BBQ! Again, the storms held off so no one got wet!
Thursday morning was a repeat of Wednesday. The temperature did not moderate, so another hot day was in store for us. Unfortunately, the wind shifted to the West, so even at the pool, we could feel the effects of Red Tide. No one stayed for a long time at the pool, most wandered back to the marina for some down time before gussying up for dinner. Tonight folks were on their own for dinner, and several headed to Fort Myers Beach to a favorite restaurant.
The last day of the cruise found all but four boats heading home. We were very fortunate with the weather this cruise. Although we had storms all around us, we did not experience any for the duration of the cruise. (For those of us who stayed Friday night; well, that’s another story!)
Thanks to all the participants! I know the staff at Pink Shell was pleased to have 12 boats nearly fill the marina!
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is open to new members who own a boat with overnight accommodations and reside in the Cape Coral / Ft. Myers area. For membership information please contact Phil Kryger at 239-541-0236. Read additional Club information on its website, www.c-c-c-c.org Like us on Facebook.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is a group of dedicated cruisers who always provide unique reports from the marinas they visit. Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina, A CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR and voted Best Small Marina in 2017, overlooks the westerly banks of the Mantanzas Pass channel, west of marker #13.
PINK SHELL CRUISE FEBRUARY 20th – 23rd 2018
By Captain John Queen, Past Commodore, Cape Coral Cruise Club
The Cape Coral Cruise Club has monthly cruises to a variety of destinations in Southwest Florida. For the month of February 2018, that destination was the popular Pink Shell Resort and Marina on Fort Myers Beach. There was a super turnout with 17 club boats making the trip, ranging in size from 30 to 50 feet. Most boats arrived Tuesday, February 20th with fairly decent weather on their bow. Many boats waited until slack tide before arriving, as we know how tricky docking can be at Pink Shell marina in strong tidal currents. Dock master Dave and his assistant Craig did an excellent job getting boats into slips safe and sound.
Tuesday afternoon was a time for relaxing and catching up with other club members. Walking down the marina dock it was great seeing a fleet of white fiberglass boats sporting the yellow Club burgee.
At 4:30 PM, the members gathered at the marina deck for our traditional Docktail hour with chips, pretzels and the like. The marina accommodated our need to have seating for 34 club members as they already had set up tables and chairs on the marina lawn. Club members converged at 6:00 PM for our scheduled dinner of hamburgers, hot dogs and plenty of side dishes. It’s always amazing how much love goes into the preparation of food in this club – members never go home hungry.
After dinner, club members anxiously waited for me to describe the fun and games portion of the evening. I had told them previously that we were going to play “The Pathetic Peanut Game”. As club members watched, 50 shelled peanuts and 50 Styrofoam packing peanuts were placed in the center of a large round table. Two large plastic Dixie cups sat opposite each other on the table. I explained that the object of the game was to get as many peanuts into their team’s cup within a two minute period. Simple enough, eh?
Of course, my silly made-up games are never that simple. “Oh by the way”, “you must keep your hands behind your back and only use a straw to lift the peanuts!!” I demonstrated how using suction with a straw would allow players to move the peanuts. Each team had two minutes to lift as many peanuts to its cup, the team with the most points would win. (Styrofoam peanuts were worth 1 point each, shelled peanuts were worth 5 points each, and two specially painted peanuts were worth 25 points each.)
Let the fun begin! It was a wild sight watching these seasoned boaters trying to move peanuts via the suction of a straw. I wouldn’t have it any other way! Each team worked feverishly to beat the score of the previous team. When it was all over, the winning team prevailed with a score of 158 points. Prizes were awarded to the top three teams and everyone had a good time. A special ring in the shape of a peanut was also awarded to the top finisher.
The next morning, we prepared breakfast on our boat for 30 people consisting of scrambled eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, and juice at the tables on the marina lawn. After breakfast, the next fun game began. Everyone learned it we would be a scavenger hunt. There were 10 questions or riddles to solve, all based on objects found in and around Pink Shell marina and resort property. The winner would be based on accuracy and speed. The weather was perfect, and after receiving their list of questions, couples scattered in every direction.
I thought it would be a while before anyone returned with their answer sheets, so I was surprised when some of them were being returned within half an hour. Within an hour or so, every couple had turned in their answer sheets for ‘grading’. All were advised that results and winners would be announced just prior to dinner that night. The rest of the day was spent by club members at the pool, shelling at the beach, shopping at Times Square, or simply ‘chillaxing’ on their boat. Just prior to dinner the results of the scavenger hunt were revealed with prizes awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams.
We usually have a group dinner on our cruises where other club members will join us by land yacht. This outing was no exception as we had 38 club members dine at Jack’s Farm to Fork restaurant just across the street in the resort. Everyone had a great dining experience and left will full stomachs.
Thursday morning, we prepared another breakfast for the boaters, and again carted everything out to the tables set up on marina lawn. We could not have had better winter Florida weather. The rest of the day was spent shopping, shelling, swimming, playing card games, or just plain relaxing.
Thursday night, club members headed off in different directions for dinner. On our club cruises, we usually designate Thursday night as ‘on your own’. Most of the boaters ended up at a handful of different restaurants along Estero Blvd.
Friday morning came too soon, and everyone got underway for the journey home. Some boaters left early in the morning while others were in no hurry to depart. The Pink Shell cruise was another great boating experience for members of the Cape Coral Cruise Club.
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is open to new members who own a boat with overnight accommodations and reside in the Cape Coral / Ft. Myers area. For membership information please contact Phil Kryger at 239-541-0236. Read additional Club information on its website, www.c-c-c-c.org Like us on Facebook.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina
BEST SMALL MARINA Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina is, naturally, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR! The marina overlooks the westerly banks of the Mantanzas Pass channel, west of marker #13. Congratulations Pink Shell!
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina
Well deserved. We love Pink Shell Marina. And yes, Dave and Craig are the best!
Looking forward to going back.
Congrats to Dave and Craig, the best dockmasters in the business!
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