January 22 Everglades City

As we left Naples City dock the wind was blowing briskly out of the NE. We plan to run in the Gulf to Everglades City rather than making the trip on the inside waterway to Marco Island and then out the Coon Key pass to the Gulf and on to Everglades City. It is a little bit longer to travel the way we are going because you have to skirt some very shoal water called the Cape Romano shoals. However the NE wind would not kick up the Gulf and thus provide a very pleasant ride which indeed it did. Everglades City is the last hint of civilization south of Marco Island. It is in the Everglades National Park and tucked in behind the 10,000 island area. As we made our way down the coast towards Everglades City we met up with three other looper boats. Gypsy Time and Sun Cat entered the the channel to Everglades City just ahead of us and went a short way up the channel to anchor. We continued on in the channel with True North to head into Everglades City to dock at the Rod & Gun Club. The channel is well marked and for the most part deep but in places we noted 5.5 ft of water on a rising mid tide. Nothing but islands as we ventured forth. Current was very very strong in front of the wallside tieup at the Rod & Gun Club. After a second try Silver Foxes settled into the dock. I got the foldie out and made a quick tour of the City. Found a True Value Store (closed at 5pm) and several restaurants-some with real character. After some discussion with Tom & Patsy Conrad of True North we decided to eat at the Rod & Gun Club after cocktails on Tom & Patsy's boat. The club was built by Baron Collier, a man of prominence years go, for his hunting & fishing friends. What a great choice. The inside is magnificent. Very well preserved. We ate on the outside porch which reminded me (on a smaller scale) of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. The picture is of the entrance to the Rod & Gun Club. Many of you have asked "what is a crab pot". The above is a stack of crab pots on shore. Note the traps and the floats that mark the pots when they are in the water. Everglades City is the Stone Crab capital of the United States(so they claim). The Stone Crabs are harvested (trapped). Their claws are removed for the meat and then they are returned to the water to grow new claws! Each float is generally a different color with unusual markings on it so the fisherman know who the owner is. I am sure the law of the jungle applies and woe be the fisherman that gets caught harvesting anothers traps