Friday, June 6th, 2025
Today, my grandson and I officially kicked off the 2025 Florida Mini Loop! We launched late in the day from the ramp at Placida. Just outside the boat ramp, we found a quiet spot between the Boca Grande Causeway and the old train tracks to drop anchor for the evening. A little fishing and burgers on the grill wrapped up our first night. After a long day, we called it an early one.
Saturday, June 7th, 2025
We were up early and on our way to Pelican Bay before the winds picked up in Charlotte Harbor—though it turned out the harbor stayed pretty calm. We dropped anchor at Pelican Bay by 9 a.m. and spent the day playing on the sandspit with our two pups, Ariel and Zada.
My grandson Beau spent hours fishing and managed to catch several catfish, but nothing worth keeping. We were waiting for my daughter and her crew to arrive by boat later in the day. They pulled in around 4 p.m., and we all relaxed in the water, soaking in the sunshine and good company.
As usual for Pelican Bay, the place got busier as the day went on. One boat came way too close—about half a boat length from Good Times. Close enough that I could hear every word of their conversation.
My daughter, son-in-law, and grandsons headed out about an hour before dark. I moved Good Times out to the middle of the bay and anchored for the night. The mosquitoes were brutal—worse than I’ve ever seen there—but otherwise, it was a calm and peaceful night.
Monday, June 9th, 2025
I pulled anchor around 10:30 a.m. and headed south to Cabbage Key to check off the famous “cheeseburger in paradise” from my bucket list. The views were great, but honestly, the burger was just okay—and pricey at $30. Still, it’s one more experience I can say I’ve had
Pro tip: Get there before 11:30 a.m.—a ferry arrives right around then and drops off about 50 people at once.
After the burger, I continued south along the Intracoastal Waterway, cruising past Captiva Island and the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge off the starboard side. The scenery was beautiful and made for a smooth, relaxing ride.
I rounded the corner at St. James City to port and headed over to Picnic Island, where I dropped anchor and met up with fellow YouTuber Tommy from Happy Ours. After a few hours of catching up and swapping stories, we made a short move southwest and anchored near the Sanibel Causeway for the night.
We grilled up some sausages, kicked back, and spent the evening talking about boats, travels, and all the adventures still ahead. A perfect end to another day on the water.
