Burnt Store Marina to Sanibel Island to Marco Island

Kim’s Korner:
We set out for a Sanibel Island anchorage after all the wind finally died down. It was a beautiful anchorage as well as a beautiful sunset which we thoroughly enjoyed and never tire of. Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge resides on Sanibel Island and we have heard wonderful things about this place. Unfortunately, weather again was going to interfere with our plans and force us to move on the following day. Since the ICW ends near Fort Meyers, we took to the Gulf, traveling 3-8 miles offshore and were bounced around enough to wear our life jackets while we were moving from the pilothouse to the cabin. We passed Naples and after about 7 hours, we arrived at our destination, Marco Island Marina. Upon approaching our marina, there was this huge yacht that looked entirely out of place in this canal – we later learned that this ship was 125’ long and the owner had bought two properties initially just to have a place to dock it and later bought two more adjoining properties because the property owners complained they couldn’t see anything… ok - REALLY??? I cannot fathom that kind of money!!! Anyway – back to reality - Marco Island has turned out to be a beautiful town that we are thoroughly enjoying - shops, restaurants, homes, beaches and canals have kept us busy exploring.
We rode our bikes to Tigertail Beach which was amazing! On one end is a lagoon that has kayak and chair rentals surrounded by mangroves with very shallow water. If you continue along the sand walkway around the lagoon, you come upon this HUGE expanse of beach! I’ve never seen anything like it before. We walked and walked and finally reached the shoreline which had tons of shells along it. I continue to be amazed by the different beaches we’ve seen so far – they’ve all been different and had a personality of their own. I never realized…

Pictures