Day 227-229 ANCLOTE KEY TO SARASOTA, FL

Wednesday February 4, 2026-Friday February 6, 2026

ANCLOTE KEY TO SARASOTA, FL

WEDNESDAY

We had the most peaceful night at this anchorage—one of those mornings where it’s genuinely hard to pull up the hook. But 65 miles to Sarasota were calling, so off we went. We’ll be settled into Marina Jack Yacht Basin through Sunday and looking forward to a few days of dock life.

Tomorrow brings a special side trip: a drive to Fort Myers to pick up my mom, who’s been visiting her good friends Kay and Bob for a couple of days. She’ll be cruising with us for the next six days, and we’re so excited to have her aboard 🥰

After arriving in Sarasota, our looper friends Bonnie and Louis from Goldilocks surprised us by stopping by with packages and joining us for dinner. It was so good to catch up. We headed to Walt’s Fish Camp—serving up seafood since 1918—and wow, it did not disappoint. I had the grouper… YUM! 😋

All in all, it was a fantastic night and the perfect welcome to Sarasota. 🌅⚓️

THURSDAY

We picked up our rental car at the airport (huge thanks to Louis for the lift! 🙌) and pointed it toward Fort Myers to scoop up my mom. On the way home we stopped at the Manatee Park in Fort Myers. It’s been so chilly, we thought for sure we’d see lots of Manatees! We were not disappointed! There were more Manatees than we have ever seen before.

Once back in Sarasota, we tackled some provisioning, then settled in for a relaxed dinner onboard. The evening was all about slowing down—good food, easy conversation, and precious catch-up time with my mom. Just what we all needed 💙

FRIDAY

Today was delightfully full in the best possible way! We knocked out a few morning chores, then my niece Angie made the drive down from the Tampa area to spend some time with us. We met up for lunch at the marina restaurant and soaked up the sunshine while catching up—laughs, stories, and lots of love all around. Such a treat!

After lunch, we headed to the Ringling Brothers Circus Museum and spent the afternoon wandering through the exhibits and strolling the beautiful grounds. What an absolute gem! 🎪✨

Back onboard for dinner again (we’re really enjoying these cozy meals), and the night wrapped up perfectly with all of us gathered around the table, talking well into the evening. Perfect ending to a wonderful day🥰