Southwest Florida Yacht Club (SFYC) had three cruises in May – our traditional cruise to South Seas Island Resort for Mother’s Day weekend, a mid-week cruise to Tween Waters, and a two week cruise to Tarpon Springs. The following are highlights from the Mother’s Day and Tarpon Springs cruises.
The theme for this year’s Mother’s Day Cruise, led by Alina & Harvey Steele and Debbie & Bill Hummer was “All Relaxation”. The cruisers, fifteen boats total, arrived on Friday and were greeted with a welcome drink of “Hummer’s Famous White Sangria”. In fact, much of Friday saw folks chatting on the aft deck of the Lorelei, enjoying cheese and crackers with an unending supply of sangria. Friday evening, the group took the South Seas trolley down to Doc Ford’s where we had a lively dinner in a private dining room.
The cruise leaders provided a continental breakfast on Saturday morning including bagels, fruit and freshly baked muffins. During the day, everyone pursued their own interests, such as biking, shopping, fishing, dinghy cruising, and swimming. At some point, most everyone had a chance to see “Nick”, the resident marina dolphin, up close. Nick, who is apparently so-named for the scars on his pectoral fin, hunts mullet in the shallow marina waters along the sea wall. The hot and lazy day resolved into a warm and pleasant evening with the requisite cocktail hour, which included light snacks and a selection of wines, served in the Chart Room adjacent to the docks. Dinner was beach-casual at the Sunset Beach Grill, where several people played Caribbean Hook & Ring Toss; the more expert players providing coaching for some vacationing children. After dinner, everyone watched the sun set over the Gulf and several reported seeing the “green flash”!
The Mother’s Day Breakfast in the Chart Room started with Mimosas and Bloody Marys. The menu included egg casseroles, fruit, breads, and Crepes Suzette. Apparently well fed and well rested, the Cruisers departed for home or their next destination late morning in perfect weather.
The Tarpon Springs cruise was fourteen days and stopped at five marinas – Sarasota Yacht Club, Clearwater Yacht Club, Turtle Cove Marina in Tarpon Springs, Club Treasure Island, and Longboat Key Club Moorings in Sarasota.
The group had a wonderful dinner at Sarasota YC. The next day they rode their bikes over to Lido Beach and had a relaxing lunch at the Lido Resort. Back at the Sarasota YC, everyone enjoyed hanging out in their beautiful pool.
The fleet arrived at Clearwater YC in time to enjoy their wonderful Sunday Brunch. The next morning the ladies severely beat the guys in a game of miniature golf. In the afternoon, everyone lounged at the pool and ordered pizza for dinner. The next day the ladies did some serious shopping and then everyone had a delicious dinner at the YC. As is common on several of our cruises, some members bring their “land yachts” and connect with part of the cruise. In this case, the Burgers drove up and joined the cruisers for the next 5 days.
In Tarpon Springs we had a great seafood dinner at Rusty Bellies Restaurant, which was a short walk from Turtle Cove Marina. The next day, we drove to Bonefish Grill in Tampa, where we met up with the Blackfords and the Steeles, and after dinner everyone went to Zoominations at the Lawry Zoo to see the beautiful Chinese Luminaries. The following day we went to the Tarpon Springs YC for a delicious lunch. Following lunch the group went to the Castle Winery for a wine tasting and informative lecture on “How to be a Wine Snob”. It was a lot of fun and we all left with plenty of good wine. Later that night we had appetizers and cocktails at the Turtle Cove Clubhouse and celebrated Len Burger’s birthday with a big cake. On our last day in Tarpon Springs, everyone walked to the sponge docks and did some more shopping followed by a wonderful dinner at Mama’s Restaurant. One of the highlights was several of our guys dancing with the “Belly Dancer”!
At Club Treasure Island we enjoyed their Sunday Brunch in their beautiful Club House. On Memorial Day we rode the bus to Seahorse Restaurant for breakfast and then rode the bus to John’s Pass for a little more shopping.
At the Longboat Key Club Moorings, we had dinner at the Portofino Restaurant after a restful day of lounging in the pool and hot tub. The Ellis’ daughter and family arrived from the UK and enjoyed the pool/beach at the resort. The next day the group went to St. Armand’s Circle and stayed for dinner. The last day, after spending the day at the beach, everyone enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Chart House Restaurant. All in all it was a very relaxing cruise and the weather totally co-operated. Everyone had a great trip.
SFYC is a very active yacht club with more than 30 scheduled cruises per year ranging from 3 days/2 nights to 3-4 weeks in length. Upcoming cruises over the summer include Naples Boat Club, Palm Island, Snook Bight, South Seas, and Legacy Harbour. SFYC also has on average two social functions per month, many at our home base, The Marina at Edison Ford/Pincher’s in Fort Myers.
If you are interested in participating in a trial cruise to meet us and see what we’re about, or to arrange to attend one of our monthly meetings, please contact our Fleet Captain, Harvey Steele, at (239) 671-8887 or [email protected]. Much more information, including our cruise schedule, is also available on our website www.southwestfloridayachtclub.com. You can also visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SouthwestFloridaYachtClub.