Cape Coral Boat Trip - Picnic Island and Sanibel Causeway

August 2022 - Join us on our first overnight boat trip since arriving in Florida after our intracoastal waterway boat trip from New York to Florida. On this journey, we explore our new SW Florida home waters around Cape Coral Florida. We cruise through the “miserable mile” and over to Picnic Island, a small sandy beach island in the bay near the Gulf of Mexico between Pine Islands’ St. James City and Punta Rassa. Picnic Island is popular as a destination for sand bar parties and overnight campers. We watch plenty of boats beached or run aground at low tide and their captains fruitless attempts of refloating them. After taking our dog Matey for a walk and swim on the island, we pull anchor and head over to the Sanibel causeway islands to stay the night and watch a beautiful sunset, not before bbq some steak and getting an extended visit from a Manatee! Welcome aboard!
Our boat: 2006 341 Meridian Sport Bridge
Dinghy: West Marine PHP-275
Dinghy motor: Mercury 6hp 4 stroke
All footage filmed prior to Hurricane Ian.

[@scotthall3816]

Glad to see you are apart of the L.N.T leave no trace.😊 To many people are bumping 🗑️ trash in the waters of our mother 🌍🌎 earth 😊

[@aliassteve9055]

Two thumbs up! Enjoyed the guided tour and the happy puppy Matey show.

[@comeandtravel1]

Love to see what Picnic Island looks like after the storm. Like a before and after video.

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

Will do!

[@dandersonjr]

We visit Picnic Island several times during the winter. My favorite place to sit is along the channel side just boat watching and drinking a cold one and along with that is watching boats getting stuck on the sand bar. I.ve seen some crazy stuff.

[@WestMarineInc]

What a great video!! 🙌

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

Glad you liked it!!

[@darktoadone5068]

Sure miss that area, but was offered a job in SC and took it and live 65 miles inland from the ocean now. I miss my friends, seafood and all the gorgeous sunsets down there.

[@dianarodriguez9783]

When I went boating with Dad we would run up on sand bars in low tide and then wait for high tide to float back out again. That was a 26 foot formula cabin cruiser. Was fun to mull around the sand bar until tide changed.

[@timgarvey8179]

Great video, heading down in a couple of weeks.

[@jrac863]

Nice video tom and Bridget.Cannot wait to haul our boat down there in April from ny have to check out picnic island

[@Trouble361]

Cabbage key is a must.

[@doncritzer2798]

Put some sea foam in the dinghy gas tank it will clean fuel system

[@stevecraig3004]

Great video! You folks are really doing it right. Thanks for bringing us along. BTW- do you EVER get tired of those sunrises and sunsets?? Best of luck(you're due for some...)!

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

It never gets old! Thanks!

[@clivebrowne9888]

Matey is cute

[@richmiller2501]

Love

[@crowdfundcrew]

Love seeing the manatees. You need a camera that can be put underwater.

[@johnm5714]

NY has nothing on Florida-I’m still here unfortunately but will get back down there when it’s the right time…Summer never ends-well until you become more of a Floridian(60 degrees becomes a big deal) but you know how much more time there is to enjoy the water there. I’m happy for you guys and mildly jealous at the same time-I know the was Pre-Ian but you’ll have so many days like this ahead of you-once you get that all behind you.

[@EdEdelenbos]

La Dolce Vita.

[@comred2]

be sure to check out Cabbage Key (Cay)

[@MarceloViana..]

Hello, I'm moving from Miami to Fort Miles. Do you reckon it's doable to sail up the river from the Gulf with a sailboat that draws 6,5 feet?

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

Yes. Stay in channels though.

[@rpifass]

When you left the channels and went towards Sanabel, where things marked very clearly for navigation? Were your digital charts accurate?

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

Channels are marked well but we weren’t in a channel when we head towards the Sanibel Causeway. Charts were relatively accurate, but not perfect. When you veer from channels keep a close eye on depth and go slow. We found deeper water than charted in many spots along the causeway island.

[@roypoe1865]

They love lettuce

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

That’s good to know!

[@chrismiele6578]

Love the videos. Just curious, what is the brand and size of your dinghy?

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

West marine php-275

[@chrismiele6578]

@@AdventuresofHappyOurs thanks!

[@rwrobs777]

That slow speed area is not the Miserable Mile…the MM is the area near Picnic Island !!

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

That’s not slow speed area. What’s miserable about it? Lol

[@rwrobs777]

@@AdventuresofHappyOurs it’s because the channel is very narrow in that part of San Carlos Bay and many larger boats have found themselves high and dry if you stray from the channel at low tide…it technically runs from Daybeacon #2A to #8 !!…it’s OK, rookie mistake…LOL !!

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

According to most online resources and locals, the official miserable mile is the slow speed zone between markers 92 and 101. Slow speeds are strictly enforced in this area as the narrow passage is the choke point for all boats navigating the ICW from the river to the Gulf waters on top of being a manatee zone. it is a literal traffic jam on busy season weekends. There are some resources stating the miserable mile is where you indicate, but if you ask me, it’s worst between marker 92 and 101 for the traffic alone.

[@George39280]

I have asked you in previous vlogs about your spread sheet. I am sorry to keep bothering you with this, but I want to make sure mine will be accurate. I am wondering if your boat gives you the numbers or if you calculate them an enter that ( gallons used per engine, average speed, miles traveled, etc etc ).

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

The motors provide GPH but I calculate everything else (mpg, etc)

[@kevinsantoro5095]

Alligators?

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

None seen.

[@angelon7095]

Now take the dingy back up the ICW

[@michaeleadie2552]

Drop the blue line gang flag