The Windsurfer’s guide to Cayo Costa and Cabbage Key

I just stood there, starring at my Expedition Windsurfer not believing my eyes.  I had left my dagger board at home, some 70 miles away!  I had just carried the board to the kayak launch ramp at Grande Tours in Placida Florida and realized that I was missing the dagger board.  I never take it out of the board, where could it be?  I had no choice but to load the board back into the truck and head for home.  The Expedition Windsurfer is a specially designed windsurfer capable of being packed out for multi-day camping trips.  My plan was to spend the next 4 days sailing along the west coast of Florida and camping on an island named Cayo Costa.

I arrived back at Grande Tours in Placida three hours later.  By now the favorable northeast winds had shifted to a more southeasterly direction.  This would require that I sail upwind most of the way to Cayo Costa.  It was close to 2:00pm and I had a decision to make.  Should I attempt to make it to Cayo Costa or should I hang around Grande Tours, explore the local area and leave early Tuesday morning?  Mary, the manager of Grande Tours suggested that I sail to Hoagen Key which would have been about half way to Cayo Costa.  That would have been the best choice to make, but I decided to stay at Grande Tours for the night and spend the remaining part of the day paddling the back waters Coral Creek and the surrounding area. Stand-up-paddling in these areas is fantastic.

Grande Tours is a real one-of-a-kind place.  Owned by Capt. Marian E. Schneider it has something for every adventurer who wants to experience the great outdoors and learn about the environment.  Grande Tours offers kayak rentals with various kayak tours, including eco-tours, Calusa Indian history tours and kayak fishing guide service as well as instruction for all levels of kayak skills. They also provide boat tours for those who do not paddle.  Bring your own kayak, or windsurfer like I did, and for just $6.00 you can launch from their wonderful carpeted kayak launch.  The staff at Grande Tours are a great bunch of people as well.  The manager Mary, who lives on the premises somehow keeps everything running smoothly.  Her knowledge of the local waters is indispensable for anyone planning an expedition of the local area.    Grande Tours sits about 9.5 nautical miles North of my destination.

I left Grande Tours at 9:35am on Tuesday.  I paddled out Coral Creek to Dog Island and rigged my sail.  Winds were due south at an easy 10-12 knots.  I knew I was in for a long sail, but the weather was beautiful and I was in one of the most pristine areas on the west coast of Florida.  As I sailed south, crisscrossing the Intracoastal Waterway(ICW) I was amazed at how many boats were on the water for a weekday.  I stopped at Hoagen Key for a light lunch of tuna on a couple of tortillas.  It was 12:45pm and I had been sailing since 10:30.  Almost three hours.  I needed a break.  Hoagen Key is a small island on the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway(ICW) just before it enters Charlotte Harbor.  Along with mangroves and some Seagrape shrubs, it has a few large Australian Pines and some nice camping spots on the north side.  I should have taken Mary’s advice and camped here Monday night.  It would have saved me some time getting to Cayo Costa today.

After lunch I sailed into Charlotte Harbor and my tacks were a lot longer now.    Coming down the ICW which is narrower, I would find a mark or point on an island and aim towards it until the water got too shallow and then tack.  Now, in the open water of Charlotte Harbor my tacks were longer which should make for better time.

By now the winds had picked up to a steady 15kts and I was in my harness all the time.  The seas had also picked up and I was having waves wash over the bow on a regular basis.  I was concerned about how much water I might be getting in my deckbag.  I keep my GPS, a couple of water bottles, a small survival kit and signal flares as well as a small drybag with snacks all stored in a kayak deckbag on the bow of my board.  I did not like the idea of getting any of those items too wet, so I decided to move the bag to the back of the board.  I sailed in close to Gasparilla Island and moved the bag, attaching it to the rear footstraps and the carrying handle.  This arrangement worked great.  It actually made retrieving items from the bag easier.

As I sailed towards my destination I noticed that as I would get in close to Gasparilla Island the winds would shift towards the east and as I sailed out into the open water of Charlotte Harbor the winds seemed to shift to a westerly direction.  I had two concerns at this point.  One was that I did not want to get caught in the lee of Cayo Costa as I sailed across Boca Grande Pass.  This is a narrow pass and a large amount of water moves through it.  If I had gotten in behind the island and lost my wind I would have been at the mercy of the tide ripping through the pass.  My other concern was the possibility of a westerly sea breeze developing as I sailed out into the open water away from Cayo Costa.  This would require me to do more up-wind sailing to reach the island.  Fortunately the wind held steady and I was able to head across the Pass out into Charlotte Harbor and tack directly for the island.

At 4:25pm I reached the landing on the east side of Cayo Costa.  Almost six continuous hours of up-wind sailing.  As I said before the distance from Grande Tours to Cayo Costa is only 9.5 miles.  My GPS now shows that I sailed 20.2 nautical miles to get here.  Sure it was a long day, but six hours on a windsurfer beats six hours at the office for sure!

I pulled the EXPW up onto the small sandy beach and walked up the rangers office hoping that I would be able to get a camp site.  The website said they had a few “walk up” sites available.  I was hoping for one of those, I could sure use a nice shower tonight.  What I had not planned for was getting there after closing time.  Fortunately the park ranger opened the office door just as I reached for the door knob.  He invited me in and when I told him I had just spent 6 hours windsurfing to get here, the look on his face was classic.  He and his staff went out of their way to get me and my gear to the far side of the island where the camp sites are located.

Having a windsurfer capable of stowing all my camping supplies makes it possible to spend a few days camping in remote areas.  If Cayo Costa did not have a camp site available I could have easily set up camp on Punta Blanca Island, just a short sail across Pelican Bay.  It’s nice to have that flexibility.

Cayo Costa is an island only accessible by boat.  It is one of Florida’s most pristine state parks.  It’s 2,420 acres provides the visitor with endless possibilities to enjoy the natural environment.  From hiking, kayaking, sailing, birding, swimming, fishing, shelling, photography to just relaxing on an unspoiled white sandy beach, Cayo Costa has something for every outdoor adventurer.  The camp ground is located on the west side of the island providing easy access to the Gulf beach.  Each of the 27 tent sites has a fire ring, a post for drying your wet clothes and a picnic table.  There are also twelve rustic cabins available for those who make reservations in advance. The camp ground does not have any electricity, but does provide potable water and cold showers.  The park rangers and their volunteer staff do an excellent job of keeping the restrooms and grounds clean and in great working order.  The rangers office is on the east side of the island, so it is best to sail to the kayak launch just south of the boat docks.  Check in at the camp store to confirm your reservations and the staff will provide you with a free tram ride to the camp ground.

On Wednesday morning I decided to sail to Cabbage Key.  No visit to this area would be complete without going to Cabbage Key for lunch.  An island located about two miles south of Cayo Costa, it hosts one of Florida’s most unique restaurants.  The forecast called for south winds at 15kts with a light chop on the bay and inland water ways.  The forecast held true resulting in more up-wind sailing to reach the restaurant.  No worries though, the sail was fantastic taking me through some of the most pristine waters on the west coast of Florida.  I sailed out through the south end of Pelican Bay, having to maneuver around the various boats at anchor. My course took me through beautiful clear water over grass flats, shallow sand bars and around a couple of small islands before heading out into the ICW and the channel heading into the docks at Cabbage Key. With the winds out of the south and the restaurant on the north side of the island, I knew that my approach was going to be challenging since I was going to have to deal with a huge wind shadow caused by the island.   Along with no winds in the channel and a lot of boat traffic I knew this was going to be fun.   I was able to sail out east of the island, putting me on a beam reach for the docks.  It was a fast sail across the ICW and into the channel and then bam, no wind, like someone turned off the wind machine.  Fortunately I was prepared for this and maintained my balance letting my forward motion carry  me halfway up the channel.  I was very proud of this maneuver since just as I was hitting the wind shadow a large tour boat filled with tourists past me heading out of Cabbage Key channel.  How embarrassing would it have been to fall in front of all those spectators. As it was I waved to the boat as it passed by heading for another tourist destination.  I let my momentum carry me as far as it would and then carefully laid the rig on the tail of the board, pulled out my paddle I keep stored in the bow straps and paddled the rest of the way to the landing.  I love the versatility of the Expedition Windsurfer!

I don’t know if it is the atmosphere or that I had to sail to get to Cabbage Key and worked up an appetite, or if it was that I had been eating trail food for two days, but the cheeseburgers on Cabbage Key are the best I have eaten any place.  Well they are world famous for their cheeseburgers and cold beer and famous people from all over come here to enjoy the fare.  Singer, song writer Jimmy Buffet, novelist Randy Wayne White and the current governor of Florida have all been seen at Cabbage Key.

One of the first things that a visitor to Cabbage Key restaurant will notice is all the dollar bills taped to the wall, ceilings, posts, well just about anything that will hold a bill.  legend has it that an old fisherman taped a bill with his name on it to the wall stating that if he never made another dollar fishing, he could still get a cold drink on Cabbage Key.  Well today over $70,000 are on the wall at any given time.  The money is donated to a children’s charity.

After lunch I spent a few minutes climbing the water tower on Cabbage Key to get a bird’s eye view of the area.

As I readied my board for departure from Cabbage Key I drew a small crowd of spectators wondering what kind of boat I had.  After explaining my design and the current adventure I was on they all were amazed and intrigued.  Standing on the shore  watching me sail away, they all waved as if I were going to be crossing the Atlantic.  This just proves that adventure comes in different packages for different folks.

I spent the rest of the day sailing around Pelican Bay and exploring the islands.

Thursday was going home day.  The forecast called for south winds 15-20kts. with bay and inland waterways choppy.  I was a bit concerned about the sail home.  It would be a dead downwind run and I had not spent very much time on the board in heavy winds.  Having a fully loaded board and crossing Boca Grande Pass in 20kts of wind had me worried.  As it turned out I had nothing to worry about.  The sail back to Placida and Grande Tours was fun.  The winds held at 15-18kts and crossing the pass was wonderful, sliding down a building swell.  It took me a little less than three hours to sail back to Grande Tours and that included a stop for a quick bite of breakfast on the way.  Back in Placida I sailed up into Coral Creek as far as the wind would allow.  When the wind became blocked by the mangroves on shore I dropped my sail, de-rigged, rolled it up and started paddling, never getting off the board.  I arrived back at Grande Tours at around 11am.

Reflecting on this trip, it is the wonderful people that I met that I will remember the most.  Those at Grande Tours and Cabbage Key who went out of their way to make my trip a success I will always remember.  I found that there are a lot of people who truly care for the world around them and work hard to make a difference every day.  Expedition windsurfing has opened up a whole new approach to enjoying the great outdoors!

Until next time,

Great Adventures!

Trey Flemer

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