A New Planet Discovered In Our Galaxy? A Great Beginning To A Fun Week on the Hey Mon Sanibel October 22 2013, 0 Comments

Take a close look at the picture below.  It was taken two weeks ago off of Sanibel Island as we were nearing sunset.  See the sun? See the sailboat? And, off the bow of the boat is an orb – a golden one in its entire splendor. Additional research confirmed it wasn’t Venus or Jupiter, two planets visible in our solar system. To add to the mystery, it was not observable by the naked eye; instead only through an iphone camera. So what was it? There’s a $20 bill for the first correct answer. Just send us what this thing is and we’ll send the winner the cash. And, in our next article, we’ll reveal the answer. 

The aforementioned photo and a number of other cool shots were taken by Debra and four of her friends during a great outing on the Hey Mon a little over a week ago. These ladies hail from the east side of Florida in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area. They decided to do a getaway weekend on Sanibel/Captiva and made the Hey Mon boat cruise one of their activities.

It was particularly fun to have them aboard because even though they were from Florida, they had never spent any time on the Gulf side of the state. I got a chance to show them the islands up front and personal which was pretty cool.

After what we dub “The Jungle Cruise” our entourage cruised over to Pine Island. Next stop was the Ragged Ass Saloon at the end of Monroe Channel in St. James City. The band there was rockin’ to some pretty outstanding rhythm ‘n blues. Even though this was a relatively short one beverage stint, we got half the patrons at the bar, standing up and urging us to stay. Of course, it had to be the charisma of the Captain and had nothing to do with the great group of ladies who were dance queening on the dock.

After a few more stops on Pine Island, we headed back to Sanibel. A number of dolphins joined us for the journey. Our five-hour trip was coming to a close but not before one of the world famous sunsets that south Florida has to offer. And of course, our potential new planet, right?

After bidding Debra and friends adieu, lady Barb and I settled in for a great salad and some fresh Redfish we had caught a few days before. Speaking of Redfish, they continue to bite hard and many are in the hog category. I’ve battled a lot of different fish throughout the globe – these guys are right at the top in terms of being fierce fighters right up until being landed.

Get down here to try it!

Our week finished off with having Al and Kathy and their two grandkids, Sam and Maggie join us on the Hey Mon with one key mission in mind. Find dolphins at play. Fortunately, we hit pay dirt several times during our excursion. At the end of our trip and just off the Sanibel Lighthouse, we didn’t get just one dolphin but the whole fam damily!  And for identification purposes, Sam named the baby of the pod Lizzy. This would make it easier to communicate the next time we head out to see them.

There were lots of other unique nature happenings on this trip beyond dolphin. As usual, but always fun to see, there were birds galore – Egrets, Osprey, Pelicans and Sea Gulls, to name a few.  

We had one show stopper while entering an area of Pine Island Sound. We marveled at a number of large jellyfish drifting along in the tide. (Glad we weren’t swimming with ‘em.)

There were other oohs and aahhs as we spotted a hammerhead shark cruising along. And then there were the large Mullet going airborne along a stretch of mangroves in an area called The Horseshoe. This happening, by the way, usually suggests there are big Redfish in the vicinity. Barb and I were silently hankering to toss a few lines, but the agenda with our guests dictated otherwise. And certainly, we were fine with that since we could return over the next day or two.

Yep, it was a great week down here on Sanibel. As the temps continue to drop up North, we know it won’t be long before Sanibel will be bustling with those seeking some warm sun and hot fun.

Plan your trip now. And if you need any assistance, give us a shout. Now that we are getting engrained into the island culture, we can steer you in the right direction.

Now get to work on what that new Planet is all about. We’d love to send you the $20. Again, the answer will be revealed in our next article.

Think about being on the water. Come visit soon!