All is well: Naples

What a perfect day! Most days we have a choice of paddling out in the gulf, or inside. Today there is no inside path, forcing us into the gulf for 19 miles. Pat has been anxious about this for a couple of days.

It could not have been better. The gulf was smooth, even glass at times. A gentle tailwind provided a nudge of a few tenths of a knot. Sweet paddling.
Many local beaches were filled with families on Sunday outings as the kids played in the water, the Dads fired up the barbeques, and everyone lounged in the sun. One family decorated an area for a baby shower. We paddled just offshore in full view as they swam, fished and gazed out to sea from their beach chairs. Few seemed to notice us, and fewer still waved or said hi across the water. We chat with a few people when we land for lunch. Such is the nature of crowds. In areas with few people, folks swing over to say hi and chat. In dense areas, folks do not even notice the group of people next to them. Undoubtedly many would have been fascinated to hear our paddling stories, and we would have loved to hear theirs. However there are so many people that we cannot stop to connect to everyone so we paddle silently past and connect with none.

We even paddle distant from each other. We spread out more, and have limited conversation. Fran has been perfecting her paddling technique and today it really flows well. She sails ahead further than she and I have ever been apart on the water, content and even joyous as mind, body and boat blend into one.

Navigation today is just by the watch as we paddle along the straight beach. While the different buildings would be landmarks to locals, they meant little to us. We just counted down the miles, twenty minutes at a time, and validate the few times we pass something distinctive like a harbor entrance. We pass through the crowds and development to the south end of Naples, near the pier, and find our hotel in a very exclusive neighborhood, an older and wealthy enclave with fancy restaurants, expensive shops, and streets with tree festooned lights. It is quite lovely and a jarring contrast to the last primitive campsite. The hotel is great, though carrying everything including the boats up the beach and down the road to the hotel is very exhausting.