We're at Marco Island after a nice cruise in the gulf yesterday.

Today, we went and got our car from Sarasota and I fished off the aft deck when the tide was running to carry my bait away behind the boat in the tidal current. I caught this one nice sheepshead (we didn't eat this one) and three saltwater catfish.










It seems like there's always something interesting going on with sealife. While I was fishing, I was surprised to see this nudibranch (mollusk with no shell) swimming by in the tidal current. It's about 1 ft. long and it "flys" through the water easily with it's muscular wings. I have no idea what it eats or why it was swimming by here. It looks like a deep sea creature.

At the end of the block where our dock is located, there is a very nice corner lot that would be very expensive for a home, except it is already occupied by endangered burrowing owls. During the day, they are frequently sitting on this low perch or standing with their heads showing out of the burrow. There is a sign explaining about them and a warning not to molest them. They're only about 8 inches tall... not much for an owl. When we go by at night, they're not sitting there. Maybe they're out hunting at night.

The wave forecast for Saturday looks excellent, so we'll stay here Friday and make the 100 mile cruise to Key West on Saturday to arrive at our new marina where the boat will be during hurricane season.