Sailing by the Light of the Silvery Moon

For many, South West Florida means boating, whether that be a sailboat, a canoe or a cruise ship.

And, to be sure, if cruising is your style, there are no end of cruises to be found on and around Sanibel Island.

There are cruises in the morning, cruises in the evening, cruises all year round, including gambling cruises.

Every day of the year, two ships based out of Ft. Myers Beach offer evening cruises for passengers 21 and older, who want to wine, dine, and gamble.

The 167-foot Europa Sea Kruz holds 350 people and leaves from Snug Harbor Resort. The ship, which journeys in a big circle, is scheduled to depart at 6:30 p.m. and return at 12:30 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays. It lasts a half-hour longer on Fridays and Saturdays for the party animals. The cruise includes a sit-down dinner.


A relative newcomer on the Ft. Myers Beach gambling boat scene is the Big M Casino, a 2-year-old, 162-foot ship that can carry 400 passengers. All year long, Sundays through Thursdays, its evening cruise departs Moss Marine at 6 p.m. and returns at 11:30 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, the ship leaves at 6:45 p.m. and returns at 12:45 a.m. The ship must go out nine miles, where international waters begin, before the gambling can begin. Floating up the coast from Naples to Fort Myers; the ship doesn't anchor. The trip includes live entertainment and a 110-seat restaurant. Once in awhile, some passengers go along just for the trip, but most, of course, are aboard to play blackjack, roulette, and slot machines.

And certainly you will find some romance and charm on the moon lit waters whether you gamble or not.

But if you are truly a moon-light sailor, you might want to consider something a little more adventurous and explore an extended cruise.

Extended cruising means sailing overnight, a weekend or even a week. Sail out beyond reach of the phone, fax, e-mails and enjoy the "quiet time" and learn why and how things are done on board while away from the reach of civilization.

The beautiful, sleek and "silvery" sailing sloop, the New Moon, can sail North or South from Captiva. You can choose to sail south to the Keys or the Dry Tortugas. Or sail north up the West coast of Florida and explore the Intercoastal Waterway or Florida Bay. Little Shark River and Tampa Bay are just a few of the Florida spots to see and enjoy. There are beaches, islands, rivers and bays to enjoy all around, and you can see them on the New Moon from such different perspectives that you will never forget the beauty and majesty of Southwest Florida's Gulf of Mexico coastline.

And maybe you can even make that midnight stop, a glass of wine and your beloved, on the warm sands under a moonlit sky. You can make the words of the darling poem, The Owl and Pussycat, come to life!

"And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon."