South down the Gulf Coast

Thursday – Lumpy ride to St Pete Municipal–So Thursday we finally left Mr. Joe’s house and free dock on the rising tide. We were both a little nervous about traversing the canal and the “skinny” channel that lead to the main (well marked) channel. But as you can see we made it. (even Tim said he was really stressed). The water was really choppy, but our boat handled it well. Before we docked for the evening, we got a much needed pump out. After getting tied up in our slip we wandered around the downtown area again and found some good food for supper. Early to bed.

Friday – More waves cross Tampa Bay to Bradenton–Oh the waves on Tampa Bay!!! The bay sure feels huge when the waves are big. The wind subsided temporarily after we passed under the Sunshine Bridge. We were successful in reaching Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton that afternoon. There was a pool, but the cool temps. in Florida didn’t encourage anyone to take a dip. Bradenton had a long river walk which we walked as well as biked. We walked the downtown–nothing newsworthy. The farmers market on Saturday was fun. Tim enjoyed, in his opinion, the best ribs ever from a vendor at the market. Saturday night I was in the mood for pizza at Oak & Stone. Little did we know that this pizza joint has a 1st floor area as well as the 8th floor which overlooks the marina and river. We were seated on the 8th floor area next to the railing. What a beautiful place to eat and enjoy the view. Too bad we are leaving tomorrow. Also we were able to bless a young family to a free dinner on us. So fun to act on promptings from the Holy Spirit. The only negative from this marina was we were told that they had a rat problem (brings back visions from the Big House in Brazil….). Fortunately we didn’t acquire any unwelcome critters during our stay there.

Sat – Discover Bradenton

Sunday – Move down to Marina Jacks in Sarasota–We left fairly early for Marina Jacks so we could hang with some of our boating buddies. Apparently we forgot the Golden Rule….don’t travel on the weekends, especially when it’s a nice day. So many boats on the ICW. There was a big festival just closing up shop in the area, so there were people everywhere. Tim & I did manage to walk the Main Street where all the restaurants and boutique shops were located. I think we are getting tired of big towns as they all look alike. We shared an evening meal with 5 others boaters while sitting in the warm temps. of Sarasota. It is great to share adventures with others who are on the same adventure as we are. So much to talk about!!! Of course, we finished the evening with ice cream (if you get 2 scoops of ice cream in a cup vs. 2 individual 1 scoops, it is much cheaper by a couple of dollars….just saying). Marina Jacks is a very clean, well-maintained marina. Wouldn’t mind staying another day, but Venice is calling.

Monday – Move south to Venice–Our travel to Venice was uneventful and the boat traffic much less. We tied up to the Crows Nest Marina which put us right on the waterway entrance from the gulf. Not too bad if boaters heeded the NO WAKE sign. There’s a small town vibe here which we like. We walked the pier (was not like Michigan piers) and explored the area around the marina. One thing we noticed was the lack of young people/families—mostly the older crowd. Must be a hangout for the snowbirds or otherwise. And now we are part of the older crowd =(

Tuesday – Explore Venice by bicycle, Ice cream sunset–We biked into town to check out the main drag. Tim even got his hair cut while I continued walking with another boater friend. Tim found it a little hard to reconnect with us as I had his cell phone in my backpack….but thanks to another tourist lending him his phone, we found each other again. We had a great brunch in a little cafe downtown. At sunset, the local loopers gathered at the ice cream store on the beach. It was a beautiful sunset.

Wednesday – Move to Pelican Bay Anchorage–Pelican Bay is the same place we anchored while on the “Taste of the Loop” with Scott/Karen DeVoll. We weren’t sure what to expect because of Hurricane Ian, but we had seen lots of other boats anchored in this bay on Nebo. We anchored without any issues and had about 25 other boats anchoring around us. I do have an issue at night when we anchor because the anchor chain makes noises and keeps me awake. Again, anchoring is really uncomfortable for me as I prefer being in a marina tied to something solid.

Thursday – Relax at Pelican Bay–we made it thru the night without any issues (except the chain noise and not sleeping well). The moonlight and all the anchor lights at night were really amazing. Anyway, today Tim got the dingy down and we motored around and walked on the beach that was nearby. I exfoliated my feet by walking on the shell covered beach. Tim also scrubbed the waterline on the boat as it was getting very dirty from all the river water. Time for bed as we have a 50 mile trek tomorrow.

Friday – The Okeechobee begins