Tarpon Springs to Key West

Saturday March 16^th, 2002, Day 306

Awake at 7:30am to wait for the diver. Kenny Griffin arrived promptly at 8 and replaced the prop. He also took the dinged one and will ship it off to be repaired then shipped to us along the way.

We left this Marina much easier than we came in. The tide was still low, but there wasn’t another boat in front of us so we were able to pull straight out without problems.

There are lots of boats on the water today and almost none of them slow at all when meeting other boats. I was amazed at how they just blow by you without any consideration.

We anchored by Anclote Island and dinghy’d over so I could get a picture of the abandoned lighthouse. We spoke with a woman and her family on the beach and they told us that money was being raised to restore this lighthouse. We spoke about being members of the Lighthouse preservation society and had a nice chat.

We headed to Clearwater and after fueling, docked at the Holiday Inn Harbor Resort. This place has several outside bars and 3 restaurants. Also there is a huge pool including waterfall. We had dinner at Jimmy Guana’s out on the deck and listened to the band. Our boat was docked just below the deck so we could still hear the band when we got back to the boat. They only play until 10pm so it was a nice evening.

The Marina has 30/50-amp power, water and diesel and gas fuel. Paid $1.06 for diesel. Slip rate is $1.25/ft. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Ice is the only supply. Shops are nearby.

Sunday, March 17, 2002, Day 307

We decided to stay in Clearwater another day. We went back to Jimmy Guana’s for breakfast and visited the gift shop. Richard was amazed that I didn’t buy anything.
Richard forgot to wear something green so I got in a little pinch (He didn’t think it was funny either. J)

We went for evening drinks at Brewmaster Restaurant in the Holiday Inn complex. The service was slow and the bartender was very unfriendly so we decided to go back to Jimmy Guana’s. We had a nice evening there and the weather was perfect. Richard even got rewarded for his love of Budweiser.

Monday, March 18^th, 2002, Day 308

Headed to St. Petersburg around 10:30. It’s very slow going along this stretch of the ICW because everyplace is a NO WAKE zone. The breeze was nice and several dolphins played along with us as we cruised. We also were able to get under all the bridges except the 8 ft Treasure Island bridge, which is encouraging since we went under a 20 ft bridge which speaks well for our ability to clear the 19 ft bridge South of Chicago.

We made it to St. Pete Municipal Marina around 2:30pm. We got settled in, and checked everything out, then headed across the street to take the free tram to the Pier. The Pier is loaded with shops and restaurants. There is an aquarium on the 2nd floor and a little bit of something for everyone.

We sat out on the deck in the restaurant Cha Cha Coconut’s on the 5^th floor and had a lovely view of the bay. Richard tried the conch fritters, which were quite tasty, and he had several foo foo drinks trying to be festive.

We headed back to the boat for a beautiful sunset and counted our lucky stars.

Tuesday, March 19, 2002, Day 309

We caught the trolley to the Pier for some shopping. Afterwards we hopped on a pink trolley and took a tour of St. Petersburg. We hoped off the trolley at Bay Walk a shopping and restaurant complex downtown. We had lunch at Dan Marino’s Restaurant and shopped for sandals with boat worthy soles. We went back to the boat and I took Gypsy to the beach for a run. We spoke with our friends Tom and V in St. James City and we’ll head there on Friday.

Richard is having a problem tracking down the prop he sent for repair in Tarpon Springs. He can’t seem to get in touch with the diver who arranged the prop shipping.

 We liked this Marina. It’s convenient to everything in town. The marina has 30/50-amp power, laundry, ice and fuel nearby. The slip rate is $1.24/ft.

 Wednesday, March 20, 2002, Day 310

 Headed to Venice and rocked and rolled on the way there due to all the boaters who don’t slow down for anyone. We arrived about 3:30 at the Crow’s Nest Marina. We met several nice boaters as we pulled in and had dinner at the restaurant with Jack and Terry Callahan and their son John on “Jack’s Putter”. Chris and Billie Colombo on "Florida Cracker" also joined us. They are planning to do the loop soon and were eager to hear about our travels.

It was a nice meal with nice company.

 Good Marina, but not well situated for a long stay. Friendly staff. Have 30/50-amp power, fuel, ice and supplies. Slip rate is complicated, it cost us basically $1.50/ft, but there is a submerged lands tax of 6% and a state tax of 7% added.

 Thursday, March 21, 2002, Day 31

As we were getting ready to leave, a sail boat "Sprit" tied up in front of us. It had a Houston port registry. Turned out to be Phil and Carolyn Wilson who are members of the Lakewood Yacht club as we are. They are on their way back to Houston. Cruising is a small world. 

I woke excited because I would be able to photograph 2 lighthouses today. We cruised to Gasparilla Island and I was able to photograph the Garsparilla light and the Port Boca Grande light. What fun!

We decided to anchor out on Captiva Pass on Cayo Costa Island. It’s a beautiful place with pretty water and nice beaches. When we arrived that afternoon, there were about 15 other boats there but by evening, we were the only ones around. We dingy’d to shore, and Gypsy went wild. We sat on the beach and watched the sunset and the Osprey’s feeding their babies. We dingy’d back to the boat and watched 15 dolphins playing around us. Is this paradise or what?

 Friday, March 22, 2002, Day 312

 We pulled the anchor up without problems and headed to St. James City on Pine Island. Our friends, Tom and V Bridges, have a house right on the canal so we pulled our boat next to theirs and rafted off.

Tom and V have a little 2-year-old poodle named Nova. She and Gypsy really hit it off and were chasing each other all over the house till they passed out from exhaustion.

We went out to Dinner in Bokeelia and V’s daughter Lisa joined us. We had a good meal and lots of boating travel talk. Then we went to the American Legion and had a drink and listen to some music (well maybe you could call it that).

Saturday, March 23, 2002, Day 313

 When I got up I wasn’t feeling well but knew I had to do laundry today. So we borrowed the Bridges’ car and Richard dropped me off at the Laundromat with my 8 loads of Laundry and he headed to Boat US. That was a miserable afternoon. But when I got back to the boat, Richard gave me a B-12 injection for my anemia. I was surprised and maybe it was just coincidence, but a couple hours later, I felt back to normal.

V cooked a marvelous dinner of pasta and salad. My mouth waters just thinking about it. Gypsy and Nova played again until they dropped.

Sunday, March 24^th, 2002, Day 314

We went to Froggy’s for lunch and then the 4 of us plus 2 dogs got in the dinghy and headed out to check out the local scenery by canal.

This community is a very tight-nit place. Everybody knows everybody and they all keep an eye out for each other’s property and boats.

We made it to Wisteria Island (the locals call it Christmas Tree Island). There we met up with several other boaters and picnickers all having a blast. We let the dogs run and enjoyed the afternoon.

Today was Richard’s birthday so we celebrated and we had leftover pasta and pizza for dinner at Tom & V’s.

The guys ended up at the computer looking at chart packages and V and I ended up in the recliners watching the old movie “Giant”

Monday, March 25^th, 2002, Day 315

We said goodbye to V (Tom was at work) and we let Gypsy and Nova romp together one more time, then we headed out.

Oh boy! another lighthouse to be photographed. We cruised to Sanibel Island and I photographed the Sanibel light then we headed to Tarpon Point Marina in Cape Coral.

Richard and I worked our rears off (unfortunately we only thought we did) cleaning inside and outside the boat but boy did it need cleaning.

Our friend John Lackey came by and he and Richard went to Boat US and Walgreen’s while I finished cleaning the boat.

They returned with Claire, John’s wife and off we went to the Brigand Restaurant where Richard and I had a wonderful steak dinner.

They brought us back to the boat and came in for a drink and visit. It was a beautiful starry night.

Tuesday, March 26th, 2002, Day 316

We spent the afternoon at John and Claire’s house in Ft. Meyers. Their boat, the Claire E, is also an aft cabin Silverton and is tied up next to their house.

It’s a really nice house with glass doors opening off most rooms to the screened in Lanai and pool area.

Gypsy was with us and accidentally went for a swim when she stepped on the soft pool cover. She had a ball chasing the geckos (I think that’s the first time she’s ever seen a lizard).

Jeff, John and Claire’s 18 year-old son, is a computer wiz so he helped Richard get hooked up on the high-speed digital connection.

We had a very nice dinner and relaxed by the pool.

Wednesday, March 27^th, 2002, Day 317

We were up bright and early and decided to head through the Okeechobee Waterway across to the East coast instead of going to the Keys. We need to be in Miami on Apr 3^rd to fly to St Louis for Valerie’s (Richard’s daughter) wedding and the winds have been high so we were worried we wouldn’t be able to do the Keys and get to Miami in time. We will probably go to the Keys after we get back.

We went through 4 locks and several bridges that had to be raised for us. In the locks on the ICW here, the Lockmaster throws a bow and stern line to the boat and we both held lines as we went down. It was a little more difficult because Richard had to leave the bridge and catch the stern line and then we had to slowly let them out or take them in depending on whether we were locking up or down. It was a very windy day, which added to the difficulty of keeping the boat against the lock wall.
The canal around Lake Okeechobee can be kind of bland. Also, the Corps of Engineers is killing off trees that were planted to control erosion but take up too much water. So the scenery is not all that great.

We docked at the Roland Martin’s Marina (yes, he’s the fishing guy with the TV show) in Clewiston there’s an outside bar and a restaurant right at the dock. Needless to say there was a lot of fishing activity but we never got to see Roland himself.

The tie up is against a long dock in a narrow channel, which makes turning around to leave difficult. They have fuel, 30/50-amp power, water and some marine supplies. The slip rate is $1.25/ft.

Thursday, March 28^th, 2002, Day 318

We perused the gift shop before leaving and found lots of interesting stuff there, but nothing we couldn’t live without. They do have a few groceries, but not much. They also sell beer.

We headed across Lake Okeechobee to Stuart. It was a calm crossing and only had to do 1 lock today, but there were several bridges. We made it to Stuart by 5pm and fueled up with the assistance of Michelle at the fuel dock at Pirate’s Cove Marina. We also had a hitchhiker along as we pulled in.

We went for happy hour at the Pirate’s Cove Bar and restaurant. Then we went back to the boat for some TV and shut-eye.

Friday, March 29^th, 2002, Day 319

We decided to stay another day here in Stuart because we have a local phone line that we can hook to the boat and use the Internet as much as we want. We had bills to pay etc. On line so we utilized the opportunity to get things done.

The Marina has fuel, 30/50-amp power, cable and phone connections and marine supplies. The slip rate after taxes and electric charges was $2.09/ft. Fuel cost was $1.20/gal.

Saturday, March 30^th, 2002, Day 320

We woke to a VERY windy morning and I wasn’t feeling well. As we tried to pull away from the dock, one of the ball fenders caught on the rub rail and Richard thought we’d hit something. So he didn’t back out as quickly as he could have because he didn’t know what happened. I on the other hand was doing my best not to pass out and at the same time I realized through my haze that the wind had caught us and was taking us straight into another big boat. I did manage to stand up long enough to try and push us off the other boat, but his anchor caught on our railing and was trying to rip both the other boat’s anchor and our railing off. Luckily, Richard was able to pull forward enough for me to get us untangled from the other boat, but we were still blowing into it. Some guys on the dock took mercy on us when they saw us and jumped on the other boat to fend us off and they checked for damages to the other boat. We finally managed to get to a pole that we could pivot on and get us away from that boat. Talk about scary, whew! We had planned on making it to Fort Lauderdale but soon found there are too many bridges in the ICW that require waiting for them to raise. It takes a lot longer to travel here also because of the no wake zones. That must be why there are so many rude boaters here who go full throttle, out of the no wake zones, causing all other boats to rock-n-roll.

I did manage to photograph the Jupiter Inlet lighthouse a bright red light that’s one of the prettiest I’ve seen.

We made it to West Palm Beach and the Palm Harbor Marina around 4:30pm. We docked without incident thanks to the help of the dock crew. It was still windy, but we were able to snuggle in without problems.

The marina has 30/50-amp power, cable and fuel. The slip rate after taxes and electric etc. is $2.01/ft

Sunday, March 31^st, 2002, Day 321

Left West Palm Beach and headed for Ft. Lauderdale. Still lots of bridges and very slow going but the water’s gorgeous. Also lots of high-rise condos and big boats. We also had dolphins swimming around us.

I was able to photograph the Hillsborough Inlet Lighthouse from a distance. We made it into Ft. Lauderdale around 5:30.  One friend calls this Fort La dee dah and they claim to be the yachting capital of the world. This is also really a tourist town. Lots of people at the beach and lots of traffic cruising A1A.

The Marina where we are staying is Bahia Mar Yachting Center and it’s attached to the Radisson Hotel complex. This is a luxury resort with a very nice hotel and lots of shops. The Bahia Mar Bar and Grill is a nice place to relax and eat.

We decided to check it out so we went for a bite. We were only one of three tables because the rush was over for their special Easter Brunch. The food was very good.

Monday, April 01, 2002, Day 322

We rented a car because we have so many errands to run. We first went to the Galleria Mall, a few miles away. This is an upscale Mall with a Neiman’s and a Saks etc.

We both had to shop for clothing for Richard’s daughter’s wedding, which is Saturday.

We also took Gypsy to the vet to get a health certificate so she will be able to fly in the cabin with us. Then we went to the grocery store and back to the boat.

The traffic is really bad here due to all the drawbridges, traffic lights and tourists. It took us most of the day just to do all that.

We came back to the boat and Richard worked on the sewage pipes while I typed my log. It was a busy day but we got a lot accomplished.

Tomorrow we head out for Miami.  

Richard’s comments:

Bahia Mar Yachting Center is very upscale with lots of huge boats, yacht sales, hotel, 30/50/100-amp power, water and cable and gas and diesel. You pay for the privilege however. This is the most expensive marina we have stayed at so far. By the time you add up the per foot cost of $2.35 and electric charge and taxes it cost us $103.50 per day.

Tuesday, April 2^nd, 2002, Day 323

Headed out to Miami still lots of bridges and boaters. We arrived at Pelican Harbor Marina about 4pm. Our slip there was located next to a Pelican Harbor seabird station. Needless to say, the seabird aroma was overwhelming.

We chose this Marina because it is relatively inexpensive and we will have to leave the boat here for a week. There are no frills and a lot of live-aboards in this Marina. Gypsy just about drove herself crazy thinking she had to bark at every dog that passed her boat.

I made dinner on the boat and we watched some baseball on TV.

 Richard’s comments:

This marina was once pretty upscale. There was once a nice restaurant on the property but it is closed. It is a city (county) facility and as  such has little in the way of amenities. The power is basically 1 30-amp service per slip. We were able to hook up a second one 2 slips down. There is water gas, diesel and ice. They didn’t allow Internet hookup. The rate for the week was $150 and $31 per night.

 Wednesday, April 3^rd, 2002, Day 324

 Did a little cleaning, but mostly just relaxed and did some reading.

Trying to psyche ourselves up for the plane trip with Gypsy tomorrow.

 Thursday, April 4^th, 2002, Day 325

 We finished packing, got Gypsy in her travel bag and took a cab to the airport.

We had a long line at the Delta ticket counter and it really is strange to see marines in camouflage packing machine guns.

We made it onto the plane with Gypsy in her bag and stowed her under the seat. I was unzipping her bag to give her some water when a series of events happened that should have been caught on tape for America’s Funniest Videos. As Gypsy was sticking her head out of her bag, the flight attendant handed me a cup of ice and Richard a beer. Richard accidentally bumped my arm, which caused the ice to go flying which caused me to let go of Gypsy, and then Richard spilled his beer as Gypsy jumped out of her bag and went running down the isle with the flight attendant in hot pursuit. Everyone on the plane got a kick out of it. Even the flight attendant thought it was funny. Richard however had to go the entire trip with beer all over him. It was really funny later, but not at the time it happened. After that event we discovered that Richard’s seat was broken and we had to wait for a crew to come and repair the seat. We were off to a fine start but the rest of the trip was uneventful and we made it safely to St. Louis or rather a suburb, Clayton.

 Monday, April 8^th, Day 329

 The wedding was perfect and Valerie was one of the most beautiful brides I’ve seen. The reception was at the Country Club and had about 200 people in attendance. We had a sit-down dinner, then music by a 7-piece band.

We had lots of photo opportunities and Jason, Richard’s grandson, loved taking snapshots. Jason and Megan were tired after all their work as ring bearer and flower girl so they stopped for some coloring relaxation therapy in the midst of everyone.

We had a wonderful time and it was nice seeing all the family.

We took Jim, Cara, and Jason out to lunch at the Hardrock Café. Cara and Jason opened their birthday gifts. Cara’s birthday was the 5^th and Jason’s is the 14^th. We had a fun afternoon.

We flew back without much problem except the 2 hour layover in Atlanta. By the time we got to the Miami airport, Gypsy was beside herself having to potty. She was whining and carrying on. The minute we were off the plane, I found a secluded nook and pulled out the potty pad and she promptly peed for 5 minutes. I’ve never seen that much pee come out of such a small dog. You could see the relief in her eyes. I’m surprised her little bladder didn’t pop.

We found that our boat was fine and there had been no problems while we were gone.