Saturday
morning was a balmy, warm day in Clearwater….an absolutely perfect day for one
last sail down to the Tampa Bay area and Bradenton, FL. The Gulf was like “glass”, which really
doesn’t happen too often! I felt it was
the water gods taking good care of us on our last section of our journey.
The trip was
just perfect but nothing noteworthy to mention!
Lots of boats were out, lots of crab pots to watch out for and a number
of ships heading into Tampa. Our one
“memory” was the boat that passed us fairly close! As good boaters always do, we waved at one
another! That’s when I noticed the
“captain” of that boat!!! I said,
“Steve, that guy isn’t wearing any clothes, right?” Yepper, he was REALLY enjoying the warm,
sunny weather. What you don’t see on the
Gulf!
Tampa Bay Sunshine Skyway Bridge |
We got into
Twin Dolphins Marina about 3:30 with a big smile on our faces. We had made it! After the usual tying up, etc. we just
started relaxing. There is a lovely
restaurant, Pier 22, in the marina, so that was our dinner plan. As we walked to dinner, all the Christmas
lights were shining and everything was so festive and we had no coat or jacket
on! Almost seemed like on Dec. 7th
this was wrong!!! But they had great
entertainment and we just ate and listened to the music.
Twin Dolphin Marina |
Pier 22 Great Place for Happy Hour and Dinner |
My college
roommate, Pat, and her husband had driven over from Palm Coast, FL and were
staying with former Padre Island friends here in Sarasota. They came to our rescue yesterday morning
(since we were car-less!). After a bit
of conversation, we continued the day on to lunch on the water, and then to
Katrina and Rodney’s home for delicious food and more talk! After being on a boat and the water for so
long, it’s just wonderful to be in a home!
Anna Maria Oyster Bar |
Dinner With Pat, Bill, Rodney, and Katrina |