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We're Here... Bradenton, FL
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Winds moved
into south west Florida, so we decided to take the Inter Coastal Waterway from
Ft. Meyers Beach up to Bradenton. The
Gulf would have had some BIG waves and this 1st mate didn’t want to
give that a try! Our first jaunt was
from Ft. Meyers to Gasparilla Marina near Englewood, FL. This was one of many lovely marinas we
enjoyed on our three month adventure. Steve always uses a service called Active
Captain and they always have info and ratings about places to stay. Gasparilla was to have the cleanest showers
and restrooms anywhere on the Gulf….so what’s not to like, right? They lived up to their write up and even had
a busy little bar and grill that was just the ticket for dinner that evening.
Saturday we
sailed from Gasparilla to Sarasota. A
front went through by mid-morning and it turned cool and windy! We had eight bridges to pass through on the
trip. Our mast has a height of 51 ft. so
we usually have to ask for a “lift” from the bridge keepers along the way. A big “shout out” to the bridge keepers in
Florida for being the friendliest and nicest we have experienced on our whole
trip! Most of these bridges were “on
demand” (we radio them and they lift the bridge) but two only opened on the
hour and half hour. If you get there at
the “wrong” time you get to wait!!!! I
must say we made it through in record time, so that was a plus! Due to the cold temps, we decided on Marina
Jack’s Marina in downtown Sarasota for Saturday. Our heating system was very welcome that
night! In fact, I think on the whole
trip, we’ve used the heat more than the air conditioning….figure!
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Marina Jack in Sarasota
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The last
section of the trip was to Bradenton and was only a four hour sail. I think I have failed to mention that all the
way along the ICW you see all sorts of beautiful homes and boats. Just when you think you have seen the biggest
one, there’s another one around the bend.
Also, there are many dolphins, birds and fishermen. The ICW is narrow in many areas and the water
is shallow and so clear that you can see the fish and dolphins swimming by the
boat.
We are now
in port at the Twin Dolphin Marina!
We’re doing some necessary cleaning, washing and relaxing. I have my ticket on South West Airlines for
Friday to fly to Texas. Steve has two
buddies who are coming in to help him crew and sail Kathryn home to Padre
Island. The weather conditions on the
Gulf are forecast to be MUCH calmer than his trip in November. As I look at the map of the Gulf, I am amazed
at the distance we have travelled in the course of four months. The places we’ve gone and the people we’ve
met have been amazing! Thank you for
joining us along the way. I told Steve
he is going to have to continue the blog to document his Gulf journey! SO, stayed tuned, he may just do that for all
of you readers!
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Buford, Our First Crew Member Has Arrived
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