Wednesday, January 1, 2014
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We are starting the new year with a bit of advice from Mark, Steve's brother, a seasoned salt water captain!
We started our new year by sleeping in today until 8 am. It rained throughout the morning and early afternoon, so we worked on projects and moved Dream Chaser to a different dockage in the marina.
The rain stopped about 3 pm, and we enjoyed a late lunch at Sweet Tomatoes which is our favorite salad buffet. It was a perfect movie day, so we chose "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" which was a strange but an interesting voyage of self discovery.
After returning to the marina, we joined our looper friends Susan & Brent Anderson and Bev & Em White for a little evening birthday party for Brent. Temps are in the low 60's tonight, and tomorrow we will be heading south to warmer weather.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
We were up early this morning prepping the boat for our departure and returning the rental car. Dunedin has been a great place to spend time, but we are anxious to see what lies ahead. We have cloudy skies, temps in the low 60's, and high humidity. Weather reports call for rain-perhaps storms-this afternoon, but we are optimistic.
At 10 am, Dream Chaser motored out of Marker 1 Marina. See map below. We left Dunedin, just north of Clearwater, and plan to reach the Sarasota area in six hours if all goes as planned.
We are following the ICW which is the faint blue broken line on the map. Dream Chaser is motoring steadily along, and we are happy to be on the move again. We always feel a bit anxious as we cast off, but fall into the routine after a few minutes and motoring becomes the norm.
We are entertained by the dolphins as they surface around the boat and the birds as they swoop and dive for their meals. There are several bridges along the way. Some are tall enough to squeak under and others need a request to be lifted (marina radio call on #9).
About 1:30 pm, we pulled into Tierra Verde Marina due to a BIG storm heading our way. Things looked OK until a threatening storm appeared on the weather monitor. We tied down at the dock. In front of us was the last bridge before the big open water of Tampa Bay and our destination on the other side. If we didn't pass under that bridge within the hour and get across Tampa Bay, we would be stuck for two days due to predicted storms and high waves. Steve was tracking various weather sources which showed that the storm would pass to the north, but the marinas we contacted told us not to try crossing the bay. So after an hour of debating, we untied the lines, headed under the bridge, and crossed to the south side of Tampa Bay. No Problem!
At 3 pm, Dream Chaser slid into her dockage (far left)at the SeaFood Shack Marina near Bradenton.
The marina consists of some old docks in front of an eating establishment, but we have electricity! As soon as we had her tied down, the soaking ran began! As the rain subsided, we donned raincoats and walked 15 min. to the Star Fish Seafood Market (dating back to the 1920's) and Dockside Restaurant in the Village of Cortez.
IT IS UNIQUE!
The food is great, but it does take a
long, long time!
Supposedly, the area was a Spanish fishing "rancho" (wayyyyy back), and (recorded in the 1880's) it is the oldest surviving fishing village in the state. The food is simple, fresh seafood, but scrumptious and the awesome, scenic view from your table at dock is of the fishing fleet, mangrove islands, and Bradenton Beach. The place was packed, and we shared our picnic table with a couple on holiday from Munich, Germany. Star Fish Restaurant is unique and a real gem!
We sat at the picnic table to the left in the picture.
Later that night...
Rock n' Roll........Rock n' Roll........Rock n' Roll.....Rock n' Roll (And I don't mean dancing!)
The storm hit with with beating rain, 30 mph winds, and waves over the dock. Mary was lulled to sleep like a rough ride in a baby cradle. Steve stayed up to watch the excitement and wore his life jacket outside to move lines around for better support to hold the boat. (He hardly ever wears his life jacket!) The strong waves were crashing over the dock. Needles to say, he was late to bed!
Friday, January 3, 2014
At 8 am, the storm is past and we are fine, but the wind remains brisk and a cold 48 degrees. Dream Chaser is still Rockin' and Rollin' at the dock from the strong waves.
This is Dream Chaser at the old dock after things became somewhat calm.
Steve has been tracking the weather for the Gulf crossing (a major source of anxiety for loopers) from Carrabelle to Tampa. Today’s weather blog reported serious conditions: King Neptune barricaded the passes with 11-12 ft. rolling seas in the Gulf. The last good weather window for the Gulf crossing was the 21 hour period Steve and Nick took Dream Chaser across about two weeks ago. We are very thankful to be across, as it would have been a 3 1/2 week wait for the next good weather window.
We are also VERY glad that we crossed Tampa Bay, yesterday, because today, the waves were recorded at seven feet!
At 8:30 am, the sun broke through the clouds...Hurrah! After our morning walk through the Village of Cortez, back at the Seafood Shack Marina we met with two loopers, Eddi and Sandi Bartels from Cortez FL on their motor vessel, Tarquin.
Their 37’ lobster boat, built by North Atlantic Ship Building, was one of the 15 live-aboards produced. Most of their decorations were put away, but the Christmas tree was still on the bow and Mrs. Claus was behind the wheel in the upper helm. Being seasoned loopers, they shared their knowledge of places (anchorages, fuel stops, and “do not miss” spots) to help us plan our journey through Florida and then up the coast into Canada. Great people with a wealth of information and so eager to help. The visit was too short, but it was time for us to go, so they untied our lines, told us to call them if we needed anything, and wished us well as Dream Chaser slipped back into the ICW headed towards Sarasota.
Today, like most days, finding a place to dock is a BIG task! Contacting the people at the marina (they don’t tend to answer their phones), justifying the price for dockage (it’s REAL expensive in FL), and finding a marina that is protected from bad weather are the major problems.
This afternoon, after passing through a little inlet and motoring back into a very small area of water surrounded on three sides by huge high rises, we found the Sarasota Hyatt Marina. Talk about protected dockage! We feel nothing- it's wonderful! The winds are predicted to be strong through tomorrow, so after being battered last night, this is a welcomed spot.
We see these signs all over the area.
These gentle, harmless creatures are
highly endangered and have laws
protecting them. Harming them can
result in hefty fines and/or jail time.
Manatees are losing their habitats and
are harmed by: boats, barges, flood
gates, canal locks, fish hooks and lines,
trawler nets, and pollution.
This evening, we hopped a hotel shuttle to Sarasota's well-known St Armand's Circle on St Armand Key. This is a unique eclectic area with a large roundabout in the center containing a small park and over 130 wonderful restaurants, galleries, and shops branching off outside the circle. Even with temps in the 50's, people are everywhere-so fun to people watch!
Dream Chaser is happy to be in a quiet place with manatees swimming around her. Steve is asleep-exhausted from keeping vigil during last night's storm. Mary is writing the blog and doing wash (aboard). Wrapped around us are the lights from the hotels and their reflections on the water. It is sooo peaceful...Good Night!
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