Sunday, December 18, 2011

Tides, Current, Wind & Bridges!!


  Time travelled:     7 hours
  Nautical miles:     50
  Docked at:          Marina Jacks, Sarasota  $2.25 a foot,
                               great sunsets and live music

Wow, what a windy night! I got up to see if the boat was still attached to the dock - went up to the flybridge because it sounded like the bimini was blowing away but all was well, I secured the railing covers and tried to get back to sleep. The current was slapping against the boat and  the wind was pushing us into the dock - when we looked this morning we had blown a fender!!
We left dark and early because we wanted out at slack tide, Garth had to maneuver between a cateraman and the bridge pylons. When we came in we were at full current and 60,000 pounds of boat was being pushed around like a leaf.....ahh back in Florida!

We had great luck with the bridges today - partially because it was Sunday and a lot of the bridges were opening on demand and the rest we were just lucky. The longest wait we had was about 10 minutes. It took us about an hour and a half to get across Tampa Bay. Wow is it ever shallow.!!

Last year we surveyed a boat over here and the captain said to us that there are two kinds of boaters on Florida's west coast......those that have run aground and those that will run aground!!

High and dry!

Another one!

Danger sign and you can see how shallow it is - Tampa Bay

Staying in the channel!

Birds on a sandbar 10 feet from the boat.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge - Tampa bay

Dragging his boat across the sandbar

Sailing lessons??

New Christmas scarf!

All decked out for Christmas


We went for a walk as soon as we got the boat straightened out - Zeke went for a swim. He is really getting his energy back - it is so good to see him wanting to run and play.
We are heading for Burnt Store Marina tomorrow and we will put it down there for a few weeks over Christmas 

View from the back of the boat in Sarasota tonight.