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The Crew Log of the Rose May,
2006 There was plenty of room in the cabin, but the trip taught us what gear we don't need taking up space. We don't need a different set of clothes for every day on the water, two sets of snorkeling gear for mud-gazing, the original Macgregor removable galley, extra jib and the battery-draining cooler/heater ice chest (batteries gone in 36 hours). We now pack a much lighter ship. The dingy did well, but was utilized for nothing more than lounging, hauling refuse (SS Trash Barge), and the occasional securing-back-on-deck practice in high wind. Brian did very well helping crew the Rose for the first week, though an anchor lies at the bottom cursing his untimely engine revving ways. All in all, he is a good man to have aboard. We sailed all over Canyon Lake, both night and day. Sailing silently through the night is a powerful experience of freedom and tranquility. Amy enjoyed working the rigging and fine tuning the wind flow across the sails of the Rose. The only major hiccup that we encountered was the fault of a safety switch! We were motoring along a cliff, keeping it about 150 feet to our starboard, when the motor coughed, sputtered and died. I pulled the cord a couple of times in vain and pulled off the cowl. About this time a faded blue sailboat passed between our boat and the cliff, asking if we needed help. I thought not, at first, but then realized that the 150 feet of clearance had become 100 feet of wind blown water. The man dropped his sails and pulled up beside us. I quickly tied along side his 27 footer and he towed us to the moorings. As we motored under diesel power, he explained that this was his first time on a sailboat, and was having a great time. He bought the boat for $100 and took over the slip fees. I envied his $800 furling job as we neared the moorings... After mooring off, we chatted for a while, while I tinkered with the outboard. The plastic switch that prevents the engine from starting while in gear had given up the ghost. Snip, twist, tape and the engine was purring. I now check that we are in neutral before I start the engine, and I never have to worry about safety putting me in danger again. Nothing like a problem to encourage meeting new people, and cruisers like Edward are the people to meet, though I wish my boat has a furling jib. After we found out that the moorings by the marina were freely available for use, we tied off there often. Our nightly attempts at finding the "perfect anchorage" were harboring negative results. Between the day-old mayflies swarming (like in the millions, man!!!) and the comfortable insect-free moorings near the marina, the choice was obvious. Plus, we had our duckies to look out for us. Amy became quite adept at lassoing the mooring buoys with our anchor rode. It wasn't until later that I realized what that hooked pole was for. Amy doesn't care what that hooked pole is for, she will continue lassoing buoys since we're so good at it now, and we're Texan, dammit. Amy and I fed our troop of ducks every evening at our mooring. 100 yards away dozens of hungry quackers loitered about the marina, but these brave three would make the trek to a guaranteed source of tortillas, scraps or chips, every day. Oddly, the wasabi trail-mix went virtually untouched by man and fowl, alike. All told, the Rose handled like a dream and was
very forgiving on our first extended voyage.
Dec 3rd, 2006
Dec
5th, 2006
Dec
9th & 10th, 2006
Dec
16th, 2006
Dec
17th, 2006
March 3rd - 12th, 2007 We spent most of our nights at the Crane's Mill mooring and frequented the smaller and more intimate Crane's Mill Marina. Our new marina's lack of a restaurant was barely noticed. All of the employees were very friendly and helpful, especially Debbie and Denise. The owner even let us charge our boat's batteries a couple of times, while we were running errands in town. We learned the marina ducks' names and fed them often. Elvis, Priscilla, Lisa Marie, Brownie, Oreo and Charmin were plump, happy ducks. They would wait right outside the door of the ship's store to be fed by its accommodating employees. The fish were also quite prolific and surfaced quicker than at our old marina. We saw a dinosaur park on our Canyon Lake map and had to take a look. It was a small place with a single curator, but they were having a meeting and a couple of geologists were present. The curator was very nice and for $3 you get full access and a bit of history. The tracks were neat to see and the museum offers a glimpse into early Texas. They also have an exhibit of the Canyon Dam and '02 flood pictures. You can't beat it for the price; I'm glad we visited the Dinosaur Park & Historic Texan Museum. Brian (our first first mate) came to join us for some sailing on Wednesday and we all had a great time sailing across the lake to the dam and back to the marina. There was some good wind that day, but for the most part the breeze was erratic and not very strong. We cooked most of our meals on the boat, venturing to Subway only twice. I believe we will be eating well on the coast of Florida, in June. Debbie was kind enough to lend us a small B&W television, which I rigged into the boat's electrical system. The Rose was becoming more and more like home, with all the amenities. (I finally acquired an 8.4" LCD TV/GAME/DVD/MP3&CD Player, which arrived days after our return. If we liked Debbie's TV, we'll really like this one.) The air mattress in the extended V-berth is comfortable but not the right fit (being rectangular), so we have planned to create a 4" thick mattress, cut to fit properly. This should really open up the forward berth and not be such a chore to climb in and out of. Three layers of camping foam and one layer of memory foam should work nicely. On Friday, day 6, my brother Jonathan, Katara and the kids arrived at Crane's Mill Park to camp and enjoy the Birthday festivities. The next day we all went sailing. I wonder if eight people and a dog doing 6 knots is any kind of Macgregor record? Aside from a well executed emergency "man overboard" pickup, fun was had by all. By the time we returned to the park Saturday afternoon, the party was well on its way. Friends were everywhere and the laughing lasted well into the night. The next day it began to rain, which motivated most friends to head home before Amy and I emerged from our dry haven, but we helped pack up the last of Jonathan's things and bid farewell, as the drizzle became rain. We had tied up the to Cranes Mill Park dock, which was resting on the bank in only 18" of water. I am very glad I bought a boat that I can beach. We had no problem tying off to the dock, with the keel resting lightly in the mud. Sunday night the rain picked up, lightning was everywhere, and the wind howled. I constructed a crude tarp shelter over the boom, keeping the cockpit from splashing water through the companionway. It was good at catching wind in a gust and heeling the boat a good 8 degrees, at times. Our little TV kept us abreast of local weather alerts and tornado warnings. We found a few small ceiling leaks, but I expected much worse. It was exciting; we loved it. The next day was calm, and quite surreal when I emerged from the cabin. The lake had taken in all the runoff from flash flooding in the night and was filled with debris. Some floating logs were as long as the boat. Our dock was now actually floating. The lake rose over two feet during the night! Amy drove the Jeep around to the ramp, while I carefully motored through the cloudy, brown water, careful to avoid the larger logs. Making it through without incident, we returned Debbie's TV, agreed to come back soon and headed for home. All in all it was a wonderful vacation and good practice for Florida. I'm looking forward to our April Canyon Lake Adventure.
Saturday, June 9th, 2007
"Maybe we should have a jack, or possibly a lug wrench? And, oh!
The bearings are dry!" Back to the house. Our early start wasn't
meant to be. Well, three hundred dollars and three hours later we escaped the gravity of locality hauling four spare trailer tires, riding on two brand new monster tires and rims. During the winter our originals had rotted, waiting for the first good bump to explode, surely sending us into a catastrophe. I honestly believe that insignificant splinter of metal saved the expedition from certain disaster. With the confines of comfort behind us, we headed for Houston, or around Houston, I should say. The new tires made all the difference, but nevertheless, we did not want to brave the perils of downtown sprawl. A 'shortcut' is always a good idea to those destined to add six hours to their adventure. Our shortcut, Loop 6, sent us into the burgeoning commercial district of northwest Houston. After the 16th stoplight, we reached our first opportunity to retreat and rejoin I-10, but tenacity is paramount, when on the wrong path. After two and a half hours of Houston, we emerged into piney forests on smooth Texas roads. Louisiana does not have smooth roads. Our 'roads less traveled' approach took us deep into the Bayou, offering a glimpse into the rural heart of Cajun country. There was hardly any traffic on the road, and the reason was soon apparent. KA-BUMP! Ka-bumpity-bump. The locals take the interstate, not the pitted pavement interlaced with narrow bridges preceded and completed with what seem like small curbs stretching across the lanes. We have added air to the tires three times. Since there is no visible damage to our trailer or the sailing vessel perched atop, I can safely say the small towns and natural scenery made it all worth while, not to mention an adrenaline kick any skydiver would envy. We finally arrived in Baton Rouge, resigning to merge with the nation's greatest transit system, looking forward to the wide, smooth surface to which I am so accustomed. Not so. The differences between the rural roadways we were escaping and Louisiana's interstate system do not involve potholes. With one more rutted lane to choose from, you get ten times the speed-demon-lumber-truckers and a multitude of flashing red and blues dotting the shoulder. Let me tell you, there is no more thrilling time to travel in Louisiana than at eleven on a Saturday night. After seventeen harrowing and bumpy hours, our 'eight hour' journey finally came to a close. "Let's push on to Biloxi," I said, but Amy's better judgment and Stella's constant meowing swayed my resolve and stayed the march. La Quinta Inn is our home for the night; the only vacancy for fifty miles. Trust me.
Sunday, June 10th, 2007
Monday, June 11th, 2007
We puttered around the river that evening, getting our sea-legs back. Anchoring for the night was an experience. Mosquitoes and a soft muddy bottom that didn't stick to our anchors made for a restless night. The next day we made final preparations and by early evening we motored the 5 miles downstream to Gustaf Bay, anchored for the night and slept very well.
Wednesday, June 13th
We reached Bayport and Hernando Beach around three in the afternoon, but a few phone calls revealed that no facilities (docks, fuel, showers) were available, and we should continue on to Hudson Beach, another fifteen or twenty miles south. The wind had picked up and the Rose was clipping along at five knots, so we continued on, our hearts light. "At this rate we should reach Hudson well before sundown!" We had been noticing a cloud bank behind us for most of the afternoon, and occasionally checked the weather radio for updates, but they kept reiterating their call of "seas two feet... inland waters, a light chop..." It was just too nice.
After a while of smooth sailing, Amy suggested that we check the weather again, as the clouds were getting closer and darker. No sooner had she reached for the radio when a gale force gust hit us from behind. The sails made a loud KaWUMP! and the Rose was suddenly racing 10 knots downwind! The calm waves lapping at the rear of the boat were now 4 feet tall with rabidly foaming peaks, threatening to broach us. We released the mainsheet, but instead of reducing speed, as we were accustomed, the boom rose into the air, caught on the backstay and wrapped the sail halfway around the mast. If we turned at this point, a knockdown or a ripped sail was a distinct possibility. Amy donned her life jacket, while I held us on a steady course, preventing the jibe that would throw the boom across our beam with neck-breaking intensity and possibly lay us over. Amy lowered the foresail as if she had done it a thousand times before, and I lifted the boom free of the backstay with all my might. With the mainsail free, we maneuvered into the waves with our little outboard at full throttle. My life-vest inches away, I couldn't let go for a moment or we would veer off and get broadsided by the angry swells. As if we didn't have enough to contend with, one of the clothespins holding a shirt up for shade popped loose, falling into the motor mount and preventing us from using the engine to turn left. Throughout the ordeal, I was forced to steer left with the tiller and right with the motor. We dropped the mainsail, but could not get to the sail cover, as Amy was clutching the sail down around the boom and I was steering back into the oncoming waves for dear life. 15 long minutes later, the wind calmed enough for me to hand Amy the sail cover, and after securing it, she returned to the cockpit. After catching our breath for a moment and checking on Stella (who was peeking out of her bilge and eyeing her food bowl), we remembered to get the camera, but by then the worst was over. If that didn't make any of us seasick, nothing would! We had been caught with our sails up but did everything right after that, averting disaster.
An hour later we were pulling into Hudson and safety as night fell. Haggard but exultant, we reached shore, but no docks were visible and the only inviting lights were those of Sam's Seaside Restaurant. Since they had no dockage, we examined the shoreline and found it soft and sandy. We immediately beached the Rose and leapt ashore to join the diners in some fine food and drink. They were puzzled by our creative landing, but amicable enough. That's where we met Dave Graham. Dave was walking along the beach between our boat and our table on the restaurant's deck, and apparently overheard our waitress trying to give us directions to a nearby marina by land (which did us no good as we were traveling by sea). He offered directions we could follow by boat, and we offered him a beer to come join our table. He did, and a couple beers later we had a few hand-drawn maps with several good suggestions of places to visit and safe anchorages. Dave is a sailor, too, currently working on restoring his 36' sailboat which was devastated by a tornado and then by SeaTow, one of the companies you can call if you get stranded. They do not come well recommended as they are essentially pirates who will "legally" claim ownership of your incapacitated boat if you leave it for any reason (like to go for help). Fortunately there are other options. Anyway, we swapped phone numbers with Dave and bid a good night. We tried to follow his directions to Mike's Marina, which was just down the beach and up a little canal, but it was dark and the canal entrance was blocked by a tree-covered breakwater which looked like land. It was also very shallow as the tide was out, so we ended up scraping bottom and anchoring out in a very shallow cove just outside of Mike's.
Thursday, June 14th, 2007
A few hours of smooth sailing with fair weather and waves brought us to Anclote Key, where we turned inland up the river mouth to Anclote beach. What a haven! We anchored in the protected cove, pleased to find that the constant river current kept us pulling against the anchor in the same direction, rather than swinging around at the whim of the winds as we were used to at the lake. We would later learn that the current proved a bit of a force to row against when coming up to dock, but made the ride home a breeze! We blew up our trusty rubber dinghy, rowed to shore and met Dave at Miss Vicki's where we enjoyed more good conversation and company. Their famed blackened grouper was savored by all, and we also got to try another of their specialties, a seasonal bisque-like delicacy called She-Crab soup. Outstanding! We thanked Dave and bid farewell till our return trip north, then it was back to the boat for a sound night's sleep.
Friday, June 15th, 2007 When we were coming into the cove the evening before, we had admired another sailboat anchored there called the Valhalla, a 2-masted 41-foot beauty. Her captain, Lance, waved hello as we were anchoring. Later as we walked through the park on our way to Vicki's to meet Dave, he introduced himself and asked if we were new to the area, offering help should we need it during our stay there. Friendly Florida folks abound! When we got home we put a watermelon and the bottle of wine Dave had given us on ice and thought we'd make a neighborly visit to the Valhalla later that afternoon. We tried hollering over to them, but they either couldn't hear us over their generator or were napping below deck through the hot part of the day (as smart people do in these parts). So we did a little clean up duty on our own ship, lolled about and bided our time. In a couple of hours the Valhalla crew -- Lance, Stephanie and 4-year old daughter Sylvia -- came rowing over in their dinghy. They had heard us after all but were indeed having naptime, and now were heading into town for supplies and asked if there was anything we needed. By this time we were ready to get back to Miss Vicki's for the music, but asked if we might come over later and check out their digs. Of course we were welcome, they said, and they rowed off to shore. We got back to Miss Vicki's a little before sunset, in time to catch an hour or so of the live music: one man with a guitar and karaoke style back up. Ed played a fine selection of cover tunes of classic rock, reggae, rhythm and blues. After a few beers on the beach we moseyed back to our dinghy and rowed over to the Valhalla. Lance and Stephanie were fine hosts, and we enjoyed seeing the interior of their vessel. Theirs was equipped with a full working galley (sink, stove, fridge, and counter space, ahhh), a bathroom with a real toilet and door, separate bedrooms for the grownups and little miss Sylvia, and a comfy sitting area with full standing headroom, tv and dvd player. What luxurious accommodations, maybe someday in our future... Midnight came and went, and after another good night of conversation and company we finally made our way back to the Rose. An easy trip home since the current was in our favor. One thing we will never forget from that night, however, is that when you get your dinghy back to your boat, TIE IT UP first thing! In our haste to hop aboard, check on Stella, and settle down, the dinghy was swept downstream before we knew it. Luckily there was a line of buoys stretched across the river about 70 feet from us, so it couldn't get away from us for good, but we couldn't just leave it there either. Mani jumped ship and swam after it, realizing only when he got to it that he didn't have the oar to row it back with. The motor yacht nearest the buoy line was kind enough to lend theirs, but that meant Mani had to row back upstream to the Rose, get our oar, row back to the yacht and return their oar, and then row back upstream again to home. If that hadn't been enough of a workout, by the time he had finally completed the mission, he was so exhausted he climbed aboard WITHOUT TYING UP THE DINGHY. Round two! Splash, back into the water after the wayward dinghy. This time with our oar. Well, you can imagine it was not altogether a happy ending for the evening, but certainly educational! With everything at last secured, we slept heavily and late into the following day.
Saturday, June 16th, 2007 If only they had showers there we might have felt up to doing more than sleep through the rest of the day, but that was not to be. So, our little fan blowing warm air across our V-berth, we put a movie on and napped the rest of the afternoon into evening, only rousing when the sun was set. We made an, um, interesting dinner of canned black beans, Prem, Campbell's condensed cheese soup, and flour tortillas. Guzzled a gallon or two of water, then back to sleep till morning. Anclote had got us in its clutches!
Sunday, June 17th, 2007 Somehow our second anchor had gotten fouled so we couldn't pull it up. Mani figured one of the boats or jet-skis had come too close, caught our line and wrapped it up on something below. After some observation, he realized it might have gotten wound up on our own keel, so he lowered it a few notches and sure enough it slipped free and we were ready for action. The engine was acting iffy as we motored over to the marina on the other side of Miss Vicki's to fuel up, but we managed to get just inside the docking area as the motor died. We refueled, and they were good enough to let us stay docked up there for the hour and a half it took for Mani to take the engine apart and assess the situation. Lots of tinkering later, we finally got it to start again, but still didn't really understand what the problem was. Nonetheless, we set off up the river to Tarpon Springs, the little Greek town we'd heard of.
The motor held steady all the way up the river, a couple of miles. Dave had told us there was cheap docking at the municipal marina, so we were keeping an eye out for it. We saw many marinas, resorts, and riverside restaurants, but nothing that advertised what we were looking for. A low bridge signaled the end of our line, so we turned around to keep looking, and just then the motor did its dying thing again. Luckily we were near the town-side shore rather than up by the bridge or on the opposite shore which was all industrial type marinas, and the river current was cooperative enough to push us over to an available pier we could tie up to. Despite signs that it was a private pier and violators would be "released" (an interesting threat), we tied up so Mani could hop to land and scope out the area. Stella and I stayed aboard to guard against pirates. A few minutes later, Mani came back with happy news. The Tarpon Springs chamber of commerce was just a little way down, was attached to the municipal marina, and had a couple of docks open. Now if we can just get the engine started... It appeared we had flooded the engine with too much fuel and it just needed to dry out a little, which it had done while Mani was scouting. So it started up, we motored over, docked up, and life was sweet. Again! Whew. As soon as we were settled at the dock, we went to Santorini, two parking lots down. It is the first place Mani had stopped in to ask about the municipal marina, and it turns out to be a great Greek restaurant with an even greater bartender. She is a sweetheart from Kentucky (a real talker, one of those petite cuties that calls everyone sweetie or honey or darlin') who is also a boat person. (There seem to be a lot of those around here!) More good conversation and company! Mani had a gyro and I had some really tasty mussels saganaki (fresh tomato sauce with feta) and homemade bread. Yummm. When we came back to the boat, we met up with another sailing couple docked up a few slips down from us, Jane and Dave. Theirs is a 26-foot Columbia, not that different from ours. They also have their cat aboard! They have traveled around the world, in a previous boat that Dave built, a catamaran. I heard Jane tell of Malaysia (where their cat adopted them), New Zealand, going through the Panama Canal... They have since settled down in St. Petersburg, FL, sold the catamaran, and bought a house, but now they're back on the water for the summer. They were so kind. Dave lent us their power converter so we could plug our extension cord into the dock-to-boat power outlets and charge up all our batteries (boat, laptop, phones, etc.). Almost more importantly in my opinion, Jane came out with the precious Keys to the Public Restroom and Shower Facility at the chamber of commerce. Hot showers and flush toilets! Well, those of you who have spent a week or two at Kerrville Folk Fest (or camping or boating or otherwise roughing it) know how grand an experience a real bathroom can be. Besides a couple of bucket baths in the cockpit, I hadn't had a real shower, hot or cold, since we left Comfort over a week ago. A good shower is as close to a religious experience as I need to keep the faith! Mani was able to return the favor by offering to show Dave our computer charts on the laptop since they were missing a section on their paper charts. They were heading north, where we'd just come from, so Mani could give some pointers about places to hit and miss. In the mean time, Jane and I sat on the dock and had a good chat about their travels and about our boat-cats and their wily ways. Turns out this was the first port that our shanghaied Stella finally jumped ship. She was hanging out by her favorite bilge hatch in the back of the boat when we got back from the showers, but within a few moments she was nowhere to be found and I was looking in all her hidey holes to no avail. After calling and calling, and shaking her food bowl around, she came slinking back down the dock. Well, no more free roaming for her, while at dock anyway! She's back on her leash, tethered to the mast support (the part inside the cabin, not out on deck) on about a 7-foot lead. She can still hop out to the cockpit or up on deck to check things out, but not out to the dock. We're right across a parking lot from a pretty busy street, and I'm not taking any chances. She's fine with it, though, happily munching her food as I type. So glad to have found this spot, we put on "Life Aquatic" (seemed appropriate) and fell asleep.
Monday, June 18th, 2007 What a wonderful day it has been. First thing, we set up our laptop at the nearby Sponge-O-Rama / Nick Badabing's Cigar stand (www.nickbadabingtobaccoking.com) where we could hook into their wi-fi and upload our pictures to our website (our cell phone internet is way too slow to handle uploading the pictures, but does text okay).
Tarpon Springs is a funny little town that seems to revolve around the sea sponge and cigar trades, a mixture of its Greek and Cuban heritage. The dock we're at is right on the main tourist drag of 4 or 5 blocks, mostly consisting of Greek restaurants, really pretty (and inexpensive!) dress shops, tacky souvenir places, and more sea sponges than you can find a use for. Nick and family, besides running his cigar stand, a sponge emporium, and a pay-parking lot ($2.00 all day), have the most popular nature cruise line in town, the Sponge-O-Rama tour, where they take people out to Anclote Key in search of manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, and so on. We got to hear them giving their sales pitch to the street over loud speaker several times in the time we were uploading our photos. While Mani was at the laptop, I went shopping at one of the nearby dress shops and found several I wanted, but was able to narrow it down to 2 cute little numbers of which I am the proud new owner. Then we went back to Santorini for some ice tea and a chat with our bartender lady from the night before. I was craving Dolmades and ice coffee, so we went to Hella's restaurant down the street (well recommended by our old friend Dave Graham). Got the combination platter which had a little of everything -- gyro, souvlaki, mousaka, dolmades, tzatziki, 2 kinds of bread, Greek cauliflower and potato, and watermelon. And the ice coffee was delicious. No room after all that for baklava, but maybe tomorrow before we head out! We walked further on down to the Aquarium, where we got to see the shark feeding session, and various other sea creatures. We also got to pet the sting rays. That was weird, but interesting. They are docile and slimy. On our way back up the strip we stopped and got ice cream cones (mocha almond fudge for me, mint chocolate chip for Mani), which we managed to eat before they melted all over us. We also stopped at one of the many hand-made soap shops and got some tea tree soap which hopefully will help with Mani's many mosquito welts. That's another of the prevalent industries here: soap making, mainly with olive oil as the base.
Mani wanted to go back to the boat to kick back and watch a movie, but it was so hot by this time in the afternoon that I just wanted to go somewhere with air conditioning. So we compromised and went to the Sponge-O-Rama where we had heard them hocking their free Sponge Diving movie that morning. It was well air-conditioned, and the movie was actually pretty informative. Gave a good bit of history about the sponge-divers that came over from Greece around 1905, and a lot of detail about the different types and uses of sea sponges. Who knew? When we came out of the movie, we had to get a sponge of course, and Mani had his heart set on a flower pot sponge, which you can use as a planter for the bromeliads they sell all over the place here. So we got a plant and a sponge to put it in, for the boat. Missing my garden at home as I do, it'll be nice to have some plant life with us on our journey. One more stop at Santorini for another Gyro, different bartender so not as much conversation, then back to the boat for the night. We hope to make progress toward Tampa Bay tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007
Wednesday, June 20th, 2007
We continued down the narrows till we got to a McDonald's with a courtesy dock (who would have thought!?), which was right next to a Publix, the local grocery store chain here. Good thing, we had gone through all our canned beans and beer, so a stock-up was necessary. We got a bunch more canned goodness and ice, loaded up the boat, and headed back out toward Tampa Bay.
Once we got past the Skyway Bridge, we headed around to Tampa Bay, had a great afternoon of sailing, and arrived a little after nightfall at the huge upside-down pyramid at the end of the pier in St. Petersburg. The pyramid is quite a sight at night, as they have it lit up with colored lights that faded from one color to the next. Mani had remembered someone saying they had a private mooring they had set up in the Bay, and we spotted a buoy not far off from the pier, so we managed to lasso it after a couple of tries, and settled down for the night.
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 We filled the meter with $4, and went to Tanjelo's, a Cuban restaurant the marina guy had recommended. We finally got to try the ubiquitous Cuban sandwich, which is smoked pork, ham, cheese and pickles, with no veggies, all pressed flat and grilled. They were very tasty! We had passed an Imax movie theater on our way to eat, and it was (as usual!) a very hot afternoon, so we decided to go see what they were showing and maybe spend the hottest part of the day in the air conditioning before we meandered over to the Dali museum. We got to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean, which was great, and the a/c was delicious! We got back to the boat to find our movie let out after our dock-meter had run out, but we didn't get ticketed, thank goodness! So we put another couple dollars in, and headed to the museum, arriving about half an hour before they closed. It was just enough time to do a walk through and see some great paintings, as you will have to imagine because of course we couldn't take pictures in there!
We found another Publix, stocked up on fried chicken and potato salad, and got back to the boat as the sun was setting. We were both pretty wiped out from a lot of walking around town, but rather than gong back to our free but not so stable crab trap "mooring", Mani opted to try to make more headway southward and see what anchorage we could find. I was fading fast and was not at the top of my game in the navigational department, so asked if we could stop for the night somewhere sooner than later. We were still in Tampa Bay, but all the way at the southern mouth to the Gulf, which was terribly windy and choppy. We dropped the anchors anyway, and I laid down to get some sleep. Mani was watching our GPS the whole time, watching unhappily as we slowly dragged anchor till it picked up to dragging 25 feet a minute, at which point he decided this spot was not where a peaceful night's sleep would be found. The wind and waves were picking up and a cloud bank seemed to be heading our way. So the navigator was roused from a too-short couple-hour nap, our uppity engine was cranked up, and we headed back up north to Big Bayou, which turns out to be the place we should have anchored when we latched onto the crab trap. It is almost as far as we had come that night, but well worth it for the peace and quiet.
Friday, June 22nd, 2007
It was a clear day and since we were just motoring without sail, I took over the tiller while Mani got a little nap. We made it to the mouth of the Manatee River before I started fading out again, when Mani took over and got us up the river to a nice anchorage. At last, we both got the sleep we needed!
When we awoke, the sun was setting and we were hungry, so we motored further up the river till we reached a restaurant with courtesy docks. We assumed it was attached to the nearby Regatta Pointe Marina which also had docks there, and asked if they had showers we could use to freshen up before dinner, but the hostess was perplexed by our request so we settled for dinner without showers. Looking back, I'm sure it must have sounded strange to walk into a restaurant and ask if we could take a shower before we ate! We later learned the marina was closed by that time, and the restaurant was not connected with them anyway. The Riverside Cafe offered family dining and atmosphere, where (as at Miss Vicki's at Anclote Beach) another guy with a karaoke machine for back up was playing. He played an interesting mix of disco and golden oldies, and two women (I'm guessing a mother and daughter, with dad sitting back at the table) were dancing to almost every song. The performer sent us into giggles a couple of times because he wasn't too concerned about getting the lyrics right, just went off into a high pitched hum through the parts he didn't know. The dancing girls sure didn't mind! After a fine dinner (yet another Gyro for Mani and a seafood plate for me), we walked up to the end of the block to the gas station to get ice (which melts daily, no matter how much you get or where you store it), and took the boat out of the marina docks to the river to anchor out for the night. Our spot was near the bridge connecting Bradenton with Palmetto, and it was a calm night. We watched "The Family Stone", a pretty cute but heart-string-pulling movie, out in the cockpit with Stella exploring the deck in a gentle breeze.
Saturday, June 23rd, 2007 A short motor over and we were tied up to the courtesy docks at Mattison's Riverside and sitting at the waterside bar to order some food. One of the waitresses overheard us talking about which marina to go to and offered to call the Harbor Master at Twin Dolphin to ask their price for an overnight stay. We placed our order, and as we were waiting, the Harbor Master himself, Charlie Price, came over and answered all our questions. They had a pool, hot tub, nice showers, laundry, ice, and were right across the street from one of the world's most cutting edge Planetariums and the Museum/Aquarium featuring Snooty the Manatee. All that for around $65/night. Well, say no more, we were hooked! BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! He introduced his "Getaway" package deal, which allowed two nights dockage for $110, giving us access to all the above AND a free calamari appetizer and $20 off a meal there at Mattison's (which had excellent food, presentation, and staff), AND half price admission to the Planetarium and Aquarium, AND a free bag of ice for each day we stayed. Talk about hook, line, and sinker! We were in. Charlie radioed over to the marina office and confirmed our reservations for Dock B, slip 33. As soon as we finished our delicious brunch (mussels steamed in coconut garlic lemongrass broth with fresh bread and herbed butter), we motored right over to our new home for the next 2 nights. Very end of Dock B, between a large catamaran and "Captiva", a beautiful 53 foot sailboat which we both later agreed was far too much boat for us but quite lovely to look at (their potted flower plants in the cockpit earned my admiration right off!). We checked in at the office, shower gear in hand, paid our dues, and I headed immediately upstairs to their facilities. Each of the four "shower suites" (as I like to call them) were immaculate and well equipped with toilet, bench, counter space, hairdryer (not that we use them, but nice of them to be supplied), and great water pressure in the showers. Bit of a step up from the cost and atmosphere of the Tarpon Springs municipal marina, but we felt we deserved the pampering by this time, and I feel it was well worth it. Now that I was all cleaned up and ready for socializing, I walked back down Dock B to our boat to drop off our shower stuff, and found Mani playing guitar in the cockpit of another sailboat that was up a couple slips from us. He had been on his way up to the pool area and office to get our free bag of ice, guitar and cooler in hand, and had met our neighbor Steve a little way up the dock from our slip. He was playing "Pancho & Lefty" in the cockpit of Steve's sailboat, so I dropped my shower stuff at our boat and joined them for a beer. Shortly after, we went up to the pool deck area to meet the locals and work on the website. We found ourselves in the midst of a surprise birthday party for one of the live-aboarders at the marina which was being set up for that evening. People were showing up bringing all kinds of food, hanging decorations, and festivities were already getting under way before the birthday girl's arrival. We settled in comfortably with the folks, as they were all very easy-going and welcoming. Mani played a little guitar while I worked on typing up our previous week's travel log and picking out pictures to post. It was a lovely evening sitting by the pool and enjoying the party going on around us. Joanie, the birthday girl, showed up around 6:00 to a great turn out. We all sang her happy birthday and the feasting commenced. After Mani had played a few songs for the crowd, we were invited to help ourselves to their ample buffet, so we ate well that night! We were told that if we ever wanted to take up the boating life full-time, we might could get by with Mani singing for our suppers. :) (Don't worry, y'all, that's not in our immediate future, but nice to have a back up plan for someday!) We ate and drank with the marina residents till the wee hours, met some great folks and traded boating stories. Finally stumbled back to our slip and slept soundly.
Sunday, June 24th, 2007 It was a short drive over to Anna Maria, where Steve showed us the marina he was about to be moving his boat to. He'd been living on his sailboat at the Twin Dolphin for a few years, but they had recently gotten too pricey and a little too rule-bound for his taste, so he had decided to dock up at Bradenton Beach Marina. He invited us back to Twin Dolphin for his going away party the upcoming Friday, which we intended to make. After a nice driving tour around the island, he took us to the Kitchen, which was just our kind of place. He and the bartender clearly had a strong rapport based on giving each other a healthy dose of smack-talk the entire time, but you could tell there was a lotta love underneath it all. It was very entertaining, and we had a fun time. We got to try their fried alligator tail appetizer, which was pretty good if a little chewy. They also had the first real live band we've seen on this trip, with two guys and a drum machine. One guy on electric base and one on electric/acoustic guitar who could really play. Didn't catch their names, but they were great. After a few beers and a couple frozen ritas, we made it back across the bridge to Bradenton proper to stop in at another of Steve's haunts, the Old Main Street Tavern, right around the corner from our marina. Mani and I shot a few games of pool (for the first time in maybe a year?), all of which Mani won (of course). Luckily we had been off the boat most of the day so we didn't have the sealegs you get when you first get back on land that make it feel like you're standing on a floating dock all the time. That can be a challenge when shooting pool (or just walking anywhere)! It was getting toward dusk when we got back to the marina, and we parted with Steve with plans to see him again at his going away party. When we got back to the boat, we ran into Bill, one of the guys we'd met at the birthday party the night before, and his pretty girl-dog Toony walking the dock. They came over to our boat while we were checking on Stella, who got her first introduction to the canine species (at least as long as we've known her). She was growling dangerously and baring her fangs at Toony, which was pretty funny. Some other neighbors, Ben and Karen, had arrived that day at their boat right across the dock from our slip, so we introduced ourselves and chatted with them while the sun set. We wound down the night hanging out by the pool with a couple other folks there and swimming in the cool dark.
Hits
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