Venice-Pelican Bay-Punta Gorda

As mentioned in the previous post, we spent New Year’s weekend plugged in at the Venice Yacht Club allowing us to see our choice of Jan 1 football games while connected to dockside TV cable.  We also made the acquaintance of Max, a well manners Poodle that enjoy dingy rides like our dachshund, Mac did.

Monday, the 3rd, we got underway before 10 AM when the dense morning fog started to lift, heading for several days in Pelican Bay off Cayo Costa State Park.  NOAA (“no account”) weather said the fog would lift by 9:30, which it did, but only temporarily.  By the time we were a mile off shore the fog set in again and we had visibility from 100 yards to a quarter mile for the next 4 hours.  With 4 knots of wind behind us and a following sea with long 3 to 4 foot swells, Zephyrina wallowed a bit as we made 6.5 knots under engine power.  Thanks to the radar we could keep tabs on the few boats crazy enough to be out in the fog.  Luckily at 2:15 PM the fog lifted just as we were nearing the Boca Grande Channel, giving us a half-mile visibility at a critical spot.  Once in the channel, heading for the pass, the fog shrouded us again.  With radar indicating several small fishing boats along the edge of the channel, our fog signal alerted them to our approaching presence. As we drew closer to the Boca Grande Lighthouse the fog lifted again and disappeared as we entered Charlotte Harbor.  Unfortunately, our Pelican Bay anchorage less than a half-mile away, was invisible.  This is one of the trickier approaches and requires perfect sights of water depth and shore landmarks.  A decision was made to make for the waters near Gasparilla Island, which was in light misty sunshine. We dropped anchor at 3:10 PM just off a long row of Condos and large homes in 15-foot water.  Thirty minutes later the land around Pelican Bay emerged from the fog so we raised anchor and headed for our planned destination. 

The next 2 days were the nicest weather-wise sunny, warm and calm.  We took the dingy to the park dock and walked across the island to the Gulf beach and then walked the shoreline for another mile or so.  It was fun to see seashells occupied by hermit crabs.   On our return to the boat we took the dingy along the mangrove edges of the bayside, watching the herons and cormorants.  On day 2, we motored the dingy over to the Pelican Bay entrance along the backside of the shoals to go ashore to explore and fish in the lagoons.  With artificial plastic “Gulp” bait John caught a “too small to keep” flounder, a lizardfish and a strange looking thing we’ve now identified as an “Oyster Toad Fish”.  We had beefsteaks on the grill for dinner. 

The evening weather report promised a gusty rainstorm for the next morning so we secured the dingy to it’s davits and hoisted the motor.  This time NOAA was right.  We tracked the front’s movement, the rainstorm and lightning with Sirius Weather on the chart plotter.  After a phone call to the Isles Yacht Club and receiving an OK to come in a day early, we waited for the hard bands of rain to stop and the tide to rise to give us enough water to motor out of Pelican Bay.  We arrived to tied up on the transient dock at 4:25 PM. 

A new battery, installed in Tampa and bought from West Marine didn’t seem to be performing appropriately during our 3-night anchorage.  A call to the Punta Gorda West Marine produced a manager who offered to bring his “digital load tester” to the boat after work.  He confirmed that the “new” battery was only 85% good.  Our other 3 ½ year old AGM battery was still perfect.  We also received the startling news that the new battery was a conventional lead-acid type contrary to what was asked for and it was made in March 09, much too old to even be in anybodies stock.  The next afternoon the manager and a helper delivered a new AGM battery. Personal service and quick resolution to the problem was much appreciated.  We’re sure there was communication between the Punta Gorda and Tampa stores on this snafu. 

Our plan to return to Pine Island Sound for several more days of anchoring before moving Zephyrina into a slip in Ft. Myers was altered when another winter front was forecasted to strong north winds and cold nighttime temperatures. Sailboats have little insulation and when you are anchored out without a generator there is no heat, and by morning the inside temperatures are only a little higher than outside.  Following our decision to stay several more days, we discovered the Isles Yacht Club could provide Zephyrina a slip for the next month.  So here she’ll stay.  With friendly hospitable members welcoming us and assisting us with land-based needs plus a watchful helpful professional staff, we couldn’t asked for more.  The Isle YC has a reputation for all of the above and is enjoyed by many sailors’ whose home Yacht Club belongs to the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs (FCYC).

Next Friday we’re off to enjoy a week on the beach at Sanibel with Helen’s sister Dru and her husband, Bill.  After that we’ll drive home to Gulf Breeze to see friends, check on the house and make a flying trip north to visit the matriarch of the Caffrey family, Virginia.  We’ll return to the Isles YC in early March to continue our 2011 sailing excursion.

A Favorite Stop Over - Venice, Florida

Shore Transportation - Boat Bikes

Sailor-Cruisers have two concerns - waiting for a weather window for a comfortable sail and looking for a place to do the laundry.  The first has been a challenge for the last two weeks, as the various fronts have moved through on a 3 to 4 day cycle.  The second has been solved more easily on a weekly to ten day basis. During our New Year Holiday stay in Venice we biked, met a charming couple on a C470 from Sarasota and shared an evening libation, watched the anhingas and cormorants dive along the south jetty and enjoyed a light supper at the Crows Nest Tavern. Today, January 3rd, we awoke to fog, but expect it to lift by mid morning, followed by north to northwest winds 10-15, perfect for our day-sail down to Pelican Bay, just inside the Boca Grande Channel in Pine Island Sound.  The loose plan is to anchor for several days, exploring the coastal islands, fishing, reading and Gulf Coast beach walking.  After that the weather will send us to the Isles Yacht Club to wait out the next weather front and do the laundry!

December 15-28 On Bay and Land

Finally, on December 15th, a forecasted warm morning, mid 50s, - we took  advantage of it and motor sailed on light winds under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to the Manatee River at the southeast end of Tampa Bay.  Just a few miles up the river is the Bradenton Yacht Club @ Snead Island, where Keri and her good friend, Lisa, joined us.  For their visit we planned to bike, sail and enjoy our time together.  Both Keri and Lisa are excellent cooks and we were the beneficiaries of their talents – yummy dinners they brought with them.  On Thursday there was little wind with temperatures around 70, perfect for the several mile bike ride to explore Emerson Point Preserve.  There are several ancient Indian Shell Mounds that afford great views of the surround waters.  Dense Mangroves, Live Oak, Magnolia and Gumbo Limbo trees provide nesting areas for the Egrets, Herons, Ibises and many non-aquatic birds like the Palm Warbler and the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher.  After this delight sojourn we decided to take a short car ride to St. Armand’s Key to see the shops in all their holiday decorations.  We did not leave empty handed – a Christmas gift or two. Friday’s planned sail had to be postponed as another cold front came roaring through bringing blustery 20-25 knot winds.  After much discussion on Christmas plans, it was decided that we could not cook the traditional “Standing Rib Roast” in our galley oven.  Thus we should trek to Orlando and enjoy a fresh smelling spruce Christmas tree and a feast with all the trimmings.  Their short visit ended and the ladies returned to Orlando.  We braved the cold winds for two more nights at the Yacht Club connected to shore power and warmed by Zephyrina’s heater.  On Monday we moved a couple miles down the Manatee River and anchored off Emerson Point, again enjoying the calmer warmer weather.  To accomplish the logistics getting to Orlando for the holiday we sailed 25 miles north (burr) to the Davis Island Yacht Club (Tampa) to leave Zephyrina.  After a short taxi ride to the Amtrak Station and then a 2-½ hour train ride we were in Winter Park (Orlando).  Santa added a few items under the decorated  tree and Christmas dinner was Keri’s usual culinary treat.  On our return what do you think was approaching – another cold front. We’ve stayed an extra two days to wait it out but tomorrow it will be warm enough to point Zephyrina south again.  Longboat Key (Jewfish) anchorage will be our first stop, then out in the Gulf and to Venice on New Year’s Eve.

Events & Weather - St. Petersburg

The first of what was to be three strong cold fronts chased us into the St. Petersburg Yacht Club three days earlier than planned, two weeks ago. This gave us the chance to have Lippincott Marine Canvas come to remove our original bimini in order to make a new one at their shop just a mile away. In five days the new one was up and our enclosure reattached. It looks great and is keeping the cockpit dry and warm, as the next two cold fronts have come through, preceded by rain and bringing temperatures in the low 40s on several nights. Three days ago, it was 71 yesterday 52 with winds 10-30 knots. Highlights of St. Petersburg: A terrific Saturday Farmers Market, just 2 blocks away. The fresh produce (Florida Strawberries are in) and diverse ethnic food vendors along with French pastries and fresh squeezed orange juice are treats. The restaurant selection is also varied and within walking distance of the Yacht Basin. Our favorites are “Ceviche” with wonderful tapas, “Moon Under Water” featuring entrees from former British colonies along with a great beer selection and “The Lucky Dill”, a New York style deli, offering both a large breakfast and lunch menu. This illustrates the saying “Getting there is fun, but being there is even better”! Now for the focus of our two-week stay. The St. Petersburg Boat Show was Dec 2-5. We attended several seminars, explored tents full of vendor stalls and it was fun to see the new sailboat models. Fortunately for our pocketbook none appealed to us more than our “Zephyrina”. Then on Dec 10-12 Helen’s good friend, Jan from Pennsylvania, came to town. Her granddaughter was getting married near by. So we did what we love to do, and entertained her with a sail in Tampa Bay. As is often the case, the forecasted light winds quickly turned to 12-18 knots and we “streaked” east across the bay at 6 to 7 knots for over an hour. When we came about to return, thinking we’d sail back on the reciprocal we discovered that Zephyrus, the Greek God of the West Wind had spotted his wayward daughter, Zephyrina, and aimed his wind right on her bow. This change of wind direction now had our sailing angle at 90 degrees off from a straight shot to St. Petersburg and towards the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. With winds gusting to over 20 knots out of the west we tried a few short tacks, then furled the sails and motored back. The high winds and chill of the third cold front are subsiding today and tomorrow, Dec 15; we plan to motor sail over to Snead Island to meet Keri and Lisa for a 4-day visit to include sailing in the Manatee River and biking to Emerson Point.

Clearwater - St. Petersburg

"Time flies when you are having fun." Indeed. John celebrated his birthday fishing off shore Clearwater with Dale and Pete. Catching should have been the operative word in that sentence as they were very successful. We dined on grouper and grunt for several nights. Helen played tennis with Jeanie and her "fun bunch". On our last day of rental car access we drove to Tarpon Springs to walk the "sponge docks" and enjoy Spanakopita and a Gyro at one of the many Greek restaurants. Last time was by sea on our first Gulf crossing in 2005. Between these activities we took a sojourn to Orlando for Thanksgiving, cycling on Cady Way and building a kitchen shelf for chef Keri. Checking weather is a constant while cruising and seeing an impending cold front approaching for Tuesday night and Wednesday we made the mariners decision to move on to St. Petersburg two days early. Knowing the wind would be on our nose for 2/3s of the sail, outside, from Clearwater to Pass A Grille we went ahead, for the other evil was five drawbridges and the "stop and go" of the Inter Coastal Waterway. It was sunny and the crab pots along the coast were not as numerous as usual. An hour before sunset we dropped anchor at Maximo Point in southern Pinellas County. Three fishermen were wading half way between our stern and the shore as they caught several fish, One looked like a flounder. John tried his luck from Zephyrina's deck. It was catch and release - a Ladyfish and a Silver Seatrout. This was a good anchorage, spacious with 10 to 17 feet depths and protected from all but south wind. It wasn't the quietest though, with the causeway to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge 500 or so yards away. Next time we will anchor further north closer to the public park. We raised anchor by 0900 the next morning and motored into an east wind for an hour. Once around the tip of the mainland, we sailed up Tampa Bay to the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. While enjoying the St. Pete Boast Show, cycling (we have folding bikes aboard), great restaurants and museums, Lippincott Marine Canvas will replace the bimini they made for us in early 2004. The Florida sun is brutal.

Cruising from Pensacola - Clearwater 2010

We're writing this post from the comfort of a lovely spot on the shore of downtown Clearwater. Our friends, Jeanie & Dale Walden have lent us their slip for the past 3 days while their boat is in St. Petersburg having its bottom painted. Last Sunday, November 14th, we got underway from Pensacola to begin our 5th winter spring cruise to South Florida. After clearing the channel into the Gulf, we were delighted to see that the forecast wind direction had improved and we picked up 10-15 knot winds from the SSE. That gave us a terrific 10 hours quiet sail. When the wind direction shifted and the velocity slowed we furled the foresail and motor sailed with main for another five hours, until the God of the East Wind said we had used enough "free sailboat fuel" by again moving, this time in the path of our intended direction of travel. We motored into St. Joseph Sound at sunrise. From there we proceeded to transit the cross county canal and ICW to Apalachicola. Though we did not beat our 2008 record for the 144 NM trip, we did it in a respectable 25 1/2 hours. We did, however, beat the approaching weather from by 12 hours. It rained hard during the night and through Tuesday morning. Tying up in Scipio Creek with several good restaurants nearby allowed us to enjoy fresh Apalachicola oysters, local bay scallops and shrimp. We even took aboard delicious seafood bisque for our next night's "crossing dinner". After a short 8.5 NM crossing of St. George's Sound and through Sikes Cut aka Government Cut at St. George's Island, we again were in the Gulf of Mexico with a 131 bearing for Clearwater. We quickly hoisted the sail to take advantage of NNE 12 knot winds. The afternoon winds slacked 6 hours later, so we figured we'd motor sail until the evening breeze built. Well, the engine ran for 20 seconds then coughed and cut off. Two more tries were repeats. After ten minutes and a survey of all pertinent engine and fuel components nothing obvious was noted. John tried again. The engine started and kept running. Whew, 50+ miles from shore, an issue like that is cause for a few more gray hairs. Not wanting to tempt fate, we decided to keep the engine running at minimal RPMs. Naturally we had great winds through the rest of the trip. Zephyrina now has a new record for this route: 26 hours dock to dock for the 164 miles. The engine has behaved since our arrival! A gremlin at Sea? Tomorrow, we will move Zephyrina over the Clearwater Yacht Club and we will drive to Orlando to enjoy Turkey Day with daughter, Keri.

Home-"Oh, this kitchen is as big as the boat!"

We did not get lost on the way from Panama City to home. We left the Municipal Marina @ 12:30 PM, Sunday, May 31 expecting a night sail of 17-hours, with early morning arrival at the Pensacola Channel, June 1. As the chart plotter shows we stretched a 96 nautical mile journey into 130 nautical miles. After three hours of good SW winds, the winds turned west, right on our nose. Both the wind angle and the sea gave a rough ride with little forward progress for the discomfort. So we decided to tack to provide a more comfortable ride. The angle of the tack gave us 3 forward NM progress for each 1 NM of parallel movement. This continued until about 2 AM when our angle improved with slight movement to the NW. As the winds continued to clock to the NW we were able to increase of forward progress to 5 – 6 NM. So our normal 17-hour sail became 24. Sorry to be late in adding this post to the blog. All told this was a fun 3-month adventure. For the summer months we’ll day sail, garden and enjoy some land based travel.