Thursday, April 16, 2009, Pass-A-Grille
From Bird Key it is an easy trip across the bay and up the ditch to Pass-A-Grille. We are looking for a place to fuel up and starting to make our plans to cross the Gulf. Michael will be joining us tomorrow. He is getting good at renting cars and driving all day back and forth to Tampa. If all goes according to plan, we will pull out at daylight on Saturday morning and hope to be in Panama City by dark on Sunday. The national weather service is showing good winds from the Southeast and two to four foot seas. Let’s hope they are accurate.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Mother that isn't me in the photo
Tax Day, April 15, 2009, Bird Key Yacht Club
Happy Tax Day everyone. I got caught in the middle of a TEA protest but more on that later. Last night had to be one of the worst nights we have ever spent on the boat. We were docked in a terrible place for what we were having to deal with weather wise. The marina is just inside the pass at Venice. When the thunderstorms started, the waves increased and they started rolling around the breakwater up the channel. We were dealing with a swell, high winds, rain and a changing tide with strong currents. The boat was rolling and pitching. We had fenders between the piling and us but because of the changing conditions, they would work their way off the piles. When they did, the boat would give bone-jarring hits to the piles. I had to get up every couple of hours and readjust dock lines and fenders. As soon as we could we untie we were out of there.
It was a short trip from there up to Bird Key. Sonya had been nice enough to get all my tax stuff overnighted to the Club, including making out the checks, furnishing envelopes and stamps. All that was required on my part was a signature and putting it in the mailbox. The signature was easy but I missed the mail person at the club and had to make a trip to the post office downtown. That is where the adventure began. It is a couple of miles into town on the bicycle over the Ringling Bridge. Grabbing the lowest gear on the bicycle and pedaling hard I get to the top. Of course going down is a real fast trip. Reminds me of going down the hill at Grandma’s house in Sycamore. When I think of some of the things, I did when I was a kid it is a miracle I am alive today. At the bottom of the bridge, there is a major intersection. There are TEA protesters everywhere, waving signs and in general creating a very good disruption of traffic. They are all friendly and I work my way thru going to and from the post office. I think I probably got there about as quick on the bicycle as you could have in a car. There was a news photographer taking photos and I wound up in one of the photo. So mother I want you to know I was not taking part in a protest march. I was an innocent bystander just like the time at the University when they were having the antiwar protest march.
Carole says I am beginning to sound like the food critic in the paper so I have to tell you about dinner last night. It started with cold refreshing Budweiser (my favorite) chilled to the perfect temperature. That was followed by a garden salad with wonderfully fresh tomatoes, garnished with a few picked beets. The main course was a scrumptious clam linguini, perfectly cooked and seasoned. The desert was a chocolate and caramel brownie. It may have been the best meal all trip. It was cooked by Carole and we ate on the boat. That is my story and I am sticking to it, forever.
Happy Tax Day everyone. I got caught in the middle of a TEA protest but more on that later. Last night had to be one of the worst nights we have ever spent on the boat. We were docked in a terrible place for what we were having to deal with weather wise. The marina is just inside the pass at Venice. When the thunderstorms started, the waves increased and they started rolling around the breakwater up the channel. We were dealing with a swell, high winds, rain and a changing tide with strong currents. The boat was rolling and pitching. We had fenders between the piling and us but because of the changing conditions, they would work their way off the piles. When they did, the boat would give bone-jarring hits to the piles. I had to get up every couple of hours and readjust dock lines and fenders. As soon as we could we untie we were out of there.
It was a short trip from there up to Bird Key. Sonya had been nice enough to get all my tax stuff overnighted to the Club, including making out the checks, furnishing envelopes and stamps. All that was required on my part was a signature and putting it in the mailbox. The signature was easy but I missed the mail person at the club and had to make a trip to the post office downtown. That is where the adventure began. It is a couple of miles into town on the bicycle over the Ringling Bridge. Grabbing the lowest gear on the bicycle and pedaling hard I get to the top. Of course going down is a real fast trip. Reminds me of going down the hill at Grandma’s house in Sycamore. When I think of some of the things, I did when I was a kid it is a miracle I am alive today. At the bottom of the bridge, there is a major intersection. There are TEA protesters everywhere, waving signs and in general creating a very good disruption of traffic. They are all friendly and I work my way thru going to and from the post office. I think I probably got there about as quick on the bicycle as you could have in a car. There was a news photographer taking photos and I wound up in one of the photo. So mother I want you to know I was not taking part in a protest march. I was an innocent bystander just like the time at the University when they were having the antiwar protest march.
Carole says I am beginning to sound like the food critic in the paper so I have to tell you about dinner last night. It started with cold refreshing Budweiser (my favorite) chilled to the perfect temperature. That was followed by a garden salad with wonderfully fresh tomatoes, garnished with a few picked beets. The main course was a scrumptious clam linguini, perfectly cooked and seasoned. The desert was a chocolate and caramel brownie. It may have been the best meal all trip. It was cooked by Carole and we ate on the boat. That is my story and I am sticking to it, forever.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sam would commit suicide
Tuesday, April 14, 2009, Venice Inlet
Venice is a nice town. The downtown area was close to the marina and we took the bikes to downtown. The downtown area reminds us a lot of Fairhope. There are many small shops with “nice” stuff. There doesn’t seem to be a shortage of tourist in any of the downtown area. We were walking thru the parking lot here for the restaurant and noticed that most of the cars are from out of state. Apparently, there was an old military base here and much of downtown is housed in former military buildings. It reminds you a lot of the buildings at Ft McClellan. The streets are wide with parks in between the lanes. It is a shame that more cities don’t have downtown pedestrian areas.
The tour of town was this morning. The afternoon has been watching rainstorms come thru. They got close to an inch of rain. We have been lucky so far. This is the first day we have been slowed down because of rain.
The marina here is convenient to the gulf but I would have a hard time recommending it. The current runs a couple of knots under the boat and today a swell has been rolling around the entrance and up the channel.
We had tried to get into the Yacht Club for dinner but they were having a buffet and bingo night. We told them we would stop in the next time we were this way. There is a restaurant at the marina that stays packed out. We went to eat there tonight and they had a 45 minute wait. I am going to sound like the food editor but I had the shrimp po-boy. All I can tell you is Sam in Pensacola would commit suicide before he would serve a sandwich like the one I had.
Tomorrow it is back to Bird Key Yacht Club near Sarasota. We are looking at the weather for the return trip. Right now, it looks like we have an opening to leave Saturday morning and get into Panama City late Sunday. I look at about five different sites to get my weather information. We compare the sites, average them out, and hope like heck that we make the right decision. The key elements are wind 90 degrees or more off your course, ideal 12 knots or less and waves at some reasonable level.
Venice is a nice town. The downtown area was close to the marina and we took the bikes to downtown. The downtown area reminds us a lot of Fairhope. There are many small shops with “nice” stuff. There doesn’t seem to be a shortage of tourist in any of the downtown area. We were walking thru the parking lot here for the restaurant and noticed that most of the cars are from out of state. Apparently, there was an old military base here and much of downtown is housed in former military buildings. It reminds you a lot of the buildings at Ft McClellan. The streets are wide with parks in between the lanes. It is a shame that more cities don’t have downtown pedestrian areas.
The tour of town was this morning. The afternoon has been watching rainstorms come thru. They got close to an inch of rain. We have been lucky so far. This is the first day we have been slowed down because of rain.
The marina here is convenient to the gulf but I would have a hard time recommending it. The current runs a couple of knots under the boat and today a swell has been rolling around the entrance and up the channel.
We had tried to get into the Yacht Club for dinner but they were having a buffet and bingo night. We told them we would stop in the next time we were this way. There is a restaurant at the marina that stays packed out. We went to eat there tonight and they had a 45 minute wait. I am going to sound like the food editor but I had the shrimp po-boy. All I can tell you is Sam in Pensacola would commit suicide before he would serve a sandwich like the one I had.
Tomorrow it is back to Bird Key Yacht Club near Sarasota. We are looking at the weather for the return trip. Right now, it looks like we have an opening to leave Saturday morning and get into Panama City late Sunday. I look at about five different sites to get my weather information. We compare the sites, average them out, and hope like heck that we make the right decision. The key elements are wind 90 degrees or more off your course, ideal 12 knots or less and waves at some reasonable level.
One Minute to Spare
Monday, April 13, 2009, Venice
The wind gods were good to us today. Well maybe it was the diesel engine gods were pretty good too. In any event, we had a 60 mile run. (As a point of reference that would be like driving your car 600 miles in one day.) With the wind behind our back, we put out the jib and were running the engine around 2,000 rpm. That combination gave us a good steady 7 knots thru Pine Island Sound. Our original intent was to anchor at Cabbage Key for the night but there is a front coming thru that was going to give us 20-knot winds out of the south. Cabbage Key is exposed to the south and it would not have been a good anchorage so we decided to keep heading north. We made the Boca Grand Causeway Bridge opening with 1 minute to spare; otherwise, we would have had to wait another 30 minutes. The other bridge we have to be concerned with is the Hatchet Creek Bridge, which shuts down during rush hour from 4:30 to 6:00. We make the bridge with 3 minutes to spare. We must have been living right.
There is a yacht club in Venice but we have not been able to get in either on the way down or the way back. I don’t know if they just don’t have much space or it is the most popular place on the ICW. We are staying at Crows Nest Marina and having to pay about twice as much as we are used to paying. The marina is right at the entrance, Venice Inlet, from the Gulf. There is one heck of current running under our keel. We have doubled all of our dock lines and have a gentle rocking due to the current. With the wind kicking up to 30-knots tomorrow, we may be taking seasick medications at the dock. Our plans are to stay here for a couple of days and see the town. It is supposed to have a great downtown area.
The wind gods were good to us today. Well maybe it was the diesel engine gods were pretty good too. In any event, we had a 60 mile run. (As a point of reference that would be like driving your car 600 miles in one day.) With the wind behind our back, we put out the jib and were running the engine around 2,000 rpm. That combination gave us a good steady 7 knots thru Pine Island Sound. Our original intent was to anchor at Cabbage Key for the night but there is a front coming thru that was going to give us 20-knot winds out of the south. Cabbage Key is exposed to the south and it would not have been a good anchorage so we decided to keep heading north. We made the Boca Grand Causeway Bridge opening with 1 minute to spare; otherwise, we would have had to wait another 30 minutes. The other bridge we have to be concerned with is the Hatchet Creek Bridge, which shuts down during rush hour from 4:30 to 6:00. We make the bridge with 3 minutes to spare. We must have been living right.
There is a yacht club in Venice but we have not been able to get in either on the way down or the way back. I don’t know if they just don’t have much space or it is the most popular place on the ICW. We are staying at Crows Nest Marina and having to pay about twice as much as we are used to paying. The marina is right at the entrance, Venice Inlet, from the Gulf. There is one heck of current running under our keel. We have doubled all of our dock lines and have a gentle rocking due to the current. With the wind kicking up to 30-knots tomorrow, we may be taking seasick medications at the dock. Our plans are to stay here for a couple of days and see the town. It is supposed to have a great downtown area.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Easter Feast
Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009, Back to St Charles Yacht Club
Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Independence Day have always been very big holidays for both of us. They always involve too much to eat and having fun with extended family. This year was certainly different. For our traditional Easter dinner, we had turkey sandwiches, chips and ice “sweet” tea. About the time everyone was gathering at grandma’s house, we were about 5 miles off the coast with a bright sunny day and the wind pulling us along at about 6 knots. It was truly beautiful. We just can’t think about the ham, green beans, deviled eggs, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, layered salad, broccoli salad and pecan pie, pound cake, carrot cake, Italian cream cake, and caramel cake. We talked to everyone after we got into harbor and Uncle Monk said he ate my portion of the deserts.
The Naples Club has many nice boats in the harbor. There are probably over a 100 slips there and there are more Hinckley Picnic boats (http://www.hinckleyyachts.com/home.html) than you can imagine and the ones that aren’t Hinckley’s are Hinckley knockoffs. There was a Morris sailboat just a couple of slips down that was beautiful. Most of the boats were very well maintained. There was one old junker with a rebel flag on the side. There has to be a story there.
We had dinner at the Naples Yacht Club last night. It is a beautiful place; the interior finishes you just have to see to appreciate. Unfortunately that is where the beauty ended. The food was adequate and the service was marginal. Oh well you can’t have it all.
Tomorrow starts red on right. For those of you who are nautically challenged and don’t remember the early discussion of the ICW, red on right means we are starting our trip back tomorrow therefore; the channel markers will always, well almost always, be on the right going back toward Texas where the ICW starts. We plan to be in Clearwater by next weekend and then make the crossing back across the Gulf as soon as we get a good weather window. Paul is trying to get off to make the crossing. He has never been able to cross the Gulf. Michael will also be joining us but he has made the trip several times now and is getting to be an old hand at night crossings.
Carole asked me to write about the wild life we have seen. Well there were these two girls in these bikinis. She made me delete the rest of the paragraph and start over. We have seen birds and fish.
From Carole:
Oh yea, and the cute hunks on the beach in Naples but that is another kind of wildlife. It is always a real exciting moment when you catch the animals and mammals of the sea in their natural habitat. Wherever we go, I am always on the lookout. Flora and Fauna also really intrigue me. It is always so different from home. To see poinsettia trees and schefflera and bougainvillea hedges is just amazing when these are house-potted plants to us. We have seen beautiful flowers on perfectly landscaped lawns. But back to the wildlife, we have seen many dolphins, shore birds of all kinds, Ospreys on nests and babies, some big sea turtles and finally down in Naples flying fish. Today a large tarpon jumped up in front of us. And the very best was lots and many friendly lizards, John Patrick! So as we begin the trip home I will still be on the lookout for wildlife of all kinds and beautiful flowers. I must confess though, nothing was as beautiful as the entire wild dogwood in the woods the weekend we were home at the end of March.
Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Independence Day have always been very big holidays for both of us. They always involve too much to eat and having fun with extended family. This year was certainly different. For our traditional Easter dinner, we had turkey sandwiches, chips and ice “sweet” tea. About the time everyone was gathering at grandma’s house, we were about 5 miles off the coast with a bright sunny day and the wind pulling us along at about 6 knots. It was truly beautiful. We just can’t think about the ham, green beans, deviled eggs, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, layered salad, broccoli salad and pecan pie, pound cake, carrot cake, Italian cream cake, and caramel cake. We talked to everyone after we got into harbor and Uncle Monk said he ate my portion of the deserts.
The Naples Club has many nice boats in the harbor. There are probably over a 100 slips there and there are more Hinckley Picnic boats (http://www.hinckleyyachts.com/home.html) than you can imagine and the ones that aren’t Hinckley’s are Hinckley knockoffs. There was a Morris sailboat just a couple of slips down that was beautiful. Most of the boats were very well maintained. There was one old junker with a rebel flag on the side. There has to be a story there.
We had dinner at the Naples Yacht Club last night. It is a beautiful place; the interior finishes you just have to see to appreciate. Unfortunately that is where the beauty ended. The food was adequate and the service was marginal. Oh well you can’t have it all.
Tomorrow starts red on right. For those of you who are nautically challenged and don’t remember the early discussion of the ICW, red on right means we are starting our trip back tomorrow therefore; the channel markers will always, well almost always, be on the right going back toward Texas where the ICW starts. We plan to be in Clearwater by next weekend and then make the crossing back across the Gulf as soon as we get a good weather window. Paul is trying to get off to make the crossing. He has never been able to cross the Gulf. Michael will also be joining us but he has made the trip several times now and is getting to be an old hand at night crossings.
Carole asked me to write about the wild life we have seen. Well there were these two girls in these bikinis. She made me delete the rest of the paragraph and start over. We have seen birds and fish.
From Carole:
Oh yea, and the cute hunks on the beach in Naples but that is another kind of wildlife. It is always a real exciting moment when you catch the animals and mammals of the sea in their natural habitat. Wherever we go, I am always on the lookout. Flora and Fauna also really intrigue me. It is always so different from home. To see poinsettia trees and schefflera and bougainvillea hedges is just amazing when these are house-potted plants to us. We have seen beautiful flowers on perfectly landscaped lawns. But back to the wildlife, we have seen many dolphins, shore birds of all kinds, Ospreys on nests and babies, some big sea turtles and finally down in Naples flying fish. Today a large tarpon jumped up in front of us. And the very best was lots and many friendly lizards, John Patrick! So as we begin the trip home I will still be on the lookout for wildlife of all kinds and beautiful flowers. I must confess though, nothing was as beautiful as the entire wild dogwood in the woods the weekend we were home at the end of March.
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