I Do !

A post by Susan:

Brad and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary on February 23rd and both decided we would say “I DO” all over again. I would also say “I DO” again to this trip, but there a few things I miss …
*A hot shower (After we have anchored out for three days, the cold military showers become old.)
*A kitchen. (I love my galley and take great pride in fixing meals, but equipment and space make it challenging.)
*A sewer system instead of a holding tank.
*Space.
*Privacy.
*TV (Yes, I actually miss it from time to time.)
*Mail (We get our basic mail sent to us every 10 days but I miss my catalogs!)
*Washer/dryer. (The marina’s w/d take $8.00 in quarters and never seem to fully dry.)
*A car. (I am thankful for our bikes, but balancing a case of water plus other items becomes a challenge.)
*Bay City Book Babes. (I have read 7 books and no one to discuss them with.)
*Family and friends. (I think of you all often!)

BUT …
With all that said, the positives far out weigh the negatives. This trip has been an adventure of a lifetime and I am having a blast with my husband and best friend. I would say “I DO” to this trip as I wouldn’t want to miss the …
*Beautiful blue skies.
*Sunshine.
*Green palm trees.
*Vibrant flowers.
*Clear aqua water of the Gulf.
*Our daily escorts; the dolphins.
*Sunshine.
*Meeting new and interesting people at each stop.
*Our 10-hour crossing with flat seas!
*Flying fish.
*Looking out at the water and seeing the curvature of the earth. Majestic.
*Sunshine.
*Sea turtles.
*Sunsets
*Sunrises.
*A solitary night in the Everglades with the night sky illuminated by “billions and billions” of stars.
*Have I mentioned the sunshine? “Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy.”

I DO, I DO, I DO!

Gin !

We enjoyed our shore leave with my parents in North Port although it took a couple of nights to get used to sleeping in a bed that wasn’t rocking back and forth.
When we returned to the boat we had a nice walk and dinner in Boca Grande with Steve and Dina Wirt, friends from back home who are staying on Siesta Key.

The next two days were spent at Burnt Store Marina in Punta Gorda. When we arrived at the dock at Burnt Store we were surprised to be greeted by our neighbors from back home, Paul and Helen Drzyzga. They were having lunch at the marina restaurant as we pulled in. We enjoyed their company for cocktails in the cockpit that evening.

After leaving Burnt Store we motored to a favorite anchorage from previous trips. The site is located between Useppa Island and Cabbage Key just behind Coya Costa Island. Sue and I had one of our best evenings of the trip playing gin on the deck and watching the sunset.

The next day we reluctantly left our anchorage and headed off to Ft. Myers Beach on Estero Island. The first night at Ft. Myers Beach we tied up to a mooring ball in mooring field just East of the ever popular beach area.

Sue " left her heart in Sarasota"

We enjoyed our three days in Sarasota; two of the nights were at Marina Jack right in the center of downtown Sarasota. Susan even got to spend some time shopping on St. Armands Circle. That may have been the highlight of the trip so far for her. While Sue shopped I rode my bike around some of the sights on Longboat Key.

From Sarasota we had a short ride to Venice where we spent one night at the city dock near the Venice Inlet.

The next morning we left Venice and motored down Lemon Bay and found a well protected anchorage off Manisota Key near Englewood Beach. The anchor site was just a short dingy ride and a two block walk to a great beach near Stump Pass.

After a couple of days at the beach and two nights on the hook, we headed to The Gasparilla Marina in Placida. We will leave the boat here for a couple of days while we visit with my parents in nearby North Port.

Zarazote

We had a great three day weekend on Anna Maria Island. The island has several " old florida" style communities and a great natural beach, Coquina Beach. The fabulous weather allowed us to enjoy it all.
Today we moved on to Sarasota, Zarazote to the 15th century Spaniards. What a difference from the old florida of Anna Maria. We anchored out for the evening. I think we felt like we needed time to assimilate the modern cosmopolitan city. The city lights are very pretty from the water.

Tomorrow we will take a dock at Marina Jack in the heart of the city and spend a couple of days doing the town.

Beach Time

Northern Light left Clearwater this morning after 10 days at the Clearwater Beach Municipal marina. The first couple of days were spent doing crew changes. Gary left on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Susan and Linda arrived on Friday, Jan 30. Jay and Linda departed for their condo in Englewood FL on Saturday, Jan 31.
Sue and I have spent the week enjoying the area and meeting new friends in the marina while trying to stay warm. The marina is located right across the street from the beautiful white sand Clearwater beach. However we have not had beach weather since Susan’s arrival. The last two nights have had hard freezes with cool breezy days. But now the forecast looks great for the next week or so.

The Pier in St. Petersburg

Pier 60 at Clearwater Beach Sunset at Clearwater beach

Bill & Debbie, our new cocktail hour friends from Gulf Shores AL living on their 52’ Grand Banks,Ajax . See ya at Marina Jack.

Clearwater Beach Municipal Marina

Dolphin riding our bow wake today in the Gulf

We went out the Clearwater Pass this morning and sailed in the Gulf until we passed Tampa Bay and entered the intracoastal waterway near Anna Maria Island in the early afternoon. The 45 mile trip ended when we arrived at the Bradenton Beach Marina on Anna Maria Island mid-afternoon. We will stay here for the weekend. The ready access to the beach should come in handy since the weekend calls for sunny days with temps in the mid 70’s. Monday we plan to head off for Sarasota.

Gary' s Goodbye & Night Crossing

We motored South down the Inter Costal Waterway about 24 miles to Clearwater yesterday. There is a lot of activity here because of the Super Bowl being played close by in Tampa this Sunday. A lot of big yachts are starting to arrive here for the rich & famous. The largest we have seen so far is the "Big City" a new Trinity 140 foot motor vessel that charters for $195,000 a week. The delivery crew was working on it all day (cleaning & polishing) and we are anxious to see who the special guests will be tomorrow. Weather is warm (high 70's) and very pleasant. We enjoyed a morning walk on the beautiful white sand beach of Clearwater and a fun dingy ride to town to do some needed provisioning. We will be staying here for a few days while our wives (Susan & Linda) are traveling from the North country to join us. We miss them a lot and are looking forward to our reunion with them this Friday.

Today our dear friend and Poet Laureate sailor, Gary Gaudreau departed Northern Light and is heading back home to Michigan. We are sad to see him go. Before he left, he was inspired to write another great poem about our perfect night crossing of the Gulf of Mexico a few days ago. We would like to share it with you and hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Night Crossing

On a warm winter morn in St Joe Bay

Northern Light caught the tide running out for the day.

She fetched her marks on the rollers with ease,

Gently turning to course, softly kissing the seas.

We three that sailed her, she knew of our dream,

Of a swift sea voyage, fifteen knots on the beam.

So she served up a ride, the best I think now,

With dolphins and sea birds swiftly passing our bow.

Now light fading fast, we’ve sailed well all day,

Crossing the Gulf toward Anclote Island’s bay.

Northern Light knows our needs, she coaches us on

Thru a sea of stars, brilliant sunrise at dawn.

We’re tired and damp but our spirits renew

Over praise for the yacht and her love for the crew.

Sailing on to the docks, we’ve seen many great things.

Raising our Margaritas, three embrace Tarpon Springs.

Gary T. Gaudreau

1/27/2009 1500 Hours

Gulf of Mexico at Tarpon Springs, FL aboard Northern Light

Eating our way through Tarpon Springs

It was nice to sleep in and stay put for a day following our previous five days of travelling. After a morning walk through the historic district of Tarpon Springs, we found something to do along the sponge docks……EAT. The Greek restaurants and bakeries along the docks offered so many irresistible options we simply couldn’t decide which to choose, so we tried them all.
Yes, these pictures were all taken on the same morning!
When word got out of our gastronomic overindulgence family members came from far away to restrain us. My parents, Bob and Therese, and my sister Denise came from North Port FL to save us from our feeding frenzy. We enjoyed their attempted intervention but alas they failed. They soon joined us for the final meal of fresh local shrimp and fish, grilled on the boat.