St Pete to Sarasota

After the windy night we were not sure what to expect with the weather when we awoke. What we found was that it was still a little windy and overcast, but storms were not predicted so we hauled anchor and headed toward Sarasota.



As we passed the Sunshine Skyway bridge we encountered an ocean-going freighter inbound to Tampa.

As we traveled down and across Tampa Bay to the Intercoastal Waterway, the clouds went away, the sun shone and the day became absolutely beautiful. Upon reaching the ICW, we found that we had the waterway pretty much to ourselves which was refreshing after the crowded conditions of Saturday. The going was slow and easy.



We have seen many unsusual vessels so far on our trip but never anything like this. We think that he must be a modern day Tom Sawyer.



As we approached Sarasota we could begin to see the gorgeous colorful buildings that line the waterway. The architecture, design, colors and playful beauty of the buildings show the influence and homage to the Ringling Brothers Circus.







In 1919 The Ringling Brothers Circus made their winter home in Sarasota and the city is very proud of their circus citizens.

We stayed the night at Marina Jack which is located immediately downtown. Just outside the marina is a lovely and peaceful anchorage that we would have taken advantage of if we had not been on the hook for the two previous nights. We opted for the marina since we needed water, fuel and a shower/head that I did not have to clean. This was our most expensive marina to date with a fee of $2.00 per foot. However, I must say that it was worth every penny in that it had the best shower and laundry facilities that we have seen thus far.

We had a quick dinner and then headed off to explore the city. We walked all around the downtown area which is full of quaint and unique shops which were all open late on this Monday evening. Every type of restaurant is also available within walking distance of the marina. It was dark when we returned to the boat just in time to watch Dancing with Stars.

Hours on the water: 4.75
Nautical miles traveled: 34
Number of locks: 0
Time spent waiting at locks: 0
Next Destination: Kim & Kathy's House
What we're listening to: The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards
What we watched: Dancing with the Stars
Lesson for the day: Our next visit to Sarasota will be longer
Obligatory knitting report: Carol Anderson Tunic Sweater for me