This morning I left Madiera Beach at about 7:30 AM. It was Yankee cold this morning and I had the heater on for about an hour. The sun was just rising as I left the dock and it was absolutely gorgeous. The ICW at that point in the day was so smooth with a few ripples here and there. You have to travel at no wake speed which is not all bad if you are a tourist. The colors, the architecture, the wildlife that is right in the cities all so nice to see them living together. I traveled down the ICW till I reached Tampa Bay and then you go directly across the bay and you have to not only keep an eye out for traffice but for the next light you need to hit to maintain your course. I went across and met two ships in the middle and gave them the right of way because there size demands it. One was a cargo ship and the other was an ocean going barge and its tug. The left me some big wakes to cross. No problem though Shorty was up to the task. Once I got across and back into the ICW it seemed as though we had mostly left the big city until we arrived in Sarasota Bay which goes past downtown and the Ringling Museum. Onward we went south until tonite when anchored out in the Englewood Beach area as I waited too long to get a slip. I need to start searching at about 3 PM. I cooked up some mac and cheese and have the pan to wash up in a little bit. During the day I ate some power bars, and the rest of my sandwich left over from Mazzaro's in St. Petersburg. Tomorrow if this happens I have some stuffed pork chops from Mazzaro's for dinner and tomorrow morning it will be bacon and eggs and I can't wait.
The boat is dancing around on its anchor and supplying me with all sorts of views and since it is now totally dark you try to tell if you are moving by looking at the lights on the shore. It is so quiet just the lapping of the water against the boat. To me it is relaxing and sitting here I am really getting relaxed. The winds are supposed to get up to 10 knots and we are expecting rain since it has been overcast since noon.
Today a 46 foot Carver went aground in the middle of the channel. I was following him and when I saw it I tilted my motor up looked out the window and had probably 2 feet of water left so I looked around me to see where the bar ended and worked my way back to a channel which led me around him. I felt sorry for him because you could tell he was hard aground just from the sound. You have to be paying attention all the time because they even allow them to set crab traps in the channel. I bet they don't but you still find them there. I may have forgotten something but all the alertness takes it toll; you just get really sleepy even though it is only 7 PM.
No comments:
Post a Comment