Traveling the ICW

The trip from Clearwater Beach to St Pete was beautiful.  The homes along the ICW are lovely.  There was very little boat traffic and we really didn't have to wait for any bridges.  Note for mariners:  The 25' Pinellas "C" Bascule bridge at MM 114 has been replaced with a new fixed 72' bridge.  Sweet! 

There is a 65' fixed bridge at Maximo Point (MM 110.5) in Tampa Bay.  Our mast is 63' with an antenna on top.  We were nervous about this bridge, but the gauge said 66' and we held our breath and had no problem.

St Pete is a beautiful city.  The municipal marina is right downtown with parks and shops nearby.  A great walking city with wonderful restaurants.  The transient dock was great and we kind of had a "window on main st" feeling.  There was a lot of boat traffic and we enjoyed watching the activity from the comfort of our cockpit.  We finally raised the Texas flag in St Pete!

Our friends, Tim and Beth Hermes, were able to join us for one night and we had a wonderful dinner on Beach Drive.  We spent 2 nights in St Pete and look forward to returning for a longer stay.

 

Tampa Bay Sunshine Bridge

On Friday we bid adieu to St Pete and headed for Sarasota.  There was a lot more boat traffic on the ICW this time.  Also, the water gets pretty skinny in places.  We stayed at the Longboat Key Club Moorings.  Oh my.  What a beautiful place.  Everyone here wears a uniform.  :)  This is a resort with golf, hotel, marina, tennis, pool and six restaurants.  We must come back here for a longer stay some day.

We finally head for Punta Gorda today.  Not sure we will make it home today but certainly no later than Sunday.  

Water's Edge Docked at Longboat Key