Bradenton Yacht Club

Yep, we still like each other!!

Mangrove roots. These are nature's water filters.

Blue Heron in the reeds.

Friends and fellow sailors.

David along the shore.

Manatee River view.

Skyway Bridge across the Bay. Beautiful in the sunlight.

Huge ships make crossing Tampa Bay a challenge.

This egret didn't care that we were horning in on his fishing spot. He stayed on the dock between

the boats always intent on thebig one".

Several draw bridges along the ICW kept life sporting for us. We were lucky with the timing and only had to wait for one bridge.

We pounded our way across Tampa Bay after a motor down the ICW from Clearwater. We tried putting the sail up for short distances but the wind was pretty much on the nose and strong. In the bay, we got tired of the pounding and decided to crack off our course and sail for an hour then tack back towards the course. It was much more pleasant to sail and quieter. We came up the Manatee River and only slightly went aground. Fortunately the wind was blowing so hard that by putting out the jib we were able to heel our way off the bar and get back on track. Deltas can be very tricky spots for boats with keels!!

I forgot to tell the full story of our near miss with fire in Tarpon Springs. Our wiring overheated due to running the space heater and the water heater at the same time. Apparently a bad circuit breaker on the boat and the fact that there wasn't one on the dock side at all caused our wiring to melt down and put out quite a bit of stink and some smoke as they melted into an awful mess. We had to buy a new power cord and a new receptacle for the cord on the boat. Not a cheap fix but cheaper than a new boat.

We didn't have much time at the Clearwater Yacht Club but they were also very nice and helpful. We spent most of our daylight hours there making the electrical repairs. Once nice touch, they had a big screen TV in the lounge and we watched our DVD of the latest James Bond film. Maybe I'm just getting old but it seemed very short on anything but violence and there was no sense of style or elegence.

We are at the Bradenton Yacht Club and we'll be here for another 2 days. Mariah is still with us, minus Suz Weston who had to go back to work. The club is very friendly and has amenities that a big club can afford. Their membership is about twice what ours is in Ft. Walton Beach. They have loaner bikes and we took advantage of those this morning. The five of us road out to a nature preserve on a spit of land at the mouth of the delta. On one side you can see across Tampa Bay and the other is the river. There is an observation tower with great 360 degree views. We rode for several miles then came back to the boat for lunch.

David has to have a project so he's taking apart the water system. We have problems with occaisonal blockage of the lines and filter. I'm sure it will be 100% when he's done. We're also making a trip to a marine supplier later to buy new line for our furling system. Our old one is showing signs of severe chafe and is an essential safety feature. This line brings in the jib and in a bad blow, not being able to bring the sail in could cause us to lose control. Despite minor snags, we're having a great time. We're meeting people and learning a lot about the area and what to expect as we head south. To the Perdue followers, Mike and Phyllis, fellow Caliber 33 owners here at the club are giving us a lift this afternoon. We won't have trouble remembering their names!

Tomorrow we'll make it to Mass at the local church then meander around town and see what there is to see, swim in the pool and get the most out of our time here.