1-16 The last 2 days Karen and I have sailing our asses off, we haven’t gone hundreds of miles but could’ve if we wanted. The whisker pole is proving itself to be a real asset. We left Clearwater Pass without the wind that was predicted. We motored for about 45 minutes and we noticed the wind filling in from the North which is what was predicted for the whole day. I popped up on of the deck and set the pole (still learning the in’s and out’s of the Forespar whisker pole). Last Mango sailed well with just the jib poled out, but once I was sure there was enough wind I set a preventer on the main and we were zipping along wing on wing with a top speed of 7.9 knots, way cool! I also have to add during this sailing the dolphins were everywhere and they stayed with us for about 45 minutes. If there was a downfall to the day it would be that the day was overcast with on and off light rain.
We anchored in an anchorage called “Don Ceasar” with was quiet and calm. We were able to scam internet access from the hotel 1/2 mile away. I believe I saw a manatee but it was hard to tell because it was getting dark.
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Moving Along Great, Top speed was 7.9 knots.
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| Whisker Pole paying for itself. |
We left this morning with a fresh wind, Predict wind predicted north winds 10 to 19 knots with higher gusts. We motored out of the pass and cleared the channel marks and the wind appeared to just die out. The wind was from the North but at 6 knots and the swell from the northwest was running 2 to 3 feet. Crappy start to the morning with both Karen and I just holding on trying to get Last Mango in a direction that suited her. Finally with the wind filling in to 8 knots we sailed bobbing along at 3 to 4 knots with just the jib poled out since I didn’t think there was enough wind for the main to be up. About 3 hours passed and the wind started filling in, Last Mango’s motion was much more tolerable now.
Shortly afterwards it was time to turn into our pass and anchor for the night. I contacted Towboat US for guidance coming through the pass because of reported shoaling and they were great and set us straight. We made it through the pass but saw very thin water 5.5 feet on a rising tide, both Karen and I were a bit concerned. The bridge tender opened the bridge on command and we were golden. I chose to take a shortcut to the anchorage / restaurant (Moore’s Crabhouse) that was shown on the chart with plenty of water, NOT. I was moving slowly but ran up on a sandbar and couldn’t get off after trying several times. I was speaking with Towboat US when I tried one last time and we were able to extricate ourselves from the sandbar. During this time I was somewhat amazed Karen wasn’t killing me, she didn’t seem to concerned at all. Well all ended well and we tied up for the night at Moore’s dock for the night and had a nice seafood meal. We both tried stone crab for the first time and we give them thumbs up although it can be a chore to get the meat out of the shell.
1-18 Today we have a short jaunt down to Marina Jack’s in Sarasota. We are tied to a mooring ball and will row the dinghy into the marina and then venture into town. We spent the day wandering around a waterfront art fest and downtown Sarasota. I’ve never been here but the first thing I noticed was the wealth here. Lots of Rolls Royces, Ferrari’s and Mercedes and stock brokers. We’re planning on going to the Ringling Brothers museum today, we’ve heard some really good things about it.
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The other side of Sarasota. Living at the waters edge under
plastic and blankets. |
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| Calliope Circus wagon from the late 1800's |
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| Back Deck to the Ringling House |
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| Second floor of the living area |
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| Entrance to The Ringling House |
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| Main Entrance |
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| Karen thinks it's too gaudy. |
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| Beautiful Back of the Home. |
After a short bus ride to the Ringling Museum we were treated to the other side of Sarasota. It’s not all Rolls and Mercedes. While waiting for the bus we witnessed several men collecting cigarette butts from ash trays and lighting them up again. That’s really needing a smoke! The Ringling museum was very interesting and I would recommend it to anyone while visiting the area. I never realized John Ringling was the wealthiest man in the United States in 1925. He chose Sarasota as his home and because of this the area never suffered from the great depression. His home also had a Tap Room that never suffered the effects of prohibition. The home was incredible patterned after the mansions of Venice Italy which was John’s favorite city. The amount of artwork that the Ringling’s accumulated was incredible and there’s a large building that houses their artwork. The trip was impressive even though Karen and I had no real interest in the circus or the history of the circus.
We were late for the bus and ended up walking the 3.9 miles back to the marina. In the end this was a good thing, we saved $2.50 bus fair and found a Public to grocery shop. Tomorrow we plan a long day of motoring through the ICW (no wind forecast) to Cayo Costa State Park. We’ll see what really happens.
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