Guys trip to Sarasota

Linda and I have been very busy making repairs to our new home in High Ridge Missouri.
Mardi Gras misses me if I stay away too long so I called a few friends and off we went to Florida!
Norm Jones rode down with me as we shared driving duties and made the trip in one long day. Bloody Bruce aka Bruce Smith, Lou the liberal,(Lou Swiney) and Lee met us in Gulf Port on Tuesday August 2. Rain and wind were the order of the day so we stayed in the dock. We waited out some early Wednesday morning storms before we headed out. Our plan was to move slowly down the coast with a plan to eventually get to Sarasota. I had heard that Egmont Key was a must see stop so we included that destination in our agenda.
However, as we motored across Boca Ciega bay. I found that the prop was fouled so badly that I couldn't turn through the wind. I knew that I needed to clean the prop but I was hoping to do that at our first anchorage where I had hoped for clearer water than is in the marina but the wind was too strong so it was back to the dock. About an hour later, after diving and scraping barnacles, we were back in the bay again and the prop was pulling well.

We motor sailed through the first draw bridge called structure C and moved on down to Pass-A-Grill. i had hoped to anchor next to Shell Key but I didn't feel it was safe to look for an anchorage with the tide flow and strong winds. we moved on to Terra Verdi where we could see anchored boats but we couldn't find the channel to get over to them so we decided to go to the marina instead.

Florida DMV

Barry has been on a quest to satisfy Florida's laws and register our boat here, while at the same time documenting it with the federal gov't. After two encounters with uncooperative, uninformed government workers, he had all but given up hope. As I was blissfully shopping for organizational supplies for the navigation table, he was encountering yet another roadblock to lawful ownership of a boat in Florida. He needed me and my driver's license in order to complete the next round of paperwork. Needless to say, he was not a happy camper when he retrieved me from
Big Lots to return to the DMV. Amazingly, we were randomly assigned a funny, young clerk named Travis who made our time at the DMV almost painless. First, he jokingly stated that "This will be $500." hahahahahaha We gave him all of the requisite information.....make of boat, address (difficult, since we are staying at a marina), and information about the engine. (yes, this is vital. If we had replaced the original engine with a newer, go-fast model, we would be screwed). Finally, he tells us we owe the great state of Florida $249. Now, keep in mind that Barry had told me he thought it would cost around $80. After a bit of an exchange between the two of us, Barry turns to Travis and says, "We're not an example of those boaters that have loads of money to spend. We're shocked at the cost." Travis says...."I think I have a way to save to send you some money. I'll declare your boat an antique." (It is 31 years old....whereas Barry and I are genuine antiques since we're both over 50 years old). After a few minutes with his supervisor, he returns and gives us all of the paperwork to sign and says, "That will be $12.50." I exclaim, "Travis...CAN WE TAKE YOU TO DINNER?!?" He smiles and says "I can't take anything." But, we're going to send in a positive comment to his boss--Best experience we've EVER had at a DMV.

Florida in June

Barry and I have been in Florida for 2 weeks now and are returning home by Thursday night. After moving to the new house, we needed a break! After a week in Tarpon Springs, we took a boat ride south from our 'home' there, and decided to stay in Gulfport--about 26 miles down the coast at the southern end of Tampa Bay. Gulfport is a small, artsy community with wonderful restaurants and scenery. We are in the city marina, which has hundreds of boats--but is eerily quiet during the week (no live-aboards allowed). We're sort of stretching the rules right now....
While we've been on the boat, Barry attempted to put in a refrigeration system--worthy effort, but still needs work. We've also done some cleaning and organizing--with Barry doing some major reductions in tool supplies. (applause)
We've had some great fun, as well. Barry learned how to use an air compressor and diving gear to 'dive' for fish called Sheepshead ( or convict fish). These striped, sharp-toothed fish live under docks and dine on the barnacles that grow there. Our neighbor Chuck managed to spear 3 of these delicious fish--so we had a fish fry with his family that night. We've sailed to small, quiet islands and I've done some kayaking on the waters near the harbors. One time, a dolphin swam within 10 feet of me, going under my kayak twice. I couldn't hardly breathe! Dolphins, herons, and osprey abound down here and provide us with lots of entertainment. We sighted a 10 foot alligator in our harbor in Tarpon Springs--unfortunately (or fortunately?) it was dead,so Barry got in our dinghy and pulled the gator out to the river so it could continue its trip to the Gulf. R.I.P.
We've enjoyed dinner with our new friends, Bill and Robbie and have seen our 'old' friends George and Sue several times. We feel refreshed and ready to tackle the projects at our new house!

2nd week in Tarpon Springs--Mar. '11

The weather has been a bit stormy this week--so we've stuck close to 'home'. Barry wired in an anchor windlass yesterday--it automatically pulls in the anchor and the chain, saving Barry's shoulders and hands from wear and tear. Today we visited some marine salvage and sales operations--Barry LOVES this. It's like shopping a great sale at Macy's! In the afternoon, we took our dinghy up the creeks here and saw two unusual birds--which makes me extremely happy! So, it was a great day for both of us. Tomorrow we head back to Anclote Key to enjoy the better weather and the sun and sand. Can't wait!

March in Tarpon Springs

We're back in Tarpon Springs, enjoying temperatures in the 80s, no humidity, and clear skies. Our friends, Dan and Dawn, joined us and stayed on the boat for a week. We had a great time--exploring nearby islands, sailing, bird watching, anchoring out, and meeting new friends. Honestly, we are both exhausted right now!!!

Last weekend, we joined a local sailing club and anchored out in order to fully enjoy the exceptional full moon. Everyone brought a dish to share--great food and great people. Afterwards, we watched the sun set and the moon rise. Breathtaking! While anchoring out that night, we once again proved that we are a good team in a crisis. During the night, our anchor dragged and we were headed towards low water and the beach. Barry pulled the anchor up, while I ran the engine and headed the boat out to deeper water. We were lucky--I envisioned a call to Boat US for a tow, while our boat rested lopsided on the sand. Luckily, we're a good team!

Dawn and I enjoyed the white sand and solitude of a couple of the islands near here--watching the birds and the waves. Barry was our cabana boy--delivering us in our dinghy to the beach and bringing much needed and appreciated liquid refreshment. Dan enjoyed fishing--although he didn't provide dinner for us. Maybe next time:)

We were happy to see our friends George and Sue Stock who joined us for a barbeque and some dockside fellowship. This is a great community!

Yesterday we invited friends from St. Louis to join us for a sail--the highlight of the trip being our ability to spot and avoid the MANY prop-fouling crab pots set up in the Gulf right now. Thankfully, it's the end of the season.

We're taking it easy for a couple of days and then hope to catch up with some new friends next week. We'll keep in touch!

Potluck dinner:)

One of the best things about cruising is the people you meet in harbors. Last night, we had a potluck dinner in which 7 of us shared food and stories in the galley of our boat. (We wanted to eat at the pavilion here, but the weather was windy, cool, and cloudy. Beats 10 inches of snow though, doesn't it St. Louis?)

We were joined by Ron and Carol, Collin and Jo, and Steve for a cozy evening filled with good food and friendship!

Fog!!!

Well.....today is the first day I was a bit scared on the boat--and I don't scare easily. We had been working on the boat for 2 1/2 days, and it was time to relax for a bit. We motored out into the channel, set the sails, and noticed what we thought were clouds on the horizon. However, within a few minutes, Barry stated that it was fog and we were turning around to return to the harbor. I wasn't alarmed, even when he asked me to get the charts and the fog horn from below. When I went below, the sun was shining. 30 seconds later, when I returned to the cockpit, we were completely enveloped in fog. We couldn't spot the channel markers--which are large and bright red and green. I got scared when he told me to sound the foghorn every two minutes and when his glasses fogged up and he was depending on me to find the markers. We worked as a team--spotting markers and crab traps and made it back to the harbor---where we both enjoyed a drink! As Barry always says--"we cheated death again!"

Rainy Day

Barry is the only person I know who sees a rainy day as an opportunity to find all of the leaks on the boat! (We have several leaky hatches--as it turns out). First dry day we will apply some clear silicone to fix the problem. Meanwhile--we're doing inside jobs today and Barry is very antsy. Send help:)

Jamaica Fun!

We spent a week in Jamaica with our wonderful friends Kak and Jerry and Mike and Sandy. The pictures tell the story of a fun week on the beach with beautiful sunsets, great food, snorkeling, temperatures in the 80's, and sand between our toes!

Dunedin

Today was a chilly day in Tarpon Springs (60s). I met my friend Sue for lunch in a lovely town called Dunedin. We had a tasty lunch and shopped a bit. Barry hit the jackpot--he went to Don's Marine Salvage and found some treasures we couldn't live without, such as a refrigeration unit, a bale for the boom, and a holding tank. Bargains galore! Now we're enjoying a cool, rainy evening on the boat.

Kedging

Yesterday, I learned a new word--kedge. To 'kedge' means to remove your boat from a sticky situation--such as being stuck aground in the middle of a bay---by throwing an anchor and maneuvering the boat out of the sand. We went aground yesterday on our way to Caladesi Island during an exceptionally low tide. We turned out of the channel as directed on the signs in the bay and wham, we hit ground. Thank goodness Barry has a 'can-do spirit' and doesn't give up. After three attempts, he got us floating again. Three separate times, he had to put the anchor in the dinghy, motor out to deeper water, throw the anchor, and then yell directions to me in the the helm to rev up, go to port, go to starboard. Kind of like getting out of a Missouri snowbank! We still had a bit of fun amid the problems--we took the dinghy over to the northern end of Caladesi and after wading almost waist high in rather cold water, we walked the beach and found some fabulous shells! Rt'd back to Tarpon Springs last night, cold and bone weary--but there is always something fun to see down here, from ospreys eating their catch to hundreds of shells to beautiful sunsets and DOLPHINS!

Our new (to us) sailboat.

New Year's in Tarpon Springs

After 18 hours of driving, we arrived in Tarpon Springs on Dec. 27th at the Anclote Harbor Marina--a harbor with a lovely view of the Anclote River. The temps here were similar to those we experience in St. Louis for the first couple of mornings--but we're happy to report we are now enjoying temps in the 70's during the day.

We are visited by pelicans, osprey, herons, and little shore birds I call 'kamikazes' because they dive head first into the water for food. I've inserted a picture of the heron I nicknamed 'Fred Astaire' who is a beggar! Of course, we fed him several shrimp. I kayaked in my inflatable kayak and saw warblers in the mangroves across the river.

We have already met some fun, friendly people including Anna and Mark Mills who are cruising full time on their 30' Cape Dory. She taught me a lot about how to store things in small spaces! Their picture is inserted above--just before they left for the next leg of their adventure!

My great friend Sue visited us with her husband George and her brother Mike and his family. 10 people total on the boat!! We sailed and motored all afternoon in chilly winds. Barry's brother Tom came to visit as well--with his wife Carol, son Steve, and friend 'Georgie'. Georgie has sailed for over 30 years and will be an invaluable resource for me as I start this adventure on our new boat.

Of course, there is always a vast array of projects to complete on a boat! Barry loves to work on the boat, so this makes him almost delirious. Projects have included securing the helm compass, scrubbing the used dinghy ( just purchased), putting on a mast boot, changing the main sail, working on the heads, motor mount bolt replacement, cleaning cleaning cleaning.

The Mardi Gras Blog

We are from St Louis Missouri and both of us have lived most of our lives in that city. In April of 2005 we bought a 24' Laguna Windrose which taught us sailing basics.
In October of 2007 we purchased a 1995 26' Hunter and thus continued our sailing fun.
In May 2010 we purchased our new boat, a 1980 Stevens Custom 39. She is a center cockpit sloop designed by Charlie Morgan. When we bought her she had been undergoing a 3 year refit which we have continued. Meanwhile, we are cruising the west coast of Florida while we make new friends and continue improving Mardi Gras.