January 19, 2013

Saturday:  We waited on the tide and left the marina about 13:45 and just went about 3 miles to our anchorage at Mile 36.0.  We no sooner got settled in and this boat comes up beside us.  He was an acquaintance from Red Wing, MN.  Bruce just happened to see us there; small world.

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W82.28680

Entrance to Cape Haze Marina, very shallow.

Cape Haze Marina Mile 39.0 on GIWW

Things are tough in this area, these condos ran out of money

We don't know what happened to this power pole, power company was here and looked at it and then left

January 17 and 18, 2013

Thursday and Friday:  Bad weather was predicted so we got an early start and I searched for several marina's that we could pull into if the weather got really bad.  We made it as far a Cape Haze Marina at Mile 39.0 on the GIWW and got tied up just before the storm hit.  That was too close for comfort.  We had gale force winds and rain and we were really glad we decided to find a marina instead of anchoring out as planned.  We will stay here til the weather improves which hopefully will be Saturday or Sunday at the latest.  We need a nice day as we have to cross Charlotte Harbor and it can get pretty rough out there in high seas.

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W82.31370

CO's comments:  I had forgotten how shallow the GIWW can get in places especially now with a larger boat and a deeper draft.  It was pretty "skinny" in some areas.

Took a dinghy ride before loading her back on top.  There are a lot of these little canals in this area.

Kim Jo IV at anchorage at Longboat Key, FL, on 1-17-2013

January 15 and 16, 2013

Tuesday and Wednesday:  We left the dock and just went out and anchored just a short ways away.  It was such a beautiful day we decided to put the dinghy in the water and do some exploring.  This was the first time that we have used the dinghy since Keith and Jim put the it on top just after buying the boat.  It went a little slow but we have the hang of it now and I am sure it will go faster every time.  It works good using two people.  We left anchorage Wednesday afternoon and just went about 11 miles to Sarasota, FL, and we ended up staying at Marina Jack's for the night as it was the only place that had a deep enough draft for us; very expensive, so we only stayed one night.  We were able to fully charge all our batteries and wash some clothes.

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W82.54563

CO's comments:  Hardly any manual labor to put the dinghy in the water.  We just push a button and it goes down and/or up. 

Kim Jo IV at anchorage by Longboat Key, FL, on 1-15-2013

This island was covered completely with birds.  It is along the GIWW by Mile 85.0.

Sun Set at Marina Jack's, Sarasota, FL, on 1-16-2013

January 14, 2013; Longboat Key, FL

Monday:  We got going about 09:15 after spending 2+ weeks in Gulfport.  It was a beautiful, sunny, day so we did the outside instead of the GIWW.  We left the GIWW at Mile Marker 115 and went out Pass-A-Grill/North Channel Pass. The gulf was beautiful but still had about 3' swells as well as a little chop.  We were about 3 to 5 miles off shore at any given time and we got to Longboat Pass about 13:30 and then to Moore's Stone Crab Restaurant and tied up by 13:45.  You can spend the night at their dock as long as you eat at their restaurant.  There is no electric or water but it is still nice to tie up.  We met Fandango at Gulfport and they are tied up in front of us.

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W82.68008

CO's comments:  Beautiful day, good to be moving again.   We only encountered 2 "dumbshits" today.

Leaving Gulfport, FL, on1-14-2013

Gulf of Mexico on 1-14-2013.  The CO is happy to be in open waters again

Moore's Stone Crab Restaurant at Longboat Key, FL

January 13, 2013, Gulfport, FL

Sunday:  It was another beautiful week here in Gulfport with the temperatures in the 80's. We are loving it.

Yesterday was Keith’s birthday so he got to do what he wanted all day.   We went for ice cream (again).  There is an ice cream parlor down town that we discovered and we have been there several times.  On the way back to the boat we stopped at his favorite bar; O’Maddy’s on Gulfport Beach. For dinner he had his favorite meal, lobster, and then we watched the first half of the Packer game.   I promised my sister if they were behind at the half I would turn the channel.  For some reason she thinks I am a jinx!  We really wanted them to win but we will have to wait for next season.  We will always be fans of our Packers.  Anyway, all in all, it was a good day.

After two weeks here we are getting ready to leave tomorrow morning and will be on the hook for a week or so. We are just going to take our time and do some exploring before getting to Fort Myers.

CO’s comments: 
Which branch of the Armed Forces flag is flying proudly in the picture below. 
It is time to move on.


　

Gulfport Veterans Memorial Park on the waterfront at Gulfport

　

　

O’Maddy’s Bar and Grill on Gulfport Beach

　

　
Here’s to another year!