Week 25: November 21-November 27

Week Twenty-Five: Tarpon Springs to Punta Gorda

On Thursday morning we left Crystal River and headed further south. We were on a quest to find warmth. Honey Badger, Done Diggin, and Laurie Jean were headed to Tarpon Springs. They wanted me to try again while we were traveling to see whether I would be able to find a place to stay in Tarpon Springs with them. They were concerned about our travel to Clearwater since it was a longer trip and we would barely get there in time to dock before dark. Their reservations had been made earlier for Tarpon Springs and since so many boats had been waiting in Carrabelle to cross, the marinas were full and we were unable to join them. I made a number of attempts and was advised that many people extended their stays and there wasn’t anything available. With their encouragement and concern, I continued to try a few of the same marinas again about a slip hoping that someone left early. Fortunately, I got a slip for only one night right across from where the others were staying.

One boat decided to stay another night, two of us were planning to leave in the morning to head to Clearwater where we had reservations for three nights (Sunday was projected to be windy so we were staying until Monday for better weather), and the other was pushing forward since they wanted to cross their wake before Thanksgiving so they could spend it with family. To celebrate a successful crossing, we decided to have dinner in one of the many Greek restaurants that Tarpon Springs is well known to have….resulting in a difficult choice of where to go. We went to Mama’s based on the reviews and the recommendation from another looper. The food at Mama’s was great. My dinner was too much so I was able to enjoy it a second night!

The town is basically split into two sections – one retains the history of the Greek immigrants, a legacy of the Greek sponge divers who settled there in the early 1900s and the history of the once booming industry and a tourist section with sponge boats and shops selling sponges and natural soaps. While there is still a reminder of the industry with the historic work on the sponge boats, there is another section that has a more traditional American atmosphere reflecting the influence of the wealthy who came to the area to escape the harsh northern winters.

Friday was a short trip to Clearwater. We stayed at the Clearwater Municipal Marina and there were a number of other looper boats there. It is typically a place where those making the crossing spend a few days to recover from the travel/stress of crossing the Gulf. Clearwater is a city known for sunny weather, gulf coast and white sand with hotels and numerous restaurants. There were many places within walking distance but the availability of transportation, locally, and between Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Clearwater by taking the Jolley Trolley, made exploring the area much easier.

On Saturday we met up with former Peekskill Yacht Club members, Tim and Mary Pat. They took us to the Dunedin Celtic Music & Craft Beer Festival (www.dunedincelticmusicfestival.com). We had a great day listening to music, visiting craft booths, enjoying local fish for lunch, and then a quick stop to West Marine for a few necessities. The opening act was Seven Nations and I have to report that Peter actually enjoyed a Celtic band, specifically a Celtic rock band that includes a fiddle and bagpipes. You may want to take some time to listen to some of their music on iTunes or YouTube.

As predicted, Sunday was windy and not a good travel day. It was, however, a good day to catch up on laundry and other various tasks. We left on Monday so that we would have good water crossing Tampa Bay. We decided that we really didn’t need to see any cities so skipped St. Petersburg and Tampa (both were really out of the way when making the way south anyway) and headed to Cortez, FL in Sarasota Bay just west of Bradenton.

Cortez is one of the last remaining fishing villages in southwest Florida. It is reflected in the restaurants and tourist shops within walking distance of the marina. We took a walk to Sea Hagg, a nautical antiques shop. There were a number of interesting items but their prices seemed excessive. Needless to say, we went for dinner at the Seafood Shack where I think everyone had some type of fish for either an appetizer or the main dish. Since we have been in Florida, there is no shortage of seafood options and we have tried a number of new fish dishes.

It was so close to Thanksgiving and Laurie Jean’s wake crossing, the plan was spending one night in Boca Grande and then head to Punta Gorda for a week. On Tuesday, we stayed at Uncle Henry’s marina on the north end of Gasparilla Island. This was the most expensive marina we stayed in and it really had nothing to offer. We did, however, find clean restrooms and showers but the marina was about 8 miles to town and there was nothing close by. Once again, WiFi was close to nonexistent. For the rate of $3.50 a ft, I would have expected something more.

We left on Wednesday. Honey Badger spent an additional day at Uncle Henry’s and then planned to leave on Thursday to head south towards Naples to cross her wake. Laurie Jean was heading home to Punta Gorda to cross her wake so we traveled with them until Alligator Creek where they turned off and we headed to Charlotte Harbor to spend a week at Laishley Municipal Marina. We knew we needed to be settled someplace before Thanksgiving since many of the marinas were closed for the holiday. Peter also wanted to delay getting to Fort Myers a bit so we felt this was a good stop to make. We have heard much about Punta Gorda from a number of loopers we have met along the way and it is close to where our friends at the yacht club spend part of their winter.

Our plan is to stay in one place for the week and leave next Wednesday. Not sure where we will stop or whether we will head directly to Fort Myers.