Monday, 3/11/19, Clearwater Yacht Club, Clearwater, Florida

Woke up to a really foggy morning. The Club was closed today so it was pretty quiet and we spent most of the day on the boat cleaning and doing lots of chores. Then we went for a walk-about with the doggies. Our terrier, Snooki, loves finding chicken bones and more times than we can remember has found them on our walks but she is finding them everywhere here. We’re beginning to wonder if people in this area are eating chicken in their cars and throwing the bones out the windows because there are so many. We had to keep a constant eye on her and keep taking them away from her. We have enjoyed Clearwater but have to keep moving so we will leave tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, 3/12/19, Clearwater Yacht Club, Clearwater, Florida

Another pretty foggy morning. Waited for the tide to rise to make sure we could get out without bumping bottom. We pulled away from the Yacht Club at about 11:20 and headed for Parrot Cove Marina in Bradenton, Florida. The day turned out to be a beautiful travel day with blue skies, calm seas, light breezes and about 82 degrees. It was to be a five-hour cruise, but we only averaged around five to seven knots because of all the slow/no wake zones. There were also lots of bridges along this stretch of the trip. We passed by the 175-foot-tall Sunshine Skyway Bridge which was quite a sight. We went under a couple of 75-foot bridges but then we had seven bridges that, according to our guide books, were supposed to be anywhere from 21 to 26 feet high closed but when we approached them, we found they were about four feet lower which made things quite interesting. We lowered our radar mast a couple of times so we could clear some and requested openings on a couple. Fortunately- we made it without incident.

Arrived at Parrot Cove Marina about 5:00. This small marina is in pretty rough condition with a number of run-down boats in the slips. Our slip was really tight for our 14.2 beam. We had to squeeze in – hardly needed fenders. There was only one bath room shared by men and women and one shower in a separate building. Both buildings looked like out-houses. They do have one washer and two dryers. We didn’t use them because getting to them was too challenging. In all fairness, the price is reasonable at $45.00 (cash) including electric. But…….

Wednesday, 3/13/19, Parrot Cove Marina, Bradenton, Florida

We ran aground, yet again, as we left Parrot Cove.  Another beautiful travel day for our approximately five-and-a-half-hour cruise. About an hour out the water turned a beautiful turquoise-green and was absolutely beautiful! On this leg we encountered much more boat traffic, much larger “yachts” and miles and miles of gorgeous waterfront mega homes. Today was much like yesterday with slow/no wake zones and low bridges but beautiful scenery.

Arrived at Crow’s Nest Marina on the island of Venice, Florida about 3:15. This marina is everything the last place was not. Everything appears to be in good condition with a very friendly staff.  There are five restrooms/showers and a washer/dryer in a nice air-conditioned facility. There is also a restaurant/bar and small store in the marina office. Of course the price is considerably more at $2.25 a foot including electric with our Boat US discount.  Once secured we hopped off the boat and did a short walk-about. The immediate surrounding area is mostly condos of all shapes and sizes. We didn’t see any shopping within a half mile or so.

Thursday, 3/14/19, Crow’s Nest Marina, Venice, Florida

It’s a beautiful day here in paradise! Went for a walk-about this morning with the doggies. We thought it would be a short walk but we kept walking and walking and walking. Two miles later we found the town which has lots of nice shops, bakeries, restaurants, etc. But no grocery store – the grocery was another half mile away which is across the street from the only Wells Fargo in the area a – and we needed to go to the bank so our short walk this morning turned into over two and a half miles. It was a pretty walk – through a beautiful park but we did Uber back.

Went for an afternoon dinghy ride across the water to a tiny island. We were able to let the doggies off leash and they went absolutely crazy running around in and out of the water. They totally loved it!

Again, we have a ringside seat to the parade of passing boats, paddle boards, kayaks, etc.  of all shapes and sizes. Also a pod of dolphin have taken up residency just off our port side and are enjoying romping in and out of the water in this beautiful turquoise-green water!  Life is good!

Also a few hundred feet from our boat is a jetty where people go to see the amazing sunsets. I walked down (no doggies allowed) to take look-see and a photo. There must have been 500 people gathered and cars backed up trying to get in to see the big orange ball in the sky disappear into the water. It was truly amazing.

We decided to stay here through Sunday. What’s not to love about this place? Weather permitting, we will head to Boca Grande on Monday for a night then to Sanibel Island and on to Ft. Meyers.