Picture pages

We lifted anchor out of the Jewfish Key anchorage near Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key at eight o'clock this morning.  Before we even got in the ICW channel, the entertainment started for the day.  There was a sailboat going by in the channel just as we were exiting the anchorage when all of the sudden it stopped moving.  Of course they were near what is probably the narrowest spot on all of the ICW.  From our angle it was confusing as to what the sailboat had done compared to the red and green buoys that are so close together, but come to find out, it was quite a bit out of the channel and obviously aground.  We eased around it and got through with 13 feet of water when you are in the channel.  In Sarasota Bay the same sailboat overtook us, then was going off course, realized it and cut back in front of us.
Our next encounter was a 60 foot sailboat that must have just left Sarasota, was towing a 30 foot center console fishing/diving boat on the hip (alongside), which had a smaller center console boat being towed behind it.  I guess that was to be the dinghy, but even it was a bit excessive.  In hearing him communicate with the first bridge tender of the day, it seems the whole family was moving to Key West in this manner, they were going to start their own fishing/diving charters, then leave the business to the kids to make money for them while they sail around.  They looked like the Clampets on the water.  We were even singing, "loaded up the boat and rode to the keys."  After listening to his constant chatter on the VHF radio to each bridge tender no less than three times for each one, and then asking this sailboat that had run aground today their opinion on where he could anchor before reaching Venice Inlet where they would exit the ICW and run to Key West outside in the Gulf of Mexico, we decided it will be a miracle if they make it to Key West.
The entertainment did not stop.  We witnessed the first, run aground sailboat veer off towards markers that were not for the ICW, then realize and correct itself.  Then that same sailboat angered another sailboat at a lift bridge that had the right of way, but run aground sailboat went through anyway.  He then apologized for messing up, but their excuse was that they had never been in this area before.  Hello, downstream vessels have the right of way no matter where you are on the planet.  There were no less than three men aboard this sailboat.  Between all of them they could not navigate the channel or know the rules of the road.
By the time we were going through Venice, we turned off channel 9 on the VHF radio so we would not have to listen to any more nonsense.  We did not require any more bridges to be open and the stupidity on the radio was just going downhill after hearing Key West bound sailboat say that they were south of the next bridge they were calling.  Pretty hard to need a bridge opened when you are south of a bridge and you are southbound.
It's too bad there are not dollar signs in front of mile markers so Ray could be more accurate on the mileage he tells me it is going to be for the day.  That's not to say I cannot look for myself, but I was told it was about 40 miles planned for today.  After 50 miles of travel, most of it against the tide of course, we dropped anchor near Don Pedro State Park in Cape Haze.
We immediately got the dinghy down to try to get to Publix and back before dark.  Our original plan was to take the dinghy to a dock at Don Pedro State Park, although we noticed on the way in that the dock did not have any cleats to tie to, yet had a welcome sign facing the dock.  We figured we would pull it up on shore if necessary, but also noticed another sign said that the park closed at 5:00 p.m.  It was already 4:30 p.m.  Ray read on our new Active Captain App though, a comment from another boater that said they took their dinghy to an old abandoned looking dock up a canal to get to Publix.  That made it only a block away instead of a mile.  We decided to try that first.  We found the mentioned dock, but it was at someone's house as this canal was totally residential.  There was no way we were going to trespass on someone's property.  There were some people that were outside at several houses, including that one but Ray said "If Christelle was here she would ask someone if she could tie to their dock to run to the grocery store, but I'm not."  We discussed dropping me off at the small concrete bridge to go get provisions, but we needed gas for the dinghy to play tomorrow, along with groceries and ice.  Our next thought was to try Don Pedro park and see how closed out we would be, and if we were, we would just go in the morning.  About that time a gentleman on the dock was working on his sailing catamaran, which we had already wondered how it got down this narrow canal, and asked us if we were trying to get to the store.  When we said yes Moe offered us the use of his floating dock to tie to.  While we were walking to the store Ray said, "This is the luck Gary and Christelle usually have, not us."     

We were exiting the canal just in time for sunset.

Moe mentioned how nice the beach side of Don Pedro park is, so we decided to go explore it tomorrow morning before we lift anchor since Ray says we only have 12 miles to travel.



It is so still and peaceful here.

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