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| Cleared the Bridge |
Just a short 18 mile run today down Boca Bay and around the
tip of the St. Pete/Tampa Bay peninsula. At one point a channel described as a “short
cut” diverged from the intracoastal-waterway toward the mainland, Carol was
navigating and we started up the channel. As we saw the destination, I asked
the height of the bridge we would pass under. Carol looked it up in the Skipper
Bob Guide and said it was 25 feet, and continued to peruse the Guide. As we
neared the bridge I asked are you sure? “Oops” was the next comment, in the
fine print - item 4, the guide stated this bridge was only for boats that can
manage to go under an 18 ft bridge. Our measured height is 17’ 1” the tide was
rising and the marker was unclear below 16 feet. After some quick calculations
we decided to proceed. Carol climbed up on the sundeck roof at the same level
as our highest point and RISKED HER HEAD to view the clearance. Fortunately, we did clear the bridge. The price for not reading the fine print can
be very steep!
Talk about bravery under pressure, Carol should get extra
points for the longshoreman’s card.
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| The Swarm Attacks |
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| Nets go in the water, but what are they catching? |
Just as we approached the marina entrance we noticed about a
dozen fisherman in small, flat, one and two-man boats near The Pier. As we
approached the entrance they all rushed toward us like a swarm, crowding and
leaping over each other’ wakes. And then,
stopped just short of crossing our path and tossed nets into the water. We hope
to learn more tomorrow about this bizarre activity. Must have been a great school of fish right
there.
This evening we got dressed up and went to a nice restaurant on Beach Ave. It was called “Moon Under Water” and was greatly enhanced by all the Christmas lights decorating the palm trees. Good dinner, pretty walk in the park, a little window-shopping. Nice ending to an adventurous day.
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| A view from the helm |
Never a dull day for you two! Dennis, you'd better be thinking of one awesome reward for all the risks your first mate is taking to ensure your safe passage :-) Love the spirit of adventure you both so enthusiastically embrace.
ReplyDeleteKnow the feeling of putting the eye even with the highest point to make sure the boat clears the bridge. Good for you, Carol. The net casters are most likely catching bait fish (can't pull the name of those fish out of my memory). It's quite the art and some fishing seminars teach the technique. Me...I'll just buy my bait ;-) Won't be long before you hit the Ft. Myers/Cape Coral area. Safe travels.
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