Tuesday, November 13

A friendly gathering on MM 15 - Sarasota Bay

GIWW - Ana Maria Sound - inside  Long Boat Key

A leisurely morning was had by all .......... I took a morning run through the Bayside Park while Charlie walked down to the neighborhood French bistro where he enjoyed some of the best French toast ever....  a real treat compared to his normal yogurt & blueberry start to the day.
At breakfast he checked an e-mail from the Great Loop Association which posted warnings about conditions in the upper Gulf, i.e. The Big Bend (The Armpit) where we experienced big seas on Sat.  One of the
postings included the following:
" Yesterday found the Gulf waters unsettled.  That is another word for crappy and blowing like stink.  Nautical terms are so precise and descriptive.....Tomorrow morning (Today) get off the Gulf ASAP as it will turn nasty...After today and tonight, I don't see another weather window (for crossing) for quite a few days."  We wonder if there is such a thing as a" pleasant crossing" of The (Armpit)  Big Bend?
After a walk on the beach, we left the Bradenton Beach Marina heading toward Sarasota.  The GIWW runs along the inside shore of Longboat Key and then enters Sarasota Bay.  Although much of the water appears to be wide open, it is extremely important to stay within the channel markers do to the shoal water.  It was a short 14 mile hop to the downtown Sarasota's  Marina Jack.

Al fresco dining - St Armands Circle - Jeff & JoAnn and Grover & Polina

We were excited to be meeting up with Jeff & JoAnn Nicholas and Grover & Polina Windsor, friends from the Clear Lake Yacht Club who have winter homes in this area.  After cocktails on the White Label, we relished a superior al fresco dinner on St. Armands Circle.  Located on St. Armands Key which is removed from the mainland by two bridges over Sarasota Bay, it is an upscale shopping & dining center located on St. Armands Key.  It was a great evening!