Friday, November 13, 2009
Leaving The Venice Yacht Club
A View From The Channel
Island Hopper left the dock of Venice Yacht Club at 10:30 AM heading to the home port for the winter, The Longboat Key Marina. (http://www.longboatkeymarina.com/) Temperatures were sunny and in the low 80's, winds NW 10 15, with choppy seas. It was another windy day on the waterway.
Just One of Very Many Manatee Zones
Estates Along The Waterway
Longboat Key Marina
First Mate Debbie Preparing Lines Prior To Docking
Island Hopper In Port
As Ed Daniel would say, "As snug as a bug in a rug."
Island Hopper arrived at Longboat Key Marina at 1:00 PM. The boat slip is in a wonderful location in the marina. Debbie was happy to hit land and head to Tidy Island. (http://www.tidyisland.org/) Kevin is looking forward to being near Island Hopper on a daily basis. Life Is Good!
Views Of Longboat Key From Debbie & Kevin's Porch
Captain Kevin's Navigation Notes:
Final notes from the Island Hopper log of our trip south. We Left Rock Hall, MD on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake bay due east of Baltimore on Monday October 19, 2009. We arrived in our winter home of Longboat Key, FL (near Sarasota) on Friday, November 13. Total miles traveled 1420 statute miles burning 1418 gallons of diesel fuel so almost exactly 1 mpg. WE took 25 days for the journey of which 21 were underway.
We planned three nights in Charleston which was reduced to two as we were delayed by high winds in Belhaven, NC for an extra night. We spent two scheduled nights in St Augustine and were again delayed by high winds in Stuart, FL on the east coast for an extra night. WE averaged 68 miles per day which allowed us to arrive early and sight see the small towns along the southeast coast of the US, usually on our bicycles. We enjoyed local restaurants for dinner about 3/4 of the time and cooked on board dinner the balance of the days.
Besides a temperamental A/C unit (blown circuit board) which I repaired myself (I carry spare parts on board) we experienced no mechanical problems. Everything hummed, a blessed occurrence on a boat!
We had little rain to contend with but we experienced high winds for about 40% of the journey. Delaying us two days but also rocking us a bit from time to time. Docking was challenging with the high winds and current in some of the marinas. My skills at boat handling have improved greatly on this trip. We back in to slips so it is an adventure at times. Great crew on the foredeck is a distinct advantage, I am blessed in that regard, to have my first mate Debbie.
Another great adventure on the water, now to enjoy the west coast of Florida one of my favorite cruising grounds., since I kept a sailboat here starting in 1983.
Till the next adventure.
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