Day Thirteen (13)




Today’s Blog Record entry is being sent to you by Captain Shirl (SEGII)



We began the day in Fort Myers, FL after a great day of running across the State of Florida from the East Coast (Stuart, FL) to the West Coast, across the Okeechobee Water Way to Fort Myers. Leaving the Fort Myers Yacht Basin (probably the worse marina we have stayed in on the entire trip, save the broke down marina we spoke of earlier in the Blog record, with none of the anticipated bad water and weather.



Most of the day was uneventful (no pictures today!!), with continued great weather and good water. We continued to see beautiful Florida Coast houses and boats (lots of Sea Rays), and the Golden Eagle III was running like a top, but eating up lots of gasoline. We made four gas stops between last night and tonight, and the cost was nearly one thousand dollars, but hey, this once-in-a-lifetime trip is well worth the cost, and to do it with my two best boating buddies is priceless.



Surprisingly in the early afternoon we began to get rain as we left Sarasota, heading for Tampa/St. Petersburg. For more than an hour and a half, we endured a pretty heavy rain shower, and began to approach the infamous Tampa Bay, a large choppy and intimidating body of water. Having seen a peek of the Gulf of Mexico though a cut out of the inland route we were taking, for the first time during the trip, the Three Captains had a difference of opinion as to what we should do, go out into the Tampa Bay’s windy, choppy, rainy, waves and current, or turn back and wait a day for the effects of Ida to settle down. I was the scardy cat wanting to go only if both Will and John could assure we were not taking unnecessary chances. Will was the cowboy, feeling with the strength and performance of the Eagle; we should go and get on to St. Pete. John, the most level headed and most experienced, had us all to settle down and suggested we take a peek run to the mouth of the Tampa Bay, and see what it looked liked, and then make a decision.



That’s what we did, we got there, and though it looked treacherous we went out a few miles, and John turned to both me and Will, and said “well what do you think?”. Will, of course wanted to go, and after a few minutes of observation of the conditions and a feel for the rocking and rolling of the waves, I agreed we should go on. We all now agreed, and began the rough and tumble run to St. Petersburg, FL, and after about an hour of careful steerage by John, great navigation assistance by Will, and nervous banter by myself, we arrived at St. Petersburg, and The Harborage Marina, where we gassed up again (just a little needed), contacted the Harbor Master by VHF, got instruction for moorage, docked and tied down the Eagle, and began to query about a good restaurant, as we all were tired and very, very hungry.



As we left the Eagle, walking down the dock finger, I noticed another African American boater in the marina a couple of fingers away, and on, would you believe, a Sea Ray Sedan Bridge, the boat of my dreams. I called across to him, told him about our trip and shared with him that we had not seen many other African American boaters since we left Philly, and he was a sight for sore eyes. Will and John went over to his boat, while I worked with the Harbor Master to identify a restaurant and get us a cab. After the Harbor Master returned with the list of restaurants, and called a cab for us, I call John and told him to come on, that the cab was coming. By then they had befriended the boater (Mike), and he had agreed to take us to the restaurant. Turned out that while we told him we wanted to go to Outback Steakhouse, after a brief tour of the “hood” (very close to the marina) he recommended the Park Shore Grill. We accepted his recommendation and had a WONNNNNDERRRRFULLLL dinner, in a beautiful restaurant, with great service by all, the hostess, the waiter, and the manager.



After dinner, we walked (a considerable distance) back to the marina, planned the day tomorrow (when we will have to go straight across the corner of the Gulf of Mexico from St. Petersburg to just east of Pensacola, a full one hundred fifty miles), completed the Blog Report, and turned in for the night.



WHAT-A-Day !!!!!!