Between Covid issues and mechanical problems our February cruise was reduced from eight boats down to four boats but those of us on the cruise had a great time together.
On February 11th Cookin’ (Brent & Susan Cook) and Karine (Bob & Sandy LaMontagne) left Marco for Marina Jack in Sarasota. Seas that day were calm so the trip up went quicker than usual. We were joined on the 13th by O Sea D (Vern & Ann Graham) and on the 15th by Hoosier Daddy IV (Dave & Jackie Cox). During the five day stay we hit all our favorite spots including Marina Jack Restaurant, First Watch, Patrick’s, & Hyde Park Steakhouse as well as numerous other eateries. The ladies also managed to make it to St. Armand’s Circle.
On the 16th we took a leisurely 4 hour ride up the ICW for the 49 mile trip to Clearwater Beach Marina. We would have preferred to run from Tampa Bay to Clearwater in the Gulf but seas were just too rough for that to happen. For some of us it was our first trip to this destination so we got to see some new sights and dine in some new places. Hoosier Daddy left us a day early to join friends at Longboat Key while the rest of us enjoyed our final day exploring the area with an Uber ride to Tarpon Springs and Dunedin for sightseeing and lunch.
On the 20th we were again faced with unfavorable seas so we took another leisurely 4 ½ hour ride back down the ICW to The Crow’s Nest Marina in Venice where Hoosier Daddy caught back up to us. Our time there was short but we managed to get in a group dinner at the Crow’s Nest Restaurant on Saturday night and lunch at The Soda Shoppe on Sunday. The Grahams departed a day ahead of the rest of us and made it home after a bit of a bumpy ride in the Gulf on Sunday. On Sunday night the 3 remaining couples enjoyed dinner on the terrace at the Venice Yacht Club where we were joined by Jackie’s sister Chris.
At 7:30 am on Monday morning Karine headed for Marco to arrive by high tide at 11:30 and also chose to brave bumpy seas in the Gulf; but then again, bumpy in a 63’ yacht is much nicer than bumpy in our 37’ boat.
After a sea condition report back from Karine, Cookin’ and Hoosier Daddy, having no time or tide restrictions, decided on a smooth ride home via the ICW to Ft. Myers, hugging the shoreline for the last 35 miles back to Marco.
We have two cruises and four destinations remaining in March, April & May so there are still opportunities for you to join us. To sign up, just give me a call, text or email.
Brent
Cruise Leader
