Day 201 - 202, January 7 - 8, 2023

 Day 201 Saturday, January 7, 2023

St. Petersburg to Sarasota, Florida

We left at 0810, sunny and pleasant with NO fog.  We had a short travel day planned to Marina Jack in Sarasota.  Fifty-eight degrees with waves less than a foot, the biggest surprise of the day was the sawdust that had accumulated on the boat.  There was so much that I had to sweep it and collect it in a dust pan multiple times.  St. Petersburg Marina had been replacing pilings so they must have sawed one off near our boat.  We didn't return to the boat until after dark so never saw it the evening before.

  

                                                                        The Pier

We had a few dolphin sightings as we crossed Tampa Bay.  We also met our first tow boat in a long time at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  There were many No Wake areas to protect the manatees.  We didn't get to see any though.

 Shallow, another abandoned boat

We arrived at Marina Jacks at 1:10pm and were met by 3 very competent and efficient dock hands helping us into our slip.  Hooray -- this time we are tied to a floating dock.  NO more worry about tide changes.  We have a nice view of Bayfront Park and are close to downtown.

Once settled we called our friend Elli who lives nearby.   Elli and her sister Clara joined us at the boat then dinner at the marina restaurant.  After dinner we hit Walmart and got to see their home.  What a nice visit.  We made plans to see Elli again on Monday. 

  

Day 202 Sunday, January 8, 2023

Sunday started with a walk to St. Martha Catholic Church.  Fr. George Suszko, the pastor, was very funny and engaging.  The church was full and the congregation readily called out answers to Father's questions during the Homily.  You could tell that he was well liked and the reason for the high attendance. 

 

Sunday breakfast was next at Station 400.  The restaurant is a renovated train station.  There was a line outside the door when we arrived but we were seated quickly.  Patrons walked up to the counter and ordered beverages (mimosas!) and enjoyed them while they waited outside for their table.  The servers seemed to know the customers by name -- they must be regulars!

We strolled through the Art Festival vendors near the marina and enjoyed the park.