Merry Christmas to All, we had a couple of nice days at the Fisherman’s Village Marina at the upper end of Charlotte Harbor in Punta Gorda, FL. The entrance was well marked, which I needed after a harrowing 24 hours of dodging crab pots in the day light and hoping and praying to miss them during the night. The dock hand who helped Camilla with the dock lines was hard of hearing and a communication problem developed between them, but we eventually got Southern Heat secured in the slip. I was glad to stop for a while. Most of the folks on our dock are seasonal boaters and live aboard at the marina. They were very friendly and invited us to the 5 PM sundowner party which happens daily somewhere along the dock. We skipped the first evening as we had no energy, but did socialize on the second evening and truly enjoyed meeting each member of the group. They are all accomplished sailors and power boaters (retired sailors) and really enjoy Charlotte Harbor. There is a very nice river walk that goes for at least a couple of miles and is designed for walking and biking. Rider thought it was fantastic. After a two day stay, we headed down the 20 nm of Charlotte Harbor to the ICW. This was accomplished in heavy fog with heavy reliance on the chart plotter and radar. We followed our “bread crumbs” back down the bay and as we approached the gulf, the fog conveniently lifted. We debated whether to go on the outside on the Gulf or go down the GCICW (Gulf Coast ICW). While I don’t like ICW work Camilla wanted to see the sites along the ICW and that sounded OK with me. There were some very beautiful and expensive homes along the way and some FL. jungle as well. The wind continued to increase and by mid day it was blowing 20+ k on the ditch. This was not a problem until time to negotiate bridge openings. With current flowing and 20 k of wind, it can be challenging to hold the boat in the channel and not get swept into the bridge while waiting for it to open. We finally approached Venice, FL after a couple of harrowing episodes at the last two bridges. The Crow’s Nest Marina does not live up to its hype or the hype of some of those who have stayed here, but it is OK for a few days. The finger pier is too short to meet our gate on SH, so Rider has to be lifted over the life lines to get off and on the boat, much to his dismay. The dock master understood our unhappiness and offered us a great deal, stay four nights and get the next three for free. We might do just that as we can’t get our slip in St. Pete until Jan. 2. Venice turns out to be a nice town, but pretty unfriendly to dogs with signs denying dogs to beaches, parks, etc. Dogs are people too!!! Just ask Rider. This morning, Christmas, we did get in a nice walk on the beach and found many nice shells which had washed in with the high wind from the last two days. Lots of folks saw Rider and commented on his beauty. One crotchety older female asked me if I knew about the dog park and that there is a local ordinance forbidding dogs on the beach. Rider and I thought she should be forbidden from the beach. So much for peace to all and good will to all men. There is always one. Camilla and I hope that all of our loved ones and friends had a wonderful Christmas day and that the new year will bring the best. Love to All, David, Camilla, and Rider the Psycho Dog S/V Southern Heat
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 21:45:42 +0000
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