Happy New Year to All!
Well, we finally managed to leave the Clearwater area after being there for 3 weeks. We were definitely ready to leave, but it had been really easy to stay just one more day...every day. And we had learned that there was going to be a large fireworks display near us on Clearwater Beach, which would have been great to see from our boat, but one of our pups is really quite afraid of all of the loud noise that goes along with such a display. So, it was a great time for us to decide to head south and find somewhere a bit quieter.
A couple of our regular neighbors who we will miss seeing every day:
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| These guys can go really, really fast when they choose to! |
Before we left though, on the eve of New Years Eve Day, we were lucky enough to finally get our niece Lara and her boyfriend Christian out on the boat for a sunset cruise. We had been trying to get this accomplished earlier, but the combination of some weather issues, Christmas travel schedules, and other stuff kept getting in the way. We managed to sneak in a cruise for an hour or so before it got dark on us, and the weather cooperated pretty well. We had a short, but really nice ride!
On New Years Eve Day, we had a leisurely 25 mile day winding our way down the Intercoastal, and then across Boca Ciega Bay to Gulfport Municipal Marina. This is quite a nice municipal facility in spite of some construction of a new marina building that has things torn up a bit. We are totally protected from the wind where we are, and about a 15 minute walk to the funky, artsy, beach town of Gulfport. And when we arrived, we found ourselves parked right behind Nearly Perfect, who we met back in Demopolis, AL. They are now Gold Loopers (having completed their loop when they reached Mobile) and are continuing to cruise as they love the lifestyle and experience. Fortunately for us, they have a car with them here, and we were invited to join them for a provisions run to Publix this morning...a real treat to be able to load up with everything we need with no concern for how we would get it back to the boat.
And tonight, Gulfport is having a their twice monthly art festival, so the town will be filled with artists and crafts folks displaying their wares. We and Nearly Perfect are headed into town for dinner and then a stroll around the "festival". It should be a fun way to spend New Years Day evening!
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| One of the derelict boats that FL has so much trouble with...most likely just left where it sank by its owners. A shame. |
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| Sandy enjoying one of her favorite pastimes on a stroll we took around Gulfport! |
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| These folks don't even know that they have a tourist attraction in their front yard. |
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| A bit cloudy today, but still high 70's...a shot of the anchorage area in Boca Ciega Bay near Gulfport. There is a dinghy dock nearby too for those who choose to anchor instead of heading for the marina. |
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