Gulfport to Bradenton to Long Boat Key

Day #88; Loop Miles to date = 1,286

We liked Gulfport and enjoyed our 3 days there, but it was time to get moving. We decided to check out Bradenton, although our expectations weren't that high. We found the Twin Dolphins Marina to be nice, and the revitalized downtown area enjoyable. It isn't a place that we would want to spend a lot of time exploring, but it was a good spot to stop with the weather front that brought rain and plenty of wind. We knew that the front was coming, and the marina provided the cover that we anticipated from the strong North winds...so all in all, it worked out fine.

A gray, windy and messy day when we traversed Tampa Bay to Bradenton. This was about as close as we got to the Sunshine Skyway...no sun today.

Somewhere in this maze of markers is our channel! Not to worry, it wasn't as confusing as it might seem.

After the front passed through, there were still some predicted strong winds that were headed our way. We saw a window on Monday morning where we could leave Bradenton and head for Sarasota. If we didn't make this window, the winds might keep us in Bradenton for 2 additional days. So, we set out for the Long Boat Key Club Moorings. This is a rather expensive marina/resort, but we found that by mentioning Active Captain, we could pay for 2 nights and get the 3rd night free. This made it more reasonable, and it allowed us access to the Sarasota area. We won't use all of the fancy resort amenities available (golf, tennis, spa, etc.) but we are enjoying a very protected slip among some VERY nice boats. The wind is blowing at 20 mph out there now and we are barely rocking. Looking out at Sarasota Bay, it is full of white caps and large waves...it would not be a good travel day!

A fellow traveler who rode with us on the way to Long Boat Key for about a mile or so.

So, we're camped out here for a few days of luxurious marina life, and then on Thursday, we'll likely head further south for Venice, where we plan to hook up with a friend who lives in the area. Sandy plans to spend much of today exploring St Armands Circle and Sarasota, while Rob unfortunately has some work to do. With any luck, the work stuff will be out of the way by Wednesday morning, and we'll have most of the day to do some more exploring and poking around.

Hope y'all are warm wherever you are!