22 March 2013

Refreshed

Sunday, 17 March 2013

Up at 0700 for another early departure, we had 60 plus miles to go through the Intra-Coastal Waterway, hoping to get to Sarasota Bay by night fall.  We were only successful in getting to the Bradenton, Florida area as it was getting dark.  According to our Skipper Bob Guidebook, there was an anchorage available across the waterway from Bradenton.  We pulled into the anchorage and were hailed by a man on a moored sailboat.  He told us where we could anchor.  We did not know if it was free or who to pay, so we just dropped the anchor.  There were about 30 boats moored in this area, and half of them appeared to be abandoned derelicts, to include one sunken Carver that had only part of the flybridge showing above the water.  The wind was really blowing hard from the south as Beth prepared our Waffle House T-Bone steaks.  A Waffle House T-Bone is huge in size but only ¼ inch thick.  The wind had us swinging in wide arcs so we heaved out the aft anchor.  It did not quit blowing/raining until about 5 in the morning.  During the night I heard a horrible grinding noise and went out to see what disaster had occurred.  I thought that either we had broken loose or another boat had and we were grinding against one another.  The culprit was a strap to the radar that the wind was causing to vibrate and make the noise.  I swiftly fixed it and went back inside.

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