September 27, 2014  – a glorious morning to you all!!   73 – 88°F rain expected in the evening.

Leaving Burnt Store Marina

We left Burnt Store Marina, Punta Gorda, Fl heading north to new waters.  Captain Dana (Mermaid Charters ) was helping us move our boat from Punta Gorda to Sarasota.

Before we left, we saw a boat with a load of fishing-hopefuls.  The funniest thing is that the “guide” was throwing out bait fish into the marina to hopefully snaggle a “big-one”.  We figured by the time the big one ate all the bait fish, there was no need to feed on the hook.  Right?  Weirdest thing I have seen in a small while.  I mean…catch a fish with fish…in a marina where the Osprey are already guarding the waters?

How to fish in Florida.

You fishing hopefuls out there can tell me I am stupid and I don’t understand fish.  Which is very possible.  I just don’t see the logic.   Now, if we were trying to bait Jaws that is an entirely different story (in three sequels).

Did I mention that we had a send-off?  Our little manatee fella gave us that last hug and snuggle before we left.   Wayne said it raised her head, snorted, and disappeared under the boat as a final ‘goodbye’.

Manatee nuzzling the boat saying goodbye!

Leaving Burnt Store Marina we entered Charlotte Harbor leading us to the ICW – Intra Coastal Waterway – on our way north toward Sarasota.

Entering the ICW

Blue skies and warm wind.  Perfect day until we heard a flop.  Flop.  Flop.
“What is that?”  Did we forget to batten down a hatch?  Forget to close or secure a door? We have never batten’d down a thing before in our life so we weren’t sure what that even meant.
“No,” our Capt Dana said, “Look out the port window.  There may be Porpoise out there riding our wake!!”

Porpoise riding our wake

Another porpoise surfing our wake

“Indeed there were several”.  Apparently, if you are going fast enough, the porpoise enjoy playing in the wake.  How fast were we going?  A blistering…. 8 knots…. or around a dazzling 10 mph.  Simple joys!

Several bridges were too low for us to go under so we had to wait for their opening.  Swing Bridges that pivot in the middle and swing open so boaters too tall for the bridge and get through.  Then there are the draw bridge type where the bridge opens in the middle and we go through.  We think “Always Home” is just under 19 feet tall after doing a quick measure and even quicker math in our heads.  So we had a few bridges where the clearance was posted as 20- 21 feet.  What to do?  Send the woman out on the top and double check as we go under.  Of course!!

Of course we had room!!  I just don’t understand why folks don’t believe me when I count with all my fingers and toes….

That zzzzrrroooommm noise when going over a metal bridge is almost the same kind of sound when going “under” a metal bridge as cars zip overhead.

We stopped a bit less than half way to Sarasota.  Just so much excitement getting ready to leave Burnt Store moving our boat for the first time.  There were fenders to pull in, chart plotter to watch for water depth, channel markers to locate, and making sure we were far away from other boaters was just an exhausting day.  I was wondering how we were going to get on/off the boat.  At Burnt Store Marina I had shown previously the tides could dramatically affect getting on and off the boat.  We left that plastic staircase behind.  Hmmm…what will we do?

We will use the stairs that came with the boat, of course.  It was strapped to the bow rail of the boat and we had never actually tried to use it.  Let’s see how it will do??

Pretty slick! Stairs!

The stair mounts to the boat.  The wheels on the dock-end allow the stair to move with the boat movement as the water sloshes up and down with the tides.  7 steps with a handrail.

Fabulous!!