West Coast Florida
It’s hard to believe two months have gone by since we left Georgia. On an overnight stop in Key West, we were entertained by the waterborne festivities and sunset sails surrounding the Cruise ship in town.
Entering the Gulf of Mexico for the first time, we couldn’t have been happier with our sailing performance… even with our old bagged out sails. In light winds around 6-10 knots all day and night, we were sailing at 4.5-6.5 knots using the screecher and main.
Our new integrated soft shackles on the screecher sheets worked perfectly. These conditions are where the bigger headsail is a real benefit. With the small camberspar jib on the Manta we’d typically be motorsailing with winds under 10 knots.
The Gulf treated us to a few mackerel (one didn’t make the cut) and a peaceful overnight sail, promising sushi for dinner as a reward at the end of the journey. Arriving in Bradenton on Thanksgiving weekend, there was nothing much to do but relax and start cooking.
We’d had little to no luck calling in a marina reservation for this area before-hand, but decided to chance it in person and eventually lucked out with a spot in the newly expanded Twin Dolphin Marina. There are contacts and contractors here that we are anxious to work with for our upcoming projects.
All of our best laid plans were off to a slow start due to the holiday season. What else to do but keep cooking? I’ve made good use of our new pressure cooker and induction stovetop so far. My beloved Paprika app keeps my menu fresh with new recipes to try!
At least we retrieved our car from Georgia and were mobile once again. With that freedom, I could join a gym ~ an awesome Boxfit class with a great trainer and high intensity training, weights and cardio. I was quite sore the first week! Then it was time to check out the local Audubon societies.
Florida has a lot of birds. There are so many opportunities locally here that I can go on several organized walks a week if I want. Birders are always so nice and it’s another great way to meet people with common interests. I’ve seen several lifers already, including Reddish egret, Red knots, Sandwich tern, Wilson’s snipe, and a purple gallinule.
During the end of the holiday season, we had a surprise visit from Mark’s stepbrother Spencer, and Rachel and Sebastian. It’s been at least five years since our last visit, so it was amusing to realize that Sebastian was now taller than us all.
Vacationing with them were their friends Cindy and Alan, whom we last saw 17 years ago when we lived in Mystic CT. It gets weird when you have memories that seem recent, anchored in the mind around homemade potstickers (Lol), and then discover that so much time has passed when somehow you feel just the same, that everyone looks the same (except teenagers) and as if nothing much has changed. Ha!
In the new year we’ve also have had visits with Pat and had a brisk and brilliant day out on Tampa Bay in his fishing boat, and met new friends as well. Lee & Lisa are Manta owners in the area and were virtual friends until we finally got to meet in person.
We also took a trip over to the “other coast” of Florida to visit Clark & Michelle on Roam 2.0 (!). We still can’t resist reminiscing about our amazing trip together to watch the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda. Then we popped down to West Palm Beach to meet Dustin & Laura on a Dolphin 460 sistership. Life is extra special when you can make cruiser connections, literally anywhere you are in the world.
As usual for us, after all of Mark’s research and planning for boat projects, once things start rolling there is about to be a lot of activity soon. It’s a bit different with contractors this time, so we (me) have to get used to being patient again. Mark usually works DIY, but two of these projects require resources, space and skills such that we sought out specific expertise with a high reputation.
These include a re-design of both the settee in the saloon and a pilot station at the helm, along with a full enclosure for the cockpit, 2 new tables and cushions for all of the above. We’re happy to have the experts carry out this type of fit-and-finish work.
Other projects are on the list are for Mark, some of which are completed, like the generator repair (new hoses & seals on injectors) and winch cleaning. A replacement oven and watermaker are on order. Saloon windows will be replaced and blinds made.
We’ll take a break after this to try and squeeze in a few months cruising before next hurricane season. Of course, progress on all projects will be updated in the Boat Blog, so stay tuned…