Boating with Sunset Delight: 2021: Sarasota for a few days

11 April 2021

No boat travel.

We had planned to leave today, but with yicky weather and a very strong desire to spend more time with our friends, I begged, pleaded, and finally threatened Clark with dire consequences if we did not stay an additional night. At $200 a night, I understood his reluctance. We thought about anchoring nearby to stay for an additional night, but we would have to take our chances on staying dry as we used the dinghy to come back into the marina. Given the forecast the chances of us, or the dinghy, staying dry were zero of that happening. Eventually, Clark agreed to paying the price to stay.

Yesterday Clark had wanted to see the trail that weaves its way around by the marina. Since we weren't leaving, it was not yet raining, and we did not plan to get together with Jim and Jo Ann until 10:15, he got his chance.

Walking tour of Sarasota Recreational Trail:

Sarasota Recreational Trail

At least 2 stories high statue of
sailor returning home after WW II

"Le Barge" complete with palm trees on the roof
of the boat.

Nature Garden

Sarasota Bayfront Arched Entryway

Bicycle Art:

Swan handlebar art

"The Carefree Learner" educational boat.
Built in 1979 by high school students.
On board is a sign that says "Sarasota Audubon Society"

"Cocktails in Paradise" bar and grill

Playground

More art

Map of Bayfront Park

Dolphin Fountain

We got to see the water as we walked around.

Mooring Field near Marina Jack's

Woman trying to get her dog to pose for a picture
wearing a sailor hat. He looked adorable but refused
to stand still for a photo.

We even got to see Fan Yoga in progress in the park.

As we approached the end of our walking tour, we noticed that the wind and waves were picking up.

The sky looked crazy ominous as the bad weather approached.

We finished the walking tour at 10:13 (I guess Clark was monitoring the time closely) and went over to see our friends' boat. I felt sprinkles just as we ended our walk, but it did not start to pour until after we got to Jim's boat. As soon as we got there, Jim and Clark put their heads together to talk boat engines and electrical things. They disappeared into the engine room.

Jo Ann and I sat in the salon and got caught up on what's been happening since we last saw each other a couple of years ago. We hoped for a break in the weather as Jo Ann needed to do some boat provisioning and planned to go to Walmart for some much-needed items. Eventually, with a bit of a break in the heavy rain, we braved the weather to make our way to the store. Our coats were dripping wet after the relatively short walk to the car.

One of the road puddles, the size of a small lake, generated a tidal wave of water that flew up in the air and covered the sidewalk as Jo Ann drove through it. Thankfully, no people were walking there or they would have been washed away. Jo said she had never seen such a thing in Michigan!

My phone app indicated that Jo and I had walked over 3 miles at Walmart. Seems hard to believe, but Samsung wouldn't lie! We kept retracing our steps looking for things on Jo's list. Given the amount of time we spent walking in the store, 3 miles does sound about right!

Jo Ann had made reservations at a nice Italian restaurant. She requested outdoor dining hoping that the weather would clear enough for us to dine outdoors (Covid driven choice). Since it continued to pour, we weighed our options and thought about alternatives. When she called the restaurant to cancel, the manager said they did have one well-protected table outdoors and we could have that. She said, "I'll take it!"

Unfortunately, the rain had brought with is cooler temperatures and we were all cold sitting outside. At least we were dry, and we did enjoy the experience of eating outside at a restaurant in the pouring rain. Jo Ann had them light the fire for the warmer near by. It helped a little. Besides the excellent food at Caragiulo's, we had the best waiter ever. He had a great sense of humor and gave us just the right amount of attention to make us feel special but not enough to be intrusive on our gathering. He even took our picture.

We were so colorful in our raincoats! (Well,
at least 3 of us were colorful!)

A boat near our boat on the docks had a beautiful etched-glass window. It looked particularly pretty at night when the boat was lit inside.

12 April 2021

Depart: Sarasota Marina Jack's Marina 11:10

Arrive: Sarasota anchorage by Ringling Bridge 11:30

Distance: 1 nm

Conditions: light westerly wind, sunny, 70s

What a difference a day makes. The storms from the past couple of days disappeared and the sun came out once again. Clark milked the check out time at the marina of 11:00 for all it was worth. He had some things to take care of and was in no rush to leave.

We traveled a whopping great one mile to drop anchor right outside Marina Jack's. After lunch, we deployed the dinghy and went back to the marina to spend another day with Jo Ann and Jim. Clark and Jim had more territory to cover in the engine room, and Jo Ann and I wanted to visit Publix for food.

After we returned to the marina, Clark and I loaded the groceries into the dinghy to take them back to the boat. Once that was done, we went back to the marina to join Jo Ann and Jim for a short trip out on their new-to-them boat - "The Concession". While Clark worked with Jim becoming familiar with the maneuverability of the boat, I sat with Sammy on my lap to help keep her calm.