Day 175 & 176: The Sun Will Come Out

Day 175: January 9:  We prepared for the impending weather, fastening three lines to the mooring ball and securing the bimini.

The storm did not disappoint; it powered through in full force, blowing a steady 15 to 20 knots for most of the day. White caps thrashed against the boat, creating an up and down motion as though we were steaming across Buzzards Bay. We were pretty comfortable until around 5:00 p.m. when a ferocious front rolled through. Torrential, blinding rain and roaring winds of at least 40 to 45 knots whipped in from the south, kicking up 6 foot waves and heaving us up and down with a vengeance. Thankfully this very unsettling moment passed within 10 minutes. I must say I never want to experience such a storm again. After it passed, things calmed down. At one point the water flattened completely; but that did not last and we endured another few hours of 20 to 25 knot gusts and rocking and rolling. 

Day 176: January 10: As the song says: the sun will come out and it did. The storm passed and the day promised to be beautiful. We dinghied in to shore for showers. While there we chatted with a Canadian couple on "That A Way". We've communicated with them a few times on NEBO so it was nice to finally meet. We also ran into Mel and Mark on Paradise; they had taken a slip on Monday to ride out the storm. Even at the dock their boat suffered some damage; pressure from a huge gust blew in some of their Eisenglass enclosure. Other than that incident, we all came away unscathed. 

Summer Fling and we got UW about 10:00 a.m. after we took Slàinte Mhath in to the fuel dock for a pump out. Riding along the GIWW, you would never believe how awful yesterday was. It was a gorgeous, day and the water was like glass. 

Our cruise took us through several towns, points of interest and beaches; Point O' Rocks, Osprey, Nokomis Beach, Venice and Manisota Beach on our way to Englewood Beach to anchor for the night. The terrain in this leg of our journey was different than previous areas on the GIWW. No longer did huge mansions dominate the vista; mangroves lined the shore, generating a more serene atmosphere. Pelicans congregated in the mangroves, dolphins splashed around us, fishermen cast lines in the inlets off the channel and kayakers paddled peacefully in the natural setting. 


Nine bridges stood between us and our chosen anchorage in Englewood Beach in Manasota Key. Four had vertical clearances tall enough so we could pass through without asking for an opening. We did request passage where necessary, always taking time to read the boards on the bridge; Stickney Point Bridge, Blackburn Swing Bridge, Albee Road, Circus Bridge and our last one, Manasota Key also known as Tom Adams. 



Dinner on Slàinte Mhath followed by a game of Dominoes! We traveled 28.3 NM in just under 5 hours!






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