A Time of Gratitude

. . . IN THE LAND OF SPONGES, GREEK FOOD, GREAT DESSERTS

Thank you, Tarpon Springs, for giving us rest after our voyage 

You gave us insight to a unique Greek-American culture. You gave us knowledge about sponge cultivation in the Gulf. And – best of all! – you gave us great desserts! 

A sponge boat returned to the Tarpon Springs dock with a full load. 

As sponges dry, they have a strong smell. Too bad this blog doesn't come 
with Smell-o-vision for you to appreciate the aroma.

The wool sponges here are a high-quality sponge. During harvest,
 divers try to leave enough of the sponge for it to regrow.

The Hella bakery has Greek (and American) coffee and over 100 mouth-watering desserts. Greek coffee is like drinking really fine coffee grounds

Thank You, God, for New Friends

After we crossed the Florida Bend at the same time, we stayed in touch with David and Pat on Sanctuary, friends of other long-time sailing friends. We now think of them as our good friends, too.  We suggested going to a dock somewhere and sharing Thanksgiving. The somewhere was Bradenton. Pat was awesome to bake a 12-pound turkey on board. Jane baked the dressing and made gravy. Together we shared the spirit of Thanksgiving and friendship. They are good people, fun people, and good sailors. We hope to meet up with them again at some point as they sail Sanctuary to the Bahamas and back.

Kent and Jane with Pat and David before they sailed off on the next leg of their trip.

Pelicans are a Mixed Blessing

Our yacht club friend, Jonathan, originally from Mobile, asked that we pet a pelican for him. Then a pelican splattered Bob and Trish’s boat. Bob and Trish traveled down the waterways with us. We’ve been sort of obsessed with pelicans since then. On the downside, we went aground at Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Key. Pelicans, get it? 

But then, guess what?! After leaving them at Wheeler Lake in Alabama, we ran into the migrating huge white pelicans again near Gasparilla Marina in south Florida. 

We'd never heard of the bird until this fall. What we learned is: The American White Pelican has one of the largest wingspans of any North American bird, second only to the California Condor. While the brown pelican dives for fish, the white pelican catches its dinner while swimming. They nest inland in northern states, migrating south in the winter.

American White Pelicans gather on a tidal island near Gasparilla Marina. They often come together in groups of a dozen or more to feed and help each other corral fish.

Who me splatter a boat? Not me! An immature brown pelican at Boca Grande.

Two magnificent adult brown pelicans swim around Whiddens Marina in Boca Grande.  

Exploring Old Florida with John and Anita

We are so grateful to John and Anita on Outrageous who joined us this week to show us their favorite Charlotte Harbor haunts. From Gasparilla Marina, they showed us parts of Florida we’d never have seen without them.  They showed us the fairly exclusive, but gorgeous Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island; the most beautiful beach ever on Cayo Costa, the indescribable Cabbage Key with its dollar-decorated bar, tame ducks, great restaurant and wildlife-filled island trail; and the Green Flash Restaurant (aka Timmy’s Nook) on Captiva Island.  If you have the chance to go on a John-and-Anita-led trip, our advice is to GO!

The Gasparilla Marina loaned us a golf cart to get from our slips to the store 

and restaurant. The marina stores over a thousand boats.

Boca Grande is known for its banyan trees. Miss Anita poses in front of one 

that's been decorated for Christmas.

Every square inch of the walls in the Cabbage Key restaurant and bar are decorated with dollar bills. When a bill falls off  -- as they all eventually do, the money is donated to charity. Thousands of dollars are donated each year. 

Anita and John on Outrageous under sail during the cruise of Charlotte Harbor sights. 

When they left us near Captiva this morning, we suspect that they sailed straight back 
to Cabbage Key. It brought back wonderful memories for them and 

is as special now as it was years ago. 

Handling Trials

Ten minutes after running Carina's engine hard to get off the sand in Pelican Bay, the engine warning starts sounding. We're thankful for having learned the basics of diesel engine maintenance and for bringing lots of extra parts. Kent checked the possible problem areas, found a broken water pump belt and replaced it in a matter of minutes. John suggested he might want to join a NASCAR pit crew.

Stopping to Smell the Roses

It's been a little over two months since we first threw the lines on the dock. To us, it feels like a long push to get from Chattanooga to . . . somewhere south. Now, we’re at Ft. Myers Beach and are a little weary, to be honest. Days not traveling have been full of boat work. And -- darned it! -- Ol' Man Winter caught up with us.

We’re ready to stay some place for more than two nights, relax a bit, and get our mail. So we'll be at Ft. Myers Beach for nearly a week. We may even work on our tans, that is if the weather warms up and the wind quits blowing like stink.